Ornithological trip to Ecuador

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Arrival in Quito

  Upon your arrival, you will be welcomed at the airport and taken to the hotel located in the modern part of the city to spend your first night there.

• day 2

  Yanacocha Direction

  

  After an early breakfast, you will head to the Yanacocha eco-station, located in the Guagua Pichincha volcano, at an altitude of 3,600 meters. In this region, world-famous for its great diversity of tanagers and hummingbirds, you will have the opportunity to observe several species that cannot be found anywhere else on the circuit. Among these species, you will be able to admire the black-breasted puffleg, the sword-billed hummingbird, the speckled-winged hummingbird, the golden-crowned tanager, the black-bellied tanager, the hooded mountain tanager, the spotted-bellied tanager, the mountain tanagers, the red-bellied mountain cacique, and many others.

• day 3

  Excursion to Bellavista and Tandayapa

  Today, you will begin an excursion on the natural trails of the Bellavista and Tandayapa regions, located at 2,200 meters above sea level. Due to the tropical climate of this region, you will be able to admire a great diversity of endemic species. The most common are tanagers and hummingbirds, although today, you will have the chance to see at least 20 different species of hummingbirds and at least 12 species of tanagers. You are also likely to encounter plate-billed mountain toucans, ocellated tapaculos, green and black fruit-eaters, golden-winged manakins, blue-winged mountain tanagers, grass-green tanagers, Tanger finches, among others. In the afternoon, you will arrive at the Sachatamia Lodge to spend the night.

• day 4

  Immersion in the canton of Pedro Vicente Maldonado

  At dawn, you will head out into the fields for a day of birdwatching in the canton of Pedro Vicente Maldonado, northwest of the capital. This is a tropical forest area located between 400 and 450 meters above sea level. There, you will discover an incredibly lush forest that is home to many endemic tropical forest species, found only in southern Colombia, northwestern Ecuador, and some regions of Panama. Thus, you will encounter the banded ground cuckoo, the rose-faced parrot, the Choco owl, the five-colored barbet, the orange-fronted barbet, the black-tipped cotinga, the Choco toucan, the stripe-billed aracari, the Choco woodpecker, as well as a multitude of tanagers and hummingbirds. In the evening, you will return to the Sachatamia Lodge for dinner and to rest from this day.

• day 5

  Birdwatching in the Mindo cloud forest

  

  After a good early breakfast, you should be ready to observe birds in the Mindo valley, located at 1,200 meters above sea level. In this region, you will find a mix of groups including tanagers, treecreepers, flycatchers, toucans, and many other types of hummingbirds. After lunch, you will spend some time observing other birds and walk along the Mindo waterfalls until returning to the Sachatamia Lodge for dinner.

• day 6

  Back to the Pedro Vicente Maldonado reserve

  Early this morning, you will leave for a new day of birdwatching in the Pedro Vicente Maldonado nature reserve. You will discover other bird species that you were not able to spot during your previous visit to the reserve, including pelicans.

• day 7

  Visit to the Nanegalito region

  After breakfast, you will head towards the Nanegalito region to observe birds. You will visit the Ángel Paz private reserve, where the diversity of species is abundant, especially tanagers and hummingbirds. In one day, it is possible to spot up to 20 different species of hummingbirds, 12 species of tanagers, as well as giant antpittas, yellow-breasted antpittas, ochre-breasted antpittas, moustached antpittas, Andean cocks-of-the-rock, mountain toucans, ocellated tapaculos, grosbeaks and greenlets, golden-winged manakins, mountain tanagers, Grass-green tanagers, and finches. That same evening, you will return to Quito.

• day 8

  Heading to the Antisana Ecological Reserve.

  

  Today, you will head towards the Antisana volcano, in the eastern Andes mountain range. Up to 90 different species of birds can be found there, ranging from the largest bird in the world (the condor) to the smallest (a species of hummingbird). In this region, you can also see Andean hawks, falcons, tapaculos, ducks, Andean gulls, and many other species. Antisana is a region located 3,000 meters above sea level, where the vegetation consists of dense alpine tundra undergrowth. After a morning dedicated to birdwatching, in the afternoon, you can go hiking in this region, which offers a sensational view of the Antisana volcano. In the evening, you will arrive in the "city of hot springs" of Papallacta, where you will stay either at the Termas de Papallacta Resort or at the Guango Lodge.

• day 9

  Immersion in the Amazon

  This morning, you will begin the descent into the Amazon rainforest by canoe, eventually reaching the San Isidro Lodge. Along the way, you will encounter many species of mid-altitude birds as well as species from the temperate climatic zones of the Amazon basin. You may encounter blue-fronted lancebills, sword-billed hummingbirds, bronzy incas, long-tailed sylphs, collared incas, tufted-winged starfrontlets, white-tailed puffbirds, radiant puffbirds, avocetbills, golden-breasted puffbirds, golden-headed quetzals, powerful woodpeckers, inca jays, black-billed mountain toucans, and gray-breasted toucans. In the afternoon, you will return to Quito to stay at the spectacular Hacienda Rumiloma hotel.

• day 10

  Return flight

  After a delicious breakfast, you will explore the lively streets and squares of the largest historic district in the Americas. In the "old town" of Quito, you will visit the most important churches, such as the impressive Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito, the majestic Compañía, and the iconic San Francisco, which are the guardians of an extraordinary multiethnic artistic and cultural heritage. A large part of their interiors, especially the altars and pulpits, are gilded, and these churches house countless works of religious art. Some of their museums have precious collections of paintings and sculptures belonging to the artistic genre that took the name "Quito School". You will end the visit of colonial history at the top of Panecillo hill. There you will find breathtaking views of the old and modern neighborhoods of the city, all surrounded by the foothills of the Andes and dominated by the mighty Pichincha volcano. This birdwatching trip in Ecuador, rich in discoveries with excursions close to the birds, is coming to an end. At the scheduled time, your driver will take you to the airport for your return flight.