Arrive at the Quito International Airport. Most flights arrive in the afternoon or evening. A shuttle will transfer you to our hotel in Quito, the lovely San José de Puembo, where we can explore the grounds and relax.

We will have breakfast at our hotel in Quito and then set out for the remote Northwestern corner of Ecuador.

En route we’ll stop at the beautiful Mirador del Rio Blanco for lunch (and some more birding of course!).

We’ll then continue to our destination: Rio Canandé Reserve protects about 5200 acres of lowland tropical forest in northwestern Ecuador. It's of special interest because it protects some of the last remaining habitat of specialty birds in Esmeraldas Province. It is sufficiently far from the border with Colombia that it's a completely safe place to visit. We will have two complete days to explore the reserve, trails, and old Botrosa road to look for many species.

Species of interest include hummingbirds such as Band-tailed Barbthroat, Purple-chested Hummingbird, and Purple-crowned Fairy. Other hummingbirds of interest in the forest and sometimes around the lodge are White-tipped Sicklebill, Tooth-billed Hummingbird, and Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer.

Some birds of special interest regularly seen in the reserve are Tawny-faced Quail, Choco Trogon, Choco Toucan, Lita Woodpecker, Black-striped Woodcreeper, Pacific Antwren, Rose-faced Parrot, Green Manakin, Golden-winged Manakin, Dagua Thrush, Ochre-breasted Tanager, Golden-chested Tanager, Scarlet-browed Tanager, Tawny-crested Tanager, Emerald Tanager, Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, and Scarlet-breasted Dacnis. In recent years a few endangered Great Green Macaws have been regularly visiting the area around the lodge. One of the truly prized birds sometimes seen around ant-swarms is the rare Banded Ground-Cuckoo. Though the bird is rare, it is sometimes seen in certain areas known to the local rangers and guides. Long-wattled Umbrellabird is a possibility though infrequently seen. The reserve is one of the few places where it's possible to find the quite uncommon Scarlet-and-white Tanager and the rare Lemon-spectacled Tanager.

Accommodations & meals at Chocó Lodge. 

On this day we descend to the lower elevations of the foothill zone at two important private reserves strategically situated & run by the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation: Rio Silanche & Milpe Bird Sanctuary. The important reserve of Rio Silanche, a vital part of a forest corridor in the region, hosts a mix of primary forest and a regenerating plantation. We’ll try for Plumbeous Forest-Falcon, Dusky Pigeon, Rose-faced and Bronzed-winged Parrots, Pale-mandibled Araçari and Choco Woodpecker. Here you have access to a 50ft. canopy tower platform where you can relax and let the birds come in to view at eye-level! Accommodations at Sachatamia Lodge.

You'll leave from the lodge very early in the morning. The birding area includes a small side road that heads to the Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, a small, local reserve where the owners have set a system of feeders that attract some of the more localized species, like Velvet-purple Coronet and Empress Brilliant. Mashpi is a secondary road that passes through the cloud forest in the northwestern foothills that has gained notoriety for its impressive collection of Chocó region endemic bird species: Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Moss-Backed Tanager, Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager, Glistening-green Tanager, Indigo Flowerpiercer, Pacific Tuftedcheek, Orange-Breasted Fruiteater, Black Solitaire, Glistening-Green Tanager, Indigo Flowerpiercer, and the very rare Choco Vireo are all possible. The afternoon is somewhat flexible depending on the weather - we can visit a private farm to see the bizarre cave-dwelling Oilbird,or go to another local site like Milpe for other foothill species. Overnight and dinner at Sachatamia Lodge.

Today we will start very early in the morning and head off to Paz de las Aves, a small private reserve near Mindo where Angel Paz, the owner of this magical place, has developed a technique of hand-feeding several elusive species like Giant, Yellow-Breasted, Chestnut-Crowned, Mustached, and Ochre-Breasted Antpittas with amazing success. This place is a highlight of this tour.

At sunrise we will also visit an active Andean Cock of the Rock Lek to admire the amazing displays of males. Some birds you may see in the forest are Golden-headed Quetzal, Olivaceous Piha, Toucan Barbet, Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager, Golden-Winged Manakin, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, and Nariño Tapaculo among others. After a typical breakfast served in the reserve, we will enjoy the spectacular Velvet-purple Coronet, Brown Violetear and Empress Brilliant at their hummingbird feeders. Around the property we can also see Beryl-spangled and Golden Tanager.

At Milpe reserve we can try for the regional endemic Choco Toucan, Choco Trogon, Long-wattled Umbrellabird and the fascinating Club-winged Manakin. Milpe is recognized as an Important Bird Area in Ecuador. It is a small reserve located at an elevation of 3500 feet. Milpe’s flagship bird is surely the Club-winged Manakin, a displaying lek of which they have on their land. 

In late afternoon, we continue to Bellavista Lodge for dinner and accommodations.

We head to the Pichincha volcano to visit Zuroloma and Yanacocha reserve, where a worm feeder was created for the Ocellated Tapaculo and Rufous Antpitta, the latter being seen more regularly in the area, in addition to possibly finding other hard-to-find species such as Chestnut-crowned Antpitta and Chestnut-naped Antpitta.

We´ll hike through the flat and easy-access Inca trail that extends for about 2 km through the stunning lush montane humid forest, with diverse flocks of birds being regularly encountered. Several stations with multiple hummingbird feeders are situated at various spots. There are mixed flocks of beautiful birds such as Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager, Black-chested Mountain Tanager, Blue-backed Conebill, Golden-crowned Tanager, and Superciliated Hemispingus.

A major highlight here are the amazing Hummingbirds! Great Sapphirewing, Sapphire-vented and Golden-breasted Pufflegs, Tyrian Metaltail, Buff-winged Starfrontlet and the outstanding Sword-billed Hummingbird (the bird with the longest bill relative to its body) are frequent visitors to the feeders. Lunch will be served at the reserve restaurant; later, we’ll continue our drive on the old Nono-Mindo Road and return to Quito. If time allows, we could do some highland birding around Quito. Dinner & accommodation in Quito.

Our final morning will take you through great scenery in the Ecuadorian High Andes. The roads border the national protected area Antisana Ecological Reserve and Fundación Jocotoco’s Chakana Reserve, therefore the birdlife is great and the scenery is quite amazing. The altitudinal range covered is over 3600m.  We spend the morning in the area, watching for Andean Condors (should be easy to find!) and other beautiful birds, even looking for Spectacled Bears, with lunch at a small ‘refugio’ with a view out over one of the condor cliffs. Some of the species include: Black-faced (Andean) Ibis, Ecuadorian Hillstar, Chestnut-winged and Stout-billed Cinclodes, Streak-backed Canastero, Plain-capped (Paramo) Ground-Tyrant, Paramo Pipit, and Black-winged Ground-Dove. After lunch, we’ll drive back to the Quito airport for departures.