The Neotropics are widely regarded as being packed with thousands of confusing birds in difficult birding conditions. This can be true, but the rewards of birding here are unsurpassed. After just a week of seeing numerous new families and having the intricacies of Neotropical birding explained, you will find it is highly addictive. It just does not get better than this.

Day 1: Arrival in Quito
You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.

Day 2: Yanacocha
Yanacocha is just great. The reserve is located on the high slopes of Pichincha Volcano where we are surrounded by pristine temperate forest and unforgettable scenery. Although it is at 11,100 ft. (3,400 m.), the trail is almost completely flat and very wide, allowing excellent visibility and easy birding. For your first day it is a superb location because overall species numbers are not large, but many of the families are represented. There are lots of brilliant tanagers and hummingbirds, and there also are plenty of other birds to look at. After lunch we’ll slowly drive down the old Nono-Mindo road. The lower sections run alongside a rushing mountain stream where we can look for White-capped Dipper, Torrent Duck, and Slaty-backed Chat-Tyrant. The climax of the day will be our search for one of the most glorious of all South American birds, the Andean Cock-of-the-rock. With at least one lek currently active in the pristine forest of the lower valley we stand a very good chance of witnessing the spectacular males in full display. In the evening we arrive at the superb Tandayapa Bird Lodge, which will be our base for the rest of the trip, so you will only need to unpack once.

Day 3: Lower Tandayapa Valey
Although we will have seen quite a few in Yanacocha, this is THE place for hummers. The lodge feeders are the best in the world, with up to 20 species in an hour, and often 10 species at the feeders at once. The great thing about the hummers is the action is non-stop all day long. This means we can spend the early morning hours birding the forest trails and platforms and save the hummers for the afternoon, comforted by the knowledge that all the species will still be present.

Day 4: Milpe and Mindo
We’ll spend a whole day in the field concentrating on the lower elevation foothill forest at around 3600 ft (1100 m). This area has become the focus for Tropical Birding conservation; we raised a substantial portion of the funds needed to purchase the Milpe Bird Sanctuary. After a morning here you will see why we are so excited about this area! We should see Moss-backed, Rufous-throated, and Ochre-breasted Tanagers. This is our first chance to encounter several of the larger and more spectacular lowland toucans, and we have a good chance to find mixed flocks of tanagers, foliage-gleaners, flycatchers, barbets, woodcreepers, and more. The attractive Club-winged Manakin has a lek on the reserve, and we should be able to witness its bizarre display. We’ll have lunch in the Mindo area. We’ll bird the rest of the afternoon in the Mindo area in search of Orange-crowned Euphonia and other more common species of forest edge and open habitat.

Day 5: Upper Tandayapa Valley
The mixed flocks of the upper Tandayapa Valley road hold a real feast of avian delights. Up to 12 species of tanager can be present, moving with tyrannulets, fruiteaters, wood-warblers, and some of the prettiest Furnariids in the world. We'll be sifting through these flocks for not only the large and spectacular species such as Toucan Barbet, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, and Turquoise Jay, but also for the smaller yet delightful Pearled Treerunner, Streaked Tuftedcheek, and Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant.

Day 7: Paz de Aves
This reserve, located between Tandayapa and Mindo, has become the newest sensation in Northwest Ecuador. A local farmer has learned how to tempt some normally shy species out into the open by offering them juicy worms. Now it is possible to get great views of rarities like Giant, Ochre-breasted, Moustached, and Yellow-breasted Antpittas. Dark-backed Wood-Quail, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, White-faced Nunbird, and Rufous-bellied Nighthawk are regularly found here as well. After lunch, we’ll head back to Quito, birding some dry montane scrub along the way, where we might see the rare White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant.

Day 8: Quito
We’ll take you to the airport for your international flight out of Ecuador, or to link up with another of our Ecuador tours.

TOUR INFO

CLIMATE: Usually pleasant, but cold at Yanacocha and hot at Silanche. Rain is always possible, though less likely on the August tour.

DIFFICULTY: Generally easy, with a couple of longer walks. There are a few moderately steep monutain trails that could be muddy and slippery if it has been raining. Several early starts are necessary.