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The upper tropical zone along the eastern base of the Andes has long been recognized as one of the ornithologically richest ecosystems on earth. However, reaching this zone has been difficult at best for many years, usually involving camping and/or long drives from the nearest accommodations in order to bird mostly along a road. Great improvements in our ability to "stay in the habitat"--a perpetual pursuit of birders and bird-tour companies--have occurred in recent years. Several lodges along the lower Manu road in Peru have offered good birding for some time along the eastern flank of the Peruvian Andes, and the wonderful Copalinga Lodge, near the Rio Bombuscaro entrance to Podocarpus National Park, has helped to fill this void in southeastern Ecuador. But only with the opening of Wildsumaco Lodge, on an outlying ridge of the Andes near the base of Volcan Sumaco, have the riches of the eastern Andean foothills of northern Ecuador become comfortably available to birders. We'll be staying right in the habitat we want to bird, while eating well and sleeping in the comfort of a beautifully designed lodge with an incredible view of the Andes.

Field Guides first visited Wildsumaco in March of 2008, shortly after it opened. We realized immediately that this new lodge, at a perfect elevation (4600 feet or 1400m) and reachable from Quito in one day, was in a dreamy location. The panoramic view from the big deck, toward the main cordillera of the Andes, is truly awe-inspiring, and the quiet for sleeping is wonderful. Designed for birders by birders (Jonas Nilsson and Bonnie and Jim Olson), it offers all the amenities that birders appreciate, including well-lit, spacious rooms (with plenty of hooks and electric outlets), good beds, private baths with hot-water showers, boot jacks on the porches, and a great boot-washing station. The central lodge building, with a big, partially covered deck off the back, houses a clean, modern kitchen and a large, open (and beautifully appointed) dining area and a sitting area, complete with a bar and a fireplace. Delicious, home-style cooking, available whenever we want, is included in the price of the lodging.

But it's the birds that are the greatest draw. A great mix of cloudforest species, foothill specialties, and upper-Amazonian species, the avifauna here offers not only an abundance of birds but many species that are genuinely rare or very difficult to see elsewhere. The lodge list now stands at more than 600 species, with some fabulous birds among them, including Plain-backed and Ochre-breasted antpittas that are being fed earthworms almost daily!

We have designed this tour to combine almost a week at Wildsumaco with a short sampling of each major zone represented in the conservation corridor that various groups (e.g., Jocotoco Foundation and World Land Trust) have now pieced together around and between two Ecuadorian parks/reserves from Volcan Antisana down the east slope through the Cosanga Valley and the Cordillera de Guacamayo to Sumaco National Park and Napo-Galeras National Park. We'll spend our first morning in the uppermost section, at Reserva Antisana--condor-inhabited paramo at the base of the snow-capped peak. A brief stop at Guango (if time permits), in upper montane humid forest, will be followed by a two-night stopover at the Cabañas San Isidro, which serves as the major nexus in the Cosanga Valley linking the Antisana and Gran Sumaco reserves by way of a wide and splendid, flat, mid-level, montane humid forest. This mid-elevation forest harbors some difficult-to-see specialties that bear repeat searching--even if you've visited San Isidro before. (And that's not to mention the gourmet food!) However, the focus of our tour will be the upper tropical foothill forest flanking Volcan Sumaco near the lower end of the corridor. From here, on a clear day, we can see all the way back up to snow-capped Volcan Antisana.

You must be among those who truly enjoy and appreciate forest birding, which can be tough, especially with varying weather. As you may have heard us say before: too much rain is worthless; too much sun can cause the forest to seem totally dead; and even just the right amount of mist for maximum bird activity implies glary-gray skies, birding with an umbrella, and sometimes muddy trails. Exactly how we orchestrate our activities will depend in part on the weather. Indeed, the forest gives up its secrets slowly, but the rewards of patience, persistence, and flexibility in forest birding can be terrific! As always, we will move slowly through the forest, sometimes indeed at a snail's pace, walking quietly and listening, using playback to call in some fabulous skulkers that might otherwise go unseen. And, in the process, we’lE'Ll do quite a bit of standing around just watching. For such occasions, we recognize the value of carrying a lightweight, folding stool; the opportunity to sit in comfort periodically can reduce fatigue substantially, and that particularly applies to a tour like this one.

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Combo Tours
If you would like a longer birding holiday, some departures of this tour may be combined with:
AMAZONIAN ECUADOR: SACHA LODGE