Country: Ecuador

Santa Cruz Highlands Giant Tortoise Reserve activity

Visit the Santa Cruz highlands; photograph giant tortoises in the wild and Darwin's finches at El Chato ranch.

Copalinga fruit feeders & Gray Tinamou blind

Spend morning photographing tanagers and Rufous-headed Chachalaca at banana feeders; hide in the blind to watch Gray Tinamou come to corn.

Buenaventura feeders & Umbrellabird lek

Watch hummingbirds and tanagers at fruit feeders while dining. At dawn visit a lek of Long-wattled Umbrellabird and search for El Oro Parakeet and El Oro Tapaculo.

Mashpi-Amagusa Choco Endemics – Feeders (Mashpi-Amagusa Reserve)

The day starts back at the lodge's feeding areas, waiting patiently for additional understory species to come in. Feeders reward stillness, and the early hours are when the shyest birds tend to appear.

Las Orquideas

Pichincha

Giant Hummingbird & Great Sapphirewing Photography

In the afternoon, we visit a small hummingbird feeding station overlooking the surrounding Andes. Giant Hummingbird—the world's largest hummingbird—and the impressive Great Sapphirewing are regular visitors, offering a fitting finale to our journey through Ecuador's remarkable diversity of birdlife.

Rainbow-bearded Thornbill quest at Papallacta Pass

At nearly 4,000 meters above sea level, Papallacta Pass offers exceptional opportunities to photograph some of Ecuador's most specialized high-Andean birds. Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Blue-mantled Thornbill, and Ecuadorian Hillstar are among the highlights, while Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Giant Conebill, Many-striped Canastero, and Andean Tit-Spinetail may also be encountered. The dramatic páramo landscape provides a striking backdrop for both bird and landscape photography.

Eastern Andean Cock-of-the-rock Lek Photography

Before sunrise, we visit the lodge's Andean Cock-of-the-rock lek, where males gather to perform their remarkable courtship displays. From a well-positioned hide, you'll have the opportunity to photograph these brilliant birds as they call, display, and interact against the backdrop of the eastern cloud forest.