Trip Reports
January 17-27, 2024 - eBird Trip Report
January 24- Feb 3, 2024 - eBird Trip Report
October 2023: https://ebird.org/tripreport/161833
June 2023 https://ebird.org/tripreport/137666
Jan 2023 https://ebird.org/tripreport/103174
Reviews
If you are looking for a birding trip to Ecuador, you have just found the perfect company. Ecuador Birding Journeys has an excellent itinerary. The guides are without a doubt the best in Ecuador. Simply outstanding! They know what they are seeing and hearing and try to give everyone a chance to see the birds. Plus they submit ebird checklists for each location visited and it was easy to input pictures into the well documented lists. Finally the entire staff of EBJ are outstanding! Very very good communication. Extemely thoughtful of your needs and are super NICE. Plus they travel along to make sure everything goes smoothly…unique among bird tour companies. The bird tour business may get redefined by EBJ. They are providing a great trip at a reasonable price.
JW Alabama
"I had an amazing time birding in Ecuador with Ecuador Birding Journeys. Sarah did an incredible job communicating all the details of the trip prior to arrival and once on the tour, everything went so smoothly, it is shocking that this was only their 2nd ever birding tour! All the hotels and birding spots were spectacular and our guide, Gonzalo was a bird genius, spotting birds by sight and sound that I never would have seen or heard on my own. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking to experience the wonderful diversity of bird life in beautiful Ecuador." - M.A. NY, NY
Awesome trip! When we returned, a friend asked how we would rate the trip on a scale of one to ten.
We said it was a 20!
J W Seattle Wa.
Exploring Ecuador's diverse landscapes for eleven days was a birder's dream come true! From misty cloud forests teeming with toucans and tanagers to sun-drenched plains echoing with parrots' squawks, our expert guides led us to an astonishing 425 species. Each day brought new highlights, from witnessing the dazzling courtship dance of the Cock-of-the-Rock to Andean Condors soaring over our heads. Comfortable accommodations, delicious local cuisine, and the camaraderie of fellow birding enthusiasts made this an unforgettable adventure. I left Ecuador with a deeper appreciation for its unique ecosystems and memory cards overflowing with stunning avian encounters! Beyond the birding, I was pleasantly surprised by how safe and welcomed I felt throughout the trip. Our expert guides and friendly locals helped make us feel at home at all of our hotels and lodges. Ecuador Birding Journeys is an ideal tour operator for a first time traveler to South America or even a seasoned birder looking for lesser known locations. Sarah, Eloy, and Jonathan expertly handled all of our logistical needs, which allowed me to focus on the best birding of my life! The tour truly surpassed our expectations. Lindsay and I had never been on a group tour before, and had hired guides only for day tours while abroad. We both felt we got much more out of our Ecuador experience from all of our guides, and not only birding. We loved learning about Ecuadorian culture, politics, history, etc. The price was an absolute bargain, especially when compared to other tour companies.
RS Indianapolis
“The best tour (birding or not) I’ve taken. Totally met and exceeded expectations. Communication and logistics were excellent. Your responsiveness to questions before the trip was amazing – best I’ve had for an organized trip. Guides were experts at identifying birds and good people to work with. I was especially amazed mat how Gonzalo could hear a snippet of a call and identify virtually anything he heard. Many of the reserves we visited were run by local families, which encourages conservation. We had no issues with safety or security during our trip.“
BB California
“If you are seeking to engage in a serious birding excursion in Ecuador, Ecuador Birding Journeys will cover the available terrain, with great camaraderie, lodging and food. Includes trips to see some of those more difficult to obtain harder species such as Cock of the rock and Oilbirds. From the plethora of hummingbirds to Andean Ibis and Andean Condors you will not be disappointed. Ecuador Birding Journey comes highly recommended by this birder.
WA Connecticut
This was one of the best birding tours that we have ever been on. It was super-well organized, with attention to every little detail. Inquiries made prior to our tour were answered promptly and thoroughly. We went to Ecuador only one week after news of the prison escape and the takeover of a TV station were on the news all over the world, but we felt very safe, being reassured that we would be nowhere near the dangerous areas, and that we would be well-cared for from the beginning of the tour to the end. That was how it turned out, from getting picked up at the airport, to being taken back to the airport when the tour ended, even though we all had different flight times. Our guides were excellent. They were enthusiastic birders with a good knowledge of the birds of Ecuador, and good ears for recognizing their calls. The trip organizers are newer to birding, but they were also very enthusiastic. All eight of us on the tour interacted very well, enhancing one another’s enjoyment of our beautiful birding holiday.
BN Toronto, Canada
"Five Stars!!! I recently returned from an 11 day Birding trip to Ecuador, with Ecuador Birding Journeys, and I am overjoyed with the experience! This was my first trip to South America and the wealth of habitats-- from the high Andes mountains to the Napo River/Amazon area-- surpassed my expectations! Gonzalo Nazati, our bird guide, is a talented birder and artist, who was very good at managing our fairly large group of birders. He was patient, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and always had a field guide ready to review any difficult species. He was skilled with the scope to help us see distant birds as well. It was obvious that Gonzalo really knows and loves the birds but also enjoys meeting new birders too. We were thrilled when he also got a “lifer” hummingbird on this trip! Sarah Dettman does a fantastic job of arranging all the logistics, so that I was able to truly relax and focus on the birding. Her narration during bus rides was very enjoyable as I learned so much about Ecuador! She and her husband Eloy think of everything needed for comfortable travel. They also prepared a small tour book that I referred to frequently, as it had “birds of the day”, a checklist, and a map which really helped me focus on the expected species for that date. Another thing that I really liked, is that Ecuador Birding Journeys works with local farmers who are passionate about preserving their land for the native plants and wildlife. At one location, we even had the option of planting a tree on the property. This is the best of Eco-tourism! The trip organization and itinerary were very well outlined, and we birded in iconic locations such as Mindo, Refugio Paz de las Aves, Reserva Zuro Loma, Reserva Amagusa, and many other fabulous bird sanctuaries. We did a few boat rides, including one on a lagoon, that really brought us close to Hoatzins and other iconic bird species. We spent time in the high Andes, and got great looks at the spectacular Ecuadorian Hillstar hummingbird. My hope was to see over 400 species during my time there. Our group as a whole saw 443 species; and I personally saw 412 and took photos of over 200 of them, which is by far the most I’ve ever seen on one dedicated birding trip. The beauty of the scenery and the sheer number of Tanagers and Hummingbirds alone would be enough—but on top of that, we saw numerous Owls, Potoos, Antpittas, Ibis species, Toucans and more! I highly recommend Ecuador Birding Journeys and hope to return someday." - K.W. Wooster, Ohio
"Ten days to see over 400 birds might sound like a challenge, but Ecuador Birding Journeys makes it easy. At half the cost of other tour companies, you’ll get to enjoy a buffet of Ecuadorian cuisine, hotels, and wildlife. And it’s run by such lovely people, too! If you’re looking for a birding trip to South America, you just can’t lose with Ecuador Birding Journeys!" - L.L. Delaware, Ohio
I'm a Canadian who has been bird watching the past four years. Went on my first international birding adventure in 2023 with Ecuador Birding Journeys. It was a stress free holiday with no worries about lodging or transportation. It was non stop action from one location to another ending with over 400 species. The Eco-lodges and food were amazing. It was more than I expected. Definitely worth the price. For me I would not change anything. Lodges, transportation and guiding were perfect. R.E., Vancouver, Canada
I would highly recommend Ecuador Birding Journeys for anyone considering a birding tour in Ecuador.The tour a was really a dawn to dusk schedule with many well thought out stops along the way for birds and lunches and always at places with birds to see. We had requested to see 3 difficult species that were not on the agenda and they were able to locate all of them. Our guide Gonzalo was a super knowledgeable, eagle-eyed birder and photographer with a helpful personality. They all went out of their way to make this a productive, memorable experience.
TS British Colombia, Canada
"We really did enjoy this trip. We would never had seen so much or travelled so far had we chosen to do it independently. Ecuador Birding Journeys were professional from pre booking to post trip. Really lovely people who look after you from start to finish and go beyond your expectations. We never felt the trip was just a business venture, more like friends on a birding adventure.
We paid for an eleven day birding trip and that is what we got....11 full days of birding. Pick up and drop off are free and not included as part of the schedule unlike all the other tours that we looked at. The transport bus was modern and comfortable, the food through out was perfect and the accommodation was exceptional. The bird guide, Gonzalo was simply the best. I would say he got us all on all the birds. His knowledge and skill was faultless. He uses Ebird and created lists each day for us. The trip supports mostly community projects, individual families and small businesses.
We would do this trip again without hesitation as we really did get a lot from it. Thank you Ecuador Birding Journeys for all your hard work and for being the perfect hosts.
J / M.W. (Exeter, Devon UK)