Ecuador is a birding marvel, packing more than 1,600 species--about a sixth of the world’s birds--into a country the size of Colorado. Field Guides birding tours to Ecuador, including both the mainland and the Galapagos Islands, reveal this astonishing diversity across a breathtaking range of habitats: from cactus-studded deserts and lush Chocó lowland rainforests to cloud-shrouded Andean slopes, high-altitude páramo, and the vast Amazon basin. Continue reading our overview of all Ecuador tours...
Ecuador Birding Departures
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One-site tour to one of the most comfortable lodges in western Amazonia with some of the birdiest canopy platforms anywhere.
Departures- Jan 7-16, 2026 with Willy Perez & local guide
- Jul 2-11, 2026 with Willy Perez & local guide
- Jan 7-16, 2027 with TBA
- Jul 1-10, 2027 with TBA
We'll be based at three great lodges on Ecuador's west slope to experience a diversity of great birds and have the chance for a highlight mammal, Spectacled Bear.
Departures- Jul 20-30, 2026 with Willy Perez
- Jul 19-29, 2027 with TBA
Exploring the riches of the eastern Andean foothills of northern Ecuador for numerous specialties at Wildsumaco Lodge.
Departures- Dec 29, 2025 - Jan 8, 2026 with Willy Perez
- Dec 28, 2026 - Jan 7, 2027 with Willy Perez
- Dec 29, 2027 - Jan 8, 2028 with TBA
A must for any naturalist and birder; small-group, broad coverage of the islands with plenty of time for the birds, exploring, and photography.
Departures- Jun 13-23, 2026 with Mitch Lysinger & local guide
- Jul 11-21, 2026 with Willy Perez & local guide
- Jun 12-22, 2027 with TBA
- Jul 10-20, 2027 with TBA
A bird-rich holiday escape based primarily at the very comfortable San Isidro Lodge.
Departures- Nov 21-30, 2026 with Mitch Lysinger
- Nov 20-29, 2027 with TBA
Survey birding tour of Andean Ecuador; diverse avifauna dominated by colorful hummers and tanagers and more subtle and haunting antpittas.
Departures- Feb 19 - Mar 8, 2026 with Willy Perez
Weeklong survey of the upper tropical foothills of the far southeast along the Peruvian border, where we'll search for the Orange-throated Tanager and many other specialties of this distinctive and remote region of Ecuador.
Departures- Feb 22 - Mar 3, 2027 with TBA
Focuses on the many specialties of the southwest, in particular the very local endemics of the humid foothills and mountains, and on Tumbesian specialties.
Departures- Feb 11-23, 2027 with TBA
Ecuador Overview & Highlights
On our Cloudforests of Ecuador: All the Best of the Wild Northwest tour, we explore the famed cloud forests of the northwest, where feeders attract a dazzling procession of tanagers and more than 35 species of hummingbirds, and trails reveal antpittas, toucans, and even the rare Long-wattled Umbrellabird and Andean Cock-of-the-rock in full display.
In the eastern foothills, join us to visit to Ecuador’s Wildsumaco Lodge, perched above the Amazon, for a chance at Ochre-breasted Antpitta, Napo Sabrewing, and a lodge list of more than 600 species--many rare or hard to see elsewhere.
Two specialty tours target the south: Southeast Ecuador: Orange-throated Tanager & Foothill Specialties for the range-restricted Orange-throated Tanager and a wealth of foothill gems, while our Southwestern Ecuador Specialties itinerary visits Jocotoco Foundation reserves for endemics like the massive Jocotoco Antpitta and Tumbesian specialties, all amid beautiful scenery and conservation success stories in which you can be a part.
Two Andean itineraries give longer and shorter options: Jewels of Ecuador: Hummers, Tanagers & Antpittas offers, as the name suggests, amazing coverage of the spectacular diversity of these three groups of birds alongside a very long list of Andean delights in 18 days; by contrast, our Holiday at San Isidro tour offers a fabulous bird-filled 10 days of birding based primarily out of just one wonderful lodge.
If a visit to the Amazon is what you want, our Amazonian Ecuador: Sacha Lodge itinerary offers a delightful immersion in rainforest riches, with canopy towers and walkways, quiet blackwater lagoons, exciting mineral licks for macaws and parrots, and river-island endemics.
And of course we also visit the "Islas Encantadas" on our Galapagos: An Intimate Look at Darwin’s Islands tour, a small-group experience on a delightful 75-foot catamaran. Waved Albatrosses and other seabirds, the full spectrum of Dwarin's finches, Galapagos Rail, and Galapagos Penguin await.
Comfortable lodging, expert guides, and short travel distances make Ecuador an ideal destination for both new and seasoned birders. Whether marveling at mixed flocks in pristine forest, scanning Andean lakes for waterfowl, or enjoying world-class cuisine and hospitality, birding in Ecuador is an immersive adventure--one that brings you face-to-face with some of the planet’s most spectacular birds in one of its most welcoming countries.
Photo credit: Our thanks to participant Gerry Hoekstra for the lovely image of a Paradise Tanager at the top of this page.
We offer many other SOUTH AMERICA birding tours, too!