General Tour Information
Note: The information presented here is an abbreviated version of our formal General Information for Tours to Ecuador: The High Andes to the Southwest Coast. Its purpose is solely to give readers a sense of what might be involved if they take this tour. Although we do our best to make sure what follows here is completely accurate, it should not be used as a replacement for the formal document which will be sent to all tour registrants, and whose contents supersedes any information contained here.
ENTERING AND LEAVING ECUADOR: Ecuadorian authorities require a passport that is valid for at least six months after your date of arrival in Ecuador. Visas are not required for U.S. and Canadian citizens. Tourist cards are prepared by your arriving airline. At present, there is a $40.50 departure tax in Ecuador.
ECUADOR MAP AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can view maps of Ecuador in the University of Texas series here. You can review the U.S. Department of State background notes on Ecuador here.
HEALTH: Ecuador is quite clean, and we will be exploring places that have been visited by Americans for some time. We suggest the following precautions for the mainland portion of the trip:
A malaria prophylaxis is important. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) currently recommend one of the following antimalarial drugs: mefloquine (Lariam®), doxycycline, or Malarone® for use in Ecuador. Please check with your physician to determine which type is best for you. Please remember that many anti-malarial drugs must be initiated one or more weeks before the period of exposure, and continued for several weeks after it concludes.
Certification of yellow fever vaccination is not required unless you are entering Ecuador from a country where yellow fever is present (check with your local public health agency or the Centers for Disease Control for this list); if you are entering Ecuador from the US, this is not required. The CDC, however, is currently recommending yellow fever vaccination for travelers to Ecuador who plan to be outside of urban areas. You can review the CDC’s latest advisories here.
We suggest that everyone come with an up-to-date tetanus booster. Please consult with your physician about the advisability of getting an oral typhoid series and a hepatitis A vaccination. One can never completely escape the risk of parasites or fungal infections. Please consult with your physician. We avoid tap water and bottled water is readily available. You may wish to bring a broad-spectrum antibiotic in case of stubborn bacterial infections and an anti-diarrhea medication such as Immodium.
Quito sits at about 9,000 feet above sea level. The elevational range of places we visit is from about 3,000 feet to 12,000 feet. We will spend several hours birding slowly on mostly level ground just under 12,000 feet outside of Cuenca. This is the last day of the tour, however, and we are by then acclimated to the high elevations. Although most people are not affected by this short exposure, those with a history of altitude problems should discuss this with their physician. Some participants use the diuretic drug Diamox to lessen the possibility of altitude sickness.
Insects are generally not a problem in the Andes, but we may encounter some biting insects at lower elevations outside Loja.
PACE OF THE TOUR: Participants should expect early starts on most mornings (breakfast at 5:00 - 5:30 a.m.), and an occasional cold breakfast. On several days, we may arrive at our destination hotel around dark. Lunches will be either in restaurants or picnics. Dinners will be in restaurants. Most of the birding in the Andes will be on dirt roads, with occasional hikes on side trails. Being in the Andes, one should expect some hilly situations, but nothing severe. At the Río Bombuscara, Buenaventura, and at Tapichilaca, some birding will be on narrow and possibly muddy forest trails. Those of you whose sleep might be interrupted by the night sounds of Latin America (i.e., barking dogs and music), might wish to consider bringing foam ear plugs.
CLIMATE: Quito has been called the city of eternal spring, and the climate there is crisp and cool with chilly nights and pleasantly warm days. Rain is possible, but sunburn is more likely. Weather elsewhere in the Andes is likely to be cool in the mornings. At Rio Bombuscara it will be warm and humid with the possibility of rain showers. Outside of Loja it will be warmer and dry. Nonetheless, in these equitorial latitudes, participants should arm themselves with sunscreen.
ACCOMMODATIONS: All of our accommodations on this tour have private bathroom facilities and electricity. While some of the hotels are not fancy, all are clean and comfortable. We will take advantage of accommodations at two of the Jocotoco Foundation reserves, Tapichalaca and Buenaventura. At Tapichalaca, we will lodge in a large house with four bedrooms, each with private bath. Umbrellabird Lodge, the accommodations at Buenaventura, has five comfortable double cabins, each with a private bath. Single occupancy will most likely not be available at Tapichalaca or Buenaventura. As on most of our tours to the Neotropics, on this tour we stay at hotels and lodges in some remote locations and, while these are the best available in the area, some may not always have hot running water. Please give us a call if you have specific questions about the accommodations on the tour.
TRANSPORT: Transportation during the tour will be in vans or buses with professional drivers.
SMOKING: We request that you do not smoke in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. If you are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If you smoke in the field, we ask that you do so well away and downwind from the group.
GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS OF WINGS TOURS: Please take a moment to read the WINGS General Information & Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, pace of the tours and other information that will help you prepare for the tour.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete Final Information for Tours to Southern Ecuador will be sent to each registrant on receipt of their booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel addresses, etc., will be mailed about three weeks before trip departure. Other news will be communicated as necessary. If you have any questions, please let us know.
Updated: February 2008