Ecuador: Northwest Andes in Summer

The Andes of northwest Ecuador have some of the best and most accessible birding locations in all of South America, and they just keep getting better every year. This fairly short tour based in the Mindo-Tandayapa area offers a superb look at the incredible bird diversity of the Chocó bioregion that will delight first time visitors to Ecuador and returning travelers alike.

Our tour will spend time at two outstanding and comfortable accommodations: Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge, situated in the upper subtropical zone above the Tandayapa Valley, and El Séptimo Paraíso, lower in the Mindo Valley. Both locations are excellent bases from which to explore the surrounding areas, and also have great birding right on the grounds. Among the localities we’ll visit are the Tandayapa Valley, Mindo, Mashpi, the Paz de las Aves reserve, and the forest preserves at Yanacocha, Milpe, Silanche, and Amagusa. During our eight days of birding we should encounter about 300 species, possibly including some of western Ecuador’s most celebrated: Toucan Barbet, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Giant Antpitta, Oilbird, Lyre-tailed Nightjar, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, and as many as 40 species of hummingbirds and 50 dazzling tanagers overall. Finally, on top of the amazing birds, another highlight will be the chance to meet and bird with some of the local entrepreneurs who have established the small reserves that help make birding so accessible and enjoyable in Ecuador, while conserving the important natural habitats of their home region at the same time.