Ecuador & The Amazon
7-Day Ecuador/Amazon
Bird, Wildlife & Nature Photography Expedition
Travel deep into the Amazonian rainforest of Ecuador to experience unparalleled species diversity, unique wildlife, and stunning habitats.
Flying from Quito to our river launch point, we then travel to a luxurious jungle lodge amidst the species-rich primary rainforest on the Napo River in the Amazon Basin of eastern Ecuador. We visit Yasuní National Park, an area of extreme biodiversity, and a cultural site of the Huaorani Amer-indians. Local native guides enhance the knowledge base, while gourmet meals prepared by seasoned chefs add comfort and luxury to this trip.
Photography instruction is given in-field, with Amazonian birds and animals in our viewfinders. Nightly photo-critique sessions analyze how well we applied the photographic theories learned earlier in the day from our personalized custom photography curriculum.
Daily easy trail hikes, visits to an extraordinary 200' high Rainforest Canopy Walk, a 135' Kapok Tree Tower, a Butterfly House, Parrot Nutrient Licks, and stable dugout canoe excursions make up the core of our trip.
Numerous species of monkeys (8 species are possible), forest animals (60 species of mammals/50 of bats), colorful birds (587 species in a 2-mile radius!), and reptiles are our photographic target species.
Join us to explore the mysterious wonders of the Amazon, while experiencing incredible biodiversity and stunning birds and wildlife.
Itinerary
7-Day Ecuador & The Amazon
Bird, Wildlife & Nature Photography Expedition
Day 1
Meet guides at Quito, Ecuador Airport (UIO). Transport to Hotel. Dinner in "zona touristica." Hotel accommodations.
Day 2
Early morning breakfast at hotel, return to airport for flight into the Amazon basin, Arrive San Francisco de Orellana, Lunch. Early afternoon departure by river boat to Lodge location near Napo River. Short walk and dugout canoe ride to lodge. Greetings by lodge staff and check-in at lodge cabins. Afternoon short jungle walk. Return to camp for chef-prepared gourmet dinner in dining room. Luxury jungle cabin accommodations.
Day 3
Early morning guided walk to Rainforest Tree Canopy Walk. Extraordinary bird watching opportunites from 200' up in the tree canopy and the chance to follow along with troops of monkeys as they forage through the forest canopy. Return to camp late morning for lunch. Short siesta. Afternoon jungle walk, Dinner at camp dining room. Evening photo critique/intruction session. Luxury jungle cabin accommodations.
Day 4
Dugout canoe ride through local "yacus" (jungle streams) in search of monkeys, macaws, and caiman. Return to camp late morning for lunch. Short siesta. Afternoon photo critique/intruction session.
Late afternoon jungle walk to Kapok Tree tower (135' tall), Dinner at camp dining room. Evening jungle walk to explore nocturnal organisms and nocturnal photography.
Luxury jungle cabin accommodations.
Day 5, 6 & 7
A mix of early morning jungle walks, travel to Parrot nutrient licks along river within Yasuní National Park (additional small entrance fee), explore the Butterfly House (40 local species being bred), dugout canoe paddling on lake, Piraña fishing, Relaxing in jungle bar, Visits to Kapok Tree Tower or The Canopy Walk (940' long.) Return to camp for lunch, Early afternoon photography instruction/critique sessions, Camp for late dinner. Day 7 Depart lodge after lunch for return flight to Quito. End Expedition.