September 18, 2023
Extend your Ecuador trip for 3 nights to photograph the high elevation Antisana Reserve and its unique birds.
We'll seek out high-altitude hummingbirds such as Ecuadorian Hillstar, Shining Sunbeam, and Giant Hummingbird, plus Andean Condor, Carunculated Caracara, Andean Lapwing, and more birds of the high paramo.
Antisana Reserve protects the páramo ecosystem that surrounds dormant Antisana Volcano, a massive ice-covered peak (18,700 ft., 5,400 m.) at the Equator. We explore this unique tundra-like environment at an elevation 13,000 feet (4,000 m.) above sea level. It contains the breeding grounds of the majestic Andean Condor, as well as several other unique birds adapted to live high above tree line.
The volcano itself is a dramatic sight as the clouds part and the mists blow across huge glaciers that blanket the upper mountain that towers 6,000 feet above us.
We will also photograph some seldom-seen high elevation hummingbirds that thrive at these heights. At feeders we should find Giant Hummingbird and Shining Sunbeam. In the orange flowering Chuquiragua shrubs we will search for the beautiful Ecuadorian Hillstar.
Note: This extension is offered to participants in our Ecuador Hummingbird Photography Workshop.