Birding Tour Southern Ecuador

SOUTHERN ECUADOR BIRDING TOUR

Cajas National Park, Tapichalaca Reserve, Podocarpus National Park

14 days

Best season from September to March

DATES

Contact us to arrange your preferred travel dates.

OVERVIEW

Ecuador may be a small country, but it boasts an extraordinary diversity of landscapes and ecosystems, shaped by the Andes Mountain Range that runs through it. Home to more than 1,600 bird species, it offers an outstanding network of nature reserves, beautiful gardens with bird feeders, and comfortable lodges—making it an exceptional destination for birding.

During this birding tour, we explore the Andes of southern Ecuador, a region characterized by high mountain ridges and deep valleys that create a remarkable variety of habitats within a relatively small area. Its rich biodiversity has been well known to birders for decades.

The tour begins in Cajas National Park, where we will search for high-Andean species, such as the near-endemic Ecuadorian Hillstar, in the windswept páramo.

In Tapichalaca Reserve, we will look for the near-endemic Jocotoco Antpitta and have excellent chances to encounter large mixed flocks, including some of the most beautiful tanagers such as White-capped, Paradise, Golden-eared, and Orange-eared Tanagers.

The charming Copalinga Lodge provides access to the subtropical areas of Podocarpus National Park, where we can find species such as Coppery-chested Jacamar, Gray Tinamou, and Golden Tanager, as well as hummingbirds including Ecuadorian Piedtail and Wire-crested Thorntail.

We will be birding in two reserves of the Jocotoco Foundation: Buenaventura, situated in the foothills on the western slopes of the Andes, and Tapichalaca, bordering the magnificent Podocarpus National Park on the eastern slopes. At Buenaventura, we have the chance to see the rare and endemic El Oro Parakeet, a species first described by scientists in the 1980s. We may also encounter the elusive and iconic Long-wattled Umbrellabird.

At the end of the tour, we will visit the Tembladera Wetlands on the coast to look for species such as Pinnated Bittern and Horned Screamer. We will also explore the forests and mangroves of the Manglares-Churute Ecological Reserve, where we can find interesting species such as Ecuadorian Trogon, Jet Antbird, and Guayaquil Woodpecker.

A unique birding experience in a small country with an extraordinary diversity of bird species.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival at Quito International Airport, where we will welcome you and transfer you to your hotel. Overnight at a hotel in Quito.

Day 2: Flight to Cuenca, followed by a transfer to Cajas National Park. Overnight at Dos Chorreras Lodge.

Day 3: Full day of birding in Cajas National Park. Overnight at Dos Chorreras Lodge.

Day 4: Transfer from Cajas National Park to Vilcabamba. Overnight at a hotel in Vilcabamba.

Day 5: Transfer to Tapichalaca Reserve, followed by birding in and around Podocarpus National Park. Overnight at Casa Simpson.

Day 6: Full day of birding in Tapichalaca Reserve. Overnight at Casa Simpson.

Day 7: Transfer to Valladolid for birding, followed by a return to Tapichalaca Reserve. Overnight at Casa Simpson.

Day 8: Transfer to Zamora in Zamora-Chinchipe Province, followed by birding along the Loja–Zamora Road. Overnight at Cabañas Ecológicas Copalinga.

Day 9: Transfer to the Bombuscaro sector of Podocarpus National Park. Overnight at Cabañas Ecológicas Copalinga.

Day 10: Transfer to Loja, followed by birding in the Catamayo Valley with multiple stops, including the El Oro Mountains and Buenaventura Reserve. Overnight at Umbrellabird Lodge.

Day 11: Full day of birding in Buenaventura Reserve. Overnight at Umbrellabird Lodge.

Day 12: Transfer to the upper part of Buenaventura Reserve to search for endemic species of the region. Overnight at Umbrellabird Lodge.

Day 13: Transfer to Guayaquil with stops at the Tembladera Wetland and Churute Mangroves. Later in the afternoon, flight to Quito. Overnight at a hotel in Quito.

Day 14: Morning birding in Antisana Ecological Reserve near Quito, followed by a transfer to the airport for your flight home.

KEY SPECIES

Endemic species: Ecuadorian Tapaculo, El Oro Parakeet, Violet-throated Metaltail.

Near-endemic species: Chusquea Tapaculo, Ecuadorian Hillstar, Ecuadorian Trogon, Gray-backed Hawk, Gray-cheeked Parakeet, Jocotoco Antpitta, Orange-banded Flycatcher.

Other species: Amazonian Umbrellabird, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Andean Condor, Andean Motmot, Andean Potoo, Bearded Guan, Black-streaked Puffbird, Black-throated Tody-Tyrant, Black-cowled Saltator, Black-headed Hemispingus, Bronze-winged Parrot, Carunculated Caracara, Chapman’s Antshrike, Chestnut-crested Cotinga, Chestnut-naped Antpitta, Club-winged Manakin, Choco Toucan, Choco Brushfinch, Collared Antshrike, Collared Warbling Finch, Comb Duck, Coppery-chested Jacamar, Dusky Piha, Ecuadorian Ground-Dove, Ecuadorian Piculet, Ecuadorian Rail, Elegant Crescentchest, Equatorial Antpitta, Foothill Elaenia, Fulvous-crowned Scrub-Tyrant, Gartered Violaceous Trogon, Giant Conebill, Golden-headed Quetzal, Golden-plumed Parakeet, Gray Tinamou, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Guayaquil Woodpecker, Horned Screamer, Jet Antbird, Lanceolated Monklet, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Many-striped Canastero, Marañon Thrush, Ocellated Tapaculo, Ochraceous Attila, Pacific Tuftedcheek, Paramo Pipit, Peruvian Pygmy-Owl, Pinnated Bittern, Plain-capped Ground-Tyrant, Plushcap, Red-headed Barbet , Red-masked Parakeet, Rufous-headed Chachalaca, Scaled Fruiteater, Slate-crowned Antpitta, Stout-billed Cinclodes, Streak-backed Canastero, Swallow-tailed Nightjar, Three-banded Warbler, Tit-like Dacnis, Torrent Duck, Tumbes Sparrow, Turquoise Jay, White-capped Dipper.

Amethyst-throated Sunangel, Black-tailed Trainbearer, Black-throated Brilliant, Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Collared Inca, Ecuadorian Piedtail, Emerald-bellied Woodnymph, Giant Hummingbird, Glowing Puffleg, Gorgeted Sunangel, Green Hermit, Green Thorntail, Green-crowned Brilliant, Humboldt’s Sapphire, Little Sunangel, Long-tailed Sylph, Neblina Metailtail, Rainbow Starfrontlet, Rufous-capped Thornbill, Shining Sunbeam, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Violet-bellied Hummingbird, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Violet-tailed Sylph, White-necked Jacobin, White-vented Plumeleteer, Wire-crested Thorntail.

Black-faced Tanager, Blue-necked Tanager, Buff-banded Mountain Tanager, Flame-faced Tanager, Golden Tanager, Golden-crowned Tanager, Golden-eared Tanager, Grass-green Tanager, Green-throated Tanager, Lacrimose Mountain Tanager, Ochre-breasted Tanager, Orange-eared Tanager, Paradise Tanager, Red-hooded Tanager, Spotted Tanager, White-capped Tanager.

TOUR DETAILS

Group Size: Maximum 8 participants + tour guide

Physical Difficulty: Moderate

Accommodation: 3-star hotels and comfortable lodges in beautiful locations

Transportation: Private vehicle with driver (car or minivan) and plane

Habitats Covered: Andean mountains and valleys, paramo, Polylepis forest, elfin forest, cloud forest, Amazon rainforest, mangroves, and wetlands

Climate: During this tour, we will be going through many different habitats and landscapes. From the cold high Andes close to Quito, to the warm lowlands close to Guayaquil.

Altitude: 0 – 4,000 meters / 0 – 13,123 feet above sea level

Possible Extensions:
– Chocó endemic species
– Galápagos Islands