Cuenca to Yunguilla: Birdwatching Day Tour & Cloud Forests

★★★★★★★★★★ 5.00 (7 reviews)

Free cancellation

1/8

Duration9h

GroupUp to 8

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Southern Ecuador birdwatching day trip with cloud forest stops

You’ll set out from Cuenca into Azuay’s cloud forests with a local guide who knows every call and feather. Spot dozens of birds — maybe even some southern endemics — pause for fresh juice in Yunguilla, then wander Jocotoco Reserve’s trails before lunch under the canopy. Expect muddy shoes and moments that linger long after you’re home.

Step-by-step itinerary

Birdwatching and local juice tasting

Visit important birdwatching areas in Azuay
Enjoy landscapes and spot many birds
Visit Yunguilla for natural local juice

The Experience

I nearly missed the first flash of color — blame it on too much coffee or just nerves — but our guide, Andrés, caught it right away. “Masked trogon,” he whispered, like we were sharing a secret. We’d barely left Cuenca and already the air felt different: heavier, sweet with wet leaves and something almost citrusy. The drive out to Giron was all winding roads and foggy hillsides; I kept losing track of time watching the clouds roll through the trees.

We stopped more times than I could count. Sometimes for birds — a tanager here, a hummingbird there — sometimes just because Andrés spotted something he thought we’d like (he was right about the sugarcane juice in Yunguilla; I tried to pronounce it in Spanish and got a laugh from the lady at the stall). The Jocotoco Reserve itself felt almost hushed, except for bursts of birdsong that made you look up every few minutes. My shoes got muddy fast but honestly, I didn’t care. There’s something about standing still in that forest, waiting for a glimpse of feathers you’ve only seen in books.

The list of species we saw kept growing — maybe fifty by lunchtime? I lost count after a while. Lunch was simple but good: sandwiches, fruit, and juice that tasted like sunlight (I know how that sounds). We swapped stories with Andrés about his favorite sightings; he told us about the pale-headed brushfinch and how rare it is here. Didn’t see it ourselves this time but somehow that made it feel even more special. Heading back toward Cuenca later, tired and quiet, I realized my phone was full of blurry photos but my head was buzzing with color and birdsong anyway.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup in Cuenca, private transportation through Azuay’s changing landscapes, use of binoculars if you ask ahead, entry to reserves (with private option), a checklist of local birds to track your sightings, box lunch with drinks along the way, plus guidance from a bilingual birdwatcher who knows every corner of these forests before returning to town by evening.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availableNot for heart conditions

Operated by Polylepis Tours