This tour is offered
through a unique partnering with: 
Ecuador Nature
Expeditions- Quito, Ecuador
April 14-28 & August 6-20, 2007 ;Other Dates TBA for 2007
Price:
$1656; Single Supplement $265
Includes: Accommodations, all meals, private transportation, bilingual naturalist guide (specialized on birdwatching),and all entrance fees.
Optional 5-Day Rainforest Extension
Extension Price: $1352; Single Supplement: $295
Includes: Accommodations in Quito and Napo Wildlife Center, all meals, private transportation, bilingual naturalist guide (specialized on birdwatching), local guide, air fare Quito - Coca- Quito, Quito city by night, Yasuní National Park entrance fee.
For 8 Participants (+ Leader, Local guides where required and Driver)
Leaders: Mike Boatwright and Andrés de la Torre
Expect: c400 species (more,c500-525, possible with extension)
Details of Galapagos Extention Coming Soon!
INTRODUCTION: The smallest country in the rugged Andean highlands, Ecuador has an array of vibrant indigenous cultures, well-preserved colonial architecture, otherworldly volcanic landscapes and dense rainforest. And all that in a nation no bigger than the US state of Nevada. Ecuador is one of the premiere destinations for birding in the world, with about 1,535 known bird species in the continental area plus 38 more endemic to the Galapagos Islands. Geographic good fortune has blessed Ecuador with a wide variety of faunal zones, including some of the richest on this planet, each with its characteristic birds. Ecuador's Amazonian faunal zone alone has more than 600 species of birds, and several other Ecuadorian zones are nearly as rich.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Upon your arrival to
Quito, our guides will be waiting for you to meet and transfer you to your
hotel.
Night at Dann Carlton, Sebastian, or Cafe Cultura Hotels (Dinner,
Breakfast, Box Lunch included)
Day 2: Very early in the morning we will drive to
Yanacocha Reserve in the high montane cloud forest on Volcan Pichincha at
11,300ft, traveling to the northwest of Quito crossing the west slope of the
Andes range to the Tandayapa region enjoying our box lunch en-route.
The reserve protects 964 ha of elfin Polylepis forest which is home to the Black-breasted Puffleg (Eriocnemis nigrivestis).
As far as we are aware, the reserve contains the entire world range of this very rare hummingbird.
Birds in this area may include Black-collared Jay, Barred Fruiteater,
Hooded and Scarlet-bellied and the Choco Endemic
Black-chested Mountain-Tanagers. In the afternoon, we will visit the
famous Tony's House, where with a cup of coffee and accompanied by Tony, we will
see a great variety of birds, especially hummingbirds with more than 30 species
recorded, including Green-tailed Trainbearer, Shining
Sunbeam, Tyrian Metaltail, Sword-billed
Hummingbird, 
Buff-rumped Starfrontlet, Buff-tailed
Coronets, Collared Inca and White-tailed
Hillstar, Choco Endemics here may include Brown Inca,
Violet-tailed Slyph and Gorgeted Sunangel. Whilst on
Tony’s Balcony we will look skywards for the rare Spot-fronted
Swift in amongst the common Chestnut-collared Swift and we
will seek raptors such as Plain-breasted Hawk and Barred
Forest-Falcon. Late
afternoon departure to Maquipucuna Reserve.
Night at Maquipucuna Lodge (Dinner Breakfast, Lunch
included)
Day 3: We will arise very early and, after a
cup of coffee or tea and a quick bite, we will hike one of the trails close to
the lodge. Here we will likely
encounter a great deal of bird activity. Exciting birds we hope to encounter
include Golden-headed Quetzal,
Crimson-rumped Toucanet,
Violet-tailed Sylph, and Broad-billed Motmot. After breakfast we will visit some of
the projects of this foundation. Later we will have lunch and then take a
short walk in the area to spot more incredible birds.
Night at Maquipucuna Lodge (Dinner Breakfast, Lunch
included)
Day 4: Birding in the
morning around Maquipucuna Lodge, followed by breakfast and departure to the
outstanding Mindo, one of the best known birding localities in Ecuador, with an
impressive bird list of 360 species, highlights including Maroon-tailed
Parakeet, Toucan Barbet, Nariño Tapaculo,
Golden-headed Quetzal and Golden and
Flame-faced Tanager.Along the way to Mindo, more exactly,
Sachatamia Lodge, we will be keeping an eye open for many species that we may
observe from roadside flocks. On
arrival at Scahatamia a delicious lunch will be waiting for us. In the
afternoon, we will walk near Sachatamia seeking out the beautiful
Long-wattled Umbrellabird and other species such as
Giant and Scaled Antpitta, Choco
Toucan, Scaled Fruiteater, Tanager-Finch and
Club-winged Manakin. Target birds here include
Wattled and Sickle-winged Guan, Bronze-winged
Parrot, Sparkling Violet-ear, Andean
Emerald, Booted Racket-tail and Long-tailed
Sylph. We will
also investigate their hummingbird feeders, which attract many of the
resident hummingbirds of the Mindo region, but also include the rare Choco
endemics Empress Brilliant and Velvet-Purple
Coronet.
Night at Sachatamia Lodge (Dinner Breakfast, Lunch
included)
Day 5: 
Early in the morning, we will have the opportunity to have
one of the most amazing experiences, visiting the Andean Cock-of-the Rock
lek. In the breeding season, the males produce a special sound and fly and dance about like acrobats waiting for
the female to choose one of them to mate with. This is truly one of the most
awe-inspiring sights in the neotropics. After breakfast we will walk through the different trails of
Mindo-Nambillo Reserve. This is an excellent area for birding. We will
have lunch in Mindo Gardens thus enabling us to continue exploring this beautiful
forest where highlights are likely to include Toucan Barbet, Sunbittern, and
Cloud-forest Pygmy-owl before returning to Sachatamia.
Night at Sachatamia Lodge (Dinner Breakfast, Lunch
included)
Day 6: We will have breakfast and time to walk in
the area looking for more bird species such as Plate-billed
Mountain-Toucan, Crested Quetzal, Masked Trogon, Choco Toucan, and Powerful
Woodpecker. Other colorful birds we may see here include Blue-winged Mountain-tanager,, Green and
Black Fruiteater, and Moss-backed Tanager. After lunch we will continue our trip
back to Quito. On the way, we will stop at the Mitad del Mundo "Middle of the World" to have the unusual opportunity to be in two
hemispheres at the same time!
Night - Dann Carlton, Sebastian, or Cafe Cultura Hotels (Dinner,
Breakfast included)
Day 7: After breakfast we will be transferred to the Antisana Ecological Reserve (Volcan Antisana is
the 4th largest volcano in Ecuador at 5758m, 17274ft), where we will
observe many representative bird species of the highlands including
Shining
Sunbeam, Red-
rumped Bush-Tyrant, Paramo Pipit,
Giant Conebill,
and Spectacled Whitestart. In the morning we will go to Mica Lake in
order to see Silvery Grebe, Andean Teal, Andean
Duck, Yellow-billed Pintail, Andean Coot and other
high Andean waterfowl, as well as many land birds such as Aplomado
Falcon, Andean Gull, Andean Lapwing and
Carunculated Caracara. Here we have a high probability of
connecting with the majestic 
Andean Condor and while we are
looking upwards for this we will also be on the lookout for Black-chested
Buzzard-Eagle and Variable Hawk. We should also
find both Bar-winged and Stout-billed Cinclodes here and Black-faced Ibis, an
extremely rare species in Ecuador, all of this set amongst some of the most
spectacular scenery in the country.
We will enjoy a nice lunch in Hacienda Antisana. After lunch, we will travel to the Papallacta region. This area has well conserved patches of Polylepis forest and is an excellent place to observe high mountain bird species. 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 Black-backed Bush-Tanager. Lower down near the town of Papallacta, we watch for the spectacular Sword-billed Hummingbird as well as a host of other great birds like Great Sapphire-wing, and the colorful Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager. We will also scan the Río Papallacta for the "torrent trio" of Torrent Duck, Torrent Tyrannulet and the superb White-capped Dipper. From here, we will continue our trip to Cabañas San Isidro.
Night Cabañas San Isidro (Dinner, Breakfast, and Boxed Lunch
included)
Day 8: Early in the morning we will begin our hike
trough some of the different trails of the lodge, searching for bird activity.
We will seek out specialties such as Black-chested Fruiteater, Long-tailed Antbird,
Barred Antthrush and the little-known Peruvian Antpitta, a nest of which was
discovered right on the property!
We will return to the lodge for breakfast and later we will travel to the Cordillera de Los Huacamayos where we walk one of the trails specialized for birdwatching. Here it is possible to see many different species and we’ll look for Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, White-bellied Antpitta, Bicolored Antvireo and the very local White-rimmed Brush-Finch among others. We will have a box lunch en route on our way back to San Isidro.
Night at Cabañas San Isidro (Dinner Breakfast, Lunch
included)
Day 9: Breakfast and departure to Quito after a
enlightening trip of birding, full of a variety of ecosystems, beautiful views,
cozy places, wonderful food, and the most spectacular, colorful birds.
In Quito we will have time to rest or visit the city followed by a Farewell dinner party.
Night at- Dann Carlton, Sebastian, or Cafe Cultura Hotels (Dinner
and Breakfast included)
Day 10: After breakfast, we will
transfer to the airport for flights home. Or if you chose, you may continue for
5 days to the rainforest area of Napo (see below).
Napo Wildlife Center is located in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon region (250
Mts., 820 ft above sea level), 82 kilometers (51 miles) from Coca, one of the
most important cities of the region known as Oriente. A visit to the Napo Wildlife Center will
guarantee observations of many rainforest birds and other wildlife. Napo Wildlife Center is one of the most
beautiful locations in the Ecuadorian rainforest. This ecolodge was created in a closed
partnership by the initiative of Añangu Quichua local community with the support
of the association Tropical Nature Conservation. This project includes the conservation of
over 52,000 acres (over 21,400 hectares) of the most pristine Amazonian
Rainforest within the Yasunì National Park, an important biosphere reserve.
More than 560 bird species have
been recorded at the Napo Wildlife Center making a trip here a definite
highlight on any tour to Ecuador.
To get to Napo Wildlife Center, we will fly by jet from Quito to the town of Coca (officially known as Francisco de Orellana ) on the Napo River. After a short drive from the airport to the dock, we board a large, motorized, covered canoe for a scenic two-hour trip down the Napo River. Upon arriving at the entrance to the NWC Reserve, we switch to smaller, dugout canoes and are paddled up the blackwater creek to the lake and lodge (no motorized transport is allowed on the creek or lake so that wildlife isn't disturbed).The trip can take anywhere from one to three hours. Along the way, we might see river otters, potoos, kingfishers, hoatzins, jacamars, hawks, and several species of monkey. We will eat lunch en route and arrive at the lodge by late afternoon.
There are many activities to keep
you well occupied at Napo. However you chose to spend your time on this
rainforest extention tour, you are sure to be richly rewarded!
Come see why at the 2004 British BirdFair, Victor Emanuel declared this lodge
"One of the Ten Best Birding Areas of the World".
ACTIVITIES
* Excursion to the unique parrot clay licks
* A
canopy tower to observe the rainforest and its wildlife
* Canoe Exploration
to see up to 11 monkeys species and some mammals specially the giant otters
*
Hikes through the tropical Rainforest
* Birdwatching, over 560 species
of birds have been recorded here!
* Nocturnal excursions
* Añangu quichua
community cultural interchange
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