Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 - Quito / Hotel Quito
Participants arrive from the USA throughout the day. Transfer from airport to Hotel Quito.
Day 2 - Quito to Mindo / Seventh Paradise Lodge
Transfer from Quito to Mindo in our private tour bus. We will bird the well known Yanacocha Reserve, a high altitude sanctuary on the edge of the polylepis forest. Here we will see many Great Thrushes as we look for Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager, Superciliaried Hemispingus, Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Black-chested Buzzard-eagle, Shining Sunbeam and many more high elevation species.
After lunch we will continue birding along the old Nono-Mindo Road as we drop a bit in elevation to Tandayapa and Mindo. White-capped Dipper is often seen in the river that follows the road. We will arrive in time for dinner at the lodge.
Day 3 - Mindo / Seventh Paradise Lodge
Today we will bird up-slope from 1200m to 2300m in the Miraflores and Bellavista area. Species here include Plate-billed Mountain-toucan, Green-and-Black Fruiteater and Grass-green Tanager. Lunch at Bellavista as we watch hummingbirds come to the feeders. Another stop at a nearby hummingbird location will offer incredible species such as Collared Inca, Booted Racquet-tail, White-bellied Woodstar, Black-tailed Trainbearer and Violet-tailed Sylph. Return to the Lodge for dinner. Optional spotlighting after dinner.
Day 4 - Mindo / Seventh Paradise Lodge
Today we will rise early for a hike to visit the Cock-of-the-rock lek and bird the Mindo Valley area looking for feeding flocks of tanagers, Toucan Barbets and a glimpse of the recently described Cloud-forest Pygmy-owl. Lunch and dinner at the lodge. Optional spotlighting after dinner.
Day 5 - Mindo / Seventh Paradise Lodge
Today we will bird the Mospi Reserve to explore the recently dicovered Oilbird cave! This odd, nocturnal, fruit-eating bird nests in caves. Their young can be as much as 50% larger than the adults! Return to Paradise Lodge for dinner. Optional spotlighting after dinner.
Day 6 - Papallacta / Guango Lodge
From Mindo we will drive to Antisana and Papallacta to seek two difficult species... Rufous-bellied Seed-snipe and Andean Condor. During our search we will find many other high-elevation specialties! Dinner at Guango Lodge.
Day 7- Cabañas San Isidro
Our morning will offer wonderful opportunities to bird the trails at Guango Lodge before departure to Cabañas San Isidro after lunch.
Cabañas San Isidro, surrounded by its own 1,300 acre forest reserve, has built a reputation for being the pioneer in private conservation and birding/nature tourism on the northeast slope of the Ecuadorian Andes. While many popular birding spots lack any type of lodge, at Cabañas San Isidro you will not have to sacrifice comfort for great birds and the chance to see other interesting wildlife.
After a long day of birding or exploring, one can always look forward to a relaxing hot shower and immaculate rooms - the perfect place to unwind. Cabañas San Isidro’s 11 comfortable double rooms all provide private water and electricity, as well as private living rooms.
Forty years ago the Bustamante family (owners of San Isidro Lodge and Reserve) was early enough to save what stands today as Cabañas San Isidro and its surrounding reserve.
Day 8 - Cabañas San Isidro
Today we will explore the trails around the lodge as well as enjoy more new species of hummingbirds around the lodge. All meals at the lodge and a very relaxing day overall!
In the evening we will share our photos and have critiques of the trip’s best images from each participant.
Day 9 - WildSumaco Lodge
Today we will begin with birding along the Loreto Road on our way to WildSumaco Lodge. This brand new lodge built in the foothills east of the Amazon offers incredible bird life and many photo opportunities.
Day 10 - WildSumaco Lodge
The feeders at WildSumaco will of about 10 new hummingbirds for our list including the spectacular Wire-crested Coquette. Additionally, the trails can offer many feeding flocks full of tanagers, dacnis, antbirds and more!
Day 11 - Napo Wildlife Center
After breakfast we will board our plane to Coca for the 45 minute flight. From Coca we take a motorized canoe three hours down the Rio Napo to our lodge. Arriving at the lodge property, we will look for Red-capped Cardinal, Black-billed Thrush and Southern Lapwing before the short paddle and walk to the lodge.
Day 12 - Napo Wildlife Center
Each of our days at Sacha Lodge will offer unique and exciting birding. Today we will visit two clay licks full of Blue-headed Parrots, Dusky-faced Parakeets, Cobalt-winged Parakeets, Scarlet Macaws, Mealy Parrots and maybe the elusive Orange-cheeked Parrot. Later we will visit a few river islands looking for specialty species found nowhere else. Lunch on the boat, dinner back at the lodge.
Day 13 - Napo Wildlife Center
The 150 foot canopy platform allows us to view canopy specialties otherwise invisible to the ground dwelling birder. White-browed Purpletuft, Dugand’s Antwren, Paradise Tanager and Opal-crowned Tanager. After lunch we will explore some of the many trails through the terra-firma rainforest looking for, among others, Wire-tailed Manakin and the amazingly loud Screaming Piha.
Day 14 - Napo Wildlife Center
Today we will enjoy most of the day along the new canopy walkway, which pans several hundred meters, in search even more canopy specialists and those we may have missed the day before. Plus there are many more trails along the base of the walkway's towers to look for grounds dwelling species such as tinamous and antpittas.
Day 15 - Transfer to Quito / Hotel Quito
Today we transfer back to Quito, first by motorized canoe up the Rio Napo, then take a flight from Coca to Quito. Dinner at the hotel and a relaxing evening to prepare for flight home.
Day 16 - Depart for USA
Departures to USA.
With over 1600 species, including many endemics, Ecuador is certainly a birders paradise! Many of Ecuador’s lodges have been built specifically for birders and photographers! Color is everywhere… hummingbirds, tanagers, toucans and quetzals are abundant!
