Day 1: International arrival. Overnight hotel in San Jose de Puembo.

Day 2: Birding drive to Mindo area. Our first stop will be at Yanacocha reserve, where we will spend the morning birding mixed flocks along a wide and flat trail through beautiful temperate forest; think Andean Guan, Ocellated Tapaculo, Crowned Chat-Tyrant, Barred Fruiteater, and Rufous Wren. We will also want to spend some quality time at the fruit and hummingbird feeders, which attract some fabulous high elevation species like Sapphire-vented Puffleg, Great Sapphirewing, Glossy and Masked Flowerpiercers, and Black-chested and Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanagers. After a packed lunch up at the reserve we will work our way down-slope, along the upper stretches of the old Nono-Mindo rd., towards the small village of Tandayapa, passing through some gorgeous roadside, subtropical forest where we will hope for our first looks at Toucan Barbet, Golden-headed Quetzal, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, or even Beautiful Jay. We hope get to the lodge in time for a first go at the active hummingbird feeders, if not, we shall have plenty of time here during our stay to enjoy them. Night Septimo Paraiso Lodge.

Day 3: All day birding Septimo Paraiso and its surroundings with a visit to nearby feeding stations in the afternoon. We can play it by ear this day with a mix of trail and roadside birding, and just go where the birds lead us. Some of the bird targets include Wattled Guan, Black-and-chestnut Eagle, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Crested Quetzal, Scaled Fruiteater, and multiple tanager species. Some of the mid-elevation hummer species that we are likely to see include Violet-tailed Sylph, Velvet-purple Cornet, Booted Racket-tail, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, and Brown Violetear, among many others. Evening might find us looking for a night bird our two, such as Mottled Owl and Rufescent Screech-Owl right around the lodge, or even Lyre-tailed Nightjar slightly further afield. Night Septimo Paraiso Lodge.

Day 4: All morning visit to Paz de Las Aves reserve. We will want to leave the lodge We will rise early today in order to get to the Mashpi area. This zone is a fascinating area of very wet cloud forest, and with a particular set of birds hard to find – and close to their southern-most ranges - in other places. We will pay particular attention to the Amaguza feeders that attract an impressive array of tanagers and other species; the Moss-backed and Rufous-throated Tanagers would be real highlights! With a packed lunch, we are free to orchestrate our activities according to the weather, but we will probably spend ample time birding the roadsides, that can be very birdy. Other special birds that we will be keeping an eye out for include Buffy Tuftedcheek, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Black Solitaire, Glistening-green Tanager, Indigo Flowerpiercer, and with luck, Choco Vireo. Night Septimo Paraiso Lodge.

Day 5: All morning visit to Paz de Las Aves reserve. We will want to leave the lodge early to get to Paz de Las Aves in time for a look at the active Andean Cock-of-the-Rock there. After some time with these marvelous birds, we will branch out and follow Angel Paz's lead as he guides through the trails on his property for what we hope will be some very close encounters with some antpittas – think Giant, Moustached, and Yellow-breasted - and other hard to find understory species under normal birding conditions. In the afternoon we will bird our way back to Quito, with stops along the way to look for any missed birds. Night Hotel San Jose.

Day 6: Today we have a variety of habitats that we will want to explore. We will start right at the hotel to bird the gardens that attract a healthy variety of the avifauna found in the drier valleys of the Quito area. After this it will be straight up to the beautiful Antisana reserve for the rest of the morning where we will have our first look at and explore the high paramos of the continental divide. We will visit a set of hummingbird feeders here too that can be excellent for Giant and Sword-billed Hummingbirds. After this we will make our way back around to the main road to Papallacta and Guango, through the central valley and a mix of agricultural zones and chaparral forests, before leaving the city behind and (once again) rising up steeply to the high and (often) windswept paramos of, this time, the Papallacta Pass. Among the many bird possibilities today that we will be particularly on the lookout for include Andean Condor (Antisana is the best place in the country!), Carunculated Caracara, Andean Gull, Black-faced Ibis, Black-tailed Trainbearer, Scrub & Blue-and-yellow Tanagers and Southern Yellow-Grosbeak, Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Ecuadorian Hillstar, Tawny Antpitta, Many-striped Canastero, White-chinned Thistletail, Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant, Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant, some interesting seedeaters, and even Giant Conebill, with a bit of luck.. If there were a day to have your camera ready, this would be it – on clear days the scenery is spectacular, with superb views of the snow-capped Volcán Antisana, and endless high Andean mountain scenes harboring a backdrop of textures that make for an unforgettable birding setting.

In the late afternoon, we will work our way down the east-slope – Amazonian drainage now – towards Guango Lodge. On the way we will pass through some beautiful high-elevation temperate forests where we may have time to stop and soak in this birdy zone; some of the possibilities include Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Viridian Metaltail, Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanager, just to name a very few. If we get to Guango Lodge in time we will have our first crack at the hummingbird feeders that will be dripping with species such as Tourmaline Sunangel, Sword-billed Hummingbird and White-bellied Woodstar. Our box lunch in the field will allow us to remain flexible with respect to how we plan our birding for the day. Night Guango Lodge.

Day 7: This day will be devoted to birding the trails and spectacular hummingbird feeders at Guango Lodge. On the grounds here we frequently run into some of the best temperate forest flocks on any of our tours in Ecuador; in a matter of minutes it isn’t uncommon to see White-banded Tyrannulet, Black-capped and Black-eared Hemispingus, Slaty and Pale-naped Brush-Finch, Gray-hooded Bush-Tanager and even Plushcap. With some luck we could even run into Andean Guan, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Dusky Piha, or even Red-hooded Tanager. We will enjoy a hot, sit-down lunch, only feet away from the hummingbird feeders (!) and in the afternoon we will either bird another trail or enjoy the hummingbird feeders. Depending on how we did the previous day in the paramo highlands yesterday around the Papallacta Pass, we will probably want to have another go at this elevational zone as well since it is within easy striking distance from Guango and impossible to cover in only one afternoon. Night Guango Lodge.

Day 8: After some more birding at Guango and another healthy sit at the hummer feeders – and another delicious Guango lunch - we will leave towards San Isidro, making birding stops along the way. We will get to the lodge with time to check into our rooms and get settled in before dinner. Assuming the weather cooperates, we will probably want to try a short night walk – right between the cabins and the dining room - in search of the “mystery owl”. This is a gorgeous owl that may one day prove to be a new species to science. Night at San Isidro Cloud Forest Lodge.

Days 9 & 10: We will have two full days to explore the subtropical cloud forests around San Isidro and its surroundings. We plan to start the first morning with some birding right around the lodge, where we often find it hard to pull ourselves away… the birds just sometimes keep coming. Some of the regulars include Montane and Olive-backed Woodcreepers, Golden-crowned Flycatcher, Black-billed Peppershrike, Inca Jay and Subtropical Cacique! After about an hour of this, we will want to visit the White-bellied and Chestnut-crowned Antpitta feeders, where you will likely see these shy understory species only feet away. A quick sit at the bird blind can be good for Oleaginous Hemispingus, Three-striped Warbler, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, and even some other surprises. The rest of the morning will be spent birding the ample trail system and forested roadside at Cabañas San Isidro where quetzals and mixed flocks are often found. After a hot, sit-down lunch at the lodge (and possibly an afternoon break), we will continue birding the property along one of the forest trails or even a nearby roadside. The hummingbird feeders right at the dining room porch are always active, with the likes of Long-tailed Sylph, Chestnut-breasted and Buff-tailed Coronets, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Bronzy Inca, and sometimes Gorgeted Woodstar.

The following day might find us birding a nearby roadside (or trail) in search of species not found right around the lodge, such as Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Flammulated Treehunter, Grass-green Tanager, and many others. Nights at San Isidro Cloud Forest Lodge.

Day 11: We will get up early and head downs-slope to the Loreto Road where we will spend the morning birding this scenic zone on the way to Wildsumaco. In these eastern foothill areas the birding possibilities really explode, with all new sets of tanagers, antbirds, and others. Considering that this is one of the most biologically diverse spots on the planet we will want to spend a full day exploring these rich forested hills. Assuming weather cooperates, we will have a long list of potential species, including Coppery-chested Jacamar, Golden-eared and Orange-eared Tanagers, and Golden-collared Honeycreeper. We might even luck into a fruiteater or two! Night Wildsumaco Lodge.

Days 12 & 13: With two full days to bird the foothills out of Wildsumaco, the possibilities will seem almost endless. Strolling the roadsides will certainly produce some diverse and active mixed tanager and insectivorous flocks, while the trails can be an interesting option for harder to find species. The hummingbird feeders around the lodge never disappoint, with Golden-tailed Sapphire, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Wire-crested Thorntail, and many other dazzling species, and the birding blind attracts an interesting set of understory species like Peruvian Warnling-Antbird, White-chested Puffbird, and White-backed Fire-Eye. Some of the special birds of the zone that we will be keeping an eye out for include: Yellow-throated Toucan, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Chestnut-crowned Gnateater, Short-tailed Antthrush, Gray-tailed Piha, Blue-rumped and White-crowned Manakins, Rufous-naped Greenlet, and Golden-eared Tanagers.

Day 14: Today we’ll head back to Quito while making programmed birding stops along the way to concentrate in areas where we stand to see the most new bird species! Night Hotel San Jose.

Day 15: International flight out.