Southern Ecuador

TRIP COST: $5,750 per person

INCLUDED:

Local guide, lodging, park entry fees, transportation and meals beginning with dinner on Jan. 7 through lunch on Jan. 22.

Your flight from Loja to Quito on the 22nd is also included.

An additional single supplement of $750 is required for those traveling alone or who want private rooms.

NOT INCLUDED:

Your international flights into and out of Quito.

Personal expenses such as laundry, alcohol with meals, shopping, etc.

The tour begins in Quito on Jan. 7 and concludes in Quito on Jan. 22, 2025. We will visit some very remote locations with changes in elevation from near sea level to approximately 10,000 feet (3,500 meters). There will be occasional hiking on uneven ground and through primary forest. Weather is always an unknown, but frequent, intermittent rain showers are common.

Tues., Jan. 7

Arrive in Quito and check into our hotel for the night. Welcome dinner and tour briefing.

Wed., Jan. 8

Fly to Guayaquil. International Airport. Birding Manglares Churute, with mangroves, dry deciduous woodlands, and a few wetland areas.

Some targets here will include the Pacific subspecies of Royal Flycatcher, Rufous-necked Wood-Rail and the fantastic Horned Screamer. Other notable birds here include Fasciated Wren, Pacific Parrotlet, Scarlet-backed Woodpecker, Superciliaried Wren and Black-capped Sparrow. After lunch at a local seafood restaurant, we'll drive to the historic city of Piñas, where we’ll stay for the next two nights. We should have time to walk the streets before dinner.

ON Piñas

Fri., Jan. 10

This morning we’ll spend our time birding the remarkable Buenaventura Reserve, owned by the Jocotoco Foundation and home to the endemic El Oro Parakeet. The lodge has wonderful feeders that attract over a dozen species of hummingbirds in addition to tanagers, honeycreepers and more. We'll walk the trails searching for Grey-backed Hawk, White-throated Spadebill, Black-crowned Antshrike and Checker-throated Stipple-throat.

It's a short drive to Zaruma where we’ll have lunch and then some free time to explore this ancient town that was conquered by the Inca in 1480. It’s best known for gold mining and is the seat of El Oro Province.

ON Piñas

Sat., Jan. 11

We’ll return to Buenaventura in the morning and visit a Long-wattled Umbrellabird lek. Then we'll look for additional species like Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Choco and Yellow-throated Toucans, Ecuadorian Thrush, Golden-headed Quetzal and more. After lunch we'll drive to Macara, making stops along the way in hopes of seeing Solitary Eagle, Elegant Crescentchest or Gray-cheeked Parakeet.

ON Macara

Sun., Jan. 12

Today we’ll visit Jorupe Reserve, another Jocotoco Foundation-run reserve loaded with many endemic birds. The reserve is located on a scenic hillside surrounded by dry, deciduous forest peppered with giant Kapok trees. Some of our targets here will be White-tailed Jay, Rufous-headed Chachalaca, Pale-browed Tinamou, Whooping Motmot and Watkin´s Antpitta.

After dinner in the city, we'll return to Jorupe to to look for Buff-fronted Owl and Peruvian Screech-Owl.

ON Macara

Mon., Jan. 13

This morning we’ll drive east to the Zapotillo area to get our first taste of Tumbesian birding in this arid landscape. Many birds are adapted to this unique habitat such as Tumbes Chat-Tyrant, Tumbes Hummingbird, Tumbes Sparrow, and Tumbes Chat-Tyrant. But other specialties of the area include Comb Duck, Baird’s Flycatcher and West Peruvian Dove.

We'll have lunch in town and then bird our way back to Macara, arriving with a few hours to relax or wander the town before dinner.

ON Macara

Tues., Jan. 14

Today we will begin at the Utuana Reserve, stopping at the very active hummingbird feeders where Rainbow Starfontlet is often found along with Purple-throated Sunangel. Utuana Reserve protects a montane forest that is home to numerous range restricted, Tumbesian birds. Rufous-necked Foliage-gleaner, Grey-headed Antbird, Piura Hemispingus and Black-cowled Saltator are all found here. Other possible species include Jelski’s Chat-Tyrant, Chapman’s Antshrike, Black-crested Tit-Tyrant and Line-cheeked Spinetail. In the afternoon we'll drive to the mountain city of Loja.

After dinner, we will visit the university, where a Kopkep's Screech-Owl is often seen, and enjoy the city lights.

ON Loja

Wed., Jan. 15

Our first of two days birding in Podocarpus National Park. This jewel of Ecuador has montane rainforest giving way to elfin forest, and above 3,000 meters (10,000 ft.), paramo and sub paramo zones with a complex of over 100 high-elevation lagoons. We’ll get started in the Cajanuma section, and then bird our way along the old road to Zamora. Targets here include Bearded Guan, Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Red-faced Parrot and Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch. On the hillside road to Zamora, we may find Short-billed Chlorospingus, Orange-eared Tanager, Equatorial Graytail, Coppery-chested Jacamar and White-necked Parakeet.

We'll have lunch in Loja and visit the Bombuscaro Reserve in the afternoon.

ON Zamora

Thu., Jan. 16

We’ll split our time today between Podocarpus National Park, the Rio Bombuscaro section, where Black-billed Treehunter, Collared Trogon, Ecuadorian Piedtail, Common Scale-backed Antbird and Foothill Antwren are all possible as well as mixed tanager flocks. Next we’ll visit the Mi Paradise Reserve to try for Spangled Coquette coming into the verbena flowers along with Little and Purple-collared Woodstars and Blue-tailed Emerald. We’ll also look for White-breasted Parakeet, Coopery-chested Jacamar and Grey Tinamou on the grounds of this small reserve. If we’re lucky, we may find Blackish Nightjar roosting on the nearby cliffs.

ON Yantzaza

Fri., Jan. 17

El Zarza Reserve is part of Ecuador’s Cordillera del Condor, a unique and little-studied region with sandstone mountains capped by cloud forests that is home to a mixture of Andean and Amazonian species. We’ll explore these forests for Spectacled Prickletail (a relative of Xenops and Woodcreepers), Scarlet-breasted Fruiteater, Ecuadorian Piedtail, Western Striolated Puffbird, and more.

ON Yantzaza

Sat., Jan. 18

This day we’ll visit the Yankuam Lodge and bird along the Rio Nangaritza, keeping our eyes open for King Vultures on the way. Located in the humid tropical forests that make up the foothills to the Amazon, we’ll make stops to search for Black-and-white Tody-Flycatcher, White-plumed Antbird, Bar-winged Wood-Wren and Zimmer’s Antbird.

This is an area of rich species diversity known for spectacular mixed feeding flocks. At night we can look for the Band-bellied Owl that often roosts near the lodge and take a walk to look for frogs.

ON Yankuan

Sun., Jan. 19

On this special day, we’ll go deep into the valley in search of Orange-throated Tanager, found only in remote Peru and extreme southeast Ecuador. With a fiery-orange throat and spectacular indigo wings, it is unmistakable, yet patience is needed. We’ll listen for their squeaky calls made as they range through the forest canopy. Not to be overlooked is the gorgeous Paradise Tanager, also found at this elevation, and if we’re lucky, Band-bellied Owl.

ON Yankuan

Mon., Jan. 20

Today we’ll return to Vilcabamba, the expat area near Loja , where we’ll stay for two nights. Here we’ll search for Solitary Eagle, Fiery-throated Fruiteater, Orange-eared Tanager, “Loja” Amazilia Hummingbird, Plumbeous Rail and others. If there’s time, we’ll venture to Catamayo where the endemic Scarlet-fronted Parakeet, a very local species in Ecuador, is sometimes found.

ON Vilcabamba

Tue., Jan. 21

This morning we will visit the Tapichalaca Reserve, the famous location for viewing the Jocotoco Antpitta. Discovered in 1997 by Robert Ridgely and others. The efforts to preserve the wet, bamboo forests where it lives gave rise to the Jocotoco Foundation that has been instrumental in critical habitat conservation throughout Ecuador. The endemic Bearded Guan is also seen at the reserve, as is Chestnut-naped Antpitta.

After lunch at the lodge, we’ll head to Cerro Toledo to look for Neblina Metaltail, Golden-plumed Parakeet, Orange-banded Flycatcher and Chestnut-bellied Chat-Tyrant. Mixed flocks may contain Grass-green Tanager, Blue-winged and Lacrimose Mountain-Tanagers, Capped Conebill and more.

ON Vilcabamba

Wed., Jan. 22

In the morning we’ll pack our bags and drive to the regional airport in Loja for a short, 45-minute flight into Quito. There we’ll have a celebratory lunch and wish everyone farewell for their departure flights home!

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