Starting with a visit to the World Heritage City of Quito and a couple of days in the Cloud Forest on the slopes of the Andes, we made our way to the enchanted islands of the Galapagos for a magical two week tour aboard the Samba. Our adventure continued in the Amazonian Rainforest, before returning home.
Here begins our photo tour. Click on the individual sections for our travellog
and more photos than you probably
want to look at.
Quito, one of the first 12 World Heritage Sites, is one of the highest capitals in the world at 2850m (9350ft) above sea level. It is known as one of the best-preserved, least altered historic centers in Latin America. The city, situated on the lower slopes of Pichincha volcano in a narrow, fertile valley of the Andes Mountains, was the first stop on our Middle of the World adventure in Ecuador.
We added 65 bird species to our bird list on our first few days in Ecuador. A big chunk of those were found in the Cloud Forest on the slopes of the Andes NW of Quito.
We enjoyed a magical 15 days in the Enchanted Islands aboard the 14-passenger yacht, Samba. We had a full itinerary, often getting out at dawn to hike, snorkel, kayak, cruise, and interact with nature.
Our adventure continues after a flight to the town of Coca. From here we board a motor boat for Sacha Lodge and head east approx 50 miles (1.5 hours) along the Napo River. We arrive at a landing site where we need to walk approximately 1 mile, mostly along a raised boardwalk through a flooded palm forest. We arrive at a smaller boat dock and board two canoes, 4 guests + 2 paddlers each, for the remainder of the journey to Sacha Lodge. The canoe ride ends at Pilchicocha Lake and we see the picturesque dining area of the lodge waiting for us on shore. It is all very exciting and feels like a real adventure just getting to the lodging.
Over the next 3 days we will add 120 new species to our bird list.
That's all folks. We're home with close to 10,000 photos. And, we gave a Saw Mill River Audubon talk in October. (see the flyer) or look at our talk slide show
Ultimately, we saw 261 birds in Ecuador, adding 222 new ones to our bird list.
Lynn and John Salmon <>{
