Antisana Volcano Birding & Natural History Condor Tour Private, All Included

Oscar was a very good guide and Luis did a nice job driving us. We saw condors in flight and resting on the cliffs, numerous hummingbirds and other birds like a Cara-cara and ibis. It was raining pretty hard when we arrived at the lagoon so we didn’t spend much time there but it looked nice. Finally, our lunch was outstanding - terrific local cuisine served ina. Very cozy atmosphere with a clear view of the cliffs and condors.

We had a great day. We must have seen over 30 different types off birds, if not more. Gabriel was so knowledgeable, answered all our questions and was able to identify everything we saw incredibly quickly. Thanks to his experience we saw everything we wanted to see! Great day!!

We had a fabulous day with Santiago on this day tour. We were successful viewing Condors and so much more. The landscape and birding above timberline was unlike any I have seen. It was so beautiful I cried. We enjoyed a tasty lunch. My husband experienced some high altitude sickness and Santiago drove us to lower elevation quickly where he recovered nicely. Thank you, Santiago!! We will join you again in the future.

What an excellent trip to Antisana. A national park rich in wildlife. We were incredibly grateful to have Santiago as our guide. He has an unmatched level of bird knowledge and was so passionate about the abundant and diverse bird life not only on Ecuador, but throughout South America. He had an incredible spotting scope that allowed us to observe birds as if they were right in front of us but he knew what birds were around simply from a quick flash in the sky. He really was a pro!! Thanks to him, we saw so many humming birds. These are such SPECTACULAR birds and we managed to get really wonderful photos. Santiago really does have telescopes for eyes, because as we were driving he managed to spot an Andean Bear, across the other side of a ridge on the mountain. How he managed to spot it I will never know! But we were privileged enough to see the bear settling down for a nap. To top it off, we saw 2 pairs of condors in flight and then saw a condor nesting and a juvenile fledgling from the balcony at Tambor Lodge. It was an exceptional visit and he is an exceptional guide! Just on a side note, the food at Tambor Lodge was wonderful and I had the BEST Locro here, it was DELICIOUS!

Our birdwatching tour through the Antisana highlands and park was the perfect finale to our Ecuador vacation. Santiago Salazar has an expert level of knowledge of all of the local avian species both by eye and ear which enabled us to ultimately view many bird species that we would have otherwise passed by. We were able to see a pair of Andean Condors to finish the tour, and recommend this tour to any wildlife, bird, or park enthusiast coming through Quito with a day to spare. A truly wonderful day!

What a great experience. This was a really fun excursion. I’ve never did bird watching or animal observations before. It turned out to be very fun. We had the pleasure to have Santiago as our guide. He was so nice and is really experienced in this field. His educational background really shined through which allowed us to learn a lot about the animals throughout our joirney. What I liked about the company as well is that they contact you prior to find out what was your interest is to customize your experience. I will definitely be using them again for their tours in other areas besides Ecuador. Money well spent.

Santiago was a great guide providing lots of info about local life as well as the animas and nature of the area. Great for helping spot those small special animals trying to get pictures of. He had sounds of different animals he can play to try to attract birds to come near by to photograph. Lunch stop was delicious and local cuisine. Overall had a great day out and he does other tours as well. Definitely will be booking another trip with him in the future.

Our excellent guide Santiago of Neotropical Nature & Birding gave us a grand tour of the Antisana that included a stop for a good sighting of the Andean Condor, Andean Lapwings, Ibis and Caracaras. A Giant Hummingbird was a highlight at our lunch stop, which included Tyrian metaltail, Shining Sunbeams, Sapphirewings, Hillstars and Violetears. He knew exactly where to find the Red-crested Cotinga. His deep knowledge of the natural history of this beautiful country gave a rich dimension to our tour. I can’t recommend Neotropical and Santiago highly enough.

This was a wonderful day-trip out of Quito! Santiago was our guide for the trip and we had an amazing day of birding. Santiago was very knowledgeable about the bird species we saw along the way and made sure we had plenty of opportunities to stop for photos. He also shared his knowledge of the various volcanos we saw during our journey and answered all of our questions about the area. The included lunch was tasty and provided an additional opportunity to try to spot more birds. We did the trip on a Tuesday and we saw hardly anyone else during the day. All-in-all it was an incredible day and I would definitely recommend this tour!

Santiago Salazar of Neotropical Nature and Birding Trips opened our eyes to the beauty and biodiversity that Antisana national Park holds! After two years of no travel due to COVID, my husband and I took the leap and embarked on our long-planned, bucket-list trip to mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in April. Our first stop took us to Quito and the Antisana National Park—in search of the Andean Condor. Throughout our entire tour Santiago’s innate and extensive knowledge of the micro-Andean ecosystems allowed us to understand why certain birds flocked to specific areas, leading us to observe more than 35 species in a few short hours, including 7 distinct types of amazing hummingbirds! On our very first stop at Chakana Reserve, Santiago explained that the white guano stains on the cliffs indicated where the Condors nested, we spotted our first adult and juvenile condor on the wing. Then, entirely unexpectedly, on our drive to the Mica Lagoon in Antisana, off to the side of the road a deer had died in a field. Bad for the deer, but good for us as we watched for quite a while as 15 or more Condors came to feed—about a third of the condor population in this region. And soon after, we were awed by the subtle beauty of half a dozen Andean Ibis and several other species we would never have seen without Santiago knowing their favorite flora. Santiago’s lunch plan at was perfect. There we caught our breath, refueled, and saw/photographed several species of shimmering hummingbirds up close. We rounded out the day with a few stops where Santiago knew to stop and coax out a Paramo Pipit and a Red-crested Cotinga. Santiago proved the perfect guide for us. He listened to understand what we hoped to see and did everything in his power to make sure we did, all the while keeping our tour on schedule. His in-depth knowledge of the unique ecosystems left none of our questions unanswered. Because neither my husband nor I speak Spanish, we really appreciated Santiago’s command of English. Even after the tour, he provided us the complete list of birds we’d seen, so we didn’t forget a single one and could look them up in greater detail at our leisure. Santiago’s love for the Ecuadorian landscape was infectious—we would take another tour with him in a heartbeat!

Great way to discover Andes. Saw about 25 condors, some very close by. Many deers too. Altitude is tough but the guides were wonderful!

If you enjoy the natural world, Ecuador should be at the top of your “must see” list and Neotropical your tour guides. Communication with Maria Zambrano, Operations Manager, as we tried to decide what full day-tours to take was prompt, friendly, helpful and ever-courteous. We had intended to do a single day of touring, but after one day with Santiago Salazar, we quickly booked a second. Santiago, a guide with a great wealth of knowledge, is both a passionate nature enthusiast and patient teacher. He answered every question we had on birds (he knows them all!), the native vegetation, history and culture of the area. His attention to our needs and hopes in exploring the area never waned. We couldn’t have felt more fortunate and well taken care of! Within several hours of Quito, a busy city of 2 million people, are a surprising number of nature reserves. Driving into the spectacular Andes mountains and these reserves is like moving onto another planet, or planets, the vegetation associated with the numerous microclimates providing an ever-shifting palette of texture and color. At the Antisana Ecological Reserve, we had the heart-stopping experience of seeing condors, the largest bird on the planet. We lingered at length watching not only the condors (both adults and a chick), but variable hawks and carunculated caracara, as they floated over the stunning cliffs of the reserve. It was absolutely magical and Santiago was very patient with our desire to stay and watch, pointing out various smaller birds as they flitted around our lookout point, as well as the movement of the raptors. The condor, as most folks know, is an endangered species, and Neotropical is committed to working in tandem with locals to promote ecotourism as a livelihood that can be both financially profitable (indeed, more profitable than clearing ground to raise cattle) and valuable to the country and planet as a whole. Their goals include preserving the vital ecosystems that support not only condors, but over 1600 species of birds, many of them with the colorful plumage that makes this subtropical area a spectacular place to bird and/or photograph. Our goal on this trip was to see birds, (although Ecuador boasts over 350 species of mammals as well as the illusive jaguar). And after 20 years of guiding, Santiago had IDed particular areas within each of the reserves and access roads where various bird species have been found. With Santiago’s guidance, we saw 45 species on our first day into the reserve including a red-crested continga, spectacled redstart, and the giant hummingbird, a miracle of avian engineering! In every way, our two days with Neotropical was satisfying. Next time we head for Ecuador, we hope to take part in a ten-day tour in search of wildlife and into the Amazon. I highly recommend these folks. They are the whole package: competent, professional, knowledgeable, and with an excellent command of the English language. Tour with Neotropical Nature and Birding Trips and discover the beautiful and fascinating world of Ecuadorian nature. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

We spent two days with Santiago. What an amazing experience! What an amazing guide (and now friend!). We saw condors several times on our trip, an astonishing variety of hummingbirds, other bird species too numerous to mention (Santiago knew them all) and even saw a Spectacled Bear. Santiago is patient, knowledgable, and best of all, has a great sense of humor. You will have fun, laugh, learn a lot, and see wildlife that will alter your consciousness. Now we're planning an Amazon trip with Neotropical. Neotropical is the best! And Santiago, gracias por todo, amigo! Hasta pronto.

We had an extra day in Quito before our Amazon trip and decided to venture out to Antisana. Our amazing guide Santiago picked us up at our hotel exactly on time. Santiago is truly a gifted birder with an encyclopedic knowledge of Ecuador’s flora and fauna. In addition, his English is so good, he helped us understand all the challenges facing the park’s threatened bird species. The most exciting part was seeing five endangered Andean Condors perched on a cliff face. We also enjoyed a delicious lunch and hummingbird viewing. We would both love to travel with Neotropical Nature tours in the future!

We loved our trip to Antisana with Natalya! She was a fantastic guide. She really customized the trip for what we wanted and our mobility issue (I had a broken foot!).

We had a wonderful visit to Antisana with Natalia (arranged through Neotropical Nature & Birding). She was both an expert bird and naturalist guide, but also excellent company for the day. We found all of the birds we were interested in finding (e.g. Silvery Grebe, Andean Ibis, Giant Hummingbird, condor) thanks to her knowledge of the area and birds. This was no easy task, because one of us had a broken foot, and she was patient and careful throughout the entire day to make sure we were comfortable and that we saw the birds and animals well. This included gaining access to special access areas with the car to reduce the distance we had to walk. Overall this was one of the highlights of our visit to Ecuador, and we highly recommend this trip and Natalia.

Sebastian is a discerning, perspicacious, well-informed, and attentive guide with an authentic love of nature. He taught me about the flora and fauna of the Antisana area as well as practical tips on bird watching. We had clear views of the glaciers and peaks of both Antisana and Cotopaxi most of the day. We took views from various vantage points abs perspectives, telescope, binoculars, crouching down toward the ground. I especially liked a crevasse on the Antisana glacier, the smell of valerian, the textures of the different vegetation in the paramo, the image of Andean seagulls flying with the volcano peak in the background.

What a trip! I loved everything about it! My guide was amazing, super knowledgeable and nice. The food we ate was fantastic, the people we met were great and the birds we saw all landed on my life list

What an amazing adventure we had visiting Antisana Volcano with Santiago Salazar! He picked us up at our hotel first thing in the morning and we drove to Antisana on a beautiful sunny day. Our hope was to see condors, and within minutes of arrival, Santiago spotted a female perching on the rocks and set up his spotting scope so we could get a closer look. He even used our phones to take photos of her in the scope! We saw countless condors flying overhead throughout the day. We walked down to the lake and saw beautiful ducks and later saw two black ibises. Santiago noticed a hummingbird trapped in a building, and within minutes saved its life, bringing tears to my eyes. The volcano is stunningly beautiful, and Santiago is fighting to protect her and the environment for future generations. We stopped at Tambo Condor for a delicious lunch of fava beans and corn, Ecuadorean potato soup, and fresh trout. The view from lunch was spectacular and hummingbirds flew in and out to entertain us. We were hoping to see the Andean spectacled bear, and Santiago was vigilant about searching, but the bear was not to be seen. The day was perfect, Santiago was passionate about nature and his enthusiasm and knowledge were unparalleled. I would highly recommend Santiago to anyone thinking of taking a tour. Private tours are the way to go, you go at your pace, see what you want to see and have a front row view for observation and photography. Well worth the money. Don't hesitate for a minute, we have high expectations when we travel, and Santiago exceeded them! If you are concerned about COVID, all precautions were in place and we felt 100% comfortable and safe while there.

The entire outing was memorable. Scenery was great; the wildlife, from hummingbirds to condors, was impressive; and the commentary, informative. All in all, would definitely recommend this to anyone that wants to see and experience a lot in a day, with memories forever.

We were picked up by Santiago at our lodge in Pululahua. Travelling to Antisana, Santiago told us many interesting facts about life and nature in Ecuador. We had several stops to watch birds and saw many. Climax was a group of condors eating the corpse of a deer, meanwhile another group was in the sky. From our lodge in Tambo Condor, a very unique and wonderful place to stay, we saw a mother and youngster of spectacle bears. Suffering from height disease, Santiago also appeared to be an excellent nurse, taking care of us very well. The trip was perfect, we enjoyed the landscape, the birds and the people. The Tambo Condor lodge is a very pleasant place to stay, with an exceptional view from our room.

This was a great tour once it got started. The guide and driver were late, which they blamed on horrible traffic accident. We got going 90 minutes after expected. But the rest of the day more than made up for the snafu at the beginning. Santiago was our guide, hugely enthusiastic and knowledgeable. On the ride to Antisana, Santiago regaled us with tales of Quito's troubled water system; the city is dependent on glacial melt for its water and the glacier will almost certainly be gone within a few decades. We had a great weather day with fantastic cloud-free views of Antisana; even Santiago called it a 10 out of 10 day. We also got very lucky as a) Santiago knew the location of a condor nest with a 5-month-old chick; plus, when we first got to the viewing stand, the male condor was flying around but soon came in to land on a cliff near his mate so Santiago was able to get both of them in his spotting scope very quickly. There was ample time for all four in our party to get a good look, either through the spotting scope or through our own binoculars. The lunch spot is great, with a beautiful setting and lots of hummingbirds darting around. (We had stopped there earlier in the day, too, for an altitude-adjustment tea -- very helpful for those of us traveling from sea level in New Jersey, U.S.A.) Santiago's English was exceptional; the best guide we had on our 12-day trip through Ecuador. Highly, highly recommend this trip for the scenery and the infectious enthusiasm Santiago brought to spotting various Andean birds. We agree with other reviewers that you don't have to be a huge bird enthusiast to enjoy this one-day outing from Quito. This would have been a 5-star review except for the late start, which may have been out of anyone's control.

Sebastian was a fantastic tour guide! Great knowledge of nature in general, birds, geology, and the history of the Quito area. He was friendly, helpful, and attentive to our needs and interest. Sandy and I thoroughly enjoyed our day with him and highly recommend his tour.

We had a 5 star tour of the Antisana Reserve with Santiago. He picked us up in his SUV and spent the entire day with us, even eating lunch with us in a great small restaurant (which was included). We left about 7:30 am from Quito and returned about 4pm. That day I think we saw approx. 17 condors total, 12 in one group alone eating a dead horse! We saw hummingbirds, ducks, ibis, even a couple of fox, and a deer! One of the highlights was eating lunch and suddenly realizing a spectacled bear was making its way across the neighboring hill. Everyone in the restaurant jumped up and ran outside to watch. Santiago sprinted to set up his scope for us to view it through. This tour was the most memorable thing we did during our short trip to Ecuador. I debated between the less expensive group bus tours and a private tour with Neotropical, and we were very glad we sprung for the more expensive, private tour. It gave us the flexibility to stop quickly when we saw wildlife, and move on when we were ready. Santiago was a nonstop font of knowledge about birds, wildlife, and Ecuadorean culture and history. He was friendly, enthusiastic, and it was truly a pleasure to spend the day with him. We are not professional birders, but we felt we still got the 5 star treatment anyway. We would not hesitate to go back and book another tour with this great company. Hint – they use WhatsApp, making it easy to connect with them using your hotel wifi for last minute changes or questions.

We had an extra day in Quito and thought it would be nice to see the condors. We are fairly serious birders. I thought we would drive out, see the condors and few other birds and get back to the hotel. It was a great tour and way beyond my expectations. Santiago Salazar was a super guide. Not only did we see condors, but we saw lapwing, ibis, antpitta, caracara, canastero, giant hummingbird, andean teal and more. All life birds for us. We had a great lunch, too. Santiago was very knowledgeable and really knew the area and birds. He is a great guide making the tour fun and interesting. Lastly, it was a beautiful area. Antisana and high plains surrounding the volcano were breathe taking. This tour was a little add on to our tour of Ecuador and the Galapagos. It turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip!

We had a spectacular day of birding with our excellent guide Santiago Salazar. We saw over a dozen Condors, including several right overhead. NeoTropical picked us up on time at our hotel and provided a comfortable car, good driver and a wonderful lunch at a family owned restaurant near the entrance to Antisana. We saw a spectacled bear there and enjoyed their hummingbird feeders. I would highly recommend this tour and especially Santiago to anyone interested in birdwatching. We saw 34 species of birds on our tour and Santiago kept track of them and sent us the list via eBird.

We arrived in Quito with our local tour plans with family cancelled by circumstances beyond our control. Our hotel, Holiday Inn Express (which was excellent) suggested Neotropical for nature day trips. This was truly a miracle. We visited the oficina de Turismo in the Old Town and spoke with Neotropical’s representative, Ms. Yale Cueche. She spoke perfect English, was very friendly, and knew and presented her tour packages in a most professional manner. We elected three days of day-tours and were given a very good package price. Our Antisana tour guide Santiago (again, perfect English) was absolutely outstanding, the best of our 20+ year birding career, superb knowledge of local history, flora and the myriad bird species. He also retained an electronic copy of all our bird spottings and locations. We were so fortunate to have a great siting of the Andean Spectacled Bear, and seven condors along with raptors, ibis and innumerable humming birds. To top it off, the included lunch at the local lodge was excellent. All and all, a perfect and most affordable day’s excursion. We will definitely book with Santiago and Neotropical for an 11 day Amazonian next October. Folks, it doesn’t get any better than this. Mike

We recently did a day trip to Antisana with NeoTropical Tours. Santiago was our tour guide and it was an extraordinary trip, mostly in part because of such an amazing guide. He made birdwatching cool and was full of great information. After arriving super late Friday night, we were thrilled when Santiago offered to let us grab breakfast at our hotel and he would wait for us to finish before we left for the tour. He also came with snacks and water for our trip. The trip up to the Andes was stunningly beautiful and our driver was fantastic! There were 6 of us on the tour and a wide range of ages but all of us had a great time: my husband and I (37 and 40), my father-in-law (69 years old), my brother-in-law (45) and his 80 year old mom and a family friend (66 y.o.). My husband did get motion sickness which was made worse with the altitude sickness, but Santiago and the driver were really great to make sure he was okay and did what they could to help him, by getting him tea and helping him with his nausea. We were able to see all kinds of birds, including the Andean condor, a tawny antpitta, and lots of colorful hummingbirds along with 20+ other birds that were endemic to the region. Santiago even sent us a list of all the birds we saw after our trip with links to their photos and information. We were able to see a baby Andean condor up in the cliffs nesting. The highlight was when Santiago found a fox running through the field, en route to hunt some deer. The other highlight was our lunch stop at Tambo Condor, a restaurant owned by a local couple, that served a 4-course Ecuadorian feast while we were able to watch hummingbirds at the feeder. We had an absolute blast with great company and amazing views. It was a great start to our Ecuador/Galapagos trip and I highly recommend NeoTropical and Santiago for your tours. I will definitely be staying in touch with Santiago and planning a return visit soon. It's cool in the Andes so I highly recommend wearing layers.

My husband and I did this tour today. I can honestly say it was the best tour ever! Our guide, Santiago, was knowledgeable and engaging. He never once talked down to us or at us. He talked with us about the birds and their ecosystems. He answered every one of our questions with professionalism. But best of all, he really knew where to find all the special creatures of the Antisana tundra. We saw a nesting pair of Condors and their fledgling chick, a number of raptors including some rare species, rare ibis (found only on the Antisana plateau), numerous water birds on the lake, and seven different species of humming birds. But we also saw deer (mother and fawn) and, best of all, the critically endangered spectacled bear. And this latter only because Santiago knew just where it was likely to be. With his powerful telescope all these wonderful creatures could be seen easily, and Santiago showed me how to take photographs through the telescope lens so that I could take home genuinely amazing memories.

A wonderful experience from the start, with excellent communication and booking with Gabriel at Neotropical, timely pickup at our hotel in Quito, and culminating with fantastic sightings by expert guide, Santiago. Not only did we see Condors, we saw many other species of wildlife with Santiago, INCLUDING A BEAR!!!! We loved every moment. His use of a spotting scope was a big plus. THANK YOU for sharing Antisana with us.

Day trip for condor/nature to Pintag with Neo Tropical Ecuador. Great company, the guide was excellent, very competent and knowledgeable! Would use them again!

Another amazing day with the NeoTropical tour group. So much information from a wonderful guide and he made such an effort to make sure that we did see a condor. We saw lots of other incredible birds, wonderful scenery and a lovely local lunch.

A great birding tour! We hit all the birding spots and saw all of our target birds. Highlights were a Condor chick near its nest (if 3 feet high with a 7 foot wingspan is a chick), an Ecuadorean Hillstar near her nest, and the various high elevation lake birds. Santiago is an excellent guide, knows his birds and lots of interesting Ecuadorean info.

My wife is an avid birder and really wanted to see the Andean Condor. We selected this day trip from Quito based on online reviews. We could not have been more pleased. My wife described our guide, Santiago Salazar, as one of the best bird guides she has ever had (and she has had many). Santiago picked us up early at our hotel in Quito and spent a very full day with us. His English is excellent. The level of attention was outstanding. We saw many bird species on the paramo, and Santiago also pointed out various other wildlife and points of interest. Santiago made a special effort to ensure that my wife got to see the condors, which were not initially found in their usual spot. He knew exactly when and where to be to see them returning to roost at the end of the day. He stayed out with us longer than the trip called for to make sure we saw the condors, which we did. Please also note that lunch (included) was great. My wife is now discussing a special trip back to Ecuador to bird with Santiago. I am not a birder in any way, but it was also a fun trip for a non-birder. We very highly recommend this trip.

My husband and I arrived in Quito with 4 days to explore. We found Neotropical office in the information centre and booked 2 day trips from Quito. The 1st day was Mindo Cloud forest and the 2nd day was visiting the Antisana Volcano. We had an amazing guide, Santiago Salazar, that showed us all the amazing sites. He really knew his bird species which was great. He is also a passionate conservationist which both my husband and I are as well, back at home. Going to Antisana we checked the Condor area and saw a chick and 2 adults. Then we went to a nice little house and saw the largest hummingbird species that just flew past us. Just spectacular. After that we went for a drive further up the mountain and we were very fortunate to see Black-faced ibisis, an Andean Fox and an Andean Condor all in 1 spot. We were so excited and couldn't believe what just happened. We still talk about this spectacular experience back at home. We would highly recommend this trip and the company to anyone that would like to visit places in Ecuador. We definitely want to come back and do the Amazon.

We highliy recommend this tour for anyone wanting to experience high altitude paramo habitat and wildlife. Santiago is great company and extremely knowledgeable about wildlife, conservation, the environment and wider Ecuadorian issues - there's quite a bit of driving, so as well as admiring the view it's a great opportunity to find out more about the country direct from a local. First stop for red-crested cotinga - only possible with local knowledge. Then to the condor platform which provides an excellent vantage point for scanning for condors - we saw 2 of these magnificent birds. The paramo is vast and scenery stunning with backdrops of glaciated mountains. Bird's didn't disappoint - black-crowned ibis, Andean gull, Andean teal amongst a few and really spoilt by incredible views of a very relaxed Andean fox. We stopped for lunch on the way back - excellent 3 course homecooked local meal in beautiful setting surrounded by bird feeders. Perfect end to the day - watching giant hummingbird and shining sunbeam whilst drinking coffee. Whole day is very good value for money. Thanks Santiago.

First off -- a trip of a lifetime, and we are looking forward to our return and booking another trip thru Neotropical Nature and Birding... We booked an 8 day last minute trip to Quito over the Christmas holiday with our two adult children- and then looked into booking day trips from the city - I am a 'casual' birder and wanted to include at least two day trips on birding -- the quick response, affordability, and ease of booking thru Neotropical Birding and the fabulous selection of tours led us to book two birding day trips - one to Antisana and one to Paz Refugio, and also a 3 day nature/birding trip to Quilotoa, Banos and Cotapaxi.....my two sons are 26 and 30 - very physically fit....my husband and I not so much....the altitude for us was a huge adjustment from living in NYC, the boys not so much.....our guide was Santiago Salazar -- and he couldn't have scripted a better trip - he was able to keep everyone happy and provide excitement to keep everyone engaged and looking forward to more. All the adjectives are not enough - amazing awe-inspiring, breathtaking -- and we are very thankful Santiago arranged his schedule to guide us around his country - a very big thank you to Neotropical Birding ---!!

Not expecting to see too much at such high elevations, we were blown away by the diversity of fascinating and beautiful animals and plants. Santiago Salazar, our guide, picked us up promptly at 7:30 and took us on an informative and eye-opening adventure. His knowledge of birds and plants is outstanding, and his enthusiasm contagious. Lunch was a wonderful treat, not just because the brisk weather made us hungry, but because the quaint restaurant we visited had a magnificent view and mouthwatering food. All arrangements were seamless, and the day flew by all too fast! I highly recommend this trip.

We don't ordinarily review, though we use TripAdvisor frequently. However, we feel compelled to offer our comments on what was truly the trip of a lifetime. Santiago Salazar, the owner/founder of Neotropical Nature & Birding, customized our itinerary and was our guide for a 14 day, dedicated birding tour covering areas both east and west of Quito. All the arrangements were seamless, the pickup and drop off timely, the transportation provided by his own vehicle, a midsize Suzuki SUV. We were provided in advance a detailed agenda, what we would need in country, tips on how to dress, and what to bring. We found the choice of accommodations excellent, with feeders and birding opportunities on site. As they are in somewhat remote locations, they tend more to lodges, but we found them comfortable, clean, all services good, and in locations that provided excellent access to the go to sites in the area(s). The food was excellent and plentiful, three meals a day either at the lodge or restaurants in route, and reflected the variety of Ecuadorian cuisine. The country is amazing!! We took an extra day to tour in the historic district of Quito, and found it a rival to Europe. The areas we birded were beyond belief, so beautiful, and extreme in topography. Having over 1600 species in a fairly small area, the variety was beyond belief. He identified nearly 400 birds for us, making sure we both heard/saw them. Which brings us to our guide, Santiago. We have never seen a better birder, as his ability to recognize calls and find the birds for us to see was amazing! He was very accommodating as to seeing certain species, and knew places to see uncommon endemics. He is an ardent proponent of sustainable tourism, and, as such, supports projects and local initiatives that benefit the people. His knowledge is encyclopedic, and not limited to birds. We learned so much about Ecuador, the people, history, natural history, etc. And, spending 14 days, all day, with him, we found him a wonderful travel companion! His passion for his country and desire to preserve the beauty is always apparent, and he continues to show an excitement for what we saw. This is not an easy tour, as you get up early and are involved for most of the day. Some of the trails are steep and uneven, but Santiago was always considerate of our comfort level and abilities. We really can't think of a downside (well, OK, it rains in the rain forest), and would do it all over again. In fact, we are already considering booking with them again, and will recommend Santiago and NeoTropical to our birding friends, Kudos!!