Amazon Adventures

Ecuador

Galapagos Islands / Jungle Lodges / Active Adventures
Traditional Tours & Hotels

Bird watching Tours - (6nights/7 days)

This tour offers complete diversity for birding in Ecuador, all climate steps of the world in 6 days: The High Barren Plains, Highland Rain Forest, Cloud Forest and the Subtropical Rain Forest - our four climate steps from 4,000 mts o.s.l. descending to 500 mts o.s.l. and include areas of travel in Ecuador's world famous birding areas.

Enjoy virgin nature and Ecuadorian tradition at San Jorge Eco-Lodge & Botanical Reserve, an 18th Century Ecuadorian farm, within a comfortable Eco-Resort environment. Our tours offer practical education on ecology, botanical, ornithology, archeology, and the awareness of the surrounding environment. Our bilingual tours are guided by Dr. George Cruz, of San Jorge Botanical Reserve and the finest guides from the Birdwatching Guide Association in Mindo. San Jorge Botanical Reserve, a 200-acre private native reserve, is located in the Pichincha foothills, 17 minutes from Quito Airport.

San Jorge Eco-Lodge: Double room accommodations, private bath with hot shower, including rustic built in fireplace, lit for comfort and eloquence in the evening. Enjoy our tempered indoor swimming pool, sauna, Turkish Bath, Jacuzzi, museum, library and explore our beautiful vast gardens. Relax at our festive El Cucayco Restaurant, serving fine national and international gourmet cuisine, and overlooks the valley of Quito.

Day One – Evening transfer from Quito Airport to San Jorge Eco-Lodge. Overnight lodging

Day Two – At 7:00 am we will visit the Yanacocha Reserve (highland Rain Forest), The endangered and very difficult to see - Black-breasted Puffleg has been sighted here, including Tanagers, Barbets and others. 1:00 pm return to San Jorge for lunch.After lunch we will visit our San Jorge Botanical Reserve (highland Rain Forest). Here you may see the Black Tailed Trainbearer, Rufous Antpitta, Hooded Siskins, Black Flowerpiercers, Blue & Yellow Tanagers and Cinereus Conebills. While walking through the gardens of San Jorge, you will also find several varieties of hummingbirds, eating at their feeders stationed throughout the grounds. (3000 – 3500 mts o.s.l.).
Overnight lodging San Jorge Eco-Lodge
Meals: Breakfast picnic, Lunch, Dinner

Day Three – 6:00 am Breakfast; 7:00 am we will leave to visit San Jorge sorroundings and continue birding at Nono Mindo Road and Tandayapa Valley. You may see up to 19 varieties of Hummingbirds; Tanager flocks including Grass-green Tanager, Blue-Winged Mountain Tanager and also Toucan Barbet and Crimson-Rumped Toucanet. Here we will visit the world-famous Hummingbird House.
Meals: Breakfast, boxed Lunch, 7:00 pm early Dinner
Overnight lodging in Mindo

Day Four – 7:00 am breakfast; 7:30 am to 1:00 pm - Rio Cristal area, walking the Cinto River. An area located on the outskirts of Mindo Village, 1,300 mts osl. A network of trails lead us into Cloud Forest where wonderful variety of choco-endemics may be spotted: Sunbittern, Barred Puffbird, Barred Hawk, Red-headed Barbet, Pale-mandibled Aracari, Choco Toucan, Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant, Tawny-breasted Flycatcher, Olive-crowned Yellowthroat, and Yellow-throated Bush-Tanager, to name just a few. Free afternoon
Optional: Visit the Cock of the Rock Lek and witness their dances. Also, the possibility of seeing other interesting exotic birds such as Quetzals, Coocoos, Tucanettes, etc. From 4:00 to 7:00 am.
Meals: Picnic Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight lodging in Mindo

Day Five – 7:30 am Breakfast; Early-Mid-morning trek down wide, safe trails through the Nambillo Waterfalls area . You will quickly discover why Mindo is a World-famous area; large flocks of Tanagers see to be everywhere! Other species to look for include Semicollared Hawk, Bicollared Hawk, Empress Brilliant, Hoary Puffleg, Barred Puffbird, Powerful Woodpecker, Rufous-rumped Antwren, Esmeraldas Antbird, Ochre-breasted Antpitta, Scaled Fruiteater, Club-winged Manakin and Black Solitaire.
Optional: Night birding expedition of Wild Voices in the Cloud Forest. You may observe Nightjars, Owls, Insects, Bats, etc. 8:00 - 10:00 pm
Meals: Breakfast, boxed Lunch, Dinner
Overnight lodging in Mindo

Day Six – 6:00 am Boxed Breakfast; Trail birding in Pedro Vicente Maldonado or Rio Blanco, 600 mts osl. This area is Subtropical Rainforest, the climate is warm & humid with spectacular foliage. Great opportunities can be found here to spot Tanagers: Moss-Backed; Golden-Hooded; Blue Whiskered; Scarlet and White; Gray- and-Gold, often all in the same flock! We have also seen Lineated Woodpeckers; Horneros; and the elusive Club-Winged Manakin in this region.In the afternoon, we will return to San Jorge Eco-Lodge.
Meals: Boxed breakfast, boxed lunch, Dinner
Overnight lodging at San Jorge Eco-Lodge

Day Seven – Early AM transfer to Quito Airport

Tour based on 2 or more people
Price per person double occupancy is $1135

Some of the most difficult to spot species of birds have been seen recently in the areas surrounding the San Jorge Eco-Lodge: (Nono-Mindo Road Area):
Toucans: Choco Toucans, Toucan Barbets, Plate-Billed Mountain; Conniers/ Parrots; Hummingbirds - 18 different species: Sword-Billed, Choco Endemic, Gorgeted Sunangel, Short-eared owl Black baked Red Shoulder hawk; High Barren Plain Partridge; Black-Chested Buzzard- Eagle; Carunculaed Cara Cara; American Kestrel; Eared Dove; Band-Tailed Pigeon; Great Horned owl; Black tailed trainbearer; Hooded siskins; Black Flowerpiercers; Yellow Grosbeak; Red crested Cotinga; Shining Sunbeam; Tyrian metaltail; Viridian metaltail; Tufted Tit Tyrant; Variable hawk; Masked flowerpiercer; Sparkling violetar; Band- winged night jar; Giant hummingbird; Purple backed thornbill; Sapphire vented Puffleg;Tricolored Brush finch; Stripe headed Brush finch; Ash colored tapaculo; Azara´s Spinetail; Scarlet bellied Mountain Tanager; Rufous collared sparrow; Rufous spinetail; Great thrush; Glossy black thrush; Brown - bellied swallow; Tourmaline Sunangel; Long-Tailed Sylph; Glowing Puffleg; Black-Breasted Puffleg-ENDANGERED- one of the 50 most difficult species to see in the world; Cock-of-the-Rocks; Black-Tailed Trainbearers; Rufous Antpittas; Scaled Fruiteaters; Torrent Ducks; Tanagers: Gross Green; Blue-Winged Mountain; Blue & Yellow; Crimson-Rumped Toucanet; Lyre-Tailed Nightjar; Tanager Finch-HIGHLY ENDANGERED: Crimson-Mantled Woodpeckers; Cinerus Conebills

Areas of Interest
San Jorge Botanical Reserve & Yanacocha Reserve
Climate: High Barren Plain, Highland Rainforest
Altitude: 10,824 feet/3300 meters
Birds Sighted: Andean Guan; Dark-backed Wood-Quail; Bar-bellied Woodpecker; Great Sapphirewing; Tyrian Metaltail; Short-eared Owl; Band-winged Nightjar; Band-tailed Pigeon; White-throated Tyrannulet; White-banded Tyrannulet; Smoky Bush-Tyrant; Barred Fruiteater

Tandayapa Valley
Climate: Highland Rainforest
Altitude: 5248 feet/1600 meters
The forests within the Valley hold a number of threatened bird species and regional endemics. The Tandayapa valley falls within the Chocó Endemic Bird Area (EBA) of northwest Ecuador, containing forests that hold a number of threatened bird species and regional endemics. So far the Tandayapa Valley study has recorded a total of 296 species, of which 21 are Chocó endemics. Within the Tandayapa Valley, extensive seasonal movements and population number fluctuations occur with many of the bird species, including the more obvious Nearctic-Neotropical migrants as well intra-Ecuador migration. This means that there exists a great opportunity to spot migratory northern species as well as the endemics, depending on the season.

Birds Sighted: Giant and Ochre-breasted Antpittas; Rufous-breasted Antthrush; Long-wattled Umbrellabird; Club-winged and Golden-winged Manakins; White-tipped Sicklebill; Velvet-purple Coronet; Scaled Fruiteater; Grass-green Tanager; Streaked Tuftedcheek; Pearled Treerunner and Green-and-black Fruiteater.

Mindo
Climate: Cloud Forest
Altitude: 4264 feet/1300 meters
Located two hours from Quito, on the Northwestern slope of the Andes, Mindo is an excellent example of biodiversity. Natural peace & quiet of the cloud forest surrounding Mindo attracts 550 species of birds known to inhabit the area. Some of the worlds most endangered species inhabit the Mindo region and some of the rarest species have been spotted fairly recently in this area. The Mindo Cloud Forest is a World famous birding location, hot spots include the Nambillo Waterfall Trails, located in the hills and home of the magnificent Andean Cock-of-the-Rock Lek.

Birds Sighted: Sickle-winged Guan; Dark-backed Wood-Quail; Golden-olive Woodpecker; Toucan Barbet; Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan; Red-billed Parrot; Speckle-faced Parrot; Tawny-bellied Hermit; Sparkling Violetear; Speckled Hummingbird; Fawn-breasted Brilliant; Buff-tailed Coronet; Andean Cock-of-the-Rock; Club-winged Manakin; Beautiful Jay; Glistening green Tanager; Wattled Guan; Golden-headed Quetzal; Esmeraldas Antbird; and the Yellow-collared Chilorophonia

San Miguel Los Bancos or Pedro Vicente Maldonado
Climate: Subtropical Rainforest
Altitude: 1640 feet/500 meters
Birds Sighted: Lineated Woodpecker; Hornero; Club-Winged Manakin; Chocó Warbler; Pale-mandibled Araçari and Broad-billed Motmot; Chocó Toucan; Pallid Dove; White-whiskered Hermit; Choco Trogon; Stub-tailed Antbird, Scarlet-breasted Dacnis, Purple-chested Hummingbird, and Slate-throated Gnatcatcher. Tanagers: Scarlet-browed, Moss-Backed, Golden-Hooded; Ochre-breasted, Blue Whiskered; Scarlet and White; Gray- and-Gold.