An Andean Cock of the Rock a bird with a tomato chest and head, round black eye with orange circle, and black wings with little white perches by a mossy branch

4-day Cloud Forest Tour

US$505 per person

The 4-day tour at Refugio Paz allows you to fully experience the beauty of birds like the Andean Cock of the Rock, Antpittas, Toucans, Quetzals, and more. Additionally, the surrounding Cloud Forest northwest of Pichincha hosts more than 560 species of birds in total.

Day 1:

  • Check In: You should arrive at  1pm to receive the room, at
  • 2 pm our private guide will be with you to show you as many birds as possible.
  • 2pm – 6pm: We will head to the Gallo de la Peña trail, where we will find tanagers, quetzals, and the most exotic bird of Mindo, the Andean Cock of the Rock. At the lek, the cries and calls of the males attempting to attract their mates will make for an unforgettable afternoon.
  • 6h30pm: At the end of the courtship display, we will head to our restaurant for a traditional, local dinner. Here you will also meet the rest of the Paz family: Angel, Rodrigo, Flore, Diana, and Andy. They are the peopple who will make your stay unforgettable.
 

Day 2:

  • 5h50am: We will be ready for a new adventure, we will make our second observation of De la Peña cockatiels this time in the morning, if you were surprised in the afternoon in the morning you will not believe it, the activity is much more active and 1 to 2 females are possible to observe in the morning, the courtship will last from 6 to 7am after that the cockatiels leave and come back in the afternoon.
  • 7h30am: Once we finish observing the Andean Cock of the Rock, we start looking for Antpittas, one of the most difficult birds in the world to observe. In our reserve there will be the possibility to see 5 different species of Antpittas, 2 of them are endangered Giant Antpitta and Moustached Antpitta.
  • 09h00am: By now, you are surely wondering about breakfast! After observing the antpittas, we will go to the restaurant to enjoy the best breakfast in Ecuador. Just you wait and see! It will includes fruit, bolón de verde (a green plantain dumpling), empanada de viento, and coffee.
  • 11h00am: After breakfast, we will identify tanagers, toucans, 14 species of hummingbirds, and other birds that visit our feeders.
  • 01h30pm: Lunch will be ready. Our chefs Diana and Maria will surprise you with one of our homemade meals.
  • 03h00pm: After lunch, you will have free time until mid-afternoon when your private guide will accompany you to observe fruit-eating birds, guans, and other species living in the cloud forest.
  • 07h00pm After having a list of more than 50 species of birds, we will head to the restaurant for dinner.
  • 08h00pm: When you have finished dinner, Angel Paz, the Antpitta Man, will accompany you to look for owls and frogs, one of the species we will be looking for will be the Colombian Screech-owl.
 

Day 3:

  • 06h30am Our guide will be ready to keep increasing the number of species on your check list, we will start by making a stop to see birds in the butterflies, usually between 10 to 20 different species feeding on insects and butterflies.
  • 08h00am: After seeing several species of birds we will have breakfast and then look for one of the most beautiful and rare species to observe, Ocellated Tapaculo.
  • 09h00am: We will start our adventure, walking 35-40 minutes into the cloud forest where the Ocellated Tapaculo lives. When you lay eyes on this bird, you understand what I am talking about.
  • 01h00pm: After a long walk where we hope to see many other species of birds, we will return for lunch.
  • 01h00pm to 6h30pm: You will have a free afternoon to recharge your energy for our evening hike.
  • 06h30pm: Our guide will take you to the restaurant for dinner.
  • 08h00pm: After having rested in the afternoon, in the evening we will do our second walk to observe owls and frogs.

Day 4:

  • 07h00am This is the last day so we will have an early breakfast to take advantage of the day.
  • 09h00am Our guide will take you on one of our best bird watching hikes where you will also see three beautiful waterfalls. If you like, wear clothes that you can get wet and dive on in!
  • 12h00am Our final farewell lunch will be served and then check out.
  • 01h00pm Check Out
William SharkeyWords cannot properly describe how beautiful this place is
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A highlight of our June 2022 trip - great experience with his family and Angel. Birds and habitat - throw in a fun breakfast and coffee - interrupted by Toucan Barbette visit to the feeders. Plate billed Mountain Toucan seen in the forest along the ant pitta route. Many other highlights. Join me in supporting their Go Fund Me efforts to maintain this great resource.

Live the Choco-Andino

Combine your stay at Refugio Paz de Las Aves with other birding destinations in the Choco-Andino Biosphere or beyond.

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