East Slope of the Andes · Private birding tour · 7 days / 6 nights
Seven days of private birding on the eastern slope of the Andes: Papallacta and the Guango Reserve, the San Isidro Reserve near Cosanga, the Guacamayos Ridge and the Wildsumaco Wildlife Sanctuary in the Amazon foothills, with an English-speaking birding guide and the best lodges of the slope.
At a glance
A private birding tour with your own English-speaking licensed guide and vehicle: just you and your companions. Every day links the eBird hotspots of the places you visit, so you can see what has been recorded there before you travel. The itinerary is a sample: it may change with the weather, the birds and the opening of each reserve.
| Departure and return | Quito area; other places on request |
|---|---|
| Departure time | 10:00 am, depending on the pick-up place; 6:00 am if you visit Antisana on the first day |
| Highlights | Torrent Duck, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Wire-crested Thorntail |
| Fitness level | Fair condition |
| Group | Private: just you and your companions |
| Price | From US$2,850 per person |
Day by day
Day 1
Morning. Pick-up at 10:00 am at your hotel in Quito or the airport area and drive over the Andes to the eastern slope, with a birding stop in the Papallacta area.
Optional. Start at 6:00 am instead, with a breakfast box, and visit Antisana National Park, southeast of Quito: high-Andean grasslands above 4,000 m under the snow-capped Antisana volcano, a national park since 2021 and home to the most important population of Andean Condors in Ecuador.
Afternoon. Lunch in the Papallacta area and birding at the Guango Reserve, at about 2,700 m in the humid temperate forest of the eastern slope: hummingbird feeders with around 15 species in the area, the Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, often seen around the lodge, and the river, one of the easiest places on this road to find the Torrent Duck.
Key species: Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Torrent Duck, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Collared Inca, Chestnut-breasted Coronet, White-bellied Woodstar, Long-tailed Sylph, Tourmaline Sunangel.
Day 2
Full day. After breakfast, a whole day of birding at the Guango Reserve: the hummingbird feeders, the forest trails and the river for the Torrent Duck.
Afternoon. Lunch and more birding in the reserve.
Key species: Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Torrent Duck, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Collared Inca, Chestnut-breasted Coronet, White-bellied Woodstar, Long-tailed Sylph, Tourmaline Sunangel.
Day 3
Morning. Breakfast and transfer down the eastern slope to the San Isidro Reserve, a private reserve of about 2,000 hectares of mostly primary forest near Cosanga, at around 2,000 m, with hummingbird feeders and antpitta feeding stations.
Afternoon. Lunch and more birding in the reserve. At night, with luck, the mysterious «San Isidro» owl around the lodge.
Key species: Green Jay (Inca Jay), Saffron-crowned Tanager, Plain-backed Antpitta.
Day 4
Full day. Breakfast and a whole day of birding at Cabañas San Isidro: the forest trails and the feeders by the lodge.
Afternoon. Lunch and more birding in this outstanding reserve.
Key species: Green Jay (Inca Jay), Saffron-crowned Tanager, Plain-backed Antpitta.
Day 5
Morning. Breakfast at San Isidro and more birding before check-out.
Afternoon. A lunch box and birding on the Guacamayos Ridge, which drops from about 2,800 to 1,900 m and can be very productive for mixed flocks, on the way down to Wildsumaco.
Key species: Green Jay (Inca Jay), Saffron-crowned Tanager, Plain-backed Antpitta.
Day 6
Full day. Breakfast and a whole day at Wildsumaco, a sanctuary in the foothills at about 1,400 m beside Sumaco National Park, where the Andes meet the Amazon; its feeders bring in the Wire-crested Thorntail, and on clear days you see the Sumaco volcano.
Afternoon. Lunch and more birding in the sanctuary.
Key species: Rufous-booted Racket-tail, Wire-crested Thorntail, Violet-fronted Brilliant, Russet Antshrike, Peruvian Warbling-Antbird, Blue-crowned Manakin, White-crowned Manakin.
Day 7
Morning. Breakfast at Wildsumaco and a last morning of birding.
Afternoon. Lunch and private transfer to your hotel in Quito or the airport area; other drop-off places on request.
Key species: Rufous-booted Racket-tail, Wire-crested Thorntail, Violet-fronted Brilliant, Russet Antshrike, Peruvian Warbling-Antbird, Blue-crowned Manakin, White-crowned Manakin.
The itinerary may change with the weather, the birds and the opening of each reserve; your guide always looks for the best option of the day.
Where you go birding
East of Quito the Andes drop to the Amazon through temperate and subtropical forest: Guango at about 2,700 m, San Isidro at around 2,000 m and Wildsumaco at about 1,400 m, beside Sumaco National Park. Each step down brings different birds, from Torrent Ducks in the rivers to the Wire-crested Thorntail of the foothills.
Where you stay
Every night is spent in a birding lodge inside or beside the reserves you visit, so the first birds of the day are at the door:
Our birding professional guides
Julia PatiñoBirding guide
Nelson ApoloBirding guide
Natalia EscobarBirding guide
Anthony DíazBirding guide
Antony DuránBirding guide
David LaraBirding guide“Special thanks to Julia for her phenomenal guiding and viewing of so many incredible species that only a local guide would know.” — cyclegirl, on Tripadvisor
Before you go
Compare
| Tour | Route | Highlights | Price per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days · you are here | Guango · San Isidro · Guacamayos · Wildsumaco | Torrent Duck, Wire-crested Thorntail | From US$2,850 |
| 12 days | Mindo and the Chocó Andino · Antisana · Guango · San Isidro · Wildsumaco | Chocó endemics, Andean Condor, East Slope specialties | From US$4,600 |
| 16 days | Chocó Andino · Antisana · East slope · Misahuallí · Gareno | Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Andean Condor, Amazon birds | From US$6,200 |
| 18 days | Guayaquil · Jocotoco reserves · Podocarpus · Nangaritza · Cajas | Jocotoco Antpitta, El Oro Parakeet, Blue-throated Hillstar | From US$7,250 |
| 20 days | Chocó Andino · Antisana · East slope · Huila · San Agustín · Cali | The best reserves of two countries, without flights | From US$9,200 |
Shorter tours from our lodge in Mindo Cloud Forest, from 3 to 7 days: see the Mindo birding tours. Only have a morning? Try our half-day birding tour in Mindo (about 4 hours). See all our birdwatching tours.
Price
| 7 days / 6 nights | From US$2,850 per person |
|---|
The price per person depends on the size of your group and your dates: larger groups get a lower price per person. We send you the exact quote within 24 hours.
Questions
At your hotel in Quito or the airport area, with pick-up at 10:00 am. Other pick-up places are possible on request.
Birding is good all year round. In any season the first hours after dawn are the most active, so most outings start early.
No. The tour is private, so the guide adapts the pace and the trails to you. Keen birders can send their target species and we plan around them.
Fair condition is enough: most of the birding is on forest trails, quiet roads and at feeders, at an easy pace.
Yes. Every Galápagos cruise booked with us includes complimentary nights at our lodge in Mindo Cloud Forest.
Yes: tell us your dates, your group and your target species, and we adapt the days or create a custom program.
That’s why you choose Dana Tours
Tell us your dates and how many people are traveling. We confirm the guide and the lodges and send you the final price within 24 hours.
Or write to us at [email protected]
