10 Ecuador Birdwatching Tours to Build a Day Around

1.Full-Day Mindo Cloud Forest Tour Birdwatching Waterfalls and Hike

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 84 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $189Our pick

Spend about 10 hours with guides Kathy or Pato exploring Pululahua, San Tadeo bird feeders, Mindo’s butterfly farm, Nambillo waterfalls, and a chocolate workshop. This private Quito tour includes transport, guides, and entry fees, but not lunch.

“I had an amazing time with Kathy having stimulating conversations and seeing so many colourful birds in one day, including some that are hard to spot. The butterfly farm was cool too, although hummingbirds are definitely my favourites. Lunch was so delicious I polished the plates. Highly recommend the tour and Kathy as your guide”

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2.Papallacta Hot Springs & Guango Birding Reserve Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 70 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $120

Travel privately from Quito to Guango Birding Reserve and Papallacta, with a guide such as Daniel or Christian. Expect hummingbirds, a riverside walk, mountain scenery, and several hours at the thermal pools. Entrance fees, lunch, and optional spa treatments cost extra.

“We had a great time hiking by the river. We saw some beautiful birds. The hotpsrings were very enjoyable to relax in. The view of the mountains and greenery were extra special. You can have lunch there as well. It was a great day! Our guide, Christian, was very friendly and informative. He got us a lot of interesting information and I learned a lot. He answered any extra questions we had as well. It was a great day!”

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3.PRIVATE Mindo Cloud Forest tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 63 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $130

Spend about eight hours exploring Mindo with a private guide and air-conditioned transport from Quito. Choose among waterfalls, butterflies, chocolate, zip lines, coffee, and hummingbird viewing. Guides such as Christian can adjust the day for your pace, interests, and birding goals.

“One should consider there is a lot of driving - 2.5h one direction. Walk in cloud forest is very short, all entrance fees are additional, the bird watching facility for 5 $ is problematic considering animal wellfere as they are feeding the birds and changing their natural behaviour. Zip line was good. In general, our driver was nice, but wouldn't recommend this tour.”

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4.Private Full-Day Mindo Cloud Forest,Butterfly Farm, Chocolate Tour bird watching

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · 9 to 10 hours (approx.) · from $130

Travel from Quito into Mindo’s cloud forest with a private bilingual guide such as Francisco, Marco, Christian, or Daniel. Feed hummingbirds, walk to waterfalls, visit butterflies and Yumbos Chocolate, and stop at the Equator Monument, with time for lunch and optional activities.

“My mom and I had the most fabulous tour of Mindo with our guide Israel! He was absolutely wonderful - everything you'd want in a guide. He was full of incredibly informative information, and he really made the tour fun! I would recommend this tour anytime, especially with Israel!”

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5.Birdwatching Tour in Cajas National Park from Cuenca

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 52 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $99Best value

Start at 6:30 a.m. with a private bilingual birding guide, then explore Cajas at 3,800 meters before descending to Llaviuco Valley. Guides such as Edison Edy tailor the pace to your interests and fitness, with lunch, transport, a bird list, and binoculars available by request.

“Eddy, my guide, was excellent. He lead me to great views of all the specialties of the area and I got great photos of the Ecuadorian Hillstar. I wouldn’t have seen any of it without him”

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6.Guided Birding Photography Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 47 reviews · 4 hours (approx.)

Start at 6:00 am with guide Irman Arias or another local birding specialist, using private transport to reach Mindo’s best viewing spots. Expect about four hours among hummingbirds, toucans, tanagers, parrots, and possible quetzals. Photography help is available, but you may need to handle the camera yourself.

“Excellent morning of birdwatching in the Andean Chocó near Mindo with guide Irman. His knowledge of the birds is truly impressive and his kindness makes all the difference: patient, passionate, and always making sure everyone gets great views. We spotted amazing species like Crested Quetzal, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, and several endemic hummingbirds. Highly recommended — we’ll definitely be back!”

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7.MINDO CLOUD FOREST – Nature & Birds – Personalized Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 46 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $125

Spend about 10 hours traveling from Quito to Mindo with a certified English or Spanish speaking guide. See hummingbirds, hike through the Nambillo Cloud Forest Reserve, ride a tarabita, taste local chocolate, and choose optional activities such as zip-lining or tubing.

“The Mindo Cloud Forest day trip was a really fun day. We were able to focus on our interests -- hummingbirds, butterflies, and hike in the cloud forest. All parts were great! Our guide Diego was informative and personable. Definitely a worthwhile trip from Quito if you are there for a few days. Nice to get out of the city and see some of the countryside of Ecuador. A must do!”

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8.Antisana Volcano Birding & Natural History Condor Tour PRIVATE, all included

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 39 reviews · 8 to 10 hours (approx.) · from $210

Leave Quito at 7:00 a.m. for private wildlife viewing around Antisana Volcano. Your bilingual naturalist guide, such as Santiago or Gabriel, helps spot condors, hummingbirds, hillstars, foxes, deer, and possibly an Andean bear, with lunch at Tambo Condor included.

“The entire outing was memorable. Scenery was great; the wildlife, from hummingbirds to condors, was impressive; and the commentary, informative. All in all, would definitely recommend this to anyone that wants to see and experience a lot in a day, with memories forever.”

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9.Antisana and Condors Watching Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 34 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $149

Leave Quito at 7 a.m. in private transport with a naturalist guide such as Luis, Miriam, or Wilson. Visit Tambo Condor, hike near 4,050-meter Mica Lake, watch for condors and water birds, then eat lunch at a local restaurant with hummingbirds nearby.

“This trip was all that was promised including all four seasons of weather in just a few short hours. Luis possessed many knowledges and answered all our questions about birds, flora, the terrain, the history, and the country. He had a keen eye and could find all kinds of birds hopping among the tall grasses. He also tailored the experience to our prioirities. We were still adjusting to the altitude yet wanted to take the longer moderate hike up the mountain. Luis adjusted the pace of the hike to our needs. We saw beautiful volcanoes, lagoons, and many birds such as rare hummingbirds and condors. Antisana wreathed in ever changing…”

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10.Private Tour to spotting condors at Antisana volcano all included

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 30 reviews · 6 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $158

Leave Quito at 5:30 a.m. with a private bilingual guide such as Wellington or Josue, then search for condors, deer, foxes, and high-Andes birds at Isco and Antisana. Finish at Tambo Condor for lunch at your own cost and close views of hummingbirds at the feeders.

“We had a wonderful day touring the Antisana Ecological Reserve with our guide Wellington (and his sister Miriam). We were picked up at the appointed time in Quito, made a quick stop at a 100 year old bakery in Pintag for a snack, then on to Antisana. Wellington is a good birder who helped us find many target birds for the region like Andean Condor, Ecuadorian Hillstar and Tawny Antpitta. We spent time at Lake Mika (Andean Seagull) and explored many areas. Our final stop was Tambo Condor, an ecolodge restaurant (where we enjoyed lunch) and hummingbird observation area, but the main attraction is the cliffs across the valley where…”

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