Ecuador – Photo Tour

Arrival in Quito, one of South America’s most attractive colonial capitals. Nestled at the foot of the Pichincha volcano, Quito is the second-highest capital in the world at 9,000 feet above sea level. Hotel check-in is usually available in the afternoon. Settle in and relax; dinner tonight is at your leisure. You’ll spend the night at San Jose de Puembo Hotel, a nice and cozy place located just a few minutes from the airport.

Our first day of the tour will be truly spectacular and for good reason, as we visit the open grasslands surrounding the enormous Antisana volcano. This is often voted as the favorite site of the tour by many, for the wonderful surroundings in which we will be shooting. The towering peak of the Antisana Volcano itself is impressive, with a large snow- covered top, and dramatic rocky sides. The paramo (grassland) is interspersed with rocky outcrops and scenic high Andean lakes dotted with high altitude waterfowl. Indeed, the scenery itself may be our biggest photo asset. Aside from these breathtaking Andean scenes, the upper paramo is carpeted with Carunculated Caracaras, a striking pied raptor that occurs here in impressive numbers.

Black-faced Ibis patrol these high plains as do Andean Lapwings and large flocks of Andean Gulls. It will be time to try for an encounter with spectacled bear and Andean Condor, but for sure great chances for Giant Hummingbird, lunch at Tambo Condor, simple but great food and late afternoon drive to Papallacta. Night at Termas de Papallacta. (B, L, D)

Guango Lodge lies at an elevation of about 2,700 m.a.s.l. This area is classified as a humid temperate forest, a habitat characterized by stunted trees, a thicker canopy, and a cooler climate, offering an interesting composition of birds and plants.

As we gain altitude and near the continental divide, species like Black-chested Buzzard- Eagle, Viridian Metaltail, and Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanager become possible. Before and after lunch, we’ll have a good crack at Guango’s hummingbird feeders, which can include Tourmaline Sunangel, Sword-billed Hummingbird, and White-bellied Woodstar. Night at Termas de Papallacta. (B, L, D)

Weather permitting, we will venture into the paramo grasslands of the high Andes around Papallacta Pass; on clear days we can enjoy spectacular views of several snow- capped volcanoes. The high-altitude birds that reside there can be remarkably confiding. Comical cinclodes bound around on the paramo, Tawny Antpittas hop along the roads, and with the use of playback, shier birds like canasteros and tit-spinetails can often be brought in close. After lunch will have the most of the afternoon to shoot hummingbirds, walk the forest trails behind the lodge, or scan the river alongside for Torrent Ducks. In mid-afternoon, we shall pack up return to San Jose de Puembo Hotel. (B, L, D)

After leaving Quito, we’ll have four nights based in a very nice and comfortable loge, nestled within lush subtropical forest on the west slope of the Andes, an area renowned for its high bird species diversity. This is especially evident in the impressive hummingbird community found right around the lodge that will occupy much of our photographic energies. The lodge feeders attract thousands of individual hummingbirds, with 10-20 species visiting on most days. The most common is usually the outrageous Booted Racket-tail, the male of which has a beautiful long tail, with two paddles at the end. Other regular drop-ins are a number of glistening species like the audacious Violet-tailed Sylph, the standout Purple-bibbed Whitetip, and the gem-like Western Emerald, dinky Purple-throated Woodstar and Velvet – purple coronet that normally visit the flowers and feeders around. If hummingbird photography is your goal, you are likely to come away with plenty of shots of over ten species of hummingbird, many of which are hard to photograph elsewhere. Fruit feeders at the lodge can also attract technicolor birds like Red-headed Barbet, Blue- winged Mountain-Tanager, or Toucan Barbet. Other species often come in to eat insects attracted to lights, such as flycatchers, woodcreepers, and more.

Sachatamia Lodge itself is a unique spot for bird photography, and we will spend a good amount of time shooting around the lodge. However, it also serves as an excellent base to explore numerous other private reserves in the region. We will visit spectacular world-class birding and wildlife locations like Tandayapa and Mindo valleys, Alambi, Mashpi Amaguza, Mashpi Wuasi, Fruttitour. These locations grant access to a wide range of habitats to explore. Birding in these reserves also provides the opportunity to support local conservation initiatives focus on long-term habitat protection. The exact places we visit on the tour, and the order, will depend on various factors such as weather, feeder activity, and most importantly, up-to-date local knowledge on which sites have the best bird activity at the moment, and which are best avoided. (B, L, D)

Today we begin our first exploration of the upper part of Mashpi Road with a visit to Amagusa, where we’ll observe fascinating bird species such as the rare Indigo Flowerpiercer, Glistening Green Tanager, Moss-backed Tanager, and a wide variety of hummingbirds including the Empress Brilliant, Velvet-purple Coronet, Violet-tailed Sylph, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, and many others.

We’ll enjoy a box lunch at Mashpi Wuasi while watching hummingbirds at the feeders. In the afternoon, we’ll take a birding drive to the lodge, some of the species buzzing around are the Tawny-bellied Hermit, Green-tailed Trainbearer, Andean Emerald, Gorgeted Sunangel, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Brown and Collared Incas, Hoary Puffleg, Wedge-billed Hummingbird and White-bellied Woodstars. Upon arrival, we’ll have free time to explore the lodge grounds in search of new and diverse bird species. A delicious dinner awaits us, followed by a brief nocturnal birdwatching session. (B, BL, D)

One morning during our stay at Sachatamia Lodge will entail a very early start for a drive to reach an exciting ecotourism destination, where Marcelo transformed his land into a place for birdwatching, to safeguard flora and fauna. He created the Fruttitour and Birdwatching project where you will learn about various local fruits trees, flowers as well as admire species such as: Brown Wood-Rail, Yellow-throated Toucan, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Blue-gray Tanager, Ecuadorian Thrush, Orange-billed Sparrow, Saffron Finch, Long-billed Starthroat, among others.

We’ll spend the rest of the day exploring around Mashpi Road and the surrounding areas, looking for Chocó birds such as the Rose-faced Parrot, Chocó Toucan, Chocó Warbler, Scarlet-browed Tanager, Indigo-crowned Quail-Dove, Orange-fronted Barbet, Blue-whiskered Tanager, Purple-chested Hummingbird, and many other endemic species. We’ll return to the lodge for dinner and rest, looking forward to the adventures that await us the next day. (B, L, D)

Early departure from the lodge to continue birding, our journey takes us along Tandayapa road. Over the years, this forested valley has gained an impressive reputation for the abundance and variety of birds that can be seen along its length including Toucan Barbet, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Masked Trogon, White-capped Dipper, Cinnamon Flycatcher, many species of tanager and even the rare White-faced Nunbird. Located in the Andean Chocó ecosystem we’ll find the Alambi Reserve which preserves the cloud forest in the famous Tandayapa Valley, you’ll have the opportunity to immerse yourself in nature and marvel with the beauty of species like the Golden-headed Quetzal and Crested Quetzal, Violet-bellied Hummingbird, Andean Emerald, Whitenecked Jacobin, Flame-rumped Tanager, Tropical Parula and others. Dinner and overnight at Sachatamia Lodge. (B, L, D)

We’ll depart very early and head to one of the most important bird sites in the area, the wonderful Paz de las Aves Refuge. This beautiful reserve is set within subtropical forest where the moist, moss-covered trees are burdened with bright red bromeliads. Our early rise will let us visit an area deep within the forest where a short time after dawn the bright scarlet forms of several displaying Andean Cock-of-the-rocks will start the day off with a spectacular forest performance. However, what has made this place such a joy for photographers and birders alike is the habituating of several rare and shy species of the forest floor, especially the antpittas Giant, Moustached, Yellow- breasted Antpittas, Ochre- breasted, and Chestnut- crowned Antpittas are all possible, with usually at least two of them cooperating on any given visit. Other birds we will be trying to photograph include Dark backed Wood-Quail, Rufous- breasted Antthrush, and White capped Dipper. Later in the morning, we may visit other sites or we may return to Tandayapa for a few hours, before traveling back to Quito for the final night of the tour at San Jose de Puembo Hotel. (B, L, D)

Departure transfer to Quito airport in time to check-in for your flight back home. (B)