12-Day Ecuador Bird Photography Tour: Hummingbirds & Antpittas

Today begins with arrival and a reception at the airport with your guide, meeting Tristan there. From Quito Airport, the transfer goes to San Jorge Eco-lodge. After hotel check-in, you settle into your rooms and take a short break to relax. A tour orientation follows, a first meeting to get acquainted, where Tristan covers the itinerary's key points and offers initial tips. The day closes with a welcome dinner at San Jorge Eco-lodge - Quito.

A short drive reaches the Antpitta Feeding Station at San Jorge Eco-lodge, where patience may reveal Rufous, Chestnut-crowned, and possibly Chestnut-naped Antpittas at close range, while gardens draw hummingbirds and mountain tanagers. The afternoon centers on hummingbird feeders, with Sword-billed Hummingbird, trainbearers, Sparkling Violetear, Tyrian Metaltail, Shining Sunbeam, and White-bellied Woodstar among visitors. Bird photography around the lodge gardens adds Tufted Tit-Tyrant, Rufous-naped Brushfinch, Azara's Spinetail, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager, Blue-and-yellow Tanager, Southern Yellow Grosbeak, Red-crested Cotinga, and Streak-throated Bush Tyrant before returning to Quito.

After breakfast, transfer from San Jorge Eco-lodge to the Tandayapa Hummingbird Sanctuary. The afternoon centers on photographing hummingbirds from the lodge gardens, where feeders, flowering plants and natural perches draw Sword-billed Hummingbird, trainbearers, Sparkling Violetear, Tyrian Metaltail, Shining Sunbeam and White-bellied Woodstar, alongside Tufted Tit-Tyrant, Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager and Red-crested Cotinga. A second session adds Western Emerald, Buff-tailed Coronet, Booted Racket-tail and Violet-tailed Sylph. Optional forest trails may reveal Scaled Antpitta, Golden-headed Quetzal or White-faced Nunbird. Lunch and dinner are available.

A pre-dawn visit to a traditional Andean Cock-of-the-rock lek allows photographers to watch males display from a well-placed hide, with cloud forest species possibly nearby. Breakfast back at San Jorge Eco-lodge Tandayapa Hummingbird Sanctuary precedes free time to rest or use the hotel facilities, then lunch. In the afternoon, a hummingbird feeding station offers close views of the Empress Brilliant and Velvet-purple Coronet, ideal for portraits and composition practice. Dinner follows at the lodge.

After an included breakfast and hotel check out, travel from Tandayapa into the Chocó cloud forest, arriving at San Jorge Eco-lodge Milpe for check-in. Photograph Chocó hummingbirds at the lodge's feeders and gardens, including White-whiskered Hermit and Green Thorntail. At the banana feeders, watch Pale-mandibled Aracari, Chocó Toucan, Red-headed Barbet and tanagers, with the chance of Indigo-crowned Quail-Dove. Lunch is followed by canopy photography from the multi-level observation deck, looking for trogons, motmots and the possible Long-wattled Umbrellabird.

After an included breakfast, a transfer from Tandayapa leads to Balcón Tumpiki, where cloud forest feeders draw Chocó and Andean species. A hide offers chances to photograph Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, alongside Sickle-winged Guan, Blue-capped Tanager, Dusky Bush Tanager and Black-chinned Mountain Tanager. Following lunch, hummingbird feeders at Nanegalito attract Velvet-purple Coronet, Empress Brilliant, Brown Inca and Speckled Hummingbird, with Hoary Puffleg occasionally appearing. Returning to Tandayapa, the afternoon at San Jorge Eco-lodge Milpe allows free time at the gardens, hummingbird stations and fruit feeders, with dinner and the lodge's hummingbird sanctuary nearby.

An early start reaches a traditional Long-wattled Umbrellabird lek, where a hide allows photography of displaying males plus possible Gartered Trogon, Golden-headed Quetzal, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Smoky-brown Woodpecker or Ornate Hawk-Eagle. Returning for breakfast, the day continues with lunch before an afternoon hummingbird photography session in the restaurant gardens of San Jorge Eco-lodge Milpe, capturing Chocó species at the feeders. After checking out, a transfer leads onward to San Jorge Eco-lodge near Quito for check-in, dinner and rest.

Breakfast is included before heading into Antisana National Park, where roads and viewpoints offer chances to photograph Andean Condors above the breeding cliffs, along with Ecuadorian Hillstar, Andean Lapwing, Black-faced Ibis, Carunculated Caracara, Tawny Antpitta, Aplomado Falcon, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle and Variable Hawk. A high-altitude lagoon stop adds waterbirds and páramo specialists against the Antisana Volcano. In the afternoon, a hummingbird feeding station draws Giant Hummingbird and Great Sapphirewing. Lunch and a farewell dinner are available, with the night at San Jorge Eco-lodge in Quito.

Breakfast and hotel check-out precede the transfer to Papallacta Pass, where Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Blue-mantled Thornbill and Ecuadorian Hillstar are sought amid high-Andean páramo near 4,000 meters. The route continues to Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve for cloud forest photography of Black-backed Bush Tanager, Masked Mountain Tanager, Pale-naped Brushfinch, Crowned Chat-Tyrant, Pluscap and Golden-crowned Tanager. Hummingbird feeders at El Quetzal Protected Forest attract Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Tourmaline Sunangel and Glowing Puffleg, while a Cuyuja River walk targets Torrent Duck. Lunch, dinner, check-in and an overnight at San Jorge Eco-lodge Guacamayos close the day.

At San Jorge Eco-lodge Guacamayos, the morning starts before sunrise at the lodge's Andean Cock-of-the-rock lek, photographing males as they call and display from a hide in the eastern cloud forest. Back at the feeders and gardens, hummingbirds such as Long-tailed Sylph, Greenish Puffleg and Gorgeted Woodstar offer close portraits. Breakfast is included, followed by balcony bird photography overlooking fruiting trees, where tanagers and other cloud forest species may appear. Lunch and dinner are available separately.

A second morning at the lek allows more Andean Cock-of-the-rock photography, with shifting weather, light, perches and displaying behavior. After an included breakfast and lunch, the afternoon brings a different hummingbird feeding station on the eastern slope, where Collared Inca, Violet-fronted Brilliant, Green-fronted Lancebill and Green-backed Hillstar may appear. Before dinner, time along a clear mountain river offers Torrent Duck photography and chances at other riverine birds amid the rugged eastern Andes scenery, returning afterward to San Jorge Eco-lodge Guacamayos.

Breakfast at San Jorge Eco-lodge Guacamayos precedes bird photography around the reserve, where forest edge and gardens may reveal Red-crested Finch, Silvery-beaked Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Lafresnaye's Piculet, Coppery-chested Jacamar, Spotted Tanager, and Rufous-breasted Wood-Quail, with Military Macaw and Orange-breasted Falcon occasionally encountered. After lunch, a short drive reaches Narupayacu Hummingbirds Garden in the lower Guacamayos Valley, its flowering gardens attracting Wire-crested Thorntail, Napo Sabrewing, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Rufous-throated Sapphire, Black-throated Brilliant, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Gould's Jewelfront, Blue-fronted Lancebill, Green Hermit, Many-spotted Hummingbird, Ecuadorian Piedtail, and Pink-throated Brilliant, and perhaps Spangled Coquette. Dinner concludes the day.

Today begins with breakfast, followed by a free morning that may be used for photo review, a photoshop session and advice with Tristan, or souvenir shopping. After hotel check out, the journey continues with a transfer from San Jorge Eco-lodge Guacamayos to Quito Airport. The day concludes with departure, as you are dropped off at the airport for your flight back home, closing out the adventure.