Ecuador Amazon Rainforest, General Information

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Ecuador Information:

Travel to Ecuador

The Galapagos Islands

The Amazon Rainforest

The Andes of Ecuador

Pacific Coastal Lowlands

Our Trips:

SunWind Travel:

Tawny bellied screech owl.

Crimsom crested woodpecker.

Plumbeous sierra finch.

Andean teal.

Snail kite.

Ocellated poorwill.

Rufescent tiger heron.

North East Highlands, Foothills and Lowlands

North East Foothills.

5 active days of fantastic birdwatching on the North East Andes Moorlands, East Slope Cloudforests. Optional Amazon extension.

Itinerary:

Day 1

Arrival in Quito. Transfer to your hotel.

Day 2

The ecological reserve Antisana was created in July 1993. It is located on the east side of the Andes ridge facing the Amazon basin This reserve links two of the most important parks in Ecuador, Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve and Sumaco Napo Galeras National Park. These three areas cover around 650 000 hectares, one of the biggest protected areas in Ecuador and they shelter an enormous biodiversity.

Antisana has 120,000 hectares of forest and moorlands from 1.400 to 5.758 meters over sea level (4.592 to 18.712 feet). In this park we can find the Antisana volcano with 5,758 meters of altitude. At the Antisana area we will visit La Mica lake for birds like aplomado falcon, silvery grebe, Andean gull, black faced ibis, Andean coot, variable hawk and Andean plover etc., box lunch at the moorlands and back to Quito or Guango Lodge for overnight.

Day 3

Early start, heading up to Papallacta pass at 4200m. From Guango or Quito stopping in different areas for specific birds, like yellow billed pintail, Andean pintail, neotropical cormorant, snipes, rufous bellied seedsnipe, etc. Lunch at Guango Lodge.

Guango Lodge is owned by Cabañas San Isidro and it was opened in year 2000. It lies at 2700 meters of altitude and is 1,5 hours from Quito; it is a small lodge which offers birds of humid temperate forest with nice flocks and some rarities. Guango Lodge offers many of the same services as San Isidro Lodge, including rooms with private bath, hot water and excellent food.

Afternoon trip around Guango area at 2700m looking for torrent duck, white capped dipper, Andean Guan, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Turquoise Jay, Scarlet-bellied, Lacrimose, Buff-breasted and Hooded Mountain-Tanagers, Gray-hooded Bush-Tanager, Black-headed, Black-capped and Black-eared Hemispingus and Slaty Brush-Finch., Mountain Velvetbreast, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Tourmaline Sun angel, Golden-breasted and Glowing Pufflegs, Mountain Avocetbill, and White-bellied and Gorgeted Woodstars! Departure at night or next day to San Isidro Lodge, birding at the lodge for the whole day.

Day 4

Cabanas San Isidro, 2 ½ hours from Quito and 1 hour from Guango lies at an elevation of about 2,000m (6,800 ft.) above sea level in a zone still mostly blanketed by extensive humid forest. It is a privately owned lodge with almost 1200 hectares of protected land and a bird list of over 300 species.

Birding all day to find some of the next birds: Inca Jay, White-capped Parrot, Powerful Woodpecker, Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher, Pale-edged Flycatcher, Smoky Bush-Tyrant, Green-and-black Fruiteater, Inca Jay, Black-billed Peppershrike, Andean Solitaire or Saffron-crowned Tanager. And, during the right season, sightings of singing Wattled Guan Sickle-winged Guan, Crested and Golden-headed Quetzals, Masked Trogon, Highland Motmot, Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Streak-capped and Striped Treehunters, Long-tailed Antbird (a bamboo specialist), Chestnut-crowned, White-bellied and Slate-crowned Antpittas, Barred Antthrush, Marble-faced & Variegated Bristle-Tyrants and Sulphur-bellied Tyrannulet (only a few of a long list of varied tyrannids to be found in the mixed species flocks), Black-chested Fruiteater, Dusky Piha, Pale-footed Swallow, Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, Red-hooded and White-capped and Northern Mountain and Subtropical Caciques, Plain-breasted, Barred and White-rumped Hawks, and Black-and-chestnut Eagle are all readily seen during a stay of a few days. With some extra luck, a Semicolloared Hawk or even a Solitary Tagle, Sparkling Violetear, Speckled Hummingbird, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Bronzy and Collared Incas, Buff-tailed (the rare eastern flavescens race) and Chestnut-breasted Coronets, Tyrian Metaltail, Long-tailed Sylph and Gorgeted Woodstar can be found at the feeders for much (or all) of the year, while species such as Brown and Green Violetears, Rufous-vented Whitetip, Violet-fronted Brilliant, White-tailed Hillstar, Mountain Velvetbreast, Wedge-billed Hummingbird and White-bellied Woodstar show more seasonality and tend to be present in smaller numbers.

Day 5

Morning birding at "Cordillera de Guacamayos". This mountain ridge was an old Inca trail which goes for 4 kilometers. It is a place where we can find higher altitude birds like Emerald-bellied Puffleg, White-bellied Antpitta, Moustached Antpitta, Bicoloured Antvireo, Barred Antthrush, White-rimmed Brush-finch, Brown-billed Scythebill, Dusky Piha, Olivaceous Piha, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, Pale-tailed Barbthroat, Cloud forest pigmy owl, Rusty-winged Barbtail, Pearled Treerunner, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Montane Foliage-gleaner, White-backed Fire-eye, Barred Antthrush, Equatorial Rufous-vented Tapaculo, Spillman's Tapaculo, Ocellated Tapaculo, Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, Fulvous-breasted Flatbill, Yellow-bellied Chat-tyrant, Green-and-black Fruiteater, Masked Flowerpiercer, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Flame-faced Tanager, Grass-green Tanager and White-capped Tanager.

There is a possibility to drive towards Archidona, a village situated at 800 m altitude eastwards, and we spend the rest of the afternoon birding this area. We look for Fasciated Tiger-Heron, sometimes seen on the fast flowing rivers, White-eyed Parakeet, Smooth-billed Ani, Short-tailed Swift, Blue-fronted Lancebill, Ringed Kingfisher, Little and Yellow-tufted Woodpecker.

Other birds that might appear include Ruddy Foliage-gleaner, Great Antshrike, Warbling Antbird, Sooty-headed Tyrannulet, the beautiful Golden-winged Tody-Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tyrant, Thrush-like Wren and the curious Black-capped Donacobius. Black-billed Thrush is common as well as several species of tanagers; Black-faced Dacnis, the dimorphic Swallow Tanager, the showy Magpie, Blue-necked and Turquoise Tanager.

At dusk we listen for Tropical Screech-Owl near our hotel and San Isidros mystery owl.

Afternoon trip back to Quito or one more night at San Isidro Lodge.

We are able to do extensions towards the east covering places like Wild Sumaco, Loreto road, Gareno lodge, Napo wildlife Center or Sacha Lodge, 3 to 5 more days.

Please contact us for pricing.