The ultimate 23 day birding journey through Ecuador and Galapagos that includes the highlights of birding in mainland Ecuador, including both the Western and Eastern slopes of the Andes, staying at all the best birding lodges before heading onto the superlative Napo Wildlife Centre in the Amazon Rainforest. Led by one of our team of top birding guides with an enviable bird list – this is the ultimate Ecuador birding holiday, followed by 8 days cruising in the Galapagos on board one of our hand-picked yachts, where you will have the chance to see some of the iconic birdlife of the archipelago.
23 Days from £8274 per person, based on 2 people sharing and excluding international flights.
Start: Quito
End: Quito
Min Age: 12
Max Age: 99
Min Group Size: 1
Max Group Size: 15
Breakfast: 22
Lunches: 20
Dinner: 20
Accommodation: Hotel (11 nights), Jungle Lodge (3 nights) Galapagos Cruise (7 nights)
Airport Transfer: Yes
Transport: Plane, Speed boat, canoe, private vehicle, Galapagos yacht
Guided: Yes
Activities: Birding, wildlife, snorkelling
We listen to you. We take the time to understand what you want your Galapagos trip of a lifetime to be. We then we use our decades of experience and unrivalled network of local contacts and team of top guides to make it happen.
Want to chat through your plans face to face? Fill in our form and request a video chat and we’ll be in touch with the details.
Pre-trip information
Sometimes it’s good to keep track of all the amazing wildlife you will be seeing on your trip. This downloadable wildlife check list for the plants, animals and birds of Galapagos together with a complete bird check list for Ecuador (including an amazing 132 species of hummingbirds) will help you do just that.
Quito
Arrive in Quito. You will be met at the airport and taken to your hotel, with the rest of the day to relax and recover from your flight. Overnight Quito.
Nono-Mindo road – Yanacocha – Bellavista
Bellavista
At an elevation of 1,650 to 2,350 meters, with plunging valleys and tall trees festooned with orchids and bromeliads, the forest around Bellavista is a perfect place to find restricted range birds such as the Plate-billed Mountain Toucan, the Toucan Barbet, and the rare Tanager-Finch as well as a host of hummingbirds. Around the lodge are an excellent network of more than 10 km of trails through the lodge’s 700 hectare reserve.
Bellavista – Sachatamia
Sachatamia – Angel Paz
Birding at Sachatmia, early morning visit to Angel Paz, this small private reserve has become the latest birding sensation in the northwest and is sometimes affectionately referred to as “the antpitta farm”. Here Angel Paz, a local farmer has gained the trust of some normally rare and shy forest species by offering them juicy worms. Yellow-breasted, Moustached, and Giant Antpittas are now regularly seen here (Yellow-breasted being the most reliable), and the local covey of Dark-backed Wood-Quail is seen on perhaps one out of three visits. Other forest birds regularly encountered are Golden-headed Quetzal, Toucan Barbet, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, and Scaled Fruiteater. Crested Quetzal can occasionally be found at fruiting trees.
Sachatmia – Guango
More birding around the lodge, before departing for Ecuador’s eastern slopes and Guango lodge which lies at around 2,700 meters surrounded by temperate forest and very birdy flocks – birding all the way! This area is characterised by its thicker canopy, and is only a short drive from tree-line forests and treeless paramo zones. Known for the stunning variety of hummingbirds that visit the feeders which include Mountain Velvetbreast, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Tourmaline Sunangel, Golden-breasted and Glowing Pufflegs, along with other birds which are seen regularly including Andean Guan, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan and Turquoise Jay.
Guango
Full day birding around Guango
Sani Isidro
Full day birding around San Isidro.
Sani Isidro – Wildsumaco
After early morning birding, you will travel even further south to Wildsumaco, a new lodge with an elevation of 1400m and a private forest reserve ranging from 1200 to 1500m. A wonderful mix of cloud forest species, foothill specialties, and typically Amazonian birds inhabit Wildsumaco’s lush subtropical rainforest. Many of the birds here are rare, endangered, or very difficult to see elsewhere. The very rare Yellow-throated Spadebill has a territory along the lodge’s Piha Trail, and at any time the endangered Military Macaw or rare Spot-winged Parrotlet might fly by, or Black Hawk-Eagle soar overhead.
Napo Wildlife Centre
Travel further east to Coca, where you and your guide will be met by the Napo Wildlife Centre team, and your Amazon journey will begin.
The multi-award winning Napo Wildlife Center, is the greatest and ultimate alternative luxury eco-hotel in Amazonian Ecuador. The lodge, which is 100% owned and operated by the local indigenous community, enjoys a stunning location by the side of a secluded lake, with an incredible bird list of 568 species, spectacular parrot lick’s and a network of trails. Some obvious highlights include the world’s largest and most reliable population of Zigzag Herons, frequent sightings of Agami Herons, virtually guaranteed sightings of all five kingfishers found in the Amazon, and a better population of mixed-species understory flocks and ant-swarm specialists than you will find at any other lodge in the Napo region. And, of course, 51 species of antbirds.
The Canopy Tower installed in November 2004, has produced some amazing sightings including Black-faced Hawk, Crested Eagle, and Harpy Eagle in addition to the cotingas and canopy tanager flocks that pass right through the tree. The Parrot Clay Licks are an experience that one would not want to miss, and the clay licks at the Napo Wildlife Center are the most accessible in Ecuador.
Return to Quito
Cruise Galapagos Islands
Return to Quito
Today you will take your flight back to Quito where you will be met by one of our team of guides and taken to your hotel for the night.
Transfer to the airport for flight home
Land Costs Include
Land Costs Exclude
We have selected the very best yachts in Galapagos across a range of styles and budgets. Each has been handpicked by us for their individual qualities, with top class naturalist guides, great itineraries, professional friendly crews and good quality local operations.
“A fantastic time in both Galapagos and Amazon. Very impressed.”
Ian Lane, UK
Like floating five star boutique hotels these luxury yachts are the ultimate way to see Galapagos offering a very high level of service
Beautiful stylish yachts for 16 guests or less with excellent service and a superb Galapagos wildlife cruise experience with great naturalists
Great value, charming yachts with first rate itineraries these yachts have been hand-picked as being the best within their price range
All the hotels we work with have been tried and tested and carefully handpicked by us as offering the best experiences for our guests across a range of styles and budgets. They all offer great personalised service and where possible they are always locally owned.
“A wonderful trip all beautifully organised by you with friendly and professional guides.”
Gulshan Dewshi, UK
There isn’t really a right answer to this question! Galapagos and Ecuador are year round destinations thanks to their location on the equator. In Galapagos each month has its own special highlights. Hopefully this guide to the climate and wildlife activity in the islands can help you choose.
If we did have to pick our favourite particular slot for a Galapagos and Ecuador birding holiday it would probably be from around mid-April through mid June – at this time the arrival of the cold water currents triggers the seabirds to go into full courtship mode, so on top of all the other amazing things you are seeing you get this extra level of activity. It is a great time in mainland Ecuador too.
Company founder and Galapagos expert, Rachel is on hand to help you plan your trip of a lifetime!
01482 887 453
