Birding in South Ecuador: Your Way

Best time to travel: October to March (rainy season) is nesting season for resident birds and also allows observation of overwintering migrants.

With over 1600 bird species recorded and many more likely awaiting detection and description, Ecuador hosts one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity in the world. This diversity is due in no small part to the Andes. Acting as a physical barrier between the Amazon basin and the Pacific lowlands, the Andes’ numerous ranges, height, and extent have created a variety of micro-climates, with a corresponding (and dizzying) variety of ecosystems! Southern Ecuador lies at the convergence of several ecosystems and hosts a corresponding and impressive array of birds! On this Private Journey, you can discover the wonderful suite of bird life encompassing the regional specialties and endemic species in addition to many more cosmopolitan South American birds.

Beginning in the Andean highland city of Cuenca, travel south towards the junction of the humid montane forest of the Chocó and seasonally dry forest of Tumbes, an ecoregion mostly found in Peru with only a small extension into southwest Ecuador. Many of the species in this region can be found nowhere else in the country. From there we will travel to the dry forest of Jorupe before heading back north towards Cuenca along the east slope of the Andes via Tapichalaca – home of the Jocotoco Antpitta – and the lush primary rainforests of Copalinga. We’ll be able to see firsthand just how dramatically the diversity of hummingbirds, tanagers, and dozens of other bird families changes with this geography along the way. Please enquire now to begin your own discoveries of this region! We can modify this itinerary to include more time in Cuenca to discover its heritage. You may also append the enjoyable 3-day Spirit of the Andes train ride from Quito to Cuenca, taking you through the beautiful scenery of the 'Avenue of the Volcanoes'!