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. Due to limited space in the lodge, single rooms may not be available here.

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 lek of the spectacular Long-wattled Umbrellabird; in the afternoon several males can sometimes be seen displaying together.

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. 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 6: Sozoranga
Farther from Macará, 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.

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. (NEWSFLASH: The reserve wardens are now putting worms out for the Jocotoco Antpitta every day, greatly increasing your chances to see this amazing bird!). We spend two nights at the beautiful lodge in the reserve. Due to limited space, single rooms are not available here.

Day 9: Tapichalaca
While the Jocotoco Antpitta is our main target today, 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 we will pack up and head for the foothills near the town of Zamora. The new and beautiful Copalinga Lodge will be our base for three nights. Due to limited space, single rooms may not be available here.

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 will bird 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 often see Andean Cock-of-the Rock, Blue-browed Tanager, and Chestnut-tipped Toucanet, among many others.

Day 13: Rio San Francisco and Saraguro
Early on we’ll bird 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 NP
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)
This short four day extension gives you a chance to see numerous species not possible on the main trip. We bird coastal scrub for Necklaced Spinetail and Gray-and-white Tyrannulet, then check out the Ecuasal lagoons for the numerous gulls, shorebirds, and (usually) Chilean Flamingos. Farther north, the Río Ayampe is one of the only havens for the ultra-rare Esmeraldas Woodstar, which we usually see here. We will base ourselves for two nights in the idyllic Mantaraya Lodge, perched on a hill overlooking the ocean and surrounded by nice deciduous forest.

TOUR INFO:

CLIMATE: The coast is hot and dry, sometimes humid. Macará 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: Generally very good, but the hotel in Macará is basic - it still has private bathrooms, sporadic hot water, and fans. Due to limited space in some of the lodges, single rooms are not available everywhere.