 If
you are looking for a tour with loads of variety in habitat, scenery,
and birds, this one is for you! We cover everything from the coastal
region, to swamps, deserts, arid scrub, deciduous forests, rainforests,
montane cloudforests, high altitude elfin forests, and páramo.
This trip will give you the chance to see almost all the birds endemic
to the Tumbesian region of western Ecuador and northwestern Peru.
Day 1: Guayaquil.
Your international flights arrive in the evening in Guayaquil, the
largest city in Ecuador. You will be met at the airport and taken to a
hotel for the night.
Day 2: Cerro Blanco.
These forested hills just outside the city are inhabited by a large
number of Tumbesian birds, including White-tailed Jay and Black-capped
Sparrow. After the morning heats up, we drive south through the coastal
plain, eventually climbing into the foothills of the Andes. We will
spend two nights at a lodge in Buenaventura.
Day 3: Buenaventura.
The forested hills of Buenaventura are now protected as a bird reserve.
We will search these beautiful fog-enshrouded forests for local species
such as El Oro Parakeet, Emerald-bellied Woodnymph, Pacific
Tuftedcheek, and Club-winged Manakin. We will also visit a site for the
spectacular Long-wattled Umbrellabird.
Day 4: Buenaventura and El Empalme.
After another morning in Buenaventura we drive south to the border town
of Macará for a three-night stay in the new Jorupe Lodge. En
route we will want to bird the amazing deciduous forest near El
Empalme. Among the giant Ceiba trees we may see White-headed
Brush-Finch, Tumbes Hummingbird, and Baird's Flycatcher.
Day 5: Jorupe.
We spend most of the day birding the Jorupe Reserve. A wide dirt road
provides easy birding and we should see some of the most threatened
Tumbesian endemics such as Blackish-headed Spinetail, Henna-hooded
Foliage-gleaner, and Slaty Becard.
 Day 6: Utuana and Sozoranga.
Farther from Jorupe, the road takes us up into the mountains again, and
the cooler weather will be welcome. Forest patches near Sozoranga hold
yet more Tumbesian endemics like Rufous-headed Chachalaca, Bay-crowned
Brush-Finch, and Chapman's Antshrike. Higher still we will check out
the area around Utuana for the impossibly cute Black-crested Tit-Tyrant
and dapper Piura Hemispingus.
Day 7: Utuana and Catamayo.
Today we leave the Tumbesian region behind, but not before some final
birding in the Utuana reserve, home of the endangered Gray-headed
Antbird. Later in the day we will bird the Catamayo valley, with
irrigated fields that are finch heaven, and we’ll hopefully see
Drab Seedeater, Tumbes Sparrow, and Band-tailed Sierra-Finch. We spend
the night in Vilcabamba.
Day 8: Cajanuma.
Over the next three days we will concentrate on the temperate forests
of the east slope of the Andes, home to many spectacular birds. With a
morning in Podocarpus NP we should find many of them, perhaps including
Red-hooded Tanager, Bearded Guan, and Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan. In
the afternoon we drive over the remote Cordillera de Sabanilla to
Tapichalaca reserve, home of the fabled Jocotoco Antpitta. We spend two
nights at the beautiful lodge in the reserve.
Day 9: Tapichalaca.
The Jocotoco Antpitta has now become ridiculously easy to seem, since
several of them visit a worm feeder every morning. We should see plenty
of other good birds along the trails, such as Chestnut-naped Antpitta,
Chusquea Tapaculo, Black-capped Hemispingus, and Orange-banded
Flycatcher. We can also amuse ourselves with the varied hummingbirds
visiting the feeders, including Flame-throated Sunangel, Rufous-capped
Thornbill, Chestnut-breasted Coronet, and Long-tailed Sylph.
 Day 10: Tapichalaca and Copalinga.
After some final birding in Tapichalaca we will pack up and head for
the foothills near the town of Zamora. The delightful Copalinga Lodge
will be our base for three nights.
Day 11: Río Bombuscaro.
We bird an excellent forest trail in the park that has many local
species, including Coppery-chested Jacamar, Ecuadorian Piedtail,
White-breasted Parakeet, and Chestnut-crowned Gnateater. In the
afternoon we may bird some open country for birds more typical of
Amazonia.
Day 12: Old Zamora road.
This abandoned dirt road passes through some amazingly productive
forest patches. Lower down we may find Ecuadorian Tyrannulet, Foothill
Elaenia, and Lined Antshrike, while higher up we can see Andean
Cock-of-the Rock, Blue-browed Tanager, and Chestnut-tipped Toucanet,
among many others.
Day 13: Rio San Francisco and Saraguro.
We’ll begin the day birding another section of Podocarpus NP that
can be really good for the spectacular Barred Antthrush and other
subtropical birds. Later on we’ll drive north through the Andes
to Cuenca, stopping at various places to look for Red-faced Parrot.
Day 14: El Cajas.
A short drive from Cuenca brings us up to windswept páramo
dotted with lakes and patches of Polylepis woodland. On the way up the
mountain we will look for the endemic Violet-throated Metaltail in
roadside scrub. Tit-like Dacnises and Giant Conebills lurk in the
Polylepis near the pass, while Stout-billed Cinclodes and Tawny
Antpittas hop around on the surrounding páramo. The highway
through the park continues on to Guayaquil and we will complete a
magnificent circuit of the southern part of Ecuador.
Day 15: Departure or begin extension. If you are not joining the Pacific coast extension you will be transferred to the airport to meet your departing flight.
 Pacific Coast Extension (4 days)
Day 1: The Santa Elena peninsula.
We'll leave our Guayaquil hotel quite early in order to bird the
super-arid scrub of the Santa Elena peninsula early in the morning.
Several Tumbesian birds are much easier to see here than on the main
tour, including Short-tailed Woodstar, Necklaced Spinetail,
Superciliated Wren, Gray-andwhite Tyrannulet, and Short-tailed
Field-Tyrant. Nearby salt ponds usually have some Chilean Flamingos,
and can be packed with shorebirds, while Peruvian Pelicans, Gray-hooded
Gulls, and occasionally Gray Gulls can be seen from the nearby beach.
After lunch, we'll drive through the afternoon to the lovely Mantaraya
Lodge, on a hill surrounded by dry forest overlooking the Pacific.
Day 2: Ayampe.
The Ayampe river is the best place to see the endemic Esmeraldas
Woodstar during the December-April wet season, and we usually find it
fairly easily during those months. Birding is along an easy dirt road
that can be absolutely pumping with birds in the morning hours. It's a
good spot to find some Tumbesian species that can be tough on the main
tour, such as Saffron Siskin, Pacific Royal Flycatcher, Ochraceous
Attila, and Ochre-bellied Dove. There are also some birds here more
typical of the humid rainforest to the north, including Gartered
Trogon, White-whiskered Puffbird, and Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher. We'll
return to Mantaraya Lodge for a second night.
Day 3: Return to Guayaquil.
We'll plan this day based on what we still need. We could bird some dry
forest for Pale-browed Tinamou and Elegant Crescentchest, or might
return to Ayampe again as there is always plenty to see there. Later in
the day, we'll drive several hours back to Guayaquil, stopping wherever
we need to to fill out the list, before having a final dinner in the
cuty.
Day 4: Departure. The extension ends this morning with a transfer to the international airport.
TOUR INFO:
CLIMATE: The
coast is hot and dry, sometimes humid. Jorupe is warm and
humid, with some mosquitoes this time of year. Tapichalaca is chilly
and damp. El Cajas can be very cold and wet. Most other places have
quite pleasant climates. Some rain is to be expected, but we believe
this is the best month overall to run this tour. Rubber boots are a
must on this tour.
DIFFICULTY:
Moderate. Most of the walking is fairly easy, but there are three more
difficult hikes: The short but steep walk to the Umbrellabird lek, the
slippery walk to the Jocotoco Antpitta, and the rather long (but mostly
flat) walk into the national park at Rio Bombuscaro.
ACCOMMODATION: Very
good to excellent throughout. Due to limited space in some of the
lodges, single rooms are sometimes not available everywhere. At
Copalinga, electricity is provided by a small hydro plant and is
usually limited to the hours of 9am to 10pm.
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