Birdwatching Tour, Via Gualaceo to the Eastern slope from Cuenca

Overview

Available languages

English

Spanish

9 hours

Mobile ticket

With more than 1660 species, Ecuador´s avifauna is considered one of best places in the world to practice birdwatching. The high percentage of endemic birds found in both Choco and Tumbesian regions invite birdwatchers to enjoy a really amazing experience in this small country!!

Our trips offer the possibility to see around 50 species in only one day, while you visit different ecosystems like: the Cloud Forest, Tropical Forest, Andean Mountain Forest, Andean Dry Forest, etc.

In our daily tours in the south of Ecuador, you will have the chance to spot some of the Southern Endemic birds.

Let us to show you the wonders of the birds.

Additional Info

Specialized infant seats are available

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking

Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required

Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants

Minimum 1 adult to book this tour

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

In this bird watching tour, participants will be able to record an average of 50 species of birds and will also enjoy the beauty of different ecosystems and landscapes.

What‘s Included

Pick up (hotels or apartments)

Binoculars (please ask for these in advance)

Private transportation

Bird list of the area

Box lunch

Bilingual birdwatcher tour guide

Personal expenses

Tips

Nothing that is not detailed in the program

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Options

Private tour

Private Tour: Special option designed according to your requirements, you can decided the pick up time and other details.
Pickup included

Group tour

Group Tour: Perfect option for people who don´t mind to share whit other people.
Pickup included

Reviews

5.00

4 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Long Day but Enjoyable
Jimmy L,,Dec 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
After a trip to Cajas, we went to East slope in a day trip. This is is long day because of the distance. It is still great, we stopped on the way to Buglas, looked for birds at different stops. We also saw a number of targets with excitement. Great tour.
Wonderful birding adventure
392pattyg,,Feb 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I wanted to find a good birding experience off the beaten track. I am happy to report that Edison and Luis of Polylepis Tours of Cuenca provided a wonderful adventure on the eastern slope of the Andes. We spent a whole day exploring fascinating backroads and trails and locating beautiful and interesting birds. As an intermediate birder they were very patient and kind in helping me find the smallest birds in the dense bushes and trees of the selva. It felt like magic to me how many and how gorgeous the birds of this area were.
60+ different bird species on an amazing day!
Charles W,,Jan 5, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Amazing tour to various places with Edison the perfect guide. Particularly liked hike to Laguna Mallas and seeing the Striped Owl in Cuenca’s Parque El Paraíso as a bonus at the end of the day.
Eastern Slope Bird Species
570shantanup,,Dec 17, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I did two tours with Edison and found him to be very helpful, informative and pleasant--not just on birds but also on Spanish usage and cultural issues. THe first trip was to Buglas House in Limon Indanza which we did in search of Eastern Slope species. Edison helped me find White Crowned and Striolated Manakins at Buglas House. And on the nearby Via San Antonio we found Paradise Tanagers and Lanceolated Monklet which Edison took special pains at pointing out (my eyes are bad and this was a challenge for both of us--but Edsion persisted and we succeeded. THe second trip was to have been to Cajas national park in search of Giant Conebill and Plushcap; however, we discovered at the last minute that the raod was closed due to untimely repainrs; Edison immediately found an alternate location that would give us an chance for the Plushcap, which has long been a dream bird of mine. This took some resourcefulness on Edison's part, but he quickly found the right habitat (bamboo) for the Plushcap and we enjoyed very close of two Plushcaps that answered Edison's recordings. Also foudn were Black Chested Mt Tanagers and Pearled Tree Runners. I would recommend Edison heartily to birders with special target birds. He is resourceful, patient, knowledgable and helpful. My only comment to Polulepis tours is that since they have a special working relationship with Buglas House, they use their leverage to get the owners of Buglas House to develop their feeder stations more adequately. When we were there there were just two hummer feeders and not much fruit in the feeding stations. As a result the feeders were almost empty. This is an important issue especially for disabled visitors who cannot hike much in the forest. This is not a comment on Edison's abilities, but on the administration of Buglas House, where Polylepis tours takes visitors longing to see eastern slope birds.