| Begins in Quito Thursday evening |
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$1625 |
Nov 18-24, 2010 (7 days, 6 nights)
Single Supplement = $425
If not participating in either the Ecuador Andes Photo Tour or Ecuador Andes Birding Tour, add $75/person double occ. or $100/person single occ. for the extra night plus meals in Quito. |
Our week-long birding tour to the Ecuadorian Amazon includes a night's stay in Quito at the beginning and end of the tour and 4 nights at famed Sacha Lodge along the Napo River in the eastern lowlands. Our master birding guide Oscar Tapui is the head guide at the lodge and known among birders world-wide as perhaps the best native guide in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Highlights include a visit to two parrot clay licks, birding in the tree-tops from a 135-ft observation tower and a newly constructed suspension bridge in the forest, and birding by boat and on foot through varzea (seasonally flooded) and terra firme (never flooded) forests. We expect to see about 150 species of Amazonian birds on this tour.
DAY 1 - QUITO
For those who participated in our Ecuador Andes Photo Tour, this day is the last of that tour. For those newly arriving in Ecuador, this is a travel day. International flights arrive in the evening, and new arrivals reach the hotel by taxi from the airport. Those arriving a day early have free time to explore the city. Everyone is met at the hotel by our tour leader, who will conduct an evening orientation for the tour. Night at Hotel Sebastian in Quito.
DAY 2 - QUITO & NAPO RIVER
Short morning flight from Quito to Coca, followed by a 2 hour 50 minute powerboat ride down the Napo River. Orange-breasted Falcon, Pied Plover, Southern Lapwing, Yellow-billed Tern, Large-billed Tern, occasional toucans, Swallow-wing, and other birds are possible during this journey. Upon our arrival walk through varzea forest along a boardwalk with porters carrying our luggage, birding en route. At the end of the walkway, cross a lagoon in dugout canoes to the lodge, situated in a private 2000 hectare reserve adjacent to Yasuni National Park. Late afternoon bird from the viewing platform near the riverfront finca looking for Scarlet-crowned Barbet, Lafresnaye's Piculet, Orange-fronted Plushcrown, Violaceous Jay, and Red-capped Cardinal. Night at Sacha Lodge.
DAYS 3-5 - SACHA LODGE RESERVE & YASUNI NATIONAL PARK
During our stay at Sacha Lodge spend much of one day going farther down the Napo River to two established parrot clay licks. The usual species at the first clay lick are Dusky-headed Parakeet, Blue-headed Parrot, Yellow-crowned Amazon, and Mealy Amazon. We've seen Crested Owl roosting near the trail to the lick on some tours. The second clay lick is located in a cave entrance at a nearby site. There we typically see Cobalt-winged Parakeets, the most abundant species and usually a few Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlets and Orange-winged Parrots. Sometimes Scarlet Macaw appear as well. Trails to the clay licks offer some forest birds. Possibilities include Black-tailed Trogon, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Short-billed Antwren, Peruvian Warbling Antbird, Spot-backed Antbird, and Blue-crowned Manakin. En route visit some sandbar islands in the river to look for Ladder-tailed Nightjar roosting on the sand and White-bellied Spinetail, Parker's Spinetail, Black-and-white Antbird, and Chestnut-bellied Seedeater in the scrub.
One morning visit the 135-ft. observation tower and the 94-ft high walkway suspended between three towers in the forest. From these vantage points view a variety of canopy birds. Possibilities include Blue-and-Yellow Macaws, Chestnut-fronted Macaws, and Red-bellied Macaws flying above the forest, Black-throated, Blue-crowned, and Black-tailed Trogons, Golden-collared Toucanet, Ivory-billed, Chestnut-bellied, and Many-banded Aracaris, Channel-billed and White-throated Toucans, and other canopy birds such as Black-bellied Cuckoo, Yellow-billed Nunbird, Gilded Barbet, Scaly-breasted Woodpecker, Spot-winged Antshrike, Dugand's Antwren, Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher, Spangled Cotinga, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, and White-browed Purpletuft. A good variety of raptors live in the forest, none common, and we hope to see some soaring above the canopy or perching in the treetops.
On boat trips through the waterways, we expect to find many aquatic and varzea forest birds. Among the possibilities are Capped Heron, Cocoi Heron, Agami Heron, the very secretive and hence prized Zigzag Heron, Green Ibis, the bizarrely primitive Hoatzin, Sungrebe, Sunbittern, Great Potoo, White-eared Jacamar, Paradise Jacamar, Cinnamon-rumped Foliage-gleaner, Silvered Antbird, Dot-backed Antbird, Orange-crested Manakin, Dwarf Tyrant-Manakin, Black-capped Donacobius, Masked Crimson Tanager, and many forest edge birds. Sometimes we've found Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl when we stay out after dusk.
We'll bird several trails through both varzea and terra firme forest, which supports a good diversity of birds. Many species are uncommon and secretive so every visit produces new surprises. Possibilities include Yellow-billed Jacamar, Collared Puffbird, Black-tailed Leaftosser, Black-banded and Spix's Woodcreepers, Mouse-colored and Cinereous Antshrikes, White-flanked Antwren, Black-faced, White-shouldered, Sooty, Lunulated Antbirds, Golden-headed and Wire-tailed Manakins, and numerous flycatchers and tanagers. Nights at Sacha Lodge.
DAY 6 - NAPO RIVER & QUITO
Depart after breakfast, re-tracing our route across the lagoon, boardwalk, and finally up the Napo River to Coca. Late morning flight back to Quito, normally arriving in early afternoon. Night at Hotel Sebastian.
DAY 7 - END OF TOUR
Tour ends with breakfast at the hotel in Quito.
For more information on the places we stay, please 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) with any questions you may have or to register for this memorable tour.
