| Begins in Quito Sunday evening |
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$3950 |
Oct 26 - Nov 9, 2008 (15 days, 14 nights)
Single Supplement = $325
Western & Eastern Andes plus Napo River Lowlands.
*Single supplement is $125 less if sharing a room at Napo Wildlife Center. |
Western & Eastern Andes Only.
Oct 26 - Nov 5, 2008 (11 days, 10 nights); $2750; Sngl Suppl $175
Napo Wildlife Center Only. Call for availability.
Nov 4 - 9, 2008 (6 days, 5 nights); $1200; Sngl Suppl $200 |
Our tour of northern Ecuador takes full advantage of the country's extraordinary bird diversity. We'll visit famed Mindo Valley in the western Andes, San Isidro in the eastern Andes, and Napo Wildlife Center deep in the Amazonian lowlands. The tour features many endemics and range-restricted birds found in narrow altitudinal zones on either side of the Andes, as well as the very different avifauna to be found in the Amazon headwaters near the Napo River. We saw or heard 561 species with a similar itinerary during our December 2007 tour.
Our tour to the west slope and east slope of the Andes Mountains is a shortened version of our complete northern Ecuador tour for those who cannot go on the longer tour. It covers the Mindo and Tandayapa Valleys of the western Andes, higher elevation sites at Antisana and Papallacta Pass, and San Isidro on the east slope of the Andes.
Our tour to Napo Wildlife Center includes 2 nights in Quito and 4 nights at Napo Wildlife Center, where we'll spend 4 days exploring the Amazon headwaters near the Napo River. Open on a space available basis. Call us for availability.
Specialty birds and endemics we have a good chance of seeing in the western Andes include Toucan Barbet, Club-winged Manakin, Narino Tapaculo, Moustached (Griscom's) Antwren, Yellow-breasted, Giant, Moustached, and Ochre-breasted Antpittas, Giant Conebills, Beautiful Jay, Moss-backed, Glistening-green, and Blue-whiskered Tanagers, Dusky Bush-Tanager, Yellow-collared Chlorophonia, and Scarlet-breasted Dacnis. We can also expect to see a good variety of hummingbirds, including Empress Brilliant, Brown Inca, Gorgeted Sunangel, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, and Violet-tailed Sylph. The high Andes offers fewer species, but many of those present are very special. Among them are Andean Condor, the very range-restricted Black-faced Ibis, and such high elevation birds as Andean Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, Andean Ruddy-Duck, Andean Coot, Andean Gull, Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Bar-winged and Stout-billed Cinclodes, Andean Tit-Spinetail, White-chinned Thistletail, Tawny Antpitta, Scarlet-bellied and Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanagers, and Plumbeous and Ash-breasted Sierra-Finches. We should also see a good variety of higher elevation hummingbirds, including Shining Sunbeam, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Great Sapphirewing, Golden-breasted Puffleg, Ecuadorian Hillstar, Tyrian Metaltail, and Giant Hummingbird. The eastern Andes offers a whole new set of species not found on the west slope. Among these are Andean Guan, Wattled Curassow, Dusky-billed Parrotlet, Straight-billed Hermit, Glittering-throated Emerald, Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Mountain Velvetbreast, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Tourmaline and Flame-throated Sunangels, Long-tailed Sylph, Crested and Golden-headed Quetzals, Collared Puffbird, White-fronted and Yellow-billed Nunbirds, White-eared Jacamar, Lemon-throated Barbet, Golden-collared Toucanet, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Little and Spot-breasted Woodpeckers, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Capped Conebill, Gray-hooded Bush-Tanger, Black-capped, Oleaginous, and Black-eared Hemispingus, Golden-rumped Euphonia, Turquoise and Paradise Tanagers.
By the time we reach the Amazon headwaters along the Napo River, our heads will already be spinning with the number of birds we have seen. There, the birding continues with a whole new set of species. Among the many possibilities are Zigzag Heron, Gray-fronted Dove, Sapphire Quail-Dove, Crested Owl, Blue-and-yellow Macaw, Chestnut-bellied Macaw, Great Potoo, White-throated Toucan, Black-tailed Trogon, White-eared and White-chinned Jacamars, White-necked and Chestnut-crowned Puffbird, Brown, Black-fronted, and White-fronted Nunbirds, Scarlet-crowned Barbet, Scaly-breasted, Cream-colored, Red-necked, and Crimson-crested Woodpeckers, Long-billed and Black-banded Woodcreepers, Spot-backed Antbird, Mouse-colored and Dusky-throated Antshrikes, Purple-throated and Bare-necked Fruitcrows, Black-capped Donacobius, Lawrence's Thrush, Masked Crimson Tanager, White-lored and Rufous-bellied Euphonias, Opal-rumped Tanager, Black-faced and Blue Dacnis, Purple Honeycreeper, and Oriole Blackbird. During our stay we'll visit a spectacular parrot clay lick where we can expect to see Dusky-headed Parakeet, Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlet, Blue-headed Parrot, Yellow-crowned Parrot, Mealy Amazon, Cobalt-winged Parakeet, and Orange-cheeked Parrot. We'll also climb a 120-ft observation tower that affords great views of the forest canopy. There we can expect to see macaws flying above the treetops as well as a variety of other birds including White-throated Toucan, Plum-throated and Spangled Cotingas, Bare-necked and Purple-throated Fruitcrows, and a variety of flycatchers, tanagers, and other birds.
For additional description of this tour, please click on the DESCRIPTION tab above. For information on the places we stay, click on the ACCOMMODATIONS tab above.
Feel free to call us any time at 877-247-3371 (inside US) or 303-325-5188 (outside US) about this tour.
