General Tour Information
Note: The information presented here is an abbreviated version of our formal General Information for Tours to Ecuador. Its purpose is solely to give readers a sense of what might be involved if they took this tour. Although we do our best to make sure what follows here is completely accurate, it should not be used as a replacement for the formal document which will be sent to all tour registrants, and whose contents supersedes any information contained here.
ENTERING AND LEAVING ECUADOR: Ecuadorian authorities require a passport that is valid for at least six months after the date of your arrival in Ecuador. Visas are not required for U.S. and Canadian citizens. Tourist cards are prepared by your arriving airline. There is a $40.80 departure tax on leaving Ecuador.
ECUADOR MAP AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can view maps of Ecuador in the University of Texas series here. You can review the U.S. Department of State background notes on Ecuador here.
HEALTH: Ecuador is quite clean, and we’ll be exploring places that have been visited by Americans for some time. We suggest the following precautions: The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention currently recommend taking a malaria prophylaxis for destinations below 4,900 feet. The CDC recommends one of the following antimalarial drugs for use in Ecuador: mefloquine (Lariam®), doxycycline, or Malarone®. Please remember that many antimalarial drugs must be initiated one or more weeks before the period of exposure, and continued for several weeks after it concludes.
Further, the CDC currently recommends the following vaccines: hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG); typhoid; yellow fever (although this is not required to enter the country); as needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria and measles. See your doctor at least 4-6 weeks before your trip to allow time for immunizations to take effect. You can review the CDC’s latest advisories here.
Certification of yellow fever vaccination is not required unless you are entering Ecuador from a country where yellow fever is present (check with your local public health agency or the Centers for Disease Control for this list); if you are entering Ecuador from the U.S., this is not required. The CDC, however, is currently recommending yellow fever vaccination for travelers to Ecuador who plan to be outside of urban areas.
Biting insects are only a minor problem, and some areas are delightfully insect free.
On the drive over to Cabañas San Isidro from Quito, we’ll do some birding in the high-elevation páramo, at around 12,500 feet, where the air is thin. Although most people are not affected by such short exposure to high elevation, anyone with a history of altitude problems should discuss it with their physician.
PACE OF THE TOUR: Since we’ll be staying at one lodge (Cabañas San Isidro) for an extended period, the pace of this tour will be somewhat relaxed but the days can still be tiring. Daylight on the equator lasts only 12 hours and birds are most active in the early morning. Early starts are imperative, although these may be counteracted on most days by a post-lunch siesta. Much of the birding will be done on dirt roads and along trails. Some of the trails may be muddy.
On one or two days we’ll bird away from our lodge, bringing a box lunch and returning in the late afternoon for dinner, and there will be at least one or two optional after-dinner owling excursions.
CLIMATE: Quito has been called the city of eternal spring, and the climate there is crisp and cool with chilly nights and pleasantly warm days. Rain is always possible, but sunburn is more likely. Cabañas San Isidro is situated at about 7,000 feet elevation. Temperatures will be warm during the day and pleasantly cool at night. Periods of rain and/or fog are likely, especially late in the afternoon. Day trips to lower elevations will likely be hotter.
OUR LODGE: San Isidro is a comfortable lodge, each room with private bathroom and hot water. The dining room is a short walk from the cabins over solid but sometimes muddy ground. The forest is all around. Meals at San Isidro are very good, with lots of vegetables, great soups, and various salads to accompany the fresh meat, chicken and fish. Vegetarians can be accommodated, but please let us know in advance.
The condition of the trails at San Isidro varies. Some are flat, others are hilly (one or two trails are fairly steep). When they’re dry, the trails are not difficult, although a modicum of balance is helpful. When the trails are wet, they can be difficult. If we have a rainy period (which is more than likely at some time during the tour), the trails will be muddy and hill climbing will be difficult for the less agile. Please be prepared. For any of the trails, good foot gear is essential and collapsible walking sticks (with a wrist strap) recommended for anyone with balance, knee, or hip troubles.
SMOKING: We request that you do not smoke in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. If you are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If you smoke in the field, we ask that you do so well away and downwind from the group, if possible. If any area where the group is gathered has a more restrictive policy than the WINGS smoking policy, that stricter policy will prevail.
GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS: Please take a moment to read the WINGS General Information & Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, pace of the tours and other information that will help you prepare for the tour.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for Tours to Ecuador: A Week at Cabañas San Isidro will be sent to each registrant on receipt of their booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel addresses, etc., will be mailed about three weeks before trip departure. Other news will be communicated as necessary.
Updated: March 2008