Ecuador Explorer 2025
A 10 night photographic journey visiting the best bird lowland photography sites in Ecuador combining the Cloud Forest and Andes lowlands. Every day is packed seeing and photographing stunning colourful species. Highlights will include fun hummingbird gardens that are literally buzzing with activity, busy lodge feeding sites, cock of the rock leks, and the chance to see the critically endangered Andean Condor at eye level. We will stay in rustic comfortable lodges with great food and top guiding. All under the tuition and inspiration of Andy Rouse and his expert local team.
As a member of the Travel Trust Association our holidays are fully protected too, so you can travel with us in confidence.
Here's a cool trailer filmed on this year's adventure!
Safari Overview
Dates: June 3rd to 13th 2025
Price: £7295
Availability: Full - sign up to mailing list for 2026 tours
Fitness Rating: 🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️ average fitness required
Tour Company: WildBunch Expeditions and TTA Bonding
Tour highlights:
- 10 night adventure where every day is different and packed with photo opportunities
- Our most productive and fun bird photography trip
- Spectacular bird life up close and personal
- Colourful species with hummingbirds, toucans, barbets, torrent ducks, tanagers
- Experience the incredible cock of the rock lek with both red and orange subspecies
- No captive species, everything is wild and free
- Incredibly diverse habitats from cloud forest to Andes lowlands
- See the endangered Andean Condor fly right by you at eye level with our special permits
- Multiple options per day so we can pick the best at the last minute, we always have a plan B
- Constant help and tuition from the best guide team around
- 3 Spectacular lodges in beautiful settings
- No single room supplements
- Fully insured and protected with TTA membership
- £500 conservation donation made to Rainforest Concern
Client Testimonials
Here are some client comments about our two most recent Ecuador trips....
Jane, UK
This trip is a full on adventure through Ecuadorian iconic habitats. With Andys team you know you will have great opportunities to see wildlife but crucially spend supported photography time with creatures in their natural environment. Loved every minute of it!
Jana, USA
What a fantastic trip . Great birding , hummingbirds landing on our heads and cameras , close encounter with magnificent Andean condors…we even located spectacled bear in the mist . Comfortable eco lodging with home cooking .Our local guide Louis was excellent….Andy and Suzie always ready to help with photo questions . Trip exceeded all my expectations I sure would not mind to repeat it again😊
Ida, Austria
Birds, birds, birds, from the tiniest hummingbird to the majestic Andean Condor. Breathtaking landscapes, cosy lodges, delicious food, everything was perfect. Andy, Suzie and Luis made the trip very special, they were always ready to answer our questions about photography and wildlife., brought us to the best locations when the light was perfect. I learned a lot from Andy and Suzie on this trip. And we had good laughs too..
Mark, UK
After the white knuckle Gypsy driving of Ramthambore and multi person pileins on the Pantanal boats, this is a different pace of a trip. Many, many birds large and small, bright colours and dark which at times are all around you giving you the time to compose your photos far better. The slower pace gave more access to Andy and Suzies expertise to really develop my skills. The locations and scenery are spectacular, and excellent local guiding going the extra mile.
Alison, UK
Travelling through the Ecuadorean rainforest is like entering The Land that Time Forgot. Expect to be entranced by awesome scenery and spectacular bird life. I have never been anywhere else quite like it!
Spectacular Habitats
Cloud Forest - The first part of the trip will be spent at two lovely lodges in the Cloud Forest where we will concentrate on the local toucans / toucanets / hummingbirds / flower piercers and numerous colourful Tanagers that visit local feeding sites and our lodge platforms. We may get Trogons, MotMots, cuckoos and all manner of extras as well. We will also visit a Cock of the Rock lek (red subspecies) for an experience you will never forget, check the image out below of this magnificent bird. Our Ecuador tour has no fixed daily itinerary so we will go where the best species are at the time, we have multiple choices of places to go for each day.
Andes foothills - we will visit an Andean Condor reserve where we will hopefully photograph these amazing predators at eye level. It's an incredible experience to see this critically endangered bird and each visit we do supports the local conservation project for them. Unlike other tours we have a special permit to be on top of the cliffs so the condors will be at eye level. Also hopefully we will see the spectacular Ecuador Hillstar hummingbird too.
AntiSana CloudForest - we will stay in a spectacular lodge in the lower Cloud Forest which borders the species rich Antisana national park. As with all of our Ecuador trips we will have a variety of species to shoot and places to go, depending on the weather of course and local conditions. But we will certainly be targeting the spectacular Spangled Coquette hummingbird, our second cock of the rock lek (orange subspecies), torrent ducks, a monkey feeding site, various beautiful Tanagers and the second smallest hummingbird in Ecuador. We may also visit a spectacled bear site too if the rangers call us and tell us they are visible. Plus on the final day we will visit a spectacular hummingbird site as well. You can see we will be very busy here!
Flexibility - the thing that we love about Ecuador is the flexibility. We have no set plans at any of the lodges. Instead we have a variety of things that we can do, depending on the weather and the feeding behaviour at the time. So the ideas above and throughout this brochure are some of the exciting options that the guide team will choose at the time, thus ensuring you have the best possible chances of great photos and experiences.
Guides - You will have Andy with you at all times to help you use your cameras to the best of your ability. He will both challenge and inspire you. Suzie will be there too as a superb spotter, another camera assistant and to provide her LightRoom processing expertise to anyone that needs it. Working alongside Andy will be his superb local birding guide and lodge owner Luis, who will handle all the fieldcraft elements of the trip. In short you have a very dynamic team!!!
Health - it is essential that you read carefully the Health and Fitness / Who Should Come on this Tour sections below as this tour will not suit everyone. As always we tell you the truth about everything ahead of time with no flannel!
Ecuador is a beautiful and safe country to visit with very welcoming people and stunning wildlife. We are committed to running tours in Ecuador and showing you the best that this lovely country has to offer.
Hummingbird Gardens
Hummingbirds are simply adorable and you will fall in love with them. The usual problem is that they are tough to photograph, well not with us! We will have many opportunities to photograph beautiful hummingbirds at multiple locations, all of them are completely relaxed and exclusive to us on the day.
All of our hummingbird photography will use natural light, there will be no flash setups. At some sites we will be photographing the hummingbirds feeding on clumps of flowers, at others we will provide naturally occurring flowers so you can get some iconic isolated feeding images.
Trust me you will come away with amazing hummingbird images!
You will love your interaction with hummingbirds, I could list all the species but it's pointless here as there are so many, the highlights will be the Swordbill, the Sylph, Trainbearer, Booted Racket-tail and Sparkling Violetears. Just know you will get a LOT of beautiful hummingbirds as I will be there to help you every single second!
Lodges and feeders
So that is hummingbirds covered. Now in the Cloud Forest we will be spending a lot of time photographing the species that come to the lodges. That's right, we don't have to move. All the lodges have custom built photography decks where you can literally have breakfast and take pictures without moving location! It means you can have your laptop setup there too and shoot in a very relaxed way. It's so much fun. One lodge has three different decks for photography which are amazing.
So what kind of species visit the decks? Well all kinds of toucans, toucanets, lots of Tanagers and other colourful jobbies plus lovely coloured birds like the toucan barbets you see here. There will be combination of perches that we supply and natural perches too, everything will be shot in natural light.
For some special species, like the plate billed mountain toucan and toucan barbet we will use local friends that have great feeding sites, plus we have a host of plan B options too as we have a large network. So you will always have great choices.
Condor Reserve
We have a special permit allow us to drive to the top of the nesting / roosting cliffs for the Andean Condor, so we will head up first thing in the morning, setup and wait. Once the temperature rises the condors will begin to fly and hopefully will soar underneath us which will be an unforgettable experience. We might even get lucky enough to photograph the stunning Ecuadorian Hillstar hummingbird too.
After lunch at a hacienda with a great viewpoint we will head to our Antisana cloud forest lodge.
Cock of the Rock leks
There is nothing like the experience of being close to a cock of the rock lek. These amazing birds come together in the early / late light and display, sometimes aggressively, to each other. It's an amazing spectacle and we will work hopefully (weather permitting) in hides at two different leks of both subspecies. It will be an experience that you will never forget!
Our Lodges
In total we will be staying at 3 lodges, all are unique and full of Ecuadorian charm and hospitality. The main material used for all the construction is wood, and as you can see that the decor is just so cool and it is done by the lodge owner.
Your rooms are tastefully decorated, with a choice of double or twin rooms and private bathrooms with showers. We will be using upgraded rooms throughout so trust me you will love your rooms. As I have said above, in the Cloud Forest we will be photographing from the lodges for a good percentage of the time which means your rooms are literally a few steps away from the birdies!
Food wise the fare is traditionally Ecuadorian, lunch and dinner will be 3 courses starting with soup, breakfast is fresh fruit and eggs. If needed we will take a packed lunch and I can tell you they know how to make a sandwich! Now on the subject of food, you have to realise that we are in remote locations and special diets cannot be easily catered for. So vegetarian and vegan yes, gluten free and lactose intolerant too provided you are flexible on what you have but if you have any other diet then please email me first to check.
Conservation Donation
Our new policy for tours from 2025 onwards is to make a donation from each (actually from our profits not what the clients pay) to a conservation organisation that is connected with where we are going. For this tour we will be making a £500 donation to Rainforest Concern, an excellent UK based charity that protects rainforests and critically endangered habitats the world over. For further details on how you can support their work please click here.
This donation will be made after the tour is complete in June 2025.
Health and Fitness
This is very important so please read.
We gave this trip a 🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️ rating out of 5 as there are several considerations you need to think about. We consider though if you have average fitness then you will be perfectly fine for this trip.
Altitude - Quito airport is at 3000m and the lodges will be at approximately this high too. At the final lodge we will be at 4000m for a night so it will be cold!!
A lot of the photography that we will be doing will be from the decks of the lodges so there is no real fitness involved... except that you will be at 3000m so that may have an effect walking to the decks. It's a very relaxed pace though so you can easily just do everything at the lodges at your own pace.
Walking / Hiking - There are some locations that will require some fitness to complete, they are all optional of course and you can always choose to stay at the lodge and photograph. One cock of the rock lek is a short 10 minute walk uphill, another is around 25 minutes on a downhill track carrying your own kit. The paths are great but you still have to walk and obviously the way back is up all the way!! The Condor will require only a 5 minute level walk but you must remember that you will be at 4000m so again this may have an effect although it didn't on the last trips there. There is an Umbrella Bird lek that we are keen to visit but this will very much depend on the fitness of the group as this is a 60 minute undulating trek, again this will be optional and we will decide at the time.
As we have said most hummingbird sites are relatively easy walking and you take it at your own pace.
Kitwise we will always advise everyone what they will need each day. We always suggest just one camera, one lens and spare batteries plus your waterproofs. That's it, it's best to travel light!
You must be extremely honest about your fitness. You must be able to carry your own kit for all of the situations described above. At the lodges we have staff to assist with all baggage transfers.
Travel Trust Association
Why an Andy Rouse Safari?
In his own words - "Many of you will come because you've been with me before and you know I deliver as much as I can and will trust me. You will also know that I hate putting all this stuff down but on this tour you will 100% need my skill and experience. I will be giving you regular briefings and help and I will be right there next to you shooting at all times. We are very experienced in Ecuador now and provide the best trips there for our clients. I will lead from the front, making daily decisions on the schedule and any changes that we need to make. "
Of course having all the insurance benefits of the TTA membership also sets us apart from many small operators.
We operate a safe space policy where all are welcome on our tours irrespective of race, gender, sexual orientation or religion, we respect everyone's right to be who they are.
Guide team
In addition to Andy there are two more members of the team, Suzie and Luis.
Suzie - is an accomplished photographer, a LightRoom expert and a superb bird spotter. She has been invaluable on our trips spending time with clients helping them with their photography (as many will testify) and as a superb assistant to Luis in spotting the birdlife.
Luis - is our local bird expert, he owns the lodges, is an excellent photographer, a superb naturalist and an all round nice guy! He is well connected to all the local communities and will be doing all of the logistics and fieldcraft that we need to ensure that we maximise the potential of this trip. He's the beating heart of our Ecuador trip.
We have a brilliant team, which is why we love these tours so much.
Who should / should NOT come on this tour
This tour is for anyone that loves birds, photography and travel. We will photograph some mammals too but they can be more elusive than their avian counterparts!! This trip is also suitable for non photographers too who just love being out in nature. We do not care who has what kit and who has what skill level, everyone is equal no matter who they are, we live in a modern society. We do not care if you are a newbie to photography or have been doing it your whole life, everyone is welcome.
For us we need people on this trip that can work as a team with others, we will have minibus transfers for a few hours a couple of times so you must enjoy seeing the world pass by in a relaxed manner. We always work as a team. It can rain in Ecuador like you cannot believe, for many hours on end, which can scupper our plans of course or it can make the pictures amazing! So in situations like this you must be able to just chill and wait for better weather. Note we will still go out in the rain and work, just not when it's torrential!!
As usual the people we do not want on this trip are the trophy hunting photographers that want to further their careers / social media profiles without any recognition of who gave them the help. If you are used to getting your own way and always "pushing" guides etc to get your own way (including pushing wildlife ) then you will not be welcome on this trip and nor will you enjoy it!! Out of respect the guides will only listen to us as our team has the experience and knowledge, clients that trust in me have a great time! So if this sounds like you then please don't apply for this tour as there are plenty of other tours out there for you.
So in summary we just want nice people that can experience the joy of travelling together and can go with the flow.
Itinerary
So below is an outline itinerary for the trip, the order that we do everything may change closer to the date and we will be flexible to allow this:
June 3rd 2025 - Arrive Quito Ecuador and transfer to our first lodge
4th - All day shooting hummingbirds, toucans and other visitors to our lodge
5th - All day shooting hummingbirds, toucans and other visitors to our lodge
6th - Morning mountain toucan session, transfer to new cloud forest lodge
7th - All day shooting at the lodge or hummingbird gardens or cock of the rock
8th - All day shooting at the lodge or hummingbird gardens or mountain toucan site or cock of the rock
9th - Morning swordbill hummingbird session, transfer to Quito hotel overnight
10th - Early morning drive to Andean Condor reserve, lunch then afternoon transfer to Antisana lodge
11th - All day shooting cock of the rock lek, hummingbird garden, monkey feeder, torrent ducks
12th - All day shooting cock of the rock lek, hummingbird garden, monkey feeder, torrent ducks
13th - Morning hummingbird session, drive to airport for flight home
Wow what a packed itinerary!!!
Travel
The tour starts and finishes at Quito, Ecuador. There are two options for this, Iberia via Madrid and KLM via Amsterdam. We will not book flights for you as we are not bonded to do that and these days everyone has their own preferences / memberships. We will show you all the options, tell you when and where we need you to be and will help you in anyway that we can.
Travel within Ecuador will be via a comfortable 4x4 minivan driven by an experienced safe and trustworthy local driver that we have used before.
Miscellaneous
Weather - the weather everywhere is unpredictable! It may rain a lot or a little, there is nothing we can do about this. You must be able to take this in your stride as the weather can scupper our plans for things like the cock of the rock lek. It can take out our electricity for a few hours too. Temperature wise for most of the trip it will be pleasant during the day with maybe needing an extra layer early morning and at night.
Insect life - in the Cloud Forest there are some biting insects at night so shorts are pretty much a no no! Long socks and boots are the order of the day, sprays will sort out the local insect life so don't worry as they are far less here than in other parts of the world.
Branded stuff - yes we will have some branded clothing as usual, free to you as a gift from us!
Pre-departure Info - as always I will provide extensive pre departure info several months before the trip that will cover everything that you need to know. We can zoom too if needed.
Cameras etc - covered in the above pre departure info but generally you will need a reach of 500mm / 600mm to get the most from this trip. So anything from a 100-400, 100-500, 150-400 and any combo like this will be perfecto.
No of people - there will be 6 clients on this tour.
Reality check - you must be very honest about your expectations for this trip. There are no guarantees about what we see, it is all down to luck on the day combined with our fieldcraft. Sometimes there is a raptor around and birds just don't show up, that is why we have a flexible itinerary.
Price
The price of the tour is £7295 per person. There are no single room supplements. There are a lot of costs included in this trip and considering the length of the tour, the quality of the accommodation and all the other factors we think that this is a fair price. Others maybe cheaper but they cut corners, staying at cheaper lodges - we simply offer the best service and work with the best bird guide in Ecuador.
Price Includes - all Ecuador land costs airport to airport, all transfers, food and accommodation (except where specified below).
Price excludes - 1 night hotel accommodation and dinner in Quito on June 17th (approx $150 pp payble locally on checkout), alcohol, tips, international flights and items of a personal nature.
Tipping - it is customary to tip in Ecuador. We have included basic tipping amounts for the lodges in your fee above but please allocate approx $400pp for tips as we go along for guides etc.
Booking Info
This tour is run using our WildBunch Expeditions Ltd company complete with our TTA membership bonding.
The deposit is £2000 per person and the remaining balance is due 3 months before departure. All monies paid are totally non refundable unless we find someone to take your place, in which case we will refund your money within a reasonable time frame. Once the final balance is paid however this is not refundable and we advise you to take out sufficient travel insurance to cover all eventualities that may arise.
To book your place please click here to email us. Once the tour is full you will receive a formal booking confirmation from us alongside an invoice for payment. Once payment has been made into the TTA trust account you will receive your insurance certificates and updated documentation.
Terms and Conditions
Wildbunch Expeditions Ltd
- The meaning of some words used in these Terms and Conditions.
- We, us or our is a reference to Wildbunch Expeditions Ltd.
- You or your is a reference to the person to whom we are providing our services and who is required to pay for the services we provide.
- Services means the trips, tours, tuition or workshops we will organise. The precise services we will be providing to you will be started in the literature including website(s) and newsletters advertising the services on offer and as we may agree from time to time
- Legally binding contract
- A legally binding contract between you and us will come into being when you accept the offer of services from us by booking your place.
- We suggest that before you accept the offer and book your place you read through these Terms and Conditions. If you have any questions concerning them please contact us.
- You should keep a copy of these Terms and Conditions for your records.
- Providing the Services
- Our aim is to always provide you with the Services using reasonable care and skill.
- There are certain situations or events which occur such as but not limited to adverse weather, non or poor appearance or wildlife, Acts of God, war, acts of terrorism, riot or civil commotion, fire, strike and government or other official intervention which are not within our reasonable control and will affect our ability to provide the services. Where this occurs we will where possible attempt to recommence performing the services as soon as we are able to. In such circumstances there may be a delay before we can start or continue performing the services. Sometimes we might have to bring the start time for the services forward. If we are able to start or continue performing the services or bring the start time forward but you choose not to participate for any reason you will not receive any refund.
- Expulsion from Services
You agree to act in a suitable and proper manner whilst participating in the services with particular reference to the safety and welfare of wildlife and the enjoyment of the service by other participants and their safety. Should you be in breach of this we reserve the right to expel you from the services and in those circumstances you would not receive any refund. - Cancellation by us
If we cancel the services you will receive a full refund. If Andy Rouse is not able to lead the tour for reasons of health or any other unforeseeable event then the tour will still take place and a suitable guide replacement will be provided of the same quality and experience. - Cancellation by you
- Once we and you enter into a binding contract you will not be able to cancel the contract. This is so that the services we are providing can continue for the benefit of other clients. In the case of trips to India, any money paid by you will not be refunded whereas paid as a deposit or in full payment. In the case of trips to other destinations, unless covered by specific terms in the brochure, can only be refunded once a replacement has been found for the tour. In all cases once your balanace has been paid then all monies become non refundable.
- Insurance
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have adequate travel or other insurance to cover all eventualities where you do not receive a refund from us. - Restrictions and Assumptions
We will assume that all information and facts that you provide are accurate and true such as your level of fitness or health if this is relevant to the particular services. It is your responsibility to draw to our attention anything which may be relevant or which may affect you from participating in the services we provide before booking and making your payment to us. - Exclusion and Limitation of Liability
- We do not exclude or limit liability for our negligence or negligence omission which causes you personal injury or death.
- We will not accept liability for any loss of or damage to photographic or any other equipment no matter how caused during or as a consequence of the services we provide.
- It is your responsibility to ensure that you have adequate insurance to cover loss or damage to photographic or any other equipment before participating in the services.
- In circumstances where we may be liable for any loss or damage suffered by you which is a reasonably foreseeable consequence of a breach by us of this Agreement, our maximum liability will be the amount of payment received from you for this particular service.
- Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999
For the purposes of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 this Agreement is not intended to, and does not, give any person who is not a party to it any right to enforce any of its provisions. - Entire Agreement
These Terms and Conditions of Business constitute the entire Agreement between us and you and shall apply to all services provided by us. The invalidity or un-enforceability of any particular term of this Agreement shall not affect the other provisions herein. - Law and Jurisdiction
This Agreement shall be governed and construed by the Law of England and you and we agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.
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