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Ecuador

Birding in the Ecuadorian Andes

Program No. 21607RJ
Go off the beaten path to explore the pristine environments of the Ecuadorian Andes, where you’ll join experts to spot a wealth of rare birds, including the stunning Cock-of-the-Rock!

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DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Sep 23 - Oct 3, 2023
Starting at
3,349
Oct 21 - Oct 31, 2023
Starting at
3,349
Nov 2 - Nov 12, 2023
Starting at
3,349
Dec 8 - Dec 18, 2023
Starting at
3,349
Jan 11 - Jan 21, 2024
Starting at
3,449
Jan 25 - Feb 4, 2024
Starting at
3,449
Feb 15 - Feb 25, 2024
Starting at
3,449
Feb 20 - Mar 1, 2024
Starting at
3,449
Mar 7 - Mar 17, 2024
Starting at
3,449
Apr 4 - Apr 14, 2024
Starting at
3,449
Sep 12 - Sep 22, 2024
Starting at
3,449
Oct 17 - Oct 27, 2024
Starting at
3,449
Nov 1 - Nov 11, 2024
Starting at
3,449
Nov 7 - Nov 17, 2024
Starting at
3,449
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Sep 23 - Oct 3, 2023
Starting at
3,879
Oct 21 - Oct 31, 2023
Starting at
3,879
Nov 2 - Nov 12, 2023
Starting at
3,879
Filling Fast!
Dec 8 - Dec 18, 2023
Starting at
3,879
Jan 11 - Jan 21, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Jan 25 - Feb 4, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Feb 15 - Feb 25, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Feb 20 - Mar 1, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Filling Fast!
Mar 7 - Mar 17, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Apr 4 - Apr 14, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Sep 12 - Sep 22, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Oct 17 - Oct 27, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Nov 1 - Nov 11, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Filling Fast!
Nov 7 - Nov 17, 2024
Starting at
3,989

At a Glance

Journey to one of the greatest birding locales in the world — the Ecuadorian Andes. Join ornithologists and local experts to explore avian-rich national parks, private reserves and protected areas in search of unique highland species. Highlights include the brilliantly-colored Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, as well as antpittas, unique hummingbirds and tanagers.
Activity Level
Outdoor: Spirited
Walking up to three hours daily on irregular forest trails in varying weather conditions. Daily early morning birding activities and standing for long periods. Elevations up to 12,800 ft.
Micro Group
Micro Group
These adventures feature our smallest group size, with 12 participants or fewer.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • View an amazing variety of bird species across Ecuador’s different climatic zones and altitude ranges.
  • Enjoy lectures by experts who are part of the Ecuadorian Association of Ornithology, Aves & Conservacion and the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation.
  • Meet with members of local bird-watching clubs to learn how they are preserving the birding habitats.

General Notes

All Road Scholar birding programs have a maximum participant-to-instructor ratio of 14:1 in the field. We adhere to the American Birding Association’s Code of Ethics. Learn more at http://www.aba.org/about/ethics.html
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Birds of Northern South America, Vol. 1: Identification, Distribution and taxonomy
by Robin Restall, Miguel Lentino
The hefty companion volume, with detailed species accounts, covers 2,308 species of birds found from Ecuador to French Guiana.
Banana, The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World
by Dan Koeppel
Koeppel traces the history, natural and otherwise, politics and precarious current status of modern monoculture, touching down in India (world center of banana diversity), Ecuador (world's largest producer) and Central America.
Birds of Ecuador, A Field Guide
by Paul Greenfield, Robert Ridgely
A comprehensive, gorgeous and exhaustively researched field guide to the birds of Ecuador (and adjacent countries), featuring 96 color plates. It's also the best bird guide for travelers in the Peruvian Amazon.
The Andes
by Jason Wilson
Starting out in Cuzco, heart of the Inca Empire, Wilson spreads north and south along the Andes, including excerpts from South American literary giants, travelers and his own impressions.
Culture Smart! Ecuador
by Russell Maddicks
A concise and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture with a short overview of the land and people along with practical travel advice.
The Birds of Ecuador, Vol. I and II
by Robert Ridgely, Paul Greenfield
Two-volume set with slipcase.
Volcanoes, Fire from the Earth
by Maurice Krafft
By the great French volcanologist (who died on the job on Mount Unzen in Japan in 1992), this pocket guide features hundreds of full-color paintings and traces the study of volcanoes from early myth and legend to modern science.
Ecuador Reader, History, Culture, Politics
by Carlos De La Torre (Editor), Steve Striffler (Editor)
A portrait of a nation. This lively sourcebook gathers selections from long out-of-print travel accounts, articles, interviews, poems, literary excerpts (and even a recipe) to document the vitality and diversity of modern Ecuador.
Birds of Northern South America, Vol. 2: Field Guide
by Robin Restall, Clemencia Rodner, Roger Williams
This comprehensive field guide, featuring an astounding 6400 paintings and 2308 maps, covers all the birds from Ecuador to Guiana.
Through the Eyes of the Condor, An Aerial Vision of Latin America
by Robert B. Haas
This collection of stunning, oversized photographs, taken from above, shows the jungles and favellas, the reefs and ruins, wildlife and diverse landscapes of Latin America.
Portrait of a Nation, Culture and Progress in Ecuador
by Osvaldo Hurtado
President of Ecuador from 1981 to 1984, Hurtado writes of cultural values and obstacles to change. A main one, he writes, is that beliefs and cultural attitudes in the country impede economic success.
Forgotten Continent
by Michael Reid
Economist editor Reid draws on his years in the cities, presidential palaces and shantytowns of Central and South America in this portrait of a region rich in oil, farmland and culture, with consideration on its prospects in the face of globalization.
Woven Stories, Andean Textiles and Rituals
by Andrea Heckman
This illustrated survey focuses on Quechua textiles, traditions, designs and daily life in the Andes, specifically in the high country surrounding Ausangate, 85 miles southeast of Cuzco.
Ecuador Map
by Berndtson & Berndtson
A laminated map of Ecuador at a scale of 1:1,000,000, with detailed insets of Quito, Guayaquil, Galapagos and the Ecuadorian Amazon on the reverse.
Ecuador, A Travel Journal
by Henri Michaux, Robin Magowan (Translator)
A brief, querulous and entirely wonderful narrative of the modernist painter Michaux's travels with the poet Gangotena, strong on color and personality. Its many pleasures include an unbeatable description of Quito's accursed mountain weather.
Fire from the Andes, Short Fiction by Women from Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru
by Susan E. Benner (Editor)
Mostly personal, many of the contemporary stories revolve around peasants, the urban poor and other marginalized members of the Andes society.
Lonely Planet Latin American Spanish Phrasebook
by Lonely Planet Publications
A handy Spanish phrasebook, with a short two-way dictionary.
Living Poor
by Moritz Thomsen
Moritz's heartfelt account of his small triumphs and tragedies as a Peace Corps volunteer in a village on the Ecuadorian coast is a classic.
The History of Ecuador
by George Lauderbaugh
this compact book includes chapters on Ecuador today, Ecuador's indigenous and colonial past, the oil boom and other events.
Rough Guide Ecuador
by Harry Ades, Melissa Graham
A compact comprehensive guide to travel in Ecuador, including Quito, the Oriente and Galapagos with extensive listings, dozens of sketch maps, and a brief overview of culture, nature and history.





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.