Our Eastern Andes tour is a great introduction to birding the mighty Andes of South America. We will be exploring the vast east slope for local specialities and will visit a wide array of fascinating habitats and elevations. Travelling from snow-capped volcanoes down to pristine cloud forests will be not only an incredible experience but will also offer superb birding and scenery every day!
Stunning species that we will be searching for include Andean Condor, Carunculated Caracara, Ecuadorian Hillstar, Giant Hummingbird, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Torrent Duck, Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan, Inca Jay, White-bellied Antpitta, the San Isidro “mystery” Owl, Golden-headed and Crested Quetzals and Masked Trogon, to mention a few! Rare species that we will also be searching for include Andean Ibis, Andean Potoo, Red-rumped Bush Tyrant, Greater Scythebill, Bicolored Antvireo, Peruvian and Crescent-faced Antpittas, White-capped Tanager and Masked Mountain Tanager. A great network of birding reserves, together with good infrastructure, unsurpassable scenery, fine dining, and friendly people make the eastern Andes of Ecuador another key destination on the world birding circuit.
Andean Condor; Carunculated Caracara; Torrent Duck; Black-faced Ibis; Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe; Black-winged Ground Dove; Ecuadorian Hillstar; Giant & Sword-billed Hummingbirds; Viridian Metaltail; Long-tailed Sylph; Tourmaline Sunangel; Chestnut-breasted Coronet; White-bellied Woodstar; Glowing Puffleg; Black-tailed Trainbearer; Rainbow-bearded & Blue-mantled Thornbills; San Isidro “mystery” Owl; Rufous-bellied Nighthawk; Andean Potoo; White-capped Parrot; Grey-breasted & Black-billed Mountain Toucans; Masked Trogon; Golden-headed & Crested Quetzals; Crimson-mantled Woodpecker; Long-tailed & Paramo Tapaculos; Tawny, White-bellied, Peruvian, Slaty-crowned & Crescent-faced Antpittas; Andean Tit-Spinetail; Stout-billed & Bar-winged Cinclodes; Many-striped Canastero; Pearled Treerunner; Greater Scythebill; Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant; Red-rumped Bush Tyrant; Agile Tit-Tyrant; Handsome Flycatcher; Inca Jay; Black-billed Peppershrike; Black-eared Hemispingus; Black-backed Bush Tanager; Buff-breasted, Masked, Blue-winged and Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanagers; Saffron-crowned, Beryl-spangled, Flame-faced, Black-capped, Grass-green, Golden-crowned & White-capped Tanagers; Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia; Bluish Flowerpiercer; Golden-collared Honeycreeper; Pale-naped Brushfinch; Subtropical Cacique.
White-tailed Deer; Andean Fox; Mountain Tapir (rare); Spectacled Bear (rare)
paramo grasslands and highland lakes, temperate tree line forest & polylepis, temperate cloud-forest, upper and lower subtropical cloud-forest
chilly at high elevations but pleasant in the subtropics
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader & local birding leader
easy to moderate pace
comfortable lodges
easy birding with some tricky skulkers
200 - 250
excellent, especially at Antisana, San Isidro and Guango
Our tour of the Choco cloud forest and the Eastern Andes paramo and cloud forest was superb. Our guide Dušan Brinkhuizen was amazing in his ability to find birds; he clearly has supernatural hearing and eyesight! He also was superb at making sure that everyone saw the birds. He truly worried about his clients and listened to their requests as to birds, landscapes and need for sleep. We saw spectacular landscapes far off the beaten path and got very good looks at birds in all habitats. An additional plus was our driver Dario who kept us safe on marginal roads. We look forward to our next Rockjumper trip.
We were so fortunate to be able to experience the top notch birding skills of Dušan. He is very professional but also so personable. It is a tricky thing to manage many different personalities and keep everyone happy but Dusan made our trip so enjoyable.
We really enjoyed the tour and being with Dušan again, as we were in Argentina with him in July of this past year. He was one of the good reasons for taking this tour. He is a great guide and fun to be with.
The birding was the point and our guide Dusan Brinkhuizen was and is one of the best birds guides we have ever met. Dusan has really amazing people and leadership skills. We had three very sick people on the tour and Dusan managed this and the tour very well. I personally lost a day and a half to illness and Dusan kept me appraised and part of the team as we went.
The tour was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Dušan Brinkhuizen is an excellent guide, a superb birder whose enthusiasm is infectious. We had members of our group with differing levels of birding skills, fitness and expectations. Dušan showed a high level of professionalism and went out of his way to meet everyone's expectations of the trip.
07 Nov 2023 - 13 Nov 2023 (7 days)
USD2,595 - No Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Carlos Sanchez
Tour price (Per person): USD2,595 * GBP2,135 * EUR2,455 * AUD4,067
Single Supplement: USD250 * GBP206 * EUR237 * AUD392
18 Feb 2024 - 24 Feb 2024 (7 days)
USD2,895 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Tuomas Seimola
Tour price (Per person): USD2,895 * GBP2,382 * EUR2,739 * AUD4,537
Single Supplement: USD300 * GBP247 * EUR284 * AUD470
06 Nov 2024 - 12 Nov 2024 (7 days)
USD2,895 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Robert Wilcox
Tour price (Per person): USD2,895 * GBP2,382 * EUR2,739 * AUD4,537
Single Supplement: USD300 * GBP247 * EUR284 * AUD470
16 Feb 2025 - 22 Feb 2025 (7 days)
USD4,000 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: James Lee
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): USD4,000 * GBP3,291 * EUR3,785 * AUD6,268
05 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025 (7 days)
USD4,000 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Adam Walleyn
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): USD4,000 * GBP3,291 * EUR3,785 * AUD6,268