Ecuador Bird Photo Workshops
Experience great photo opportunities with Birds with two Top Notch Photography Leaders.
- Photo Tour | October 7-21, 2025
- Maximum 6 Photographers
- Amazon Extension | October 21-26, 2025
- 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 7-21, 2024 & October 7-21, 2025
- Amazon Extension | October 21-26, 2024 & October 21-26, 2025
- 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
$6,800
Photographer
$5,900
Non-Photographer
$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.
Number of Participants: Maximum of 6 photographers and 10 total participants.
Itinerary
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
A bit of morning bird photography in the garden at Zaysant then transfer to Guango Lodge. Guango is excellent for multi-flash hummingbird photography. Afternoon multi-flash photography. Guango Lodge
We will do a lot of multi-flash photography today. Chestnut-breasted and Buff-tailed Coronets as well as Tourmaline Sunangels are the most common species 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. Guango Lodge
This morning you will have the option of going up to a high altitude location to find the Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe or you can do more hummingbird multi-flash photography at the lodge. We will then check out and head to Rio Quijose Lodge. This is the best location in Ecuador to photograph the amazing Sunbittern. Rio Quijose Lodge
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
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 Sachatamia where we will arrive in the late afternoon. Sachatamia
We will spend the full day at Sachatamia today. There is a morning blind which attracts woodcreepers, trogons 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
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.
We will have another full day at Sachatamia Lodge with the blind, multi-flash photography and photography of birds at the fruit feeders where many tanagers are possible. Sachatamia Lodge
Morning photography at Sachatamia followed by check out and visit Alambi Lodge. There are some different hummers including a couple hermit species at the active feeders there, then we will continue on to our next lodge: Piripe Lodge
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. Piripe Lodge
We will do a bit of photography around the lodge in the morning then transfer to Zuroloma Reserve for multi-flash hummingbird photography. This is the best location for Sword-billed Hummingbird. Other interesting hummers there include Shining Sunbeam and Great Sapphirewing among others. Then we go to our lodge, San Jorge de Quito.
We will visit Zuroloma to photograph three species of Antpitta in the morning, then do multi-flash 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: Zaysant Ecolodge.
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.
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
$2,895
Photographer
$2,595
Non-Photographer
$300
Single Supplement
Cost includes all lodging, meals, transportation including internal flights, guiding, activities.
Itinerary
We fly from Quito, Ecuador to Coca, then have a 4 hour boat ride down the Napo River, one of the Amazon’s large tributaries to Sani Lodge. We spend 4 nights 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.
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