Day One

Looking down on Panama

We departed Charleston, South Carolina on a 6AM flight to Miami. We grabbed a quick breakfast and waited for our next flight to Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. We passed our time reading, watching movies, sleeping, and looking out the window. In total the flight from Miami to Quito was between 3 and a half to 4 hours.

Our first look at Ecuador was magnificent. The mountains and valleys were unlike anything we had ever seen before. The way the valleys cut into the land was phenomenal. Suburbs were perched on the edge of cliffs.

Our first look at Ecuador, South America

Finally, we touched down in South America. The Quito airport was very easy to navigate. Customs and immigration took about two minutes. We exited the airport and found the rental car counter to the left of customs. Come to find out, many cars in Ecuador are manual transmission. We had to wait around two hours for an automatic car since they were few and far between. Once we got the car, we were on the road to Refugio Paz De Las Aves.

We hit Quito around rush hour but easily navigated the traffic. Route 28 leaving Quito and heading towards the beach was a very wide and well paved road. We navigated the road while taking in the views with no issues.

Finally we found the sign for Paz and ascended a very steep and very bumpy dirt road. The sunset was stunning. We stopped on the side of the road and took photos of our first sunset in South America. We were greeted by the Paz family at their house upon our arrival. The day was wrapped up with dinner and an early bedtime. (Note that even though Ecuador is on the Equator, the mountains are cold at night. Please pack accordingly, as we did not.I took a cold water shower and spent the night shivering because I did not have warm clothes.)

Our first sunset in South America - it was one for the books!

Day Two

We began the day around 5:50 am on a guided tour to see the Cock-of-the-rock bird. Our guide, Angel Paz, kept us moving. We were running late. We found another group of birders along the road and invited them to join us. We parked on the side of the road and hiked down a short trail to the Lek, where the Cock-of-the-rock performs a territorial display. We expected to see one Cock-of-the-rock, however there were three at the lek. These birds are very difficult to photograph as they are in the forest and you cannot use flash.They move often and hide behind leaves under the dark canopy.

Right beside the lek, Angel Paz used his famous voice vocalizations to call a very rare wood quail. The quail popped up out of the woods and ate worms. Angel took my phone and got an amazing photo of the mysterious wood quail.

The mysterious Wood Quail

A few people joined us as we walked up to the road where the cars were parked. Angel proceeded to see numerous quetzals and many other species of birds. We spent around 45 minutes observing numerous species of birds.

Finally it was time to see the famous Antpitta. We walked down a road and Angel called for Maria, the resident Giant Antpitta. She came to the lek with a juvenile Antpitta. Her and the juvenile fought over the food and Maria won. She proceeded to feast on worms before disappearing as quickly as she had appeared.

We left and stopped again to see another Antpitta on the side of the road. This Antpitta took a few minutes to arrive, as it was foraging in the forest. We photographed the bird and drove back to the lodge. At the lodge, we took a short walk and proceeded to see three other species of antpittas before breakfast. Antpittas are elusive and near impossible birds to see. The Paz family has formed a special bond with their Antpittas, so a spotting is almost guaranteed.

The Paz family road

Photographing the rare Giant Antpitta

On the way to breakfast with the Paz family, a guide spotted a common Potoo in a pasture several hundred meters away. We approached the Potoo on foot and were able to get impressive views.

We went and ate breakfast then proceeded to take photos of birds on feeders eating bananas. Next thing we know, Angel approached us about a very exclusive walk. This hike is only for people staying at the lodge. We were intrigued and agreed.

We hopped into Angel’s pick-up truck and proceeded to drive through many cow pastures up a very windy and overgrown dirt road. Finally we arrived at the trailhead, which is a fenced cow pasture on the side of the mountain. This was deemed the trailhead because we could not drive any further down the path.

The views on the hike were absolutely stunning. We were on the side of a mountain hiking through cow pastures overlooking a valley. We looked in awe down at clouds passing through the valley below.. We walked through grass over six feet tall and finally arrived in the forest. Angel used only a specific whistle to call for the Ocellated Tapaculo and it appeared. These birds are very hard to see as they salvage in the undergrowth of dense vegetation. After we spent a few minutes photographing the bird, it left and we departed the way we had arrived.

Overlooking the valley

Hiking along a cow path

Some resident cows in the pasture

We went to lunch and ate quickly then went back to our lodge and photographed hummingbirds and feeder birds.

Around 4 pm we hiked down to a different spot for a chance to view the cock-of-the-rock bird again. This time there were 6 birds in the jungle. They were magnificent. We spent all evening photographing these birds with Angel and another family member.

After dinner we went on a night hike to see a Rufescent Screech Owl. We hiked down the mountain in near darkness, with our flashlights off, so we would not scare the bird. We would stop occasionally to see the odd insect. Angel used his famous bird call and was able to locate the owl. We spent a few minutes viewing the owl before hiking back up the mountain.

Small lizard on the night hike

Day 3

Our final morning at Paz was spent walking to try and see a different giant antpitta. We tried for around 30 minutes but the antpitta never appeared. Angel said that maybe the antpitta doesn’t work on Sundays.

The rest of the morning was spent photographing hummingbirds. I used my Iphone to take close up videos of the birds. We removed the hummingbird feeders and sprayed the flowers with sugar water to attract them,

The hummingbirds were desperate for food once the feeders were removed. So desperate that one flew in front of my face and licked inside my nose. Gareth had one lick inside his ear and landed on his head. We got some amazing shots, as the birds were very cooperative once the hummingbird feeders were gone.

We departed Paz and drove closer to Mindo. We attempted to visit Birder’s House. We drove around 30 minutes up a windy dirt road, only to be disappointed in learning that they only accept cash for the entry fee. This is where we learned that cash is king outside of the city.

We drove to downtown Mindo, ate lunch, and restocked on essentials (warmer clothes). We walked and explored the small town. Mindo is a gorgeous town on a beautiful river. The town was welcoming and there were many day-tripping Ecuadorians. Mindo only has one ATM, and it does not accept international cards. We learned that cash is necessary and hard to acquire.

The colorful sign for downtown Mindo - every town had a colorful sign of the town name

Our lunch views - overlooking a small river cutting through downtown Mindo

We continued on our way to San Jorge Ecolodge Milpe and arrived just before dark. We ate dinner, and found a giant snail on our way back.

Giant snail

The snail was almost as big as my foot!

Day 4

We woke up around 5:30am and met at our breakfast location. We grabbed a quick snack and went on a morning hike to a bird blind. This bird blind was different than the other blinds, however. It has a light in front that turns on at night to attract moths. The moths come to the light in the dark forest and swarm. In the morning, the birds arrive to eat the moths that have swarmed. We saw many species of birds darting from the undergrowth to eat the moths. We spent a few hours here before departing for breakfast.

The light bird feeder - taken from a blind

We attempted to upload photos while we ate. However, our primary computer screen died so we were unable to use that computer. Our back up computer did not work either because we had the incorrect USB cord. We were able to manually transfer the photos on wifi via Bluetooth to our Iphones. However we still needed a computer, as we would be spending 5 days in the Amazon rainforest without internet.

Our guide, Jordan, knew exactly where to take us. We all hopped in the car and drove to Los Bancos, about a 15 minute drive from Milpe. Los Bancos was a bustling town with many shops. We quickly located the store with computers. They did not just have one option, they had three options (we are far from the capital so we did not expect to find any computers). We downloaded photos in the store to make sure the computer would work and bought it.

*We did not know you needed a local address or social number to use a credit or debit card in Ecuador. Thankfully Jordan was willing to provide his address and personal identification number so we could buy the laptop.*

We walked to the local bank, Banco Pinchincha, and could finally withdraw precious cash after attempting three ATM’s that barred our international card. Next we walked to another store and purchased beer, wine, Ecuadorian rum, and some chocolate. The Ecuadorian supermarkets give you a scratch ticket for a gift when you make a purchase. This is something new to us, as US stores do not do this. It is a thank you for shopping at their store. We won tupperware and gave it to Jordan’s mom.

We drove back to Milpe and ate lunch. After lunch we decided to take a very long hike to six waterfalls. Along the way we spotted many birds, fer-de-lance snake skin, frogs, and snakes. We took our time walking and stopped often to view birds and take photos at the waterfalls. Milpe is at a lower altitude, so there are mosquitoes. Bring bug spray! (Milpe sits between 2,000-3,000 feet above sea level.)

Hiking with all the gear!

Waterfalls on waterfalls!

So tempting to jump in

The cliff lodger overlooking the valley

We spotted an Aplomado Falcon during our ascent back to the lodge. This is the first time the Falcon has been spotted at Milpe, so it was a very rare sighting. We continued back to the lodge and arrived right before dark.

Day 5

We woke up around 5 am for a 5:30 am hike. It rained all night and continued into the morning. We put on our rain boots and ponchos and proceeded to hike to a blind in the forest. Along the way we saw a false coral snake. We watched birds for around two hours and saw many new species. On our hike back to the lodge we saw quetzals and falcons.

The clouds cutting through the valley

We ate breakfast and spent the rest of the morning around the lodge. We photographed hummingbirds, Aracaris, Toucans, and Motmots. The rain stopped mid-Morning. We took this down time to upload photos and catch up on social media.

After lunch we went on a hike to the Cliff Lodge. We spent time here photographing quail and watching the clouds pass by in the valley.

After dinner we went on a night hike. Jordan noticed some fallen trees in our path and ran to get a machete. He chopped them down in front of us to continue our night hike. This was probably one of the hardest hikes we did during our trip to Ecuador. We descended a mountain on a dirt and muddy path towards a river bed. We found many tarantulas along the way. One accidentally got stuck on a stick and almost landed on me. We found many many frogs as well. The night hike lasted around 4 hours. We had to ascend the mountain, which was equally as difficult.

Day 6

We woke up early and decided to hike to the main river. This was a long trek past waterfalls and down the mountain. At one point we were mountain climbing.

We did not find many birds but did find a few butterflies and frogs. We spent some time sitting by the river before our trek up the mountain.

The main river during the dry season

The biggest waterfall we saw during our time at Milpe

We departed Milpe and headed for Tandayapa. There was a minor set back of our keys being locked in the car. This took a few hours to resolve. Eventually our rental car company called some amigos and they rolled up in a taxi. One of them put a rag against the car and wedged a screwdriver between the car door and the frame. The other one took a curved clothes hanger and flipped the lock unlocked. This took all of 30 seconds. I am convinced that was not their first time.

We made it to Tandayapa before nightfall after driving up a steep dirt road. We watched the sunset overlooking the very steep Andean mountains. Wilson, our host, and his wife Jessica taught us Kichwa and talked about how they were from the Amazon.

Driving in Ecuador is always crazy

The view from our room at Tandayapa

Gorgeous door designs

Day 7

Breakfast!

We woke up and took an initial hike around the reserve. We hiked up the hill overlooking the valleys. We found a few cock-of-the-rock birds and watched them for around 45 mins. We did not get an opportunity to photograph them because they were deep in the forest.

Hiking the Andes at Tandayapa

Photographing feeder birds from the balcony

Hiking the Andes at Tandayapa

The Andes mountains

Overlooking the Andes

After the hike we sat around the lodge for a while watching feeder birds and hummingbirds.

After lunch we walked down to the main road, along the road and through the main gate. We hiked up the lodge’s private road, which was not as steep as we initially thought. We stopped at two ponds along the way to look for frogs. We also enjoyed scenic views.

Birdwatching on the narrow road

A small pond along the side of the road

Day 8

We woke up early to watch the birds at the light feeder. We ate breakfast. Shortly after we decided to ascend the mountain. We gathered our stuff and proceeded to climb for around an hour from 5,500 feet to 6,500 feet. We had a decision to make at the top of the mountain. We could either turn around or hike to a stream. We decided to hike down the other side of the mountain to the lost stream. The hike was strenuous so we rested at the bottom of the stream on a bench for a while.

We climbed back up the mountain and took a long rest overlooking the valley where our lodge was. Gareth, Wilson, and I shared a small pack of trail mix and Wilson chugged a coca-cola. We then descended the mountain and ate lunch.

Evening fog rolling in

We spent the afternoon resting and photographing birds. I took a nap. After a while we went on a short hike to see if there were any birds on the light feeder. There weren’t any birds.

Day 9

We woke up, went to the light feeder and ate breakfast and left Tandayapa. The drive back to Quito was easy. We decided to visit Mitad Del Mundo, a monument and park along the equator at Latitude 00’00’00. We had some difficulty parking. We found a public parking lot after accidentally driving the car into a ditch. The entrance fee was $5 pp. We saw the Ecuadorian Cuy (giant guinea pigs) roasting over a fire as soon as we walked in. There were a ton of stores and shops with arts and crafts. We browsed and looked over souvenirs.

Ecuadorian Cuy

We made it to the equator and took some time to take photos. We walked into a museum that showcased the different regions of the country, history, and indigenous cultures. The museum was built in the shape of a tower. We climbed to the top and looked down at the middle of the world village and took some more photos.

Middle of the World

Standing on the equator

The view from the top of the monument

Lattitude 00’00’00

We gathered our souvenirs and left, as we were eager to get back to our car. We continued on toward San Jorge Quito. Our GPS directed us up a dirt road. This was not just any dirt road. This road was at least at a 80 degree incline with pot holes around two feet deep. We attempted to drive up the road, however our car bottomed out and stalled. We then had to back down the road without hitting any feral dogs. We bottomed out in a few pot holes. We were afraid the car would flip.

Overlooking downtown Quito almost two miles above sea level

Eventually our Google Maps directed us down the bus route to the lodge. The town surrounding the lodge seemed to be very poor. We arrived at the lodge, ate lunch, and spent the afternoon looking at hummingbirds. We were searching for the Train Bearer and Sword-Billed hummingbird. We saw a few of them but they were hard to photograph. We attempted to see an Ant Bird a few times as well, however the bird never appeared.

The evening was very cold at an altitude of 10,500 feet. There was a fireplace in our room. The staff at the lodge lit a fire for us. We spent the evening editing photos, communicating with family, and resting.

Photographing hummingbirds

Day 10

We woke up early to see the Ant Bird. We walked around and did not see it, as it had left to go into the forest for the day. We ate breakfast before a large party arrived. After breakfast we spent time in the Hummingbird circle looking at the birds. The sun was very hot despite the air being cooler and we got a little sunburned.

Around lunch we departed San Jorge Quito. We resupplied at a large supermarket. We checked into Hilton Colon and returned our rental car at the airport. We got a taxi to take us an hour back to downtown Quito to the colonial district.

We found a restaurant overlooking Plaza Grande, ate and drank wine. We spent the remainder of the evening exploring the historical district. It was quite busy while Sunday evening service was happening. We sat for a few minutes in each Catholic Service, despite it being in Spanish. The churches were beyond beautiful with gold interworks and a heavy Spanish influence. We returned to our hotel, ate at their restaurant, and went to bed early in preparation for our long journey the next day.