Day 1: Arrival in Quito

After arrival in Quito, you will be transferred to a hotel in Ecuador’s capital for the night.

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Day 2: Quito to Northern Ecuador

Leaving the capital early, we will head north through dry, inter-Andean valleys. We arrive at a remote finca (small farm) in the middle of the afternoon, where we’ll be based for the next two nights. We may find birds like Blue-and-yellow and Scrub Tanagers en-route. The real treasures up here are the nocturnal mammals, and we’ll head out to look for a variety of critters that dwell in the valley, including Andean Porcupine and perhaps the amazing Mountain Tapir.

 

Day 3: Arid Andean Slopes

Our focus on this day will be the scenic, arid slopes above the central valley. This special area has some very interesting birds and mammals. With a lot of luck we may encounter the scarce Mountain Coati. There will also be some tanagers and hummingbirds present, as well as occasionally toucans and other cool birds. We will again venture out at night for mammal-watching.

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Day 4: To the Tandayapa Valley

After another morning at the finca, we transfer to the much wetter slopes of the western Andes and the Choco bioregion. There is so much on offer here it is difficult to know where to start, but we can expect agoutis and Toucan Barbets at the feeders in the late afternoon, and we may even be surprised by the local Tayra – a beast akin to the Neotropical Wolverine. We will also pass a location that occasionally has Mountain Coati. We spend the night at Tandayapa Bird Lodge.

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Day 5: Cock-of-the-rocks and the Tandayapa Valley

In the early morning we will find ourselves inside the cloudforest awaiting dawn. The end of night, and the arrival of dawn, will be announced by the harsh, pig-like squeals of the spectacular Andean Cock-of-the-rock, males of which gather at dawn to lure in females with their dancing and ugly noises! These vermilion red birds are like no others in the World, being an iconic bird of the Andes mountains. On the way back to Tandayapa Bird Lodge for lunch, we will stop in on a feeder site where the spectacular Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan can be found. We will also spend time at the Tandayapa Bird Lodge feeders, awaiting the arrival of birds and mammals into the afternoon. Later, we shall check into a higher elevation cloudforest lodge, where at night, we will look for Olinguito (a mammal only described in 2013) and Andean White-eared Opossum.

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Day 6: Papallacta and Guango

We return to Quito before climbing the eastern edge of the central valley, checking reliable spots for Spectacled Bear, which would be a whopper of the score! While there are no guarantees, we will be putting in a serious effort. The trails at Guango Lodge are home to Mountain Tapirs at night, and the hummingbird feeders are legendary, attracting species like the outlandish Sword-billed Hummingbird, jewel-like Tourmaline Sunangel, and tiny, bee-like White-bellied Woodstar. Torrent Ducks and White-capped Dippers also frequent the rushing Andean waters below the lodge. A single night will be spent at the lodge.

 

Day 7: Guango to San Isidro

After some final time around Guango or Papallacta (depending on what we are still seeking), we will continue our descent of the eastern side of the Andes, spending a night at another wonderful cloudforest lodge, San Isidro. This night we will be seeking two special animals, the Colombian (Lemurine) Night Monkey, and a mystery owl that both frequent the lodge grounds at night.

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Day 8: San Isidro to The Amazon

The mornings around the lodge at San Isidro can be an exciting place to be with birds attracted in to prey on the many insects that come to the lodge lights overnight; species like Masked Trogon, Green Jay, and Subtropical Cacique are often among the throng. After breakfast we shall also attend visit a forest feeding station, where the rare White-bellied Antpitta often visits. By mid-morning, we will be on our way again, and again descending the Andes to reach the low-lying town of Coca our gateway to the Amazon. After lunch, we will take first a motorized canoe, then paddled canoe, to Napo Wildlife Center, our home for the next three nights.

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Days 9-10: The Amazon Part I (Napo Wildlife Center)

After the previous days combing the highland grasses of the Andes, this will be very different, as we walk forest trails, search for animals by canoe, view from canopy towers, and spotlight at night in the lowland tropical rainforest of the Amazon. Mammals are best represented here than anywhere else in Ecuador, with a jaw-dropping selection of primates possible; White-bellied Spider Monkey, Golden-mantled Tamarin, Red Titi Monkey, Napo Saki, Spix’s Night Monkey, and Venezuelan Red Howler Monkey, and Pygmy Marmoset all possible! Giant Otters are also a real possibility in this area too. A canopy tower gives access to canopy bird species, like parrots, including macaws, toucans, trogons, tanagers, and cotingas. Some of the most interesting birds in the area include Hoatzins that lurk by the lakesides, Sungrebe along the forested waterways, and Agami Heron that frequents the shady edges of narrow rivers and creeks, where all 5 American kingfishers can also be found. There is also a bewildering variety of puffbirds, antbirds, woodcreepers, trogons, manakins, and flycatchers on offer. As well as these species, nocturnal birds like Great Potoo and Crested Owl are often available at day roosts, and we can experience some great creatures on nightwalks, along with the dazzling red, blue, yellow and black Wikiri Poison Frog by day.

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Day 11: The Amazon Part II (Napo Wildlife Center to Sani Lodge)

On this day we will swap one Amazon lodge for another, this one located nearer the main Napo River, a major tributary of the mighty Amazon itself. Our transfer between the lodge will allow us to visit the famous parrot lick in Yasuni National Park, where hundreds of parrots gather daily to get their daily mineral intake. This sometimes includes Scarlet Macaws, alongside Orange-cheeked Parrot and Cobalt-winged Parakeet. Three nights will be spent at Sani Lodge.

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Days 12-13: The Amazon Part II (Sani Lodge area)

On one/both of these days we will make a special visit to a secluded blackwater lake, where Pink River Dolphins are often found swimming within the glassy waters. We will take a boxed lunch with us allowing us to be flexible with the afternoon plan; we can peruse for mammals from forest-lined creeks, drop in on river islands for a special selection of birds, like Oriole Blackbirds, or seek out Pygmy Marmosets around the lodge! Both nights will be spent in the Amazon, at Sani Lodge.

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Day 14: The Amazon to Quito

In the morning we shall regrettably leave the Amazon behind, returning to Quito by air, following a boat trip back to the city of Coca.

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Day 15: Departure from Quito

Departures can be taken out anytime during this day or late night the evening before, as that is when many flights depart.