Birding and Wildlife Odyssey

Day 1 — Quito

Arrive in Quito, settle in and relax in your accommodation. Enjoy one of South America’s most attractive colonial capitals. Nestled at the foot of the volcano Pichincha, Quito means ‘Eternal Spring’ in the ancient language of Quichua.

Day 2 — Quito › Zuroloma Reserve › Mindo Valley

Drive to Zuroloma Reserve and admire along the way a variety of bird life, including colourful toucans, tanagers and hummingbirds. The Zuroloma Reserve is nestled on Pichincha Volcano. The lush cloud forest punctuated by snow-capped peaks is an incredibly beautiful and diverse ecosystem. Late in the afternoon arrive at your lodge, where you are going to spend the next few days immersed in nature and learning about the region’s rich wildlife.

Days 3 & 4 — Mindo Valley

Spend the next two days exploring the reserve and looking for mammals, including coati, mountain agouti and olinguito. You will learn about rare species of insects and amphibians as you explore this region with your expert guides. From here, there is also an optional field trip to Angel Paz’s Refugio Paz de las Aves – a sanctuary known for great bird watching.

Day 5 — Mindo Valley › Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve › Quito

Travel to Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, a private 1,000-acre nature reserve with incredible biodiversity. One of the top birding locations in Ecuador, the reserve is known for its diverse hummingbird species (at feeders for close-ups), as well as a colorful array of toucans and tanagers. The forest and gardens are draped with orchids and bromeliads, and butterflies abound. After lunch you can choose between hiking or birding experiences to fill the rest of your afternoon before continuing your journey to Quito for your overnight.

Day 6 — Quito › Coca › Yasuni National Park

Early flight to Coca, a port town. On arrival, head to the Napo River where a covered motorised canoe will be waiting to take you to Napo Wildlife Centre. The river’s waters are sediment-rich and huge sandy beaches are exposed during the dry season. Search for various herons, kingfishers, and raptors as you travel downstream. Halfway towards your final stop at Yasuni National Park, you will change to a non-motorised boat. Here your journey will slow down, which will give you an opportunity to observe the incredible biodiversity along the river. You might even see giant otters, potoos, kingfishers, monkeys and many others.

Arrive at your lodge in the heart of Yasuni National Park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve and considered the most diverse tract of Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. Your lodge is located at the ancestral territory of the Anangu community and home to an abundance of wildlife.

Days 7 – 9 — Yasuni National Park

Wake up to the sounds of the rainforest dawn chorus, with three full days to explore this fabulous habitat. Today you will meet a native Anangu guide, also an official Yasuni Park Ranger, who shares information about the rainforest’s medicinal and otherwise useful plants. With an eye on the weather, your guide will maximise field time at the highest peaks of activity, with early morning excursions.

Trails branching out from the lodge lead you through a variety of ecosystems. Look closely and you will see unique and well camouflaged insects, along with monkeys, lizards, tortoises, frogs, army and leafcutter ants, in addition to a dazzling display of birds.

In the afternoon look out for parrots, the scarlet macaw and others. You can also enjoy exciting night-time excursions and see the red howler monkey, the white-fronted capuchin, red brocket deer, and the black spider monkey among others.

Day 10 — Yasuni National Park › Coca › Quijos Valley

Depart Yasuni National Park and travel via boat and road transfer to Quijos Valley. Your next accommodation is surrounded by some of the largest portions of subtropical forest in Ecuador.

Day 11 — Quijos Valley

Spend a full day exploring this region and learning more about its unique fauna and flora. Red-tailed squirrel and black agouti are both easily observed here. While the spectacled bear, mountain tapir, giant anteater, and Tayra are frequently photographed and occasionally seen, along with other mammals. From your cabin doorsteps, you may see a white-capped parrot, powerful woodpecker, rufous-crowned tody-flycatcher and more. The hummingbird garden is a great place to relax after a hike or during a rainy spell. Your action-packed day is rewarded with a comfortable and superbly located lodge to come home to.

Day 12 — Quijos Valley › Papallacta

Travel to Papallacta where you will enjoy another incredible eco-lodge surrounded by nature. As you gain altitude near the Andean mountains, we may see species such as black-chested buzzard-eagle, viridian metaltail, buff-breasted mountain-tanager and more.

Your hotel is nestled in the mountains within view of Antisana’s snow-capped peak and the lodge grounds are lushly landscaped. Five thermal pools are the perfect place for some quiet downtime or bird watching right by the pool.

Day 13 — Papallacta › Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve › Papallacta

Spend a full day exploring Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve, a windswept landscape of high grassland and bog known as paramo, with a few patches of native forest clinging to its slopes. On clear days, the scenery is spectacular offering superb views of the snow-capped Antisana Volcano, a particular delight for landscape photographers. After a day of exploration you will return to your accommodation.

Day 14 — Papallacta › Quito

Enjoy your last morning at Papallacta. You can go on short walks or just relax before you transfer back to Quito, where arrangements conclude.

2026

2027

What’s included

• Tailor-made journey
• 13-nights’ accommodation
• 13 breakfasts, 13 lunches, and 12 dinners
• Meet & Greet at Quito Mariscal Sucre International Airport
• Private transfers as per the itinerary
• Shared transfers in the Amazon
• English-speaking local guides
• Private wildlife viewing as per the itinerary
• Shared wildlife viewing in the Amazon
• Entrance fees as per the itinerary
• Economy class flight Quito › Coca

Not included

• Gratuities

The whole trip, one booking

We arrange your international and regional flights alongside your journey — in whichever cabin suits — with stopovers, travel insurance and the rest of your time in South America, so it’s all priced, ticketed and looked after together.

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Why book through us

A South American itinerary takes real co-ordination: flights across the Pacific, internal flights between countries, trains, lodges, guides and the occasional boat. Booking through Fine Travel, you benefit from partners on the ground who have been chosen and tested over many years by our specialist partners — and you deal with one TAANZ-accredited agency in New Zealand.

One consultant, first call to home again

Your Fine Travel consultant looks after your enquiry and your booking from the first conversation to your return, with the operator’s on-the-ground partners behind the journey itself.

Complimentary documentation

If you prefer printed copies of your travel documentation, we’ll courier a full hard-copy set to you at no cost — a service few agencies still offer, and one our clients tell us they value.