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Adventure Tours |
 NATURE EXCURSIONS The emphasis on those trips ( click to pictures ) is of course, as the name implies, to get to know the diverse fauna and flora of the country in its natural environment (click to information.biodiversity). Although it is a relatively small country, it is blessed with one of the highest biodiversity in the world. The main reasons for that are its tropical location on the equator, the high Andes mountain range and two major ocean currents along its coast. Therefore the mainland boasts of many ecosystems from the high mountain paramo regions to the lowland tropical forests with their own and distinct plants and animals. And to top everything, the Galapagos islands are unique in the world with a high rate of endemic species. We offer you six nature trips, where we try to get to know most of the different ecosystems with their own plants and animals and observe animals in their natural environment. Our first trip of two weeks called ECOSYSTEMS is put together in such a way that it will give you a good general idea about the great biodiversity of the mainland. We start high up getting to know first the high Andean regions called paramo and move subsequently lower, exploring high mountain forests, cloudforests, dry tropical and tropical rainforests. Also mangroves and an island similar to the Galapagos are visited on this trip. Unfortunately, not only the great biodiversity of mainland Ecuador are experienced but also the profound changes done to nature by the hand of man, which in some cases changed completely the environment. Our next two trips are birding excursions, one covering the Andes and Amazon regions, BIRDWATCHING EAST and the other the Andes and Coast, BIRDWATCHING WEST. Small Ecuador is home to 1600 species of birds, twice as many as in the whole of Europe or North America. We will not be able to see them all but in our two birding trips we try to get to know the most interesting ones and part of their behaviors. A warning right away to bird watchers, who are only interested in identifying birds so they can cross them off on their bird lists. Our trips are not like that. We do not have a specialized bird guide with us, who knows the exact differences between species and their songs. Our aim is a more broad one, enjoying birds in their natural habitats. Humpback whales make their appearance in the equatorial waters off Ecuador in the summer months to pair and give birth. Often those whales are the most active at that time showing off with spectacular jumps, which we try to catch on our WHALEWATCHING trip to the Pacific coast. We go to spots where to our knowledge are the best chances of seeing them. For flower lovers we have our ORCHIDS & BROMELIADS trip to various forest areas to look for them in their natural environment. Other flowers are also seen and so are of course insects and birds, important flower pollinators. Our last tour is put together especially for mountain lovers as we explore the high Andean regions. The trip is called PARAMO after the ecosystem encountered in those treeless regions. It is still amazing the variety of plants and animals found in those lofty heights. All our nature excursions (click for pictures) start in Quito and end there again and are guided and accompanied by me, Erich Lehenbauer. I am no specialized biologist and I am certainly no bird guide but I have a general knowledge of the fauna and flora. All those excursions should give you a general picture of the country's biodiversity but do not expect many answers to specific questions. More often than not, the answer will be "I do not know". As you may gather from my Ecuador-Images.net, I like to take pictures of animals and plants. Thus anyone interested in nature photography should fit in well with me. In the prices are included transport, guiding and lodging in mid-range priced hotels and available lodges available in certain areas. Not included are park entrances, all the food and beverages and all your other personal things. As with all our other tours, all details will be explained before you commit to any particular tour. Two of the most important regions for wildlife observations are of course the Galapagos islands and the Amazon rainforest. For the Galapagos islands, we created its own major section as for many they are the main reason for coming to Ecuador. Those volcanic islands are part of natural history and have a unique fauna and flora, only seen there and nowhere else. We sell you nature and diving cruises of various cruise companies, operating in the islands. We have over 50 boats and ships in our catalogue and in the individual boat pages, you find their picture, itinerary and prices. In the Amazon we offer you apart from rainforest lodges, four unique rainforest expeditions, which lead into undisturbed regions where there is the best chance for seeing bigger animals in a primary tropical rainforest. The 7-day trip to Paņacocha is our easiest tour and leads to a beautiful region of rivers and lagoons and is especially interesting for birders. Another big attraction are the presence of river dolphins and monkeys. Our next excursion is a 9-day round trip, called Tiputini adventure, which takes mostly part of the river of the same name. This trip gives ample opportunity to see many birds and larger mammals along the river and plenty of fish to catch. Our most demanding tour is our 11-day Yasuni expedition, taking place on the Shiripuno, Cononaco and Tiguino rivers in the national park of Yasuni. There we go out especially looking for animals, like tapirs, anacondas and jaguars. Our last trip is the 21-day boat trip from Coca to Iquitos, Peru. We start in the small Shiripuno river, moving then to the bigger Cononaco. At the border with Peru we turn into the Curaray and later to the Napo and finally we reach the mighty Amazon at Iquitos. There we have ample opportunities to see animals. But not only animals are observed on those excursions, the forest with its huge trees and many other plants are experienced and explained.
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