Many folks arriving on their own to Cabañas San Isidro can find it helpful to hire a generalist or specialized birding guide for a more enriching and complete experience.

BIRDECUADOR has many years of experience and works with the most experienced guides and drivers in Ecuador. Setting up and running high quality birding and general interest tours to Cabañas San Isidro lodges, as well as many other popular and off-the-beaten-track destinations in Ecuador, is San Isidro forte. If you have the Galapagos Islands in your sights, contact us for reasonable rates on a variety of well-run and comfortable vessels.

San Isidro Lodge can help you to create any combination of destinations throughout Ecuador for your personalized trip.

San Isidro has designed and suggests the itineraries below for a well-rounded visit to some of the favorite spots chock-full of birds and other natural wonders within easy reach of the capital city, Quito.

Please contact Cabañas San Isidro directly for more information about these and other trips.

Cabañas San Isidro & Guango Lodge: Birds of the High Paramo and Lush Cloud Forests of Ecuador 's East Slope.

A week long emersion into the heart of the richest and most accessible highland Andean cloud forest habitats on Ecuador 's NE slope, which form the upper headwaters of the Napo River.

For those with less time on their hands, this itinerary is the perfect way to dive right into a fabulous and diverse avifauna while based at two comfortable lodges in the subtropical (San Isidro) and temperate (Guango) zones.

Cabañas San Isidro and Guango Lodge also offer the best access to nearby birding in the higher paramo and lower foothill zones, and can easily be worked as day and half-day trips.

Day 1 - Quito to Guango Lodge.
Day 2 - Guango Lodge and vicinity.
Day 3 - To Cabañas San Isidro .
Days 4, 5 & 6 - Cabañas San Isidro .
Day 7 - Return to Quito .

Cabañas San Isidro, Guango Lodge & Tandayapa Lodge: Birding in the Andes (at its best) along a transect of the fabled 'Highway of the Volcanoes'.

The ideal cross-section of habitats for birds seeking a fine and vast selection of birds occurring on both the west and east slopes. No ten day trip has such potential for mind-boggling numbers and quality views of hummingbirds, tanagers and other Andean highlights.

Day 1 - To Tandayapa Lodge.
Day 2 - Full day birding the Tandayapa area.
Day 3 - Full day exploring the slopes of the west slope based out of Tandayapa Lodge.
Day 4 - Return to Quito .
Day 5 - To Guango Lodge.
Day 6 - To Cabañas San Isidro .
Day 7, 8 & 9 - Three full days to bird the Cabañas San Isidro and nearby areas.
Day 10 - Return to Quito .

Cabañas San Isidro , Guango Lodge & Sacha Lodge: Mountain Peaked Highlands, Cloud Forest-Blanketed Hills and Vast Amazonian Lowlands .

From seedsnipes to tanagers, sensational birding awaits on Ecuador 's NE slope & down into the Amazonian Lowlands while following in the footsteps of Spanish conquistador, Francisco Orellana.

This impressive trek follows the same route that Orellana took 400 years ago, when he made his way to Ecuador's Amazon from Quito. Although the spectacular birds and their pristine habitat are still there, Orellana's arduous route through the jungle has been eased significantly by paved roads that stretch all the way to Coca. From here a motorized canoe ride whisks visitors up the impressive Napo River and into the dense forest lowlands of the Amazon. If only Orellana's journey had been this comfortable!

Day 1 - Quito to Guango Lodge.
Day 2 - To Cabañas San Isidro .
Days 3, 4 & 5 - Three full days to bird the Cabañas San Isidro and nearby areas.
Day 6 - To Coca.
Days 7, 8 & 9 - Three full days at Sacha Lodge.
Day 10 - Return to Quito .

New Tours:

EAST SLOPE BIRDING TOUR:

Day 1: Quito
Day 2 & 3: Antisana & Guango
Day 4 to 7: San Isidro
Day 8 & 9: Wildsumaco
Day 10 to 13: Lowland lodge (Sacha, La Selva, Napo Wildlife Center, Sani or Tapir Lodge)
Day 14: Quito

WEST SLOPE BIRDING TOUR:

Day 1: Quito
Day 2: Yanacocha - Verdecocha
Day 3, 4, 5, 6: Las Gralarias or El Monte in Mindo
Day 7, 8, 9: Canande
Day 10: Quito

SOUTHEAST ECUADOR BIRDING TOUR:

Day 1: Quito
Day 2: Early flight to Loja and bird/drive to Tapichalaca.
Day 3: Morning visit to the Jocotoco Antpitta feeder. Rest of the day birding at Tapichalaca.
Day 4: All day birding at Tapichalaca.
Day 5: Bird/drive to Zamora. Night Copalinga.
Day 6: All day birding at Copalinga and the Bombuscaro sector of the Podocarpus National Park. Night Copalinga.
Day 7: All day birding at Copalinga and the Bombuscaro sector of the Podocarpus National Park. Night Copalinga.
Day 8: Bird/drive to Yunguilla. Night Yunguilla.
Day 9: Morning visit to Yunguilla Reserve, afternoon drive to Cuenca. Night Cuenca.
Day 10: Morning birding at El Cajas National Park, afternoon flight back to Quito. Night Quito.

SOUTHWEST ECUADOR BIRDING TOUR:

Day 1: Guayaquil
Day 2: 7:00 am pick up and drive to Buenaventura Reserve. Night Umbrella Bird Lodge.
Day 3: All day birding at Buenaventura. Night Umbrella Bird Lodge.
Day 4: All day birding at Buenaventura. Night Umbrella Bird Lodge.
Day 5: Bird/drive to Macara. Night Jorupe (Urraca Lodge).
Day 6: All day birding at Jorupe. Night Jorupe (Urraca Lodge).
Day 7: All day Jorupe/Zapotillo. Night Jorupe (Urraca Lodge).
Day 8: Drive to Loja, birding on the way in Sozoranga, Utuana and Catamayo. Night in Loja.
Day 9: Drive from Loja to Guayaquil birding on the way. Night Guayaquil.
Day 10: All day birding Cerro Blanco and Puerto Hondo. Night Salinas.
Day 11: All day birding in the area, back in the afternoon to Guayaquil. Night Guayaquil.

CULTURAL / NATURAL TOURS:

QUITO - OTAVALO - RIOBAMBA - CUENCA (Quotes available for luxury and budget trips)

Day 1: Arrival in Quito
Day 2: City tour in the Old town. Visit to Equatorial Monument. Night Otavalo.
Day 3: Visit the Otavalo Market, indigenous art gallery, wool loom, medicinal herb doctor and Peguche Waterfalls. Night Otavalo.
Day 4: Morning visit to Cuicocha, afternoon drive to Cotopaxi. Night Cotopaxi.
Day 5: Visit to Parque Nacional Cotopaxi. Night Cotopaxi.
Day 6: Scenic drive to Riobamba. Night Riobamba.
Day 7: Train to Nariz del Diablo and Alausi. Pick up and visit Ingapirca on the way to Cuenca. Night Cuenca.
Day 8: Cuenca city tour and visit to panama hat factory. Afternoon flight back to Quito. Night Quito.

QUITO - QUILOTOA - COTOPAXI - BAÑOS - RIOBAMBA - CUENCA (Quotes available for luxury and budget trips)

Day 1: Quito
Day 2: Drive to Quilotoa Lake. Night Chugchilan.
Day 3: Quilotoa loop (Chugchilan - Sigchos - Lasso). Night Cuello de Luna.
Day 4: Morning visit to Cotopaxi National Park, afternoon drive to Baños. Night Bañ±os.
Day 5: Morning at Baños, afternoon drive to Riobamba. Night Riobamba.
Day 6: Train Riobamba Alausi, pick up and drive to Cuenca visiting Ingapirca on the way. Night Cuenca.
Day 7: Cuenca city tour and visit to panama hat factory. Afternoon flight back to Quito. Night Quito.

ANDES, CLOUD FOREST & AMAZON (Budget trip)

Day 1: Arrival in Quito
Day 2: City tour in the Old town. Visit to Equatorial Monument. Night Otavalo.
Day 3: All day visiting the Otavalo Market, indigenous art gallery, wool loom, medicinal herb doctor and Peguche Waterfalls. Night Otavalo.
Day 4: Morning visit to Cuicocha, afternoon drive to Papallacta. Visit to the Thermal Pools. Night Guango Lodge.
Day 5: Morning at Guango Lodge, afternoon to San Isidro. Night San Isidro.
Day 6: All day walking the trails in the cloud forest. Night San Isidro.
Day 7: Drive to Tena. Visit to the Cotundo zoo. Night Liana Lodge.
Day 8, 9: Liana Lodge.
Day 10: Drive back to Quito.
Or add three more nights in order to visit Baños and Cotopaxi.

* Please contact us for a detailed itinerary and quote.

Tours and other Services

New Tours:

CULTURAL / NATURAL TOURS:

* Please contact us for a detailed itinerary and quote.