Ecuador: A Wildlife Photography Tour

Tour Code: ECU19

An 11-day wildlife photography tour to the spectacularly biodiverse subtropical cloudforests of Ecuador.

11 days from
£5,495 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£4,595
book now

Highlights

Summary

Summary

Ecuador is a wildlife photographer’s utopia, a place where vibrant colours, intricate patterns, and morphological marvels converge to create a kaleidoscope of opportunity for the keen photographer. Ecuador boasts more bird species per square kilometre than any other country on Earth. An exciting catalogue of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and flora can also be found amongst photogenic moss- and epiphyte-endowed habitats. On this 11-day holiday we’ll join an Ecuadorian photography tour leader to guide us around his home-country’s finest opportunities for wildlife photography including feeders, blinds, hides, and snow-capped volcano-dotted landscapes.

  • Discover hummingbird photography with use of multi-flash equipment included
  • A network of local knowledge to provide up-to-date information on the best feeder activity at the time of your visit
  • Superlative Neotropical birding. Tanagers and hummingbirds galore!
  • Wonderful cloudforest and mountain scenery
  • High altitude birds at Papallacta include Seedsnipe and Andean Condor
  • Extend your holiday with a visit to the Galapagos Islands or the Amazon

Arriving in Quito, we can quickly settle into our first accommodation, just a 30-minute drive from the airport this hand-chosen hotel will already offer fantastic photographic opportunities. In the gardens, designed with photography in mind, we will find such delights as Scrub, Blue-grey and Blue-and-yellow Tanagers, Sparkling Violetear, Vermilion Flycatcher, Black-tailed Trainbearer and over 30 other species alongside a gallery of flowers.

The itinerary continues into the iconic cloudforest on the east slopes of Ecuador’s Andes for a 3-night stay. The route itself is planned to provide spectacular landscape photography opportunities and we will spend time in the foothills surrounding the enormous Antisana Volcano. We may even be lucky enough to have Giant Hummingbird, Carunculated Caracara or Andean Condor cut our frames!

Arriving in the enchanting montane cloudforests, we’ll enjoy Ecuador’s diminutive and diverse jewels: the hummingbirds. With effervescent energy fuelled by nectar, we’ll utilise specialist equipment providing participants the opportunity to capture stunning images using a multi-flash system compatible with Canon, Sony, and Nikon cameras. Sword-billed Hummingbird, White-bellied and Gorgeted Woodstars, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Turquoise Jay, Scarlet-bellied, Lacrimose, Buff-breasted and Hooded Mountain-Tanagers are just some of the approximately 200 species of birds to be seen and photographed in this region.

The next part of the itinerary takes us to Mindo, which is a magnificent place to birdwatch. Over 450 species of birds have been recorded within the valley and and just a few of the tantalising possibilities are Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager; Golden, Black-capped and Summer Tanagers; Velvet-purple Coronet; Brown Inca; Violet-tailed Sylph and the spectacular Empress Brilliant. The endless list continues with Crimson-mantled and Powerful Woodpeckers, Strong-billed Woodcreeper, Toucan Barbet, Golden-headed Quetzal, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Red-billed Parrot, Scaly-naped Amazon, Slate-throated Whitestart, Western Hemispingus, Beautiful Jay and many more!

Among the most striking of Ecuador's inhabitants is the resplendent Andean Cock-of-the-rock, a master of ceremonies in the rainforest theatre. The male’s fiery orange plumage, contrasted by jet-black wings and tail feathers performs flamboyant displays to attract the attention of the females and deter any potential rivals. On our final full day of this opportunity-packed itinerary we will enjoy an audience with this most special species in the renowned Paz de las Aves.

The diversity of avifauna in this South American paradise is simply staggering and this special itinerary provides chance to study and photograph some of the country’s most exciting and exquisite species across a fascinating range of biotopes.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Arrive Quito
Day 2
Antisana to Guango
Day 3/4
Guango and Papallacta
Day 5/8
Mindo
Day 9
Paz de las Aves
Day 10/11
Depart Quito on inbound flights
cloud_downloadDownload Full Itinerary
What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    Two characterful birding lodges and a comfortable Quito hotel with birding garden on Day 1 and 9.

  • Food:

    All meals are included, except for evening meals in Quito (£30 should be more than enough for these).

Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Sun 30th Nov – Wed 10th Dec 4 £5,495
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£4,595
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£395

2026

Departures Availability Cost
Tue 20th Jan – Fri 30th Jan 6 £5,795
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£4,895
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£395
Wed 2nd Dec – Sat 12th Dec 6 £5,795
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£4,895
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£395 
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Wildlife Photography Workshops with Expert Tuition


Our dedicated wildlife photography workshops are aimed at wildlife photographers of varying levels of experience and ability, including beginners with ambitions to learn and improve, keen amateurs looking to hone their skills, and accomplished photographers seeking exceptional photographic opportunities. 


Naturetrek Wildlife Photography Holidays


We work with outstanding photographers who share our goals of spending quality, informed time watching – and capturing – once-in-a-lifetime moments. Joining one of our wildlife photography tours will not only improve your technique and sharpen your reflexes, but will also optimise your chances of capturing memorable, high-quality images of some of the world’s most sought-after species. Group sizes on these holidays are strictly limited, not only to allow you plenty of room in which to work, but, just as importantly, to enable you to benefit from the dedicated time of our expert leaders. Our leaders aim to challenge your approach to photography, giving you the chance to pursue new avenues of creativity. They are also expert naturalists, enabling them to provide insight that will help you see your subjects in a new light, and improve your ability to predict and capture interesting behaviour.


Our tours offer:


    

  • Expert advice on how to get the most out of your equipment
    • 

  • Expert advice on composition and photographic technique
    • 

  • Photo editing tuition fills time that is unproductive for shooting
    • 

  • Extended time in hotspots to allow a focus on target species such as Jaguars, Tigers, bears, puffins and otters
    • 

  • Picturesque landscapes, visited at optimal times
    • 

  • Limited group size
    • 

  • Like-minded travelling companions
    • 



 




Our specialist recommends...






“Our ‘Mull’s Otters and Eagles’ holiday provides fantastic opportunities to photograph charismatic wildlife in a stunning natural setting, allowing plenty of time to hone your technique with the aid of an expert photographer. If you’re looking for a long-haul option, our 16-day photography holiday to Costa Rica has it all with abundant, vibrant wildlife; over 900 species of bird, 250 species of mammal and 1,200 species of butterfly. Combine this with its stunning landscapes, and few countries in the Americas are better suited to a photography holiday!”

Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager


 




All Photography Tours

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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!