ECUADOR:
Andes and Amazon Adventures

Thanks to its agreeable climate and patchwork of habitats (alpine grasslands, coastal swamps, tropical rainforest), Ecuador is one of the most species-rich nations on earth. It boasts 300 species of mammal (including monkeys, sloths, llamas and alpacas) and over 1500 species of birds!

The itineraries below are for two separate trips to offer greater flexibility to participants. Choose the Andes or the Amazon tours, or combine them! To register for the combination tour and save $250 click here.

Itinerary

Andes

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 upslope 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 Pedro Vicente Maldonado and Milpe area at about 1000m. This lowland area offers excellent birds that include Pacific Parrotlet, Maroon-tailed Parakeet, Ecuadorian Thrush and Guayaquil Woodpecker. Lunch on the road. Return to Paradise Lodge for dinner. Optional spotlighting after dinner.

Day 6 - Papallacta / Thermales Papallacta
From Mindo we will drive to Cotopaxi, visiting Reserva Las Gralarias, arriving at Cotopaxi late afternoon. Here we will stay at the Hacienda La Cienega, arriving in time for dinner. The beautiful gardens and fields here have produced Giant Hummingbird, Grass Wren and Cinereous Conebill. Barn Owls nest in the old walls of the hacienda.

Day 7 - Antasana / Return to Hotel Quito
Today will be spent birding slowly around Cotopaxi at about 4000m. The paramo and wet tundra here will offer many specialties including: Andean Lapwing, Andean Gull, Andean Coot, Paramo Ground Tyrant, Tawny Antpitta, White-throated Hawk, and the beautiful Ecuadorian Hillstar. Lunch on the road; return to the lodge for dinner.

Day 8/1 - Depart for USA / Arrivals from USA for AMAZON / Hotel Quito
Those returning to USA today will have departures throughout the day.
Arrivals from USA for Amazon Trip throughout the day.
Those continuing on the tour will have a day around Quito to enjoy the Old City and Artisaninal.

Day 9/2 - Transfer to Sacha Lodge (or 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 Sacha Lodge. Arriving at the Sacha property, we will look for Red-capped Cardinal, Black-billed Thrush and Southern Lapwing before the short walk and canoe paddle to the lodge.

Day 10/3 - Sacha Lodge (or 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 11/4 - Sacha Lodge
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 12/5 - Sacha Lodge
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 grouns dwelling species such as tinamous and antpittas.

Day 13/6 - Sacha Lodge
Today we will have options depending on the birds we have seen. More trails offer additional species as does a canoe ride around the lodge looking for Black-capped Donacobius and the unique Hoatzin.

Day 14/7 - Transfer to Quito / Hotel Quito
Today we transfer back to Quito, retracing our canoe trek and flight from Coca. Relaxing evening to prepair for flight home.

Day 15/8 - Depart for USA
Departures to USA.

Accommodations

Hotel Quito
This large hotel set on the west side of Quito has beautiful gardens and views of the valleys and city of Quito. It is famed for its spectacular swimming pool, sauna and massage area, outstanding breakfast buffet and excellent international cuisine. It offers 24-hour internet service and all the amenities of a five-star hotel without losing its Ecuadorian style.

Seventh Paradise Lodge (Septimo Paraisimo)
We will stay at the Seventh Paradise Lodge, a brand new three-story rustic lodge set in the center of 200 hectares of primary cloud forest in the Mindo Valley. Each room has private bath with hot shower and a view of the surrounding forest. It also has a large dining and bar area, a beautiful spring-fed swimming pool, and wonderful hummingbirds at the feeders and flowers surrounding the hotel. Excellent international cuisine.

Hacienda La Cienega
This magnificent 300-year old estate located near Cotopaxi National Park. The Hacienda has been renovated to include spacious rooms, each with its private bathroom, and a spectacular dining area with some of the most famous cuisine in Ecuador. It is also noted for its beautiful gardens, replete with Giant Hummingbird and many other species.

Sacha Lodge
This beautiful new jungle lodge has all the comforts of home. Private cabanas and rooms each with private bath, as well as areas for dining and socializing. This is a favorite among birders for its tall canopy tower, which allows the visitor to watch many of the area's 573 species of birds as they forage, bathe, and sing among the foliage high in the jungle canopy. The canoe trip in itself is a wonderful introduction to the Amazonian lowland forest.