Ecuador | Photography in the Chocó-Andes Region: Western and Eastern Slopes of Ecuador with Stan Tekiela

Upon arrival at the Quito airport, you'll be met outside the secured area and transferred to the hotel in nearby Puembo, where the elevation is about 7,700 feet. To minimize your chances of experiencing altitude sickness, try to get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, consume high-carbohydrate foods, avoid alcohol and fatty foods, and avoid strenuous exercise at high elevations. Most flights arrive in the evening so no meals are included on this day.

Depart early for Mindo, making several stops en route along the Paseo del Quinde ecoroute, known also as Nono-Mindo Road, for amazing photo opportunities. Your first stop is at Yanacocha Biological Reserve. Clinging to the slopes of Pichincha Volcano at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet, and comprising 2,371 acres of mostly elfin Polylepis forest, this protected area was established to safeguard the critically endangered and endemic Black-breasted Puffleg. Other high-altitude species include Andean Guan, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Golden-breasted and Sapphire-vented Pufflegs, Great Sapphirewing, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Rufous and Tawny Antpittas, Ocellated and Blackish Tapaculos, Black-chested and Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanagers, Golden-crowned Tanager, and many more. With some luck, animals that call this place home like the spectacled bear and western mountain coati, may give us opportunities for stunning photographs. After a picnic lunch in the reserve, continue driving with quick stops to photograph stunners such as Toucan Barbet, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, and Beautiful Jay. While driving down to the lower altitudes of the subtropical forest region, be on the lookout for Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager and White-winged Brush-Finch. Next, stop at Alambi Cloud Forest Reserve, where 250 species-including 32 hummingbirds-have been recorded. The reserve covers a large range of altitudes (4,750 to 7,210 feet) and spans two major basins: the Alambi Valley and the pristine Goaycape Valley. The lush trails and waterfalls in this area make for an ideal photography spot. Continue to Mindo in time for a program orientation and dinner.

This morning, visit Milpe Bird Sanctuary, a 250-acre subtropical rainforest reserve with an altitudinal range of 3,350 to 3,770 feet and protecting an important tract of remnant forest in the Chocó foothills. The Chocó is an ecoregion and biodiversity hotspot that ranges from the Pacific coast of Colombia south to Ecuador, and it supports the largest number of restricted-range birds of any Endemic Bird Area in the Americas, with 62 species. Chocó endemics reliably found at Milpe include Pallid Dove, White-whiskered Hermit, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Blue-tailed (Chocó) Trogon, Chocó Toucan, Esmeraldas Antbird, Club-winged Manakin, and Rufous-throated Tanager. Endemics that require a little more luck include Plumbeous Forest-Falcon, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Glistening-green Tanager, and Moss-backed Tanager. The reserve is also famous for its numerous manakin leks that offer opportunities for close up photographs of both Club-winged and Golden-winged Manakins. In the afternoon, visit the productive feeders at the family-run San Tadeo Birdwatching, where you will also get plenty of opportunities for great photography. The mix of birds here often includes standouts such as Violet-tailed Sylph, Red-headed Barbet, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Flame-faced Tanager, Black-capped Tanager, Golden-naped Tanager, and more Chocó endemics: Brown Inca, Velvet-purple Coronet, Empress Brilliant, Dusky Chlorospingus, and Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager. Return to the hotel for dinner.

Spend the day at Mashpi-Amagusa Reserve, a 320-acre protected area in the Chocó foothills that functions as a critical link between lower subtropical forest and higher montane forest at neighboring Mashpi Lodge. The altitude here ranges from 2,450 to 5,600 feet. The birding is fantastic along this corridor, with opportunities to photograph many Chocó endemics that are difficult to find elsewhere, such as Rose-faced Parrot, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Chocó Vireo, Moss-backed Tanager, Black Solitaire (seasonal), and Indigo Flowerpiercer; a few, like Long-wattled Umbrellabird, require a little luck. Feeders on-site offer great opportunities for photos of hummingbirds and tanagers seen at Milpe. Enjoy a boxed lunch during the excursion. On return, visit Balcón Tumpiki, an observatory that attracts antpittas, treerunners, flycatchers, woodcreepers, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, and Toucan Barbet. In the afternoon, return to the lodge for more chances to observe and photograph agoutis, anteaters, armadillos and deer. The lodge has an amazing garden area with plenty of feeders to attract birds for photography.

Depart early for the one-hour drive to Río Silanche, another reserve owned and managed by the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation. At an altitudinal range of 985 to 1,150 feet, the reserve sits firmly in the western lowlands, a region of Ecuador that has experienced considerable change from logging, agriculture, and other pressures. Famous for its large mixed flocks, a stroll on the preserve's trails is rewarded with specialties that include Dusky Pigeon, Purple-chested Hummingbird, Orange-fronted Barbet, Stub-tailed Antbird, Black-tipped Cotinga, Slate-throated Gnatcatcher, Gray-and-gold Tanager, Scarlet-breasted Dacnis, Scarlet-browed Tanager, Blue-whiskered Tanager, and many more. During your walk, photograph varieties of beautiful butterflies, insects, land toads, like the leaf-litter toad, and the widespread ochenta y ocho butterfly. Continue to Mirador Río Blanco for lunch and to check out the feeders. Regular visitors include Green Thorntail, Crowned Woodnymph, Ecuadorian Thrush, and several euphonias and tanagers. Return to the lodge in the late afternoon.

Check out and start early with a visit to Refugio Paz de las Aves near Nanegalito (13 miles northeast of Mindo, at 4,590 feet). Ángel Paz is the proprietor of this private reserve, and his story is an excellent example of community conservation. Ángel was formerly a local logger who transformed his property into a haven for antpittas and Andean Cocks-of-the-rock over a decade ago. His early fame came quickly when he learned how to coax the rare and elusive Giant Antpitta into the open with earthworms. He now has six different species of antpittas staked out on his property: Giant, Yellow-breasted, Ochre-breasted, Chestnut-crowned, Moustached, and Scaled. This offers a rare opportunity to get amazing photographs of these beautiful, elusive birds. Other incredible birds on the property include Lyre-tailed Nightjar, Rufous-bellied Nighthawk, Olivaceous Piha, Dark-backed Wood-Quail, Crested and Golden-headed Quetzals, and a fantastic mix of hummingbirds. En route to the hotel in Sangolquí, make a quick stop at the Mitad del Mundo Monument. This is the iconic landmark that delineates the exact location of the equator, making it a must-visit spot for travelers.

Spend a full morning at the privately owned Antisana Ecological Reserve (11,500 feet), whose varied ecological zones range from páramo to lowland rainforest, affording visitors the chance to take breathtaking panoramic shots. More than 70 bird species can be found here, including the Andean Condor, Giant Hummingbird, Carunculated Caracara, Black-faced Ibis, Speckled Teal, Andean Duck, Silvery Grebe, Slate-colored Coot, Andean Gull, Andean Lapwing, and Aplomado Falcon. At 18,900 feet, the snow-capped Antisana Volcano is the fourth highest peak in Ecuador, adding to the breathtaking Andean scenery that can be enjoyed along the lower elevation trails. The lodge's private reserve forms an important bridge between the Antisana and Gran Sumaco Reserves, and the area boasts a bird list of about 330 species, many of which are more easily found here than anywhere else in the country. Other notable species here include the mountain tapir, white-bellied spider monkey, pudu (the world's smallest deer), spectacled bear, and rare Andean cats.

The cloud forest reserve at San Isidro Lodge encompasses nearly 3,000 acres on the eastern slope of the Andes at an elevational range of 6,069 to 7,874 feet. Nearly 500 species have been recorded in the area. Birds regularly encountered include Wattled and Sickle-winged Guans, Golden-headed and Crested Quetzals, Masked Trogon, Andean Motmot, Southern Emerald-Toucanet, Powerful and Crimson-mantled Woodpeckers, Speckle-faced Parrot, Chestnut-crowned and White-bellied Antpittas, the beautiful Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher, Black-billed Peppershrike, Green (Inca) Jay, Saffron-crowned Tanager, and Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia. Below the deck, there is a moth light that attracts beautiful moths and other insects and allows for close-up photo opportunities. Seen by many guests around the lodge at night or early morning, you might spot the mountain tapir and Oncilla (little spotted cat) that has been observed many times during the day around the lodge.

After breakfast, return to Quito with a stop en route at Guango Lodge, another private reserve on the eastern slope above San Isidro that is at an elevation of 8,858 feet. Cooler and often shrouded in mist, habitats here include humid temperate forest, Chusquea bamboo thickets, and swift mountain streams. The area is characterized by its more stunted trees, thicker canopy, cooler climate, and different bird and plant composition. Guango's growing orchid garden is believed to be one of the most orchid-rich areas in the world, with a nice assortment in bloom almost always. The feeders at the lodge are often hopping with birds and offer close-up photo opportunities from the blind and hummingbird feeders; enjoy close views of Sword-billed Hummingbird, Tourmaline Sunangel, Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Turquoise Jay, and more. Other birds regularly found in the surrounding reserve include Torrent Duck, Andean Guan, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, White-capped Dipper, Slaty Brushfinch, Lacrimose and Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanagers, and Gray-hooded Bush-Tanager. Have lunch at Guango, and in the afternoon, continue to your hotel. Have some time at leisure before dinner. Most international flights depart very late in the evening or before dawn the next morning, so please be ready to check out of the hotel and travel to the airport immediately after the farewell dinner. If you are fortunate to have a flight departing tomorrow morning, you will spend the night at the hotel and travel to the airport at the appropriate time the following day.

Arrive to the United States.