Itinerary Map

Prices 2020

Itinerary

• Day 1Pickup from airport or hotel in Quito, Papallacta Pass and Guango Lodge. We head straight to highest elevation for breathtaking views from Papallacta Pass (on a clear day), and unique vegetation suited to macro photography. We will also be looking out for the Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, large shorebird, and with luck maybe mammals like Andean Fox, White-tailed Deer, Andean Rabbit, and maybe even Spectacled Bear! Dress warm! We continue to Guango cloud forest Lodge for amazing hummingbird photo opportunities, including the Sword-billed Hummingbird. A short trail down to the river can be really good for Torrent Duck, mixed flocks, and sometimes Mountain Tapir or brocket deer. Continuing on to our hotel, at night (weather permitting) we can search for the San Isidro Owl, and mammals such as night monkeys, Kinkajou, & frogs / insects.
• Day 2Cabañas San Isidro, Narupa Yacu, & Wild Sumaco. An early start to photograph birds around the cabins in the morning, looking for trogons, flycatchers, fruiteaters, quetzals, warblers, woodpeckers, ovenbirds, wrens, and more. Mountain Tapirs can also sometimes be observed at a salt lick by the lodge, and White-bellied Antpittas being fed. After breakfast we focus on the hummingbirds, before dropping in elevation to the Amazon foothills to search out the crowd-pleasing Spangled Coquette along a short trail lined with Verbena bushes to a waterfall. Next we continue on to Sumaco-Graleras National Park, where Wild Sumaco lodge is great for hummingbirds, tanager flocks (such as paradise tanagers), guans, monkeys, macaws and more. Volcano Sumaco also makes for a nice landscape photo on a clear day. At night, we shall go for another night walk, looking for owls, insects, frogs, lizards, snakes, large spiders, etc.
• Day 3Wild Sumaco. An early start searching for birds and tamarin monkeys around the lodge, and hopefully macaws flying overhead. With luck, we may see the highly-endangered Military Macaws. Down a trail into the forest we hope to photograph two different types of antpitta at feeding stations along the trail. Returning to the lodge we can focus on the hummingbirds, or relax before lunch. Returning to Quito in the afternoon we will make some interesting stops along the way, first to photograph a beautiful waterfall and hummingbirds, keeping our eyes peeled for possible spectacled bear in the paramo, and finally to check out a Polylepis forest. On arrival to Quito it will be time to end our adventure together.

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