TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
✔ Discover hundreds of bird species, including colorful tanagers, hummingbirds, and rare Andean endemics.
✔ Expert English‑speaking guide with over 20 years of experience.
✔ Private transportation and comfortable ecolodges in prime birding zones.
✔ Off‑the‑beaten‑path routes ideal for serious birders and photographers.
14‑Day Ultimate Birding Tour in Ecuador
Experience Ecuador’s extraordinary birdlife across cloud forests, Andean highlands, and the Upper Amazon Basin. This 14‑day journey takes you through iconic birding hotspots and diverse habitats, offering unmatched opportunities for both birdwatching and photography.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 9 — Yanacocha Reserve and Trails
Birding to Yanacocha Road & reserve
We Continuing with our itinerary. today after breakfast, we will drive for 30 minutes from our hotel to the Yanacocha road. This route will provide us with some endenic species of the high Andean forest, like to Golden-crowned Tanager, Pearled Treerunner, Blue-backed Conebill, Black-chested Mountain-Tanager, Rufous Antpitta, Barred Fruiteater, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Sapphire-vented Puffleg, Great Sapphirewing, and many more. Continuing with our tour to the Yanacocha reserve we will find many more species of the dense Andean forest such as: Plushcap, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant, Slaty-backed Chat-Tyrant, Andean Guan. Excellent box luch next to the hummingbird feeders.
Overnight: at Nono eco-lodge.
Day 10 — Papallacta Pass & Cayambe-Coca National Park
Birding Papallacta Pass and Cayambe coca National Park
Onece we have that we’ve covered the most birding areas of the Choco slope, we embark into an new world, the enchanted forests of the Upper Amazon Basin. After breakfast we start driving to the Amazon slope, the famous Papallacta Pass. Species that we will find: Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant, Bar-bellied Woodpecker, White-chinned Thistletail, White-browed Spinetail, Many-stripped Canastero, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Blue-mantled Thornbill, Viridian Metaltail, Red-rumped
Bush-Tyrant, Giant Conebill, Paramo Seedeater, Paramo Tapaculo, and many more. We continue birding along the Papallacta Lagoon to record several aquatic bird species that will not occur elsewhere including the Yellow-billed Pintail, Andean Teal, Noble Snipe.
After lunch we drive for 30 minutes to Cayambe-Coca National Park. This Andean forest is fantastic for birding as its home to very localised bird for exaple: Masked Mountain-Tanager, Mountain Avocetbill, Torrent Duck, Black-backed Bush-Tanager, Pale-naped Brush-Finch, Purple-backed Thornbill, Andean Pygmy Owl, Black-headed Hemispingus, Black-capped Hemispingus, Powerful Woodpecker, Agile Tit-Tyrant, Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager, Crowned Chat-Tyrant, Plushcap, Ash-colored Tapaculo, Golden-crowned Tanager, Crescent-faced Antpitta. After Cayambe Coca, we continue to Cuyuja river here we can also to see the Torrent Duck, Red-hooded Tanager, Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Black-eared Hemispingus, Slaty Brush-Finch, Citrine Warbler, Andean Potoo.
Overnight: Baeza Eco-lodge.
Days 11–13 — Baeza Area & Alto Sumaco
Birding Baeza area and Upper Sumaco
Three amazing days upper Amazon area, most treasured birding reserves. one Christmas Bird Count Area with a world record of 600 bird species recorded in one day. White capped Tanager, Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia, Grass-green Tanager, Andean Motmot, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Yellow-billed Cacique, Mountain Cacique, Streak-headed Antbird, Emerald Toucanet, Andean Cock of the rock EAST, Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant, Green-and-black Fruiteater, Dusky Piha, Capped Conebill, Fawn-breasted Tanager, White-capped Parrot, Lemon-browed Flycatcher,
White-bellied Antpitta, Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Barred Antthrush, Wattled Guan. In the afternoon along the Upper Sumaco’s road to look out for beautiful species the Sunbittern, Grey-mantled Wren, Golden-eared Tanager, Short-tailed Antthrush, Ash-browed Spinetail, Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, Yellow-olive Flycatcher, Lafresnaye’s Piculet, Long-tailed Tapaculo, Spot-winged Antbird, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Red-breasted Meadowlark, Southern Lapwing, Chestnut-bellied Seedeater, White-tipped Sicklebill, Violet-fronted Brilliant, Green-backed Hillstar, Green-fronted Lancebill, Gorgeted Woodstar. Andean Cock-of-the-rock LEK amazing color of the eastern subspecies.
Overnight: Baeza Eco-lodge
Day 14 — Guango Lodge & Return to Quito
Birding to Guango lodge and Return To Quito
In the morning we will go birdwatching around our lodge, have breakfast, and then continue back to the city of Quito. But first, we will visit the hummingbird feeders at Guando Lodge. We will have a boxed lunch in this area and then continue to return to the Quito airport or any hotel in the Quito area
End Of Itinerary
Trip Information
Length: 14 days BIRDING plus any pre- and post-tour extensions
Starting city: Quito
Ending city: Quito
Physical difficulty: Moderate
Focus: Birding and Bird Photography
Group size: All groups will be limited to 8 participants maximum.
Experienced Bird Guide: All of our guides have over 20 years of experience as birdwatching and bird photo guides in Ecuador.
Your guide’s equipment:Binoculars, spotting scope, laser pointer & field-guide
-Specialized English-speaking birding guide
-Private transportation
-All accommodations
-Entrance fee to all the reserves and activities
-All meals plus water on the route
-International airfare
-Alcoholic beverages
-Tips
-Laundry services
All eco-lodges are located in the country’s most important and biologically diverse areas for butterfly and bird watching. They are built with local materials and offer Wi-Fi, hot water, standard double or single rooms, and panoramic views.