A Masked Trogon peers through the forest in the Mindo Valley. Photo: Kim Risen
The Andes of western Ecuador have some of the best and most accessible birding locations in all of South America. Our regular Ecuador tours have often included a stay in the Mindo area, but with the development of a new lodge in the Séptimo Paraíso Cloud Forest Reserve, we feel the time is ripe for a short tour to this superb region based entirely at one location.
Séptimo Paraíso Lodge is extremely comfortable, with its own restaurant, spring-fed pool, and support services. It is delightfully situated in the Mindo Valley, and an excellent trail system winds through the forested reserve’s almost 800 acres. While there is excellent birding on the grounds, and much of our time will be spent here, on occasion we’ll also drive to such famous yet easy roadside birding localities as the Tandayapa Valley, Mindo, Los Bancos, and the Pedro Vicente Maldonado area, all within 15-45 minutes of the lodge! During our seven days of birding we should encounter more than 300 species, possibly including some of western Ecuador’s most celebrated: Giant Antpitta, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Club-winged Manakin, and, at one set of feeders, as many as 20 species of hummingbird!
While short, one-stop Ecuador tours can never produce as many species as a multi-week, all-country blitz, they can, when based at a place like Séptimo Paraíso, be a superb combination of remarkable close-at-hand bird diversity and the inherent comfort of birding on foot from home.
The February edition of this tour can be taken in conjunction with our tour, Ecuador: A Week at Cabañas San Isidro.
Day 1: The tour begins this evening in Quito. Night in Quito.
Day 2: We’ll leave early this morning for the short drive to Yanacocha Reserve on the Pinchincha Volcano. Located in temperate cloud forest, Yanacocha is home to a number of interesting high-elevation species. We’ll watch the hummingbird feeders particularly for the endemic Black-breasted Puffleg but also for the amazing Sword-billed Hummingbird, Sapphire-vented Puffleg, and Black-tailed Trainbearer. Tanagers are abundant at this elevation, and we’ll hope to find such mountain-tanagers as Scarlet-bellied, Buff-breasted, and possibly the rare Black-chested. In mid-morning we’ll descend below the town of Nono through relatively untouched temperate and subtropical forest. Here we’ll look for Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant, Agile Tit-Tyrant, Tawny-rumped Tyrannulet, Rufous-chested Tanager, and both Rufous-naped and White-winged Brush-Finches, to name just a few. Lower still, the diversity increases, and we’ll have our first chance at Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, and Toucan Barbet, as well as a number of gaudy tanagers including Grass-green Tanager and Blue-and-black and Blue-winged Mountain-Tanagers. In the late afternoon we’ll make a stop at a friend’s house above the town of Tandayapa, where we have seen as many as 23 species of hummingbirds in one hour! We’ll arrive at Séptimo Paraíso Lodge, our home for the next six nights, before dark. Night at Séptimo Paraíso.
Days 3-7: We’ll have five full days to explore the many birding locations close to Séptimo Paraíso. The lodge is situated in a beautiful forested valley with an extensive trail system right on the grounds. Some of western Ecuador’s rarest and fanciest birds have been found here, including Velvet-purple Coronet, Giant Antpitta, Rufous-breasted Antthrush, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Club-winged Manakin, Scaled Fruiteater, and Yellow-collared Chlorophonia, to name just a few. We’ll have ample time to stroll out of our lodge directly onto the forest trails without driving anywhere. The birding along the entrance road to the town of Mindo is equally fantastic, and this too can be done without setting foot in a car. Along this road we have seen Toucan Barbet, Choco Toucan, Golden-headed Quetzal, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Pale-mandibled Aracari, and an amazing array of tanagers including Flame-faced, Golden-naped, Golden, Black-capped, and Beryl-spangled.
On at least one day we’ll drive the short distance up to Tandayapa Ridge and the Tandayapa Valley. We’ll revisit hummingbird feeders, looking for specialties such as Violet-tailed Sylph, Collared and Brown Incas, Gorgeted Sunangel, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Fawn-breasted and Empress Brilliants, and Buff-tailed Coronet. Birding flocks along the road can be exhilarating, and we’ll look again for Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan and Toucan Barbet. Other highlights might include Masked Trogon, Turquoise and Beautiful Jays, Streak-capped and Striped Treehunters, Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant, Plain-tailed Wren, Black-crested and Russet-crowned Warblers, Spectacled Redstart, and possibly the very rare Tanager Finch.
On one morning we’ll depart before dawn in order to visit a well-attended and very spectacular Cock-of-the-rock lek. If it can be arranged, here we’ll also witness the reserve’s owner, Angel Paz, feeding antpittas, possibly including Giant, Moustached or Yellow-breasted Antpittas—a truly amazing spectacle! On another we’ll bird the Los Bancos Road and the Pedro Vicente Maldonado area looking for lower-elevation ‘Choco’ specialties including Choco Trogon, Choco Warbler, Double-banded Graytail, Scarlet-and-white Tanager, Scarlet-breasted and Yellow-tufted Dacnises, Moss-backed Tanager, Rufous-throated Tanager, and Gray-and-gold Tanager. Nights at Séptimo Paraíso.
Day 8: We’ll have virtually the entire day to look for anything special we may have missed. After lunch we’ll drive back to Quito, stopping at the pass above the city to search for White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant, one of the rarest flycatchers in the Andes. Other birds at this site will include Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch, Band-tailed Seedeater, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, and Sparkling Violet-ear. We’ll arrive back at our Quito hotel in the late afternoon in time for some last-minute shopping and a delicious farewell dinner. Night in Quito.
Day 9: The trip ends this morning in Quito.
Updated: 18 March 2008
Prices
- 2009 price about $2,840
- Single Occupancy Supplement $180
Notes
Maximum group size eight with one leader; 14 with two leaders.