Birds, Macro, and More!, Feb. 21 to Mar. 2, 2020

Birds, Macro, and More!

Ecuador

Feb. 21 to Mar. 2, 2020

We've designed this trip to maximize your shooting time and give you a diverse nature photography experience in Ecuador. We will photograph Ecuador's most amazing birds, hummingbirds, frogs, and lizards, as well as some great landscapes, all while learning new techniques. And, unlike other tours to Ecuador, you have 2 award-winning photographer leaders and a local naturalist/professional photographer guide with you full-time, making this a fantastic value!

Date

Feb. 21 to Mar. 2, 2020

$

Price

$5,699

Difficulty Level

Moderate

0

Available Spots

View the itinerary below, read more about the tour, or sign up now!

About the Workshop

Birds, Macro, and More!

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About the Workshop

Birds, Macro, and More!

Leaders

Lucas Bustamante

Lucas Bustamante is a passionate biologist and wildlife photographer from Ecuador. For seven years now, he has been dedicated to documenting Ecuador's biodiversity, particularly reptiles and amphibians. He is a co-founder and general coordinator at Tropical Herping. Like Greg, Lucas' images have been honored in both the BBC/Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Nature's Best Windland Smith Rice contests.

In addition to leading photography tours, he also has written several articles and books about conservation and herpetology. Lucas' photographic work has been featured in National Geographic, Ranger Rick Jr., Discovery Channel and many other magazines, books, calendars and articles. He recently won the Macro category in the Nature's Best Windland Smith Rice competition.

You can see more of Lucas' work here.

Greg Basco

Gregory Basco is a professional nature photographer based in Costa Rica. After completing graduate degrees in political science and tropical ecology (his doctoral dissertation focused on the politics of ecotourism in Costa Rica), Greg worked in conservation before turning to photography full-time in 2006. His images have been awarded in the Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Nature's Best Windland Smith Rice competitions and have appeared in numerous magazines and books around the world.

His latest major project is the second edition of the large format printed book National Parks of Costa Rica in conjunction with Zona Tropical and Cornell University Press. His popular e-books include The Guide to Tropical Nature Photography, Lightroom for the Nature Photographer, and the upcoming Flash for the Nature Photographer.

You can see more of Greg's work at his website.

Gallery

Info

Airport

You should arrive to and depart from Ecuador's Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO). Our driver will be waiting to provide your private transfer to our capital city hotel.

Electricity

Electrical outlets are US-style. Those coming from Europe or Asia may need travel adapters. We will send more info after signup.

Insurance

We strongly recommend you purchase trip insurance that includes trip cancellation and medical coverage while overseas.

Medical

Though Ecuador does not require any vaccinations, we suggest you stay up to date on routine travel shots. Some countries may require that you have proof of yellow fever vaccination upon departing from Ecuador.

Internet Access

All of our hotels have free WIFI. We will also have cell data coverage for most of the trip.

Certified

All of our services are conducted by fully licensed travel, lodge, and transport operators. This is part of our commitment to providing a professional travel experience.

Recommended gear

Tele lens 400 mm or longer
Camera body or bodies
Medium zoom lens, e.g., 70-200 mm, 100-400 mm
Macro lens
Wide angle lens
Polarizing/ND filters
Fast wide angle lens for night scenes
Cable release
Off-camera TTL flash cord
Telephoto flash bracket
Flash plus Better Beamer for birds and wildlife
Rain cover for camera
Small softbox or diffuser
Small pack or shoulder bag for daily shooting

View the full Itinerary +

Day 1, Arrival/Quito

Arrival to Ecuador. Meet our representative at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport and transfer to our hotel in the heart of Quito's vibrant business district. For those who have arrived a day early, we may have an optional afternoon jaunt to explore the city.

Day 2, Amazon Lowlands

After breakfast, we depart for the airport to fly to the Amazon city of Coca. We transfer from there to the boat that takes us to our amazing luxury lodge in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon. We arrive late afternoon with time to photograph birds on the ground and the sunset over the rainforest. During our boat ride, we may be able to photograph the prehistoric hoatzin and maybe even giant river otters!

Day 3, Amazon Lowlands

After a great breakfast this morning we head to a nearby clay lick that attracts dozens of parrots and parakeets, as well as the occasional macaw. This is one of our Amazon highlights as the clay licks of the western Amazon are one of the planet's true natural wonders. We photograph all morning and return to our lodge in the afternoon. We then gear up and head out on private boats into the nearby lagoons and jungle canals in search of the ancient hoatzin bird, caimans, and giant river otters. We enjoy a fantastic dinner after this busy day.

Day 4, Amazon Lowlands

After breakfast, we have a chance to try a really cool technique – wide angle macro photography – that produces amazing images of small subjects in their habitat. Later in the morning we have a second chance at the clay lick. We may encounter some different species, and it's also a great opportunity to try slow shutter speeds or to correct any mistakes you may have made on the first clay lick visit. After lunch, we have the afternoon free to relax, to explore the lagoon in a private boat, or to visit a nearby canopy tower for a bird's-eye view of the rainforest.

Day 5, Amazon Lowlands/Cloud Forest

We depart very early this morning for our boat back to Coca and then our plane back to Quito. Be sure to have a camera handy as the dawn light can be inspiring! We enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and then arrive to our cloud forest lodge in late afternoon with time to relax and photograph hummingbirds right outside the lodge restaurant. We will spend the next few days in the famed Mindo area, one of the world's absolute best spots for birds! Our lodge is a beautiful Ecuadorian country ranch property, and we are working with the owner to develop new photographic opportunities every year we visit.

Day 6, Cloud Forest

Today we have a full day with the multiple-flash setups for hummingbirds at the lodge. Booted Racket-tail abound, and the Velvet-purple Coronet is always a show stopper! In addition to hummingbird setups, we will be exploring the surrounding forest for colorful tanagers, woodpeckers, and even the crested quetzal. And as a special treat, we will be working with macro setups for cool frogs, lizards, and insects.

Day 7, Cloud Forest

After an early breakfast we visit a nearby home where we have set up perches for colorful tanagers including golden, golden-naped, beryl-spangled, and many others. We'll also be on the lookout for red-headed barbets and crimson-rumped toucanets. After a lunch break back at our lodge, we visit a nearby forest reserve to photograph hummingbirds such as the green thorntail, white-whiskered hermit, empress brilliant, and white-necked jacobin.

Day 8, Cloud Forest

We leave early this morning for a fantastic opportunity to photograph the beautiful plate-billed mountain toucan! This will be an unforgettable experience. We also have the chance to photograph more species of hummingbirds in great light. After lunch back at our lodge, we visit a local farm to photograph the amazing Andean cock of the rock. We visit our favorite wood-oven pizzeria in the town of Mindo for a special dinner. What a way to end a day of great tropical bird photography!

Day 9, Cloud Forest/Quito

After early morning shooting at our lodge's special hides for ant pittas, we have a relaxing breakfast this morning and time pack up and load the bus for our trip back to Quito. En route, we stop at the Equator for a great typical lunch and a fun time learning a little about the culture and geography of the country that we've enjoyed so much for the past 10 days! After check-in at our capital city hotel, we have a treat – a great dinner at a restaurant that offers an overlook where we can do blue hour cityscape photography of the colonial sector of Quito, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Day 10, Quito/Elfin Forest

We leave early this morning for a fantastic day trip – a visit to the highland home of the iconic sword-billed hummingbird! We'll spend all day there photographing the sword-billed hummingbird as well as shining sunbeam, great sapphirewing and some cool flowerpiercers and mountain tanagers. We return to Quito in the early evening to rest up after this busy day. Dinner will be on your own this evening as some people may have early airport transfers the next morning. There are a number of fast-food and finer casual dining options immediately surrounding our hotel.

Day 11, Airport

Private transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Itinerary includes

Lodging as specified in DBL occupancy
Meals as specified
Transportation w/private driver in spacious air-conditioned tour bus
Internal flights
Boat transport in Amazon
Private transfers to and from airport
Professional, full-time photo instruction from your leaders Greg and Lucas
Full-time guide services from local guide Frank Pichardo
Multiple-flash setups for hummingbird photography
Entrances and fees for all described activities
Taxes for all specified services

Itinerary does not include

International airfare
Dinner the first and last nights
Alcoholic Drinks
Tips
Non-mealtime snacks and drinks
Single room supplement - $971

Booking a tour with us is easy!

1. Register for your tour using the form at the end of each workshop page.

4. Send us your traveler info form.

2. Send us your reserve deposit.

5. We will send you your final invoice.

3. Book your international air travel.

6. We´ll send you everything you need to know before you hop on the plane!