Ecuador
Birding in the Ecuadorian Andes
Program No. 21607RJ
Go off the beaten path to explore the pristine environments of the Ecuadorian Andes, where you’ll join experts to spot a wealth of rare birds, including the stunning Cock-of-the-Rock!
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11 days
10 nights
28 meals
10B 9L 9D
7
Birding in the San Isidro Reserve
Quijos Valley
At a Glance
Journey to one of the greatest birding locales in the world — the Ecuadorian Andes. Join ornithologists and local experts to explore avian-rich national parks, private reserves and protected areas in search of unique highland species. Highlights include the brilliantly colored Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, as well as antpittas, unique hummingbirds and tanagers.
Activity Level
Outdoor: Spirited
Walking up to three hours daily on irregular forest trails in varying weather conditions. Daily early morning birding activities and standing for long periods. Elevations up to 12,800 ft.
Micro Group
These adventures feature our smallest group size, with 12 participants or fewer.
Best of all, you’ll…
- View an amazing variety of bird species across Ecuador’s different climatic zones and altitude ranges.
- Enjoy lectures by experts who are part of the Ecuadorian Association of Ornithology, Aves & Conservación and the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation.
- Meet with members of local birdwatching clubs to learn how they are preserving the birding habitats.
General Notes
All Road Scholar birding programs have a maximum participant-to-instructor ratio of 14:1 in the field. We adhere to the American Birding Association’s Code of Ethics. Learn more at http://www.aba.org/about/ethics.html
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Freddy Pérez
Freddy Pérez is an Ecuadorian expedition leader and a passionate birder. After completing his tourism studies and national certification, he gained practical experience leading in Quito's colonial center. Freddy later trained in nature interpretation and was introduced to the world of birding while working at the Maquipucuna and Septimo Paraiso reserves. During his four years working as a naturalist at the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, he trained to become a professional birding leader. Freddy enjoys photography, reading, and playing guitar in his free time.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Freddy Pérez
View biography
Freddy Pérez is an Ecuadorian expedition leader and a passionate birder. After completing his tourism studies and national certification, he gained practical experience leading in Quito's colonial center. Freddy later trained in nature interpretation and was introduced to the world of birding while working at the Maquipucuna and Septimo Paraiso reserves. During his four years working as a naturalist at the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, he trained to become a professional birding leader. Freddy enjoys photography, reading, and playing guitar in his free time.
Suggested Reading List
(20 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Birding in the Ecuadorian Andes
Program Number: 21607
Rough Guide Ecuador
A compact comprehensive guide to travel in Ecuador, including Quito, the Oriente and Galapagos with extensive listings, dozens of sketch maps, and a brief overview of culture, nature and history.
Fire from the Andes, Short Fiction by Women from Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru
Mostly personal, many of the contemporary stories revolve around peasants, the urban poor and other marginalized members of the Andes society.
Living Poor
Moritz's heartfelt account of his small triumphs and tragedies as a Peace Corps volunteer in a village on the Ecuadorian coast is a classic.
Birds of Ecuador, A Field Guide
A comprehensive, gorgeous and exhaustively researched field guide to the birds of Ecuador (and adjacent countries), featuring 96 color plates. It's also the best bird guide for travelers in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Forgotten Continent
Economist editor Reid draws on his years in the cities, presidential palaces and shantytowns of Central and South America in this portrait of a region rich in oil, farmland and culture, with consideration on its prospects in the face of globalization.
Banana, The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World
Koeppel traces the history, natural and otherwise, politics and precarious current status of modern monoculture, touching down in India (world center of banana diversity), Ecuador (world's largest producer) and Central America.
Woven Stories, Andean Textiles and Rituals
This illustrated survey focuses on Quechua textiles, traditions, designs and daily life in the Andes, specifically in the high country surrounding Ausangate, 85 miles southeast of Cuzco.
Portrait of a Nation, Culture and Progress in Ecuador
President of Ecuador from 1981 to 1984, Hurtado writes of cultural values and obstacles to change. A main one, he writes, is that beliefs and cultural attitudes in the country impede economic success.
The Birds of Ecuador, Vol. I and II
Two-volume set with slipcase.
Volcanoes, Fire from the Earth
By the great French volcanologist (who died on the job on Mount Unzen in Japan in 1992), this pocket guide features hundreds of full-color paintings and traces the study of volcanoes from early myth and legend to modern science.
The Andes
Starting out in Cuzco, heart of the Inca Empire, Wilson spreads north and south along the Andes, including excerpts from South American literary giants, travelers and his own impressions.
The History of Ecuador
this compact book includes chapters on Ecuador today, Ecuador's indigenous and colonial past, the oil boom and other events.
Ecuador Reader, History, Culture, Politics
A portrait of a nation. This lively sourcebook gathers selections from long out-of-print travel accounts, articles, interviews, poems, literary excerpts (and even a recipe) to document the vitality and diversity of modern Ecuador.
Birds of Northern South America, Vol. 1: Identification, Distribution and taxonomy
The hefty companion volume, with detailed species accounts, covers 2,308 species of birds found from Ecuador to French Guiana.
Culture Smart! Ecuador
A concise and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture with a short overview of the land and people along with practical travel advice.
Ecuador Map
A detailed laminated map of Ecuador at a scale of 1:1,000,000, with detailed insets of Quito, Guayaquil, Galapagos and the Ecuadorian Amazon on the reverse.
Birds of Northern South America, Vol. 2: Field Guide
Designed for use in the field, this Identification Guide (Volume 2 of the monumental Birds of Northern South America), features Robin Restall's exquisitely detailed paintings, along with range maps and brief notes on identification integrated on facing pages. With an astounding 6400 color paintings (illustrating many birds in a variety of plumages) and 2308 maps. It covers all of Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana (including offshore islands) and can be used (with caution warn the authors) in Northern Peru and Brazil. Birders in the Amazon will welcome this book.
Lonely Planet Latin American Spanish Phrasebook
A handy Spanish phrasebook, with a short two-way dictionary.
Through the Eyes of the Condor, An Aerial Vision of Latin America
This collection of stunning, oversized photographs, taken from above, shows the jungles and favellas, the reefs and ruins, wildlife and diverse landscapes of Latin America.
Ecuador, A Travel Journal
A brief, querulous and entirely wonderful narrative of the modernist painter Michaux's travels with the poet Gangotena, strong on color and personality. Its many pleasures include an unbeatable description of Quito's accursed mountain weather.