Amazon Region of Ecuador Photography Workshop

IMPORTANT DETAILS

Day 1

Your driver will greet you at the airport upon your arrival in Quito and take you to your hotel for the night, a historic colonial building from the seventeenth century.
 
Quito, Ecuador’s capital, is one of the highest capitals in the world at 2,850m (9,350 ft) above sea level. It is a vibrant city blending rich colonial history, Andean landscapes, and a dynamic modern culture. Quito’s historic center is one of the best-preserved colonial districts in Latin America, recognized by UNESCO for its baroque churches, cloisters, and plazas.
 
While at the hotel, stroll through the beautiful gardens, and observe the wildlife in the trees and roaming around. If you have any free time, this is a great opportunity to practice before the trip starts.
 
On the first night we will have a group dinner where we can get to know each other and talk about the exciting days to come. Enjoy a restful night and get ready to start our photographic journey in the morning!
 
Feel free to arrive early and spend time exploring Quito’s city center, one of the best preserved in the Americas. The city boasts South America’s largest market, educational tours in many languages, and plenty of opportunities to try local cuisine.

Some of the best sites in Quito include:

• Plaza San Francisco and the Church and Convent of St. Francis
• Casa Gangotena (a recently restored historic mansion and boutique hotel)
• Carondelet Palace (the seat of government of the Republic of Ecuador)
• Basilica del Voto Nacional (the largest neo-Gothic basilica in the Americas)
• The Metropolitan Cathedral (one of the oldest and largest Roman Catholic cathedrals)
• Gold leaf interior of the Church of the Society of Jesus
• Church of San Francisco, Church of El Sagrario and Church of Santo Domingo

Day 2

After breakfast, we will set out early from the hotel for a beautiful drive over Papallacta pass peaking out at 3,300m (10,800ft) in the mountains. Keep your eye out for Andean Foxes and Spectacle Bears.
 
We’ll descend 500m (1650ft) to our first photo location. Nestled at 2,700m (8,860ft) on Ecuador’s eastern Andes slopes in the cloud-forest is a top-tier destination for birding enthusiasts. The birdlife is abundant with roughly 200 species in the area.
 
We will spend the morning and afternoon here photographing the local birds.

 
Our next location and lodge for the night is a charming cloud‑forest retreat in the Quijos Valley of eastern Ecuador, about an hour’s drive away, sitting at around 2,000m (6500ft) in elevation on the slopes of the Andes.
 
Operating since the 1950s, it is one of Ecuador’s earliest ecotourism lodges, protecting a private reserve of around 4,500 acres that bridges high‑altitude páramo to Amazon foothills.
 
The lodge is a biodiversity hotspot as around 310–330 bird species have been recorded, including tanagers, antpittas, trogons, hummingbirds, a rare San Isidro owl, and mammals like mountain tapir, night monkey, kinkajou, and agoutis.
 
Some of the species we hope to photograph:
 

Day 3

We will spend the morning at the lodge, enjoying a nice breakfast, then continue deeper into the Amazon region.
 
On our way to our next lodge, we will stop at a location where we have the chance to photograph a Band-Bellied Owl. Fingers crossed that the Owl cooperates.
 

In the afternoon we arrive at our next lodge. As we continue to descend into Ecuador’s eastern Andean foothills the lodge is at 1,480m (4850ft) in elevation near the volcanic Sumaco. The lodge is a birdwatcher’s paradise located on a ridge above the Río Pucuno Valley with sweeping views across the valley to peaks like Antisana, El Altar, Tungurahua—and of course, Sumaco Volcano to the North.
 
The lodge’s reserve spans 1,600m (5,250ft) covering both cloud forest and Amazon foothill ecosystems.
 
With over 500 bird species recorded in the area it is one of Ecuador’s top avian hotspots.
 
Thriving hummingbird feeders on the deck attract up to 27 species plus, tanagers, toucans, antbirds, puffbirds, antpittas, toucans, manakins, and more.

In addition to birds, we hope to see Napo tamarins, black agoutis, kinkajous, a variety of reptiles, amphibians, and butterflies.
 
Our lodge for the night is dedicated to birders, wildlife photographers, and nature lovers seeking a true wilderness experience with comfortable eco-focused lodging.

Day 4

We have arrived at the most biodiverse area in the world.

Days 5 to 7

Set deep within Ecuador’s Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, on the shores of Challuacocha Lake, stands one of the most biodiverse ecolodges in the world—and the only one in Ecuador wholly owned and operated by the indigenous Sani Isla Kichwa community.
 
Located in Yasuni National Park, the lodge sits on 162 square miles of pristine primary rainforest – 100 square miles of which lie within the park itself. This is unrivaled biodiversity!
 
The area contains over 550 species of tropical birds, 13 primate species (e.g., squirrel, howler, pocket, white chested, white tamarin, woolly, spider monkeys), 1,000 butterflies, 80+ reptiles (Black and Speckled Caymen); numerous amphibians and insects.

Each day we will take expert guided canoe expeditions looking for wildlife to photograph. We will rely on our local guides to spot our photographic subjects and educate us about the species.
 
We will also utilize an observation canopy tower (36m / 118 ft) reached by canoe and short hike, excellent for spotting macaws, toucans, honeycreepers, sloths, monkeys and so much more.
 
Next, we will visit a Parrot clay-lick and enjoy photographing the numerous parrots that visit this location.
 
As this is a fully indigenous-run lodge, the profits are reinvested into community for development, education, and conservation work. Our visit helps fund the conservation of this pristine area.

Day 8

This morning, we say farewell to our hosts in the Amazon region and start our journey back to civilization.
 
We will reverse our trip on the Napa River back to the town of Coca via the various canoes and be transported to the Coca airport where we will take a 45-minute flight to Quito.
 
After arriving in Quito, we will be transported back to our original hotel outside of Quito.
 
We will conclude our trip with a celebratory dinner where we will share our experiences and say our goodbyes and begin the journey home — or onto the next adventure.
 
As most flights depart around midnight, guests will have a hotel room for the night to rest prior to your flight home or stay until the next morning.

Day 9

For those opting to stay longer in Quito, the hotel will include breakfast and the room will be available until check-out time.