ECUADOR: Southern Endemics
TOUR FOCUS
BIRDS & WILDLIFE
SCHEDULED TOURS
2025 :: December 6 - December 20
TRIP LEADERS
TOUR COST
From: $5,850 (See details)
Cost is per person, double occupancy from Guayaquil, Ecuador (GYE)
GROUP SIZE
6 - 10 Participants
AVAILABILITY
2024: 10 spaces available
PRIVATE TOUR OPTION
This tour is available as a private trip for any size group. The tour cost will vary with the number of people and any custom requests.
TESTIMONIALS
Highlights of ECUADOR: Southern Endemics
Description of ECUADOR: Southern Endemics
Southern Ecuador has only recently become easier to traverse for birding in search of the sixteen endemics that reside here. One of our top targets is the Jocotoco Antpitta which was only discovered by modern science in 1997! Bob Ridgely and John Moore heard a bird they did not recognize as they were exploring the region, when they finally saw they bird they were positive it was something new.
Retrace their discovery and join us on the incredible journey through the series of Jocotoco Reserves in search of birds found nowhere else on Earth. Long-wattled Umbrellabird, El Oro Parakeet, El Oro Tapaculo, Tumbes Swift, White-headed Brush-Finch, and Tumbes Swallow will be sought.
Tumbesian specialties such as Watkin’s Antpitta, Henna-hooded and Rufous-necked Foliage-Gleaners, Gray-breasted Flycatcher, Rainbow Starfrontlet, Purple-throated Sunangel, Piura Hemispingus, Black-crested Tit-Tyrant, Chapman’s Antshrike, and Gray-headed Antbird will all be highlights of this spectacular opportunity.
Length of Tour
15-Days/14-Nights
Brief Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival in Guayaquil / Gran Hotel
Day 2 – Santa Isabel / Hotel Agua y Sol
Day 3 – Umbrella Bird Lodge
Day 4 – Umbrella Bird Lodge
Day 5 – Jorupe Reserve
Day 6 – Jorupe Reserve
Day 7 – Loja / Hotel el libertador
Day 8 – Casa Simpson
Day 9 – Casa Simpson
Day 10 – Copa Linga Lodge
Day 11 – Copa Linga Lodge
Day 12 – Spangled Coquette / Saraguro
Day 13 – Blue-throated Hillstar / Inca Real Hotel
Day 14 – Return to Guayaquil / Gran Hotel Guayaquil
Day 15 – Return Home
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 – Arriving in Guayaquil / Gran Hotel
Upon arrival, our driver will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel.
Day 2 – Santa Isabel / Hotel Augua y Sol
After an early breakfast we will drive to Cerro Blanco, where we will visit Manglares Churute at Lake El Canclon, an area surrounded by marshes and dry forest. Our target bird here is the prehistoric-looking Horned Screamer (as this is the only place in Ecuador where the bird breeds), but while there we will also look for Least Bittern, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Snail Kite, Savannah Hawk, Wattled Jacana, White-throated Crake, Masked Water-Tyrant, Peruvian Meadowlark, and Pacific Pygmy-Owl. After lunch we will embark on the four-hour drive to Santa Isabel.
Day 3 – Umbrella Bird Lodge
This morning we will search for one of Ecuador’s (and the world’s) most threatened species, the Pale-headed Brush-Finch, rediscovered here by Niels Krabbe. This is the only known population of this Ecuadorian endemic. We will also have a chance at locating Purple-collared and Little Woodstars. After lunch we will travel to the Umbrella Bird Lodge, where we will search for the lodge’s namesake, the Long-wattled Umbrellabird
Day 4 – Umbrella Bird Lodge
We will have a full day at Umbrella Bird Lodge, where we will walk the trails in search of El Oro Parakeet and El Oro Tapaculo, two more Ecuadorian endemics. We will also have plenty of time to enjoy the lodge’s hummingbird feeders; who knows what may show up!
Day 5 – Jorupe Reserve
After an early breakfast we will spend the morning combing the trails for any species that we may have missed the previous day. After lunch we will travel to Macara, where we will spend the next two nights at the Jorupe Reserve. On the way we will make a special stop to look for Tumbes Swift, White-headed Brush-Finch, and Tumbes Swallow.
Day 6 – Jorupe Reserve
After breakfast we will explore the reserve’s trails in search of Tumbesian specialties such as Watkin’s Antpitta. Henna-hooded and Rufous-necked Foliage-Gleaners, and Gray-breasted Flycatcher. After lunch we will drive up to the Utuana Reserve, where at this higher elevation we hope to find Rainbow Starfrontlet, Purple-throated Sunangel, Piura Hemispingus, Black-crested Tit-Tyrant, Chapman’s Antshrike, and Gray-headed Antbird.
Day 7 – Loja / Hotel el Libertador
After an early breakfast, we will return to the Utuana Reserve to clean up any species we may have missed yesterday. Then we will travel to Loja, stopping en route at Catamayo (also known as “Finch Heaven”) to look for Tumbes Sparrow.
Day 8 – Casa Simpsom
After breakfast we will visit the Cajanuma area of Podocarpus National Park, looking for Black-headed Hemispingus, Blue-backed Conebill, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Plushcap, Golden-crowned Tanager, Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager, and the hard-to-find Masked Mountain-Tanager. After a tasty lunch in the town of Vilcabamba (also known as the “Valley of Longevity”), we will begin the 2.5 hour drive to the Tapichalaca Reserve, where we will spend the next two nights. Upon arrival we will be free to relax and enjoy the hummingbird feeders!
Day 9 – Casa Simpsom
This morning we will hike the Quebrada Honda Trail to a very special feeder area where “Panchito” the Jocotoco Antpitta comes in for his breakfast! Other tough-to-see targets we will search for include Ocellated, Ash-colored, and Chusquea Tapaculos. After lunch we will road-bird on the way to the town of Valladolid, where we will search for Maranon Thrush. As darkness approaches, we will try for Andean Potoo and Rufous-bellied Nighthawk.
Day 10 – Copa Linga Lodge
After an early breakfast we will spend the morning birding the lodge grounds in search of anything we may have missed. After lunch we will drive to Bomboscaro and the Copa Linga Lodge, where we will spend the next two nights. We will have time this afternoon to search the lodge grounds for Wire-crested Thorntail, Spangled Coquette, and Violet-fronted and Black-throated Brilliants.
Day 11 – Copa Linga Lodge
We will spend the day birding the Bomboscaro area, where we hope to find such target species as Amazonian Umbrellabird, Coppery-chested Jacamar, Highland Motmot, Andean Cock-of-the-rock (the orange eastern race), and Olive Finch. In addition, there’s always the possibility of a tanager flock that will include such gems as Paradise, Green-and-gold, Yellow-bellied, Spotted, Magpie, and Fulvous-crested Tanagers.
Day 12 – Spangled Coquette / Saraguro
This morning we will drive to Yanzatza to look for the tiny Spangled Coquette. After birding the area, we will have lunch before continuing to Saraguro. Night in Saraguro
Day 13 – Blue-throated Hillstar / Inca Real Hotel
Today we will have an early start to visit Cerro Arcos, home of the newly described Ecuadorian endemic hummingbird, the Blue–throated Hillstar.
Later will head for the beautiful city of Cuenca, which was declared a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1999.
Day 14 – Return to Guayaquil / Gran Hotel Guayaquil
After breakfast we will start the hour-long drive to El Cajas National Park, where we will search for Tit-like Dacnis, Violet-throated Metaltail, Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant, Bar-winged and Stout-billed Cinclodes, and Giant Conebill. At Toreadora Lake (12,000 ft) we will have a chance to see Andean Ruddy Duck, Andean Coot, and Andean Teal, and if the day is sunny, Andean Condor as well. We head back to Guayaquil in the afternoon.
Day 15 – Return Home
Cost
Cost is $5,850 per person, based upon double occupancy, from Guayaquil, Ecuador (Airport code GYE).
This trip ends in Guayaquil, Ecuador (Airport code GYE).
Single Supplement
If a single room is preferred, or we are unable to find a suitable roommate for you, a single supplement fee of $750 will be assessed.
Deposit Requirements
A $1,000 deposit per person is required to hold each space on this tour. Deposit may be made online by clicking the "Book Your Trip Now" button and using any credit card. If you prefer, you may call us at 888-875-9453 to pay by phone. You may also mail us a check, however, remember that all space is held on a first come-first served basis as deposits are received.
Minimum Number
If fewer than the minimum number of required participants are registered, we may still be able to run the trip by adding a small-group supplement fee, per person, determined by the number of participants registered.
How to Book
In order to hold your space, click the "Book Your Trip Now" button above and complete the deposit process, including payment of the deposit through our Paypal portal using ANY CREDIT CARD. Upon completion of deposit, please visit our secure, online CLIENT INFORMATION FORM to complete your registration.
Final Payment
For all land-based tours: full payment by check is due 120 days prior to the departure date.
For all boat-based adventure cruises of 7-days or longer: full payment by check is required 180 days prior to departure.
NOTE: If you prefer to use credit card for final payment, a 3% fee may be added to cover the credit card merchant fees we incur.
Activity Level Rating: 3 (Note: 1 is easy and 5 is difficult)
Mostly easy walking, but some trails will be long and rocky. A fair amount of driving is required during this trip.
Purchasing Flights
Do not purchase your flights until the trip has been confirmed to go.
Detailed Trip Information
Upon notification that final payment is due (120 days prior to departure for land based tours / 180 days for boat based tours), you will receive a trip package of detailed information for your tour.
Any additional information about the trip, including lodgings, contacts, participants, meeting locations, etc., will sent about 2 weeks prior to the trip departure, or after final payment is received for late registrants.
Travel Insurance
As with all tours, we recommend purchasing Travel Insurance to help cover your investment, for covered reasons. Please see our section on Travel Insurance.
Passport & Visa
US Citizens may require a visa to enter certain foreign countries. See above for any required visa information.
Participants arriving to the USA from a foreign country may need to get a travel visa to enter the United States. Be sure to check the requirements for your country of origin.
Itinerary Changes
The trip itinerary is developed many months ahead of time. Occasionally, despite our best planning, changes may occur during the trip, or we may be forced to alter our plans. Changes may occur because of weather, road conditions, safety concerns or other circumstances. In these situations, it is the leader(s) responsibility to carefully consider and implement appropriate alternatives. Any additional costs incurred because of changes will be the responsibility of each individual participant. Refunds will not be issued as a result of itinerary changes.
