Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Quito
The tour begins with an evening orientation at our hotel. Night in Quito.

Day 2 - Papallacta Pass
We begin our tour by winding our way up the slopes east of Quito to Papallacta Pass, where the 4000 meter high páramo holds a fascinating group of high-altitude species. We hope to see Variable Hawk, Many-striped Canastero, Tawny Antpitta and, perhaps, an Andean Condor or two. We search nearby “polylepis” groves for specialties such as Giant Conebill and Black-backed Bush-Tanager. Night near Papallacta Pass.

Days 3 - 5 San Isidro
We travel further down the eastern slopes to the superb Cabanas San Isidro. Here we have time to explore this amazingly bird-rich elevational zone. Hummingbirds are well represented, including the staggering Chestnut-breasted Coronet and Long-tailed Sylph. Mixed-species flocks pass through the forest, quetzals call from the canopy, an Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek is close by, army ants attract a host of followers, and oropendolas call noisily from their nesting colonies. The mystery owl is still present - looks like a Black-banded Owl, but not quite right! The list of goodies seems endless - Green-and-black Fruiteater, Striped Treehunter, Spillman’s Tapaculo and the superb Ocellated Tapaculo, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, White-capped Parrot, Tyrannine Woodcreeper, Black-billed Peppershrike, Golden-eyed Flowerpiercer.

On one day, we have a very early start, and head down the Loreto Road which has gained a reputation for its tremendous birding potential. Some of the great birds we look for include Amazonian Umbrellabird, Ecuadorian Piedtail, Lemon-browed Flycatcher, Cliff Flycatcher, Bronze-green Euphonia, Wire-crested Thorntail, Coppery-chested Jacamar, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, Orange-eared Tanager and much more. Nights at San Isidro.

Day 6 – Guango Lodge
We retrace our steps back up the eastern slopes to Guango Lodge, where we should be entranced by a host of new species - Slaty Brush-Finch, Masked Trogon, Tourmaline Sunangel, Andean Guan, Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant, Smoky Bush-Tyrant, Turquoise and Inca Jays, Mountain Cacique, Dusky Piha, Glowing Puffleg and with luck a real prize, Mountain Avocetbill. Night at Guango Lodge.

Day 7 – Nono-Mindo area and Sachatamia
We reluctantly leave Guango Lodge and ascend the slopes back towards Papallacta Pass We watch for the spectacular Sword-billed Hummingbird as well as a host of other great birds like Shining Sunbeam, Great Sapphirewing and the colorful Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager. We also scan the Río Papallacta for the “torrent trio” of Torrent Duck, Torrent Tyrannulet and the superb White-capped Dipper.
We head back through Quito, perhaps stopping at La Mitad del Mundo (middle of the world) monument, and maybe finding Giant Hummingbird. Then it is onto the Nono-Mindo area. There are a number of spectacular birds to be found in the Nono-Mindo area and we sample the tremendous wealth and atmosphere of this region. Some of the special birds that we hope to see include Black-and-chestnut Eagle, Gorgeted Sunangel, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Golden-headed and Crested Quetzals, Toucan Barbet, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan and Grass-green Tanager. If we are lucky, we could encounter the rare Beautiful Jay and Tanager-Finch. Night at Sachatamia Lodge.

Day 8 – Nono-Mindo area
The forested areas around the small town of Mindo are home to an incredible diversity of Pacific slope birds including Red-billed Parrot, Brown Inca, Slaty Spinetail, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Three-striped Warbler, Glistening-green, Rufous-throated and White-winged Tanagers, and Black-winged Saltator. We also look for some of the rarer inhabitants of the forests such as Club-winged Manakin and Scaled Fruiteater. We visit a lower elevation area searching for foothill species including specialties such as Moss-backed Tanager. In recent years three species of antpitta, Giant, Yellow-breasted and Moustached, have been coming to feeding spots where earthworms are provided and we have an excellent chance of seeing these very elusive species. Night at Sachatamia Lodge.

Day 9 – Yanacocha and Tandayapa Lodge.
Today we visit Yanacocha on the backside of the Pichíncha volcano, Yanacocha is a superb birding area that offers species such as Andean Guan, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill and Imperial Snipe. Yanacocha is also a hummingbird fancier’s delight, with more than 10 species likely, including Tyrian Metaltail and Purple-backed Thornbill. The Black-breasted Puffleg, a rare endemic known only in this area, has been found here recently. Night at Tandayapa Lodge.

Day 10 - Travel to Sacha Lodge
We leave Tandayapa Lodge, travel to Quito, and fly over the Andes, arriving at Coca, where we take a motorized canoe ride down the Napo River. This region, on the eastern slope of the Andes, is in the tropical lowlands of Western Amazonia. The rainforests here are among the most complex of biological communities, and the many different habitats collectively boast over 500 bird species. Our destination, Sacha Lodge, lies in the heart of this wilderness, 50 miles and two hours downstream from Coca. As we travel the river, zigzagging our way around the many sandbars, we look for some of the river birds such as Black Skimmer, Yellow-billed Tern and Black Caracara.

Days 11 to 13 – Sacha Lodge
During our stay at Sacha Lodge, which for many will be the highlight of our trip, we take daily hikes and canoe trips to trails along both sides of the Napo river. These excursions will give us a chance to observe a wide variety of birds and mammal species.

There are a number of very rare and localized birds to be found here and we search out such species as the reclusive Zigzag Heron, the very rare Cocha Antshrike and the Orange-crowned Manakin. The lodge’s exceptional canopy tower permits extraordinary views of treetop dwellers such as cotingas and flycatchers which are often hard to study from ground level. During our stay, we visit a river island to seek out special birds like White-bellied Spinetail, Castlenau’s Antshrike and Black-and-white Antbird. Also, along the Río Napo we visit a salt lick and witness the amazing spectacle of watching hundreds of parrots of several species at one time. Nights at Sacha lodge.

Day 14 – Return to Quito
In the morning, we take motorized canoes back to Coca and our return flight to Quito, arriving around noontime. The afternoon is free for sightseeing in Quito, perhaps visiting the Otavalo market, or exploring areas near the capital. Night in Quito.

Day 15 - Departure
Our tour ends today as we make our flight connections home.