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Ecuador Bird Photo Workshops

Experience great photo opportunities with Birds with two Top Notch Photography Leaders.

  • Photo Tour | October 6-20, 2026 & October 6-20, 2027
  • Maximum 6 Photographers
  • Amazon Extension | October 20-25, 2026 & October 20-25, 2027
  • Photo Tour | October 7-21, 2024 & October 7-21, 2025
  • Amazon Extension | October 21-26, 2024 & October 21-26, 2025
  • Maximum 6 Photographers

Ecuador Bird Photo Workshops

Experience great photo opportunities with Birds with two Top Notch Photography Leaders.

  • Photo Tour | October 6-20, 2026 & October 6-20, 2027
  • Amazon Extension | October 20-25, 2026 & October 20-25, 2027
  • Maximum 6 Photographers

Javier is an excellent and patient teacher and Phil learned a lot from working with him. This trip has definitely improved his bird and macro photography skills by an order of magnitude. He really enjoyed the multi-flash photography setup for the hummers. Javier taught him a lot about optimizing his camera settings for specific situations as well, and walked him through some post-processing tips with different apps to improve the processing workflow.”

– Sue and Phil Lessner

WOW. I have wanted to visit this country for its variety of birds, but specifically the hummingbirds. My only disappointment was I had to leave after the two-week trip.”

– Marty Kramer

ABOUT ECUADOR PHOTO TOUR

This comprehensive photo workshop visits the best lodges and locations for bird photography on both the west and east slopes of the Andes in Ecuador. This is quite simply the best Ecuador photo workshop itinerary out there.

  • 4 nights at Sachatamia Lodge, the best lodge for bird photography in Ecuador, with personally designed photography blinds & hummingbird multi-flash photography area.
  • Visit Mashpi Amaguso, Birdwatcher’s House, Zuroloma, Antisana and have stays at Guango and Rio Quijose Lodges.
  • Multi-flash photography of many species which include Sword-billed Hummingbird, Long-tailed and Violet-tailed Sylphs, Booted Rackettail and Black-tailed Trainbearer.
  • Other spectacular species of birds include Cock-of-the-Rock, Plate-billed Mountain Toucan, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Andean Condor, Antpittas, many beautiful Tanagers and more.

Cost & Logistics

$6,950
Photographer

$6,200
Non-Photographer

$600
Single Supplement

$2,500
Deposit

This includes all lodging, meals, transportation within Ecuador, guiding, instruction.  It does not include airfare to and from Quito, Ecuador which is the beginning and ending point of the tour.  It also does not include personal expenses such as tips or drinks.

2027 costs: $7,250 photographer, $6,500 nonphotographer spouse/companion, $700 single supplement.

Number of Participants: Maximum of 6 photographers and 10 total participants.

Itinerary

Oct 6th – Arrival to Quito, transfer to Zayant Ecolodge, 15 minutes from the airport.  If time allows a bit of afternoon bird photography in the garden.  Vermillion Flycatcher and Western Emerald are usually around.  Zayant Ecolodge
 
Oct 7th – After a bit of morning photography in the garden, we will check out and have a morning stop at Alambi Lodge, where there feeders attract a wide variety of hummingbirds and other birds including Brown Violetear, White-necked Jacobin and many other species, then we will arrive to Sachatamia Lodge in the afternoon and have our first multi-flash hummingbird photography session.  Sachatamia Lodge
 
Oct 8th – We will spend the full day at Sachatamia today.  There is a morning blind which attracts woodcreepers, trogons, Long-wattled Umbrellabird and other insectivores to feed on moths.  Then we will do multi-flash hummingbird photography, up to 15 species are possible here usually with good numbers of Booted Rackettail and Violet-tailed Sylph.  Sachatamia Lodge
 
Oct 9th – Today we will visit Birdwatcher’s House.  This is the best location to photograph the amazing Plate-billed Mountain Toucan.  There are reflecting pools here which make for amazing images for the toucan as well as several tanager species.  We return to Sachatamia Lodge in the late afternoon.
 
Oct 10th – After a session in the blind at Sachatamia, we will head to the Milpe area to photograph other species including Choco Toucan, Green Thorntail, Elegant Trogon, Club-winged Manakin and many other species, we will return to Sachatamia in the afternoon.
 
Oct 11th – We will have a morning multi-flash photography session at Sachatamia and then check out, we will visit an Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek on our way to our next lodge, Mashpi Amagusa.  
 
Oct 12th – We will spend the full day at Mashpi Amaguso Reserve.  The fruit feeders there attract some different species including Glistening-green and Moss-backed Tanagers as well as Golden-collared Honeycreeper.  We may run into Black Solitare and Rosy-faced Parrot, two rarities.  We will also do some more multi flash hummingbird photography here.  Mashpi Amagusa
 
Oct 13th – We will do a bit of photography around the lodge in the morning then transfer to Zuroloma Reserve for hummingbird photography.  This is the best location for Sword-billed Hummingbird.  Other interesting hummers there include Shining Sunbeam and Great Sapphirewing among others.  We stay at a large house near the reserve.  
 
Oct 14th – We will visit Zuroloma to photograph three species of Antpitta in the morning, then do set up hummingbird photography as well as photography at the fruit feeders where the stunning Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager often feeds.  Then in the late afternoon we will transfer to our next lodge: Guango Lodge
 
Oct 15th –  Chestnut-breasted and Buff-tailed Coronets as well as Tourmaline Sunangels are the most common species at the hummingbird feeders but many others are around including Sword-billed Hummingbird and Long-tailed Sylph.  Walks along the river often yield Torrent Duck and White-capped Dipper.  We will also visit a high altitude location to try for Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe and Tawny Antpitta  Guango Lodge
 
Oct 16th – Morning at Guango with Gray-breasted Mountain Toucans often visiting the feeders, then we will check out and head to our next lodge, Rio Quijose Lodge.  The feeders here attract a wide variety of birds including Andean Motmot, White-throated Quail Dove, Inca Jay and many other species.  Rio Quijose Lodge
 
Oct 17th – We will spend the full day photographing at Rio Quijose.  We will do multi-flash hummingbird photography.  Some of the species at the lodge include Booted Rackettail (golden booted race), Violet-fronted Brilliant, Green-backed Hillstar and Long-tailed Sylph.  Rio Quijose Lodge
 
Oct 18th – Cock-of-the-Rock can usually be found near the lodge.  The lodge also has fruit feeders which attract birds such as Golden-eared Tanager and Red-headed Barbet.  Then we will check out and head back over the Andes to our next lodge Zaysant where we will arrive in the late afternoon.  Zaysant Ecolodge
 
Oct 19th – Today will be a special day as we will visit the Antisana Reserve.  At this high elevation reserve we will photograph Ecuadorian Hillstar and very likely Andean Condor as well as other scare birds like Black-faced Ibis.  The reserve is good for raptors.  In the afternoon we will return to Zaysant Lodge. 
 
Oct 20th – Transfer to the airport for your return trip home or start the Amazon Extension.

Amazon Extension

The experience of being in the Amazon itself is enchanting! It includes flight to and from Coca, 4 nights lodging at Sani Lodge across the river from Yasuni National Park, this is one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.

COST

$2,995
Photographer

$2,695
Non-Photographer

$400
Single Supplement

Cost includes all lodging, meals, transportation including internal flights, guiding, activities.

2027 costs: $3,095 photographer, $2,795 nonphotographer spouse/companion, $500 single supplement.

Itinerary

Oct 20th – Morning flight from Quito to Coca, Ecuador.  Then we have a 4 hour boat transfer down the Napo River to beautiful Sani Lodge.  We will have an afternoon boat trip on the lagoon here.  Sani Lodge
 
Oct 21st-23rd – We spend 3 full days at this fabulous lodge which is run by the local indigenous community.  Boat trips on the oxbow lakes provide excellent photos of the amazing Hoatzin, several kingfishers and many other birds.  They have a hide in the forest for the fantastic Wire-tailed Manakin and feeders which attract Scarlet-crowned Barbet and Crimson-collared Tanager and Masked Crimson Tanager.  Trips to the canopy tower in a massive Kapok tree add lots of other species including often the Golden-collared Toucanet and Aracaris.  We visit the clay licks at Yasuni National Park which attract Scarlet Macaws, Orange-cheeked Parrots and large numbers of parakeets. The local guides are excellent at spotting roosting owls and it’s a great location for macro photography, there are optional night walks and boat trips.  Sani Lodge
 
Oct 24th – We will transfer back up the river to Coca and fly back to Quito, spending the afternoon at Zaysant Ecolodge, doing a bit of birding or resting in the garden.  Zaysant Ecolodge 
 
Oct 25th – Transfer to the airport for your return flight home.
javier-bio
Javier Zurita | Nature Photographer
Javier Zurita is a full time nature photographer and tour leader from Quito, Ecuador. Javier has been leading tours in Ecuador and Colombia the past several years. He built the excellent photo blinds at Sachatamia Lodge in Ecuador. He is an excellent photographer who is using flash in innovative ways.
jose-bio
Jose Avendaño | Nature Photographer
Jose Avendaño is a full time photography and birding tour leader from Cusco, Peru. In addition to being a very good photographer and excellent birder, Jose is accredited as a cultural guide as well. Jose is known for his excellent sense of humor.

ECUADOR TOUR GALLERY

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