Southern Ecuador 12-Day Birding Expedition with Peregrinus

Arrive in Guayaquil and transfer to Hotel Luxva. If flight timing permits, the programme may include a visit to Cerro Blanco Protected Forest, a nearby dry-forest site with possibilities such as Ecuadorian Trogon and Lilacine Amazon. This optional field time depends entirely on arrival and transfer conditions.

Leave Guayaquil early and bird the La Lagartera–Manglares Churute wetlands on the way south. The area can hold Horned Screamer, Comb Duck and Ecuadorian Ground Dove among other wetland and open-country birds. After lunch, continue to Umbrellabird Lodge in Buenaventura Reserve for the first of two nights.

Spend the day in Buenaventura’s cloud forest, combining trails, feeders and surrounding habitat. Long-wattled Umbrellabird is a central goal, alongside species such as Gray-backed Hawk, Rufous-headed Chachalaca and Club-winged Manakin. The exact sequence follows current activity in the reserve.

Travel south through the varied habitat along the Catacocha and El Empalme roads, with birding stops when conditions are productive. White-tailed Jay and Grey-cheeked Parakeet are among the regional possibilities. Reach Urraca Lodge inside Jorupe Reserve in the late afternoon and explore near the lodge if time allows.

Devote a full day to Jorupe Reserve and its Tumbesian dry forest. Trails and feeding stations offer chances for Watkins’s Antpitta, Peruvian Pygmy-Owl, Pale-browed Tinamou, Ecuadorian Piculet and other southwest specialties. Birding remains flexible around heat and activity.

Begin with birding along Sozoranga Road, where Black-crested Tit-Tyrant is one goal. The same highland section can also produce Jelski’s Chat-Tyrant or Black-cowled Saltator. Continue toward Cuenca after the field session; the drive is approximately seven hours with practical and meal stops before arrival at Hotel Los Balcones.

Use the first full Cuenca day for Camino al Cielo and nearby high-elevation habitat. The official programme places a dedicated highland session here before the following day’s wider Camino al Cielo–Uchucay outing. Priorities and stopping points are adjusted to weather and current access.

Return to the Cuenca highlands and extend the route toward Uchucay. Red-faced Parrot is an important goal; mountain possibilities also include Purple-throated Sunangel, while Sapphire-vented Puffleg and Agile Tit-Tyrant may be sought at suitable stops. The second day allows the guide to respond to what was found on day seven.

Leave Cuenca and pause at El Alto, checking appropriate habitat for Plushcap or Black-chested Mountain Tanager. Andean Pygmy-Owl and Bar-bellied Woodpecker are further possibilities on the higher route. Continue via Guayaquil and the Santa Elena Peninsula to Ayampe; the transfer is approximately seven hours, ending at Cabañas Refugio del Colibrí.

Spend a full day in Ayampe and its surroundings, where the Chongón-Colonche range meets the coast. Esmeraldas Woodstar is a particularly notable goal, while Tumbes Pewee, Mouse-gray Flycatcher and Watkins’s Antpitta illustrate the wider regional mix. The day’s route follows local access and bird activity.

Travel back to Guayaquil, allowing birding stops along the route when timing and conditions permit. The drive is expected to take about four to five hours before the final night at Hotel Luxva. The guide confirms the practical schedule around the following day’s flight.

Transfer to Guayaquil airport for the onward flight. Pickup time is coordinated with the confirmed flight details. No additional birding is assumed on departure day.