Birdwatching tours Ecuador

The Southern Endemics

This tour offers the possibility to see the endemic birds of the Tumbesian region and also some of the Choco region. The combination of these two ecosystems will increase your bird list to include some of the most exotic birds of the world. If you have already visited the north of Ecuador, this is an excellent alternative for you!

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival in Guayaquil and transfer to the Continental Hotel.

Day 2
Early in the morning we will visit the Cerro Blanco reserve, a tropical dry forest and perfect ecosystem to look for the Ecuadorian ground dove, gray-cheek parakeet, Ecuadorian pikulet, scarlet-backed woodpecker, blackish-headed spine tail and also look for specialties of the area such as the great green macaw among others. After a box lunch we will visit Puerto Hondo, a great place to observe shore birds like the great egret, snowy egret, tricolored heron, green kingfisher and ringed kingfisher. Dinner and overnight at Continental Hotel.

Day 3
Early departure to Manglares Churute Reserve where we will have the opportunity to observe the famous horned screamer. After lunch we will continue on our journey stopping at some strategic points to observe some of the shore birds and also some specialists of the area such as the baron´s hermit, Ecuadorian trogon, jet antbird, superciliated wren, oranged-crowned euphonia, Peruvian meadowlark. Arrive at Buenaventura Reserve for dinner and overnight.

Day 4
The Buenaventura Reserve, part of the Jocotoco Foundation, supports an extremely diverse level of birdlife including many endemics like the El Oro parakeet, emerald-billed woodnymph, pacific tuftedcheek, club-winged manakin, long wattled umbrella bird and El Oro tapaculo. Today we will spend most of the time walking around the reserve to find species such us the Andean tinamou, rose faced parrot and line-cheeked spinetail.

Day 5
After breakfast we will have the last opportunity to look for the El Oro parakeet and then we will continue our trip to Jorupe, another Jocotoco Foundation Reserve, located close to Macará. Here we will look for the most threatened tumbesian endemics such as the blackish headed spinetail, slaty becard, line cheeked spinetail, Loja tyranulet. Dinner and overnight.

Day 6
In the morning we will walk along the trails of the Jorupe Reserve which supports many endemic and rare species of plants and animals, including populations of numerous globally threatened birds like the hena-hooded foliage-gleaner. Box lunch en route and departure to Utuana (Jocotoco Reserve), a montane scrub and woodland where you can search for the black-crested tit-tyrants, piura hemispungus, great headed antbird, chapman antshrike, rainbow starfrontlet and others. Dinner and overnight.

Day 7
Very early in the morning we will travel to Catamayo, on route we will stop at different strategic points to look for some of the Tumbesian species and others like the Tumbes sparrow, band-tailed sierra finch, drab seedeater. Lunch then we will drive to Vilcabamba where we have dinner and overnight.

Day 8
Early in the morning we will visit Cajanuma, part of Podocarpus National Park where we will look for some spectacular birds like the red-hooded tanager, bearded guan, gray breasted mountain toucan, plumbeus rail, golden-plumed parakeet, white-browed spinetail, elegant crescent-chest, chusquea tapaculo, three banded warbler, barred fruiteater, golden crown tanager and others. Arrival at Tapichalaca, the first reserve created by the Jocotoco Foundation. Time to enjoy the hummingbirds that fly around the feeders at this lodge like the flame throated sunangel, rufous-capped thornbill, chesnut breasted coronet and long tail sylph . Dinner and overnight.

Day 9 and 10
We will spend two full days in Tapichalaca to try to find most of the species of this area and its surroundings. The Jocotoco Foundation bought the land of this reserve in order to protect the habitat of the Jocotoco Antpitta, a species that was found in this area for the first time and it is known that most of the world’s population of this species occurs in this reserve. The other major highlights of this area are the dusky headed parakeet, white capped parrot, swallow tail nightjar, gray breasted mountain toucan, ash-browed spinetail, chesnut-naped antpitta, rufous tail tyrant, yellow cheeked becard, black faced tanager, white capped tanager.

Day 11
After breakfast we will continue our expedition on to the Zamora Province, en route we can search for the crimson bellied woodpecker, Tumbesian tyranulet, tawny crowned pygmy tyrant, white capped dipper. Arrival at Copalinga Lodge located next to the Podocarpus National Park. Dinner and overnight.

Day 12 and 13
During these two days we will walk along the trails of the Podocarpus National Park and Copalinga Lodge looking for local species including the coppery chested jacamar, Ecuadorian piedtail, white breasted parakeet, chestnut crowned gnateater, green hermit, spangled coquette, black streaked puffbird, chestnut tipped toucanet, blue rumped manakin.

Day 14
This day will be the last opportunity to search for the specialties of this area, like the Ecuadorian tyrannulet, lined antshrike, foothill elaenia, Andean cock of the rock, blue-browed tanager, chestnut-vented conebill. Return to Catamayo where we will drive around the airport to look for the Tumbesian birds that we have not seen, arrival to the airport to catch our flight back to Quito. Transfer to Café Cultura Hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 15
After we have gotten a long list of birds in this unforgettable expedition in Ecuador we will be transferred to the airport to catch our home flight.

Price per person 2010

 PROGRAM 15 DAYS / 14 NIGHTS 

Single Supplement under request

PROGRAM 9 DAYS / 8 NIGHTS

Single Supplement under request

Price per person 2011

PROGRAM 15 DAYS / 14 NIGHTS

Single supplement under request 

PROGRAM 9 DAYS / 8 NIGHTS

Single Supplement under request

Book this tour 

Trip Extension
We also offer fantastic bird watching trips to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuadorian Rainforests which provides the opportunity to check many more species off your list. Please contact us for more information.