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Ecuador - Southern Endemics

© Blue-throated Hillstar by Dusan Brinkhuizen
Ecuador - Southern Endemics 2025

11 Jan 2025 - 29 Jan 2025 (19 days)

USD7,095 - No Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Dušan Brinkhuizen

Tour price (Per person): USD7,095 * GBP5,658 * EUR6,827 * AUD11,392

Single Supplement: USD660 * GBP526 * EUR635 * AUD1,060

Can be linked with: Ecuador - Pacific Coast Extension 2025

Ecuador - Southern Endemics 2026

08 Jan 2026 - 26 Jan 2026 (19 days)

USD7,395 - Spaces Available

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Tour Leader: Lev Frid

Tour price (Per person): USD7,395 * GBP5,897 * EUR7,116 * AUD11,873

Single Supplement: USD870 * GBP694 * EUR837 * AUD1,397

Can be linked with: Ecuador - Kapawi Amazon Extension 2026

Due to incredibly complex geology and topography, southern Ecuador supports one of the most diverse habitats ranges in the world. Within 200 miles of the Pacific Coast, one can travel from the arid xerophytic habitat, through Chocó and semi-deciduous tropical forest, over the continental divide’s treeless paramos and down to lush, wet, foothill forests of the eastern Andes. Within these varied, pristine habitats, the evolution of many fine endemic species has occurred; and on our comprehensive South Ecuador Endemics tour, we will sample seven distinct habitats in search of these endemics and other specialties. Targets include El Oro and White-breasted Parakeets, El Oro Tapaculo, Watkins’s and the fantastic Jocotoco Antpitta, Pale-naped and White-headed Brushfinches, Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner, Elegant Crescentchest, White-tailed Jay, the fabulous Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Rainbow Starfrontlet, the vociferous, colourful, and extremely localized Orange-throated Tanager.

Very exciting news was the recent discovery of the Blue-throated Hillstar, a distinct species of hummingbird new to science, and we’ll attempt to find this highly localized endemic!

Top Birds

Blue-throated Hillstar; Grey Tinamou; Horned Screamer; Bearded Guan; El Oro, White-breasted (White-necked) & Grey-cheeked Parakeets; Watkins’s, Chestnut-naped & Jocotoco Antpittas; Pale-headed, White-headed & Bay-crowned Brushfinches; Bamboo, Henna-hooded & Rufous-necked Foliage-gleaners; Elegant Crescentchest; Long-wattled & Amazonian Umbrellabirds; Ochraceous Attila; Orange-throated Tanager; Band-bellied Owl; Pacific (Peruvian) Pygmy Owl; Blackish & Anthony’s (Scrub) Nightjars; Ecuadorian Trogon; Golden-headed Quetzal; Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan; Chestnut-crested Cotinga; Yellow-cheeked Becard; Coppery-chested & Purplish Jacamars; Andean Cock-of-the-Rock; Blue-rumped & Club-winged Manakins; El Oro (Ecuadorian), Chusquea & Northern White-crowned Tapaculos; Barred & Black-streaked Puffbirds; Equatorial Greytail; Great & Chapman’s Antshrikes; Esmeraldas, Jet & Grey-headed Antbirds; Foothill Antwren; Grey-mantled Wren; Foothill Elaenia; Fiery-throated, Scarlet-breasted & Scaled Fruiteaters; Golden-winged Tody-Flycatcher; Necklaced & Line-cheeked Spinetails; Jelski’s Chat-Tyrant; Short-tailed Field Tyrant; Black-crested Tit-Tyrant; Red-billed Scythebill; Orange-banded & Tropical Royal Flycatchers; Grey-and-gold & Three-banded Warblers; Violet-throated & Neblina Metaltails; Rainbow Starfrontlet; Black-cowled Saltator; Chestnut-collared Swallow.

Top Mammals

Coatimundi; Kinkajou; Spectacled Bear (rare)

Habitats Covered

Xerophytic scrub, deciduous, dry scrub, semideciduous tropical forest, pacific deciduous forest, moist foothill forest, treeless paramo, lagoons, estuaries, freshwater wetlands

Expected Climate

Chilly at higher elevations to hot and humid at lower elevations

Max Group Size

8 with 1 Rockjumper leader

Tour Pace & Walking

Moderate to brisk paced tours suited for those in good health with reasonable level of fitness. Not suited for anyone with mobility challenges or serious medical conditions. Limited down time at lodges, most days are birding & travelling.

Accommodation

Range from basic but comfortable to very comfortable.

Ease of Birding

Moderate, several difficult forest skulkers.

Number of Species Expected

+-550

Photographic Opportunities

Worthwhile to good. Several feeders.

What our clients say about us

Dušan Brinkhuizen
MW, Ecuador 2023

What a tour! We ended up with nearly 700 species seen and heard, and I ended up with almost twice as many lifers than I had anticipated. Dusan was excellent: Attentive to those having difficulties, enthusiastic, energetic, indefatigable, and a complete whiz at the birds. He was as excited about each new sighting as was the rest of the group, right through to the last day. We saw many very special birds, birds that I have missed over three previous trips to Ecuador as well as quite rare birds that, although specialties for this tour, require great effort and skill to unveil (think Buff-fronted Owl). Climate change affected the tour to a certain extent, but Dusan always had a clever plan or an alternative site to try for the bird again. The tour was a bit more strenuous than the itinerary led me to believe, but all at the participants willingly went the extra mile with Dusan every time. We were fortunate to have a pretty good group, a great driver, and good luck with the weather.

Dušan Brinkhuizen
TN, Ecuador - Galapagos 2018

I really enjoyed this trip, it's probably the best one I've been on! I loved the knowledge and personalities of both our guides, Andrés Trujillo & Dušan Brinkhuizen, as well as the naturalist guides and the boat crews.

Dušan Brinkhuizen
SK - Ecuador 2022

Dusan was an outstanding tour leader. His knowledge of the birds, their habits, and calls was amazing as was his ability to manage the needs and goals of the tour participants. Both tours completely fulfilled my expectations. Thank you for an excellent experience.

Dušan Brinkhuizen
DD, Ecuador 2018

[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.

Dušan Brinkhuizen
YB - Ecuador 2024

Dušan is the best guide we can ask for this trip ! His expertise is top notch and enthusiasm contagious !!! Even though he's been birding in Ecuador for years and has seen over 1,600 species of birds there, he showed us how he appreciated every single species we discovered, especially those hard-to-get ones ! We'd love to have him as our guide again in the future !

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