Our Eastern Andes tour is a great introduction to birding the mighty Andes of South America. We will be exploring the vast east slope for local specialities and will visit a wide array of fascinating habitats and elevations. Travelling from snow-capped volcanoes down to pristine cloud forests will be not only an incredible experience but will also offer superb birding and scenery every day!
Stunning species that we will be searching for include Andean Condor, Carunculated Caracara, Ecuadorian Hillstar, Giant Hummingbird, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Torrent Duck, Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan, Inca Jay, White-bellied Antpitta, the San Isidro “mystery” Owl, Golden-headed and Crested Quetzals and Masked Trogon, to mention a few! Rare species that we will also be searching for include Andean Ibis, Andean Potoo, Red-rumped Bush Tyrant, Greater Scythebill, Bicolored Antvireo, Peruvian and Crescent-faced Antpittas, White-capped Tanager and Masked Mountain Tanager. A great network of birding reserves, together with good infrastructure, unsurpassable scenery, fine dining, and friendly people make the eastern Andes of Ecuador another key destination on the world birding circuit.
Andean Condor; Carunculated Caracara; Torrent Duck; Black-faced Ibis; Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe; Black-winged Ground Dove; Ecuadorian Hillstar; Giant & Sword-billed Hummingbirds; Viridian Metaltail; Long-tailed Sylph; Tourmaline Sunangel; Chestnut-breasted Coronet; White-bellied Woodstar; Glowing Puffleg; Black-tailed Trainbearer; Rainbow-bearded & Blue-mantled Thornbills; San Isidro “mystery” Owl; Rufous-bellied Nighthawk; Andean Potoo; White-capped Parrot; Grey-breasted & Black-billed Mountain Toucans; Masked Trogon; Golden-headed & Crested Quetzals; Crimson-mantled Woodpecker; Long-tailed & Paramo Tapaculos; Tawny, White-bellied, Peruvian, Slaty-crowned & Crescent-faced Antpittas; Andean Tit-Spinetail; Stout-billed & Bar-winged Cinclodes; Many-striped Canastero; Pearled Treerunner; Greater Scythebill; Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant; Red-rumped Bush Tyrant; Agile Tit-Tyrant; Handsome Flycatcher; Inca Jay; Black-billed Peppershrike; Black-eared Hemispingus; Black-backed Bush Tanager; Buff-breasted, Masked, Blue-winged and Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanagers; Saffron-crowned, Beryl-spangled, Flame-faced, Black-capped, Grass-green, Golden-crowned & White-capped Tanagers; Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia; Bluish Flowerpiercer; Golden-collared Honeycreeper; Pale-naped Brushfinch; Subtropical Cacique.
White-tailed Deer; Andean Fox; Mountain Tapir (rare); Spectacled Bear (rare)
paramo grasslands and highland lakes, temperate tree line forest & polylepis, temperate cloud-forest, upper and lower subtropical cloud-forest
chilly at high elevations but pleasant in the subtropics
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader & local birding leader
easy to moderate pace
comfortable lodges
easy birding with some tricky skulkers
200 - 250
excellent, especially at Antisana, San Isidro and Guango
[To Dušan Brinkhuizen] Truly, it was the very best birding trip I have ever been on, including several other Rockjumper trips which have all been great. As I think back on it, I can only marvel at your amazing ability to hear and identify the "chips" and "tsits" of birds calling or singing from deep in the understorey or high in the canopy of mature cloud forest while walking with a noisy group of folks or, even more unbelievable, from a moving vehicle. And if this wasn't amazing enough, you would then expertly call the desired individual bird into view and, with incredible calm and patience, succeed in making sure that everyone of us on the tour got a crippling look (and maybe even a spectacular photo) of the target bird -- that as often as not -- was not only beautiful but also both rare and furtive. And to further blow our minds, you often would pull out your vegetation clippers and create a setting and stage on which the bird would perform for us -- even sometimes, like some magician, telling us on which perch it would sit!! As a measure of your expertise as a trip leader, let me tell you that on the two back-to-back trips with you I "got" 110 life birds (101 seen and 9 heard) and only missed 1 species that would have been a life bird for me (Blue-mantled Thornbill). Never on any trip before in my life had I experienced such a high rate of success!! But above and beyond all of the uncanny skill and expertise that you exhibited, was the kindness, friendship, and humanity that you showed to each us. For this I am so very grateful. Thank you!!! Moreover, I'm sure everyone on the trip felt this way and I'm sure it created a safe and happy feeling among all of us that made the trip even more enjoyable. I truly hope that I can go with you on another trip sometime. And finally thank you also for the wonderfully detailed and beautifully illustrated trip report you sent. I remain amazed at how you could remember so clearly all the details of the trip.
The birding was the point and our guide Dusan Brinkhuizen was and is one of the best birds guides we have ever met. Dusan has really amazing people and leadership skills. We had three very sick people on the tour and Dusan managed this and the tour very well. I personally lost a day and a half to illness and Dusan kept me appraised and part of the team as we went.
Our tour leader, Dusan Brinkhuizen was top-notch. Very knowledgeable, super pleasant, friendly and attentive. Couldn’t ask for better. Our driver, Hector, was also excellent, getting us around. Knew what he was about and what he was doing. Added to the experiences. They kept us on the move to enhance our Ecuador experience--quite the place—past my expectations. Every day was an outstanding array of experiences and adventure. We all got our exercise, but it was quite manageable. Facilities and meals were very good—enjoyed the Ecuadorian cuisine. The group was also most pleasant. Fun and interesting to be with. Would very highly recommend the tour, Duson and Hector. All smiles.
Dušan Brinkhuizen is great bird master, very friendly and helpful. The trip was brilliant.
Dušan Brinkhuizen is an excellent birder and leader with an excellent temperament to handle diverse personalities. I look forward to birding with him again.
06 Nov 2024 - 12 Nov 2024 (7 days)
USD2,895 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Robert Wilcox
Tour price (Per person): USD2,895 * GBP2,269 * EUR2,678 * AUD4,303
Single Supplement: USD300 * GBP235 * EUR277 * AUD446
Can be linked with: Ecuador - Northern: Ultimate Amazon II 2024
16 Feb 2025 - 22 Feb 2025 (7 days)
USD2,995 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: James Wade Lee
05 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025 (7 days)
USD2,995 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Adam Walleyn
Tour price (Per person): USD2,995 * GBP2,347 * EUR2,770 * AUD4,451
Single Supplement: USD390 * GBP306 * EUR361 * AUD580
Can be linked with: Ecuador - Northern: Choco Cloud Forest II 2025
15 Feb 2026 - 21 Feb 2026 (7 days)
USD3,100 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Robert Wilcox
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): USD3,100 * GBP2,429 * EUR2,867 * AUD4,607
Can be linked with: Ecuador - Northern: Choco Cloud Forest I 2026
04 Nov 2026 - 10 Nov 2026 (7 days)
USD3,100 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Stephan Lorenz
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): USD3,100 * GBP2,429 * EUR2,867 * AUD4,607
Can be linked with: Ecuador - Northern: Ultimate Amazon II 2026
Ecuador - Northern: Ultimate Amazon I 2024 - April 2024
Ecuador - Northern: Eastern Andes I 2024 - February 2024
Ecuador - Northern: Choco Cloud Forest I 2024 - February 2024
Ecuador - Northern: Eastern Andes II 2023 - November 2023
Ecuador - Northern: Choco Cloud Forest II 2023 - October 2023
Ecuador - Northern: Eastern Andes I 2023 - February 2023
Ecuador - Northern: Choco Cloud Forest I 2023 - February 2023
Ecuador - Southern Endemics 2023 - January 2023
Ecuador - Pacific Coast Extension 2023 - January 2023
Ecuador - Northern: Ultimate Amazon II 2022 - November 2022
Ecuador - Northern: Eastern Andes II 2022 - November 2022
Ecuador - Northern: Choco Cloud Forest II 2022 - November 2022
Ecuador - Rare Bird Club 2022 - October 2022
Ecuador - Northern: Ultimate Amazon I 2022 - April 2022
Ecuador - Northern: Eastern Andes I 2022 - April 2022
Ecuador - Northern: Choco Cloud Forest I 2022 - March 2022
Ecuador - Northern: Ultimate Amazon III 2022 - February 2022
Ecuador - Northern: Eastern Andes III 2022 - February 2022
Ecuador - Northern: Choco Cloud Forest III 2022 - February 2022
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