Birding And Mammals Prints Tour

This unique and wonderful expedition gives you the opportunity to enjoy amazing Ecuador’s wildlife, some of the species that we hope to see are the incredible Spectacle bear, Andean Tapir, Olinguito, and others. Also during this tour, we can expect to see amazing bird species visiting the Cloud Forest of the east and west ranges of the Andes including the Choco region and the central Andean Paramo of Ecuador.

ITINERARY

DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN QUITO, ECUADOR

Arrival in Quito, where you will be met at the airport by our guide and transferred to your hotel, overnight.

DAY 2: QUITO - ANTISANA ECOLOGICAL RESERVE – PAPALLACTA

After breakfast, our naturalist guide will be waiting for you in order to depart to the Antisana Ecological Reserve which is located on the oriental slope of the Andes. This day with the help of a Ranger of this reserve you will walk in order to try to find a Tapir and other mammals and enjoy the amazing landscape of the impressive Antisana volcano (5704 mts, 18.714 ft)

This is an excellent place and is home to endangered mammal species like the spectacled bear and the mountain tapir, among others like the white-tailed deer, rabbits, skunks, Andean fox, dwarf deer, puma, and others. Also in the wilderness, we can find large populations of sheep and horses. Among the amphibians, there are marsupial frogs and Antisana jambatos.

You will visit the Mica Lake in order to see Silvery Grebe, Andean Teal, Andean ruddy Duck, Yellow-billed Pintail, Andean Coot, as well as many land birds such as Aplomado Falcon, Andean Gull, Andean Lapwing, and Carunculated Caracara.

Here you have a high probability to be in contact with the majestic Andean Condor and other species like Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle and Variable Hawk, black-faced ibis, paramo ground tyrant, paramo pipit, sedge wren, Baird's sandpiper, cinereous harrier, Bar-winged and Stout-billed Cinclodes, Black-faced Ibis, Shining Sunbeam, Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant, Paramo Pipit, Giant Conebill, and Spectacled White start. You will enjoy a delicious box lunch en route and then you will depart to San Isidro Lodge where you will have dinner and overnight. (B.L.D)

DAY 3: SAN ISIDRO LODGE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS

After breakfast, you will visit The Loreto Road, officially known as the Jondachi-Hollín-Loreto-Coca Road which is famous for its birding opportunities. Some notable target birds along the upper Loreto Road include Dark - breasted Spinetail, Ash-browed Spinetail, Montane Foliage-gleaner, Lined Antshrike, Foothill Antwren, Olivaceous Greenlet, Yellow-whiskered Chlorospingus, and Bronze-green Euphonia.

Then you will visit Narupa reserve which protects a large block of eastern Andean foothill forest. Naropa has a growing list of birds that currently includes over 300 species. Five globally threatened species have been recorded, including its flagship species, the Cerulean Warbler, a long-distance migrant that breeds in eastern North America and spends the boreal winter in northwestern South America.

In the afternoon you will visit the Cordillera de Los Huacamayos where you will walk through one of the specialized birdwatching trails. Here it is possible to see many different species and you will look for the black-billed mountain-toucan, white-bellied antpitta, Spillman Tapaculo, bicolored antvireo, greater scythe bill, and the very local white-rimmed brush-finch among others. Late afternoon you will return to San Isidro Lodge, have dinner, and overnight.

(B.L.D)

DAY 4: SAN ISIDRO LODGE & ITS SURROUNDINGS – GUANGO LODGE

After breakfast, you will have a full morning to walk through the trails of this lodge looking for some mammals species, especially the Mountain Tapir which is among the largest of neotropical mammals, weighing up to 550 pounds, but don’t worry, they are docile and vegetarian; it is really difficult to find them but with luck and patience, this is the best place anywhere else for seeing the rare form that inhabits in this area.

Recently San Isidro has placed a couple of feeding stations near the cabins so you will have a great chance to see them from an overlook located close to the lodge.

After a delicious lunch in the lodge, you will depart to Guango Lodge in the Papallacta region where you will have dinner and overnight.

The motion sensor camera traps have really succeeded because they have been useful to create a preliminary mammal list of the area that can give you an idea of the mammals that usually arrive in this area. Some of the species on this list are:

*White-eared Opossum, *Giant Anteater, White-fronted Capuchin, Night Monkey, Common Woolly Monkey, Red-tailed Squirrel, *Black Agouti, *Paca, *Brazilian Rabbit, around 16 bat species, *Ocelot, *Oncilla, *Puma, *Jaguarundi, Spectacled Bear, *Tayra, *Mountain Tapir, *Dwarf Brocket Deer.

PS: The asterisk (*) means that the animal has been photographed or caught on video.

(B.L.D)

DAY 5: CAYAMBE COCA ECOLOGICAL RESERVE & ITS SURROUNDINGS

On this day you will walk around the Papallacta region that is part of Cayambe - Coca Ecological Reserve, another important protected zone, that has an approximate area of 400,000 hectares (1 million acres) composed mainly of páramo, primary forests, rivers, and lagoons. it is considered one of the protected areas of the greatest animal and plant diversity in Ecuador.

Starting in Papallacta you can visit the reserve highlands composed of Andean paramo and high forests. The paramo, considered a carbon deposit, collects and regulates water flow. The unique habitat of Cayambe – Coca reserve holds special Andean birds and some mammal species. During these days with the help of our bilingual naturalist guide and a local ranger, you will walk through the trails of this Ecological reserve in order to try to see the Mountain Tapir, spectacled bear, Andean fox, Armadillos, rabbits, and other.

In the afternoon you will continue with your trip to San Isidro Lodge, it lies at an elevation of about 2,000m (6,800 ft.) above sea level, in a zone still mostly blanketed by extensive humid forest. This combination of factors offers you an agreeable temperature, exciting birds, and a diversity of other wildlife, including large mammals.

Besides in San Isidro and its surroundings, we can find night birds, including Andean Potoo (rare, but sometimes staked-out), Rufous-bellied Nighthawk (almost every dawn and dusk around the cottages), and Rufous-banded and Mottled Owls.

Box lunch en route and then you will continue to Ibarra City where you will have dinner and overnight in Hacienda Piman or in the local community of San José de Sigsipamba.

(B.BL.D)

DAY 6: FOLLOWING THE SPECTACLED BEAR PRINTS

At 05h00 after a cup of coffee, you will depart to the San José de Sigsipamba community where the local people with the support of the Big Mammals Conservation Foundation, and the Environment Ministry have developed an interesting project to protect the amazing Spectacled Bear that is one of the largest mammals in South America, this specie is in serious danger of extinction because of hunting and destruction of their habitat.

You will arrive at the “Oso Andino overlooking” from where you can see at 200 meters some individuals that arrive to this area to feed on 'Pacche' trees. These trees bear lipid-rich wild avocado-like fruits that are an important nutritious delicatessen that attracts old and young bears as well as females with bear cubs, also they eat higueron and achupallas.

You will have a full day walking around this area in order to look for the amazing Andean Bear in their environment. Dinner and overnight.

(B.BL.D)

DAY 7: SIGSIPAMBA – QUITO

After an early breakfast, depending on how successful was our previous day; we will return to the Mirador in order to look for more Andean bears and other species around the area. At noon you will depart for Quito.
(B.BL)

DAY 8: QUITO – YANACOCHA RESERVE – BELLAVISTA

After breakfast, you will drive to the northwest of Quito to visit Yanacocha Reserve, located in the high cloud forest on Pichincha’s volcano at 11,300ft. The reserve protects 964 hectares of forest, it contains the entire world range of this very rare hummingbird.

Amongst mammals, the Spectacled Bear, Andean Fox, Western Mountain Coati, Andean Paca, Northern Pudu, Red Brocket Deer, Oncilla, and Puma are all present but not easy to see. You will follow the puma footprints that are often seen along the main trail in order to probably see the footprints.

About birds, Yanacocha Reserve is home to the black-breasted puffleg (Eriocnemis nigrivestis), sword-billed hummingbird, great saphirewing, purple-backed thornbill, rufous antpitta, barred fruiteater; while you continue with your trip you will see other species such as bar bellied woodpecker, masked flower-piercer, glossy flower-piercer, shining sunbeam, great saphirewing, barred fruiteater, hooded and scarlet-bellied mountain-tanagers, giant cone bill, pearled tree runner, etc.

Box lunch on route and you will continue your trip to reach Bellavista Lodge, time to rest and at night you will have the opportunity to see the first new carnivore species discovered in the western hemisphere for 35 years, the Olinguito; dinner and overnight.

(B.BL.D)

DAY 9: THE AMAZING COCK OF THE ROCK – CANANDE RESERVE

Early in the morning, after a cup of hot coffee, you will visit the famous Paz de las Aves Refuge where you will have the opportunity to have one of the most amazing experiences, visiting the cock of the rock lek, where, during the breeding season, the males produce a special sound and fly like real acrobats waiting for the female to choose one of them to mate. Besides here it is possible to see four species of Antpittas, the Giant Antpitta, the Moustached Antpitta, Ochre bellied, and the Yellow Breasted Antpitta. Then you will visit the feeding station to see black-chinned and blue-winged mountain tanagers, toucan barbet, dusky piha, sickle-winged guan, crimson-rumped toucanet, etc.

Return to the main house of this reserve to enjoy a typical breakfast of this region and keep birding to find an ocellated tapaculo being fed with worms, yellow vented woodpecker, a powerful woodpecker, crimson mantled woodpecker, orange-breasted fruiteater, etc.

After this visit, you will continue to the Canande reserve. Most of the drive is through degraded habitats and plantations, box lunch on route, and in the late afternoon, you will arrive at the lodge where you will have dinner and overnight.

(B.BL.D)

DAY 10: RIO CANANDÉ RESERVE & ITS SURROUNDINGS

After breakfast, you will have a full day to enjoy the trails of Canande reserve and its surroundings, footprints and camera traps have allowed seeing four cat species as Jaguar, Puma, Ocelot, and Margay; also it has been recorded other species like the Collared Peccary and Red Brocket Deer. Three species of monkeys are easy to see close to the lodge: the Mantled Howler monkey, Brown-headed Spider, and the White-headed Capuchin. Return to the lodge, dinner, and overnight.

About birding, some of the birds that you can see are Chestnut-backed Antbirds, Broad-billed Sapayoa, Band-tailed Barbthroat, White-whiskered Puffbirds, Blue-crowned Manakin, Ornate Hawk-eagle!, Gray-backed Hawks, Black-tipped Cotinga, Great Jacamars.

Return to the lodge, dinner, and overnight.

(B.BL.D)

DAY 11: CANANDE RESERVE TRAILS – QUITO

After an early breakfast, you will have the last chance to enjoy the trails of Canande Reserve where if you are lucky you can find a couple of mammal species, colorful birds, and reptiles. After this wonderful time in Canande, you will return to Quito, box lunch en route, and late afternoon you will arrive at your hotel.

(B.BL)

DAY 12: QUITO – HOME FLIGHT

After an unforgettable expedition in Ecuador full of nature and adventure, you will be transferred to the airport to catch your international flight.

(B)
END OF THE SERVICES

A NOTE ON THE ORDER OF THE ITINERARY:

The itinerary is subject to change based on local conditions. It could be flexible according to the client’s interests. Wildlife is very unpredictable and is not guaranteed to find them.

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B- Breakfast; L-Lunch; BL- Box Lunch; D-Dinner

PRICE INCLUDES:

Private transportation, bilingual naturalist guide, accommodation based on double rooms in all the hotels and lodges detailed in the itinerary (single supplement under request); meals as described on the itinerary, entrance fees to Antisana Ecological reserve, Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve, Narupa reserve, San Jose Sigsipamba, Yanacocha Reserve, Paz de las Aves reserve, Canande Reserve,

NOT INCLUDED:

Travel insurance, meals not specified, alcoholic drinks, tips, and personal expenses.