Antisana Condor Sanctuary day trip from Quito: see Andean Condors

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/23

Duration7h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Condors, hummingbirds and a 3.3-meter wingspan above the clouds

This birdwatching day trip from Quito takes you to Antisana National Park, a nature reserve above 9,843 feet where you track Andean Condors—the largest flying birds on earth—and a dozen hummingbird species in their high-altitude habitat. A professional guide drives you through páramo grasslands and past the Antisana Volcano, with lunch at a viewpoint where condors return to rest; the route follows the path Alexander von Humboldt walked in 1802.

Step-by-step itinerary

Antisana Condor Sanctuary day trip

Pick up from Quito hotel
Drive through rural Andean landscapes
Arrive at Antisana National Park
Observe Andean Condors and other birds
Visit Andean Ibis meadow and Mica lagoon
Enjoy panoramic views of Antisana Volcano
Lunch and birdwatching at Tambo Condor viewpoint
Return to Quito city

The Experience

The drive out of Quito climbs into the Eastern Andes through rural farmland and barley fields, leaving the city behind for open valleys and snow-capped peaks. You enter Antisana National Park, a reserve that protects the species most birdwatchers come for—the Andean Condor with its 3.3-meter wingspan, which glides across the mountains using air currents and covers vast distances without flapping. The park also holds caracaras, white-tailed deer, and the rare Andean Spectacled Bear if the day aligns.

The stops move through the reserve's different zones. At the Antisana Grassland and Mica Lagoon, you watch for the Andean Ibis, Variable Hawk, Carunculated Caracara, Tawny Antpitta, Paramo Pipit, and Aplomado Falcon among the páramo vegetation. The landscape opens to a panoramic view of the Antisana Volcano itself—18,713 feet high, the fourth-highest peak in Ecuador, last active between 1590 and 1600. You'll see where Humboldt and other naturalists stayed centuries ago, a reminder that this reserve has drawn explorers for two hundred years.

Lunch happens at Tambo Condor, a lodge with a viewpoint overlooking a condor nest. This is where the birds return after hunting, and where hummingbird feeders draw the Shining Sunbeam, Giant Hummingbird, and occasionally the Black-Tailed Trainbearer. Bring a camera with a telephoto lens and extra batteries—the light at this altitude is sharp, and the species move fast. Warm layers matter; the high elevation brings wind and drizzle typical of the Andes.

What’s included

Professional birdwatching guide in English or Spanish.
hotel pickup and private transportation throughout the day.
entry to Antisana National Park.
lunch at Tambo Condor with views of the condor nest and hummingbird feeders.
ecosystem interpretation and access to high-altitude páramo grasslands, the Mica Lagoon, and panoramic views of the Antisana Volcano.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for heart conditions

Operated by Galapagos My World

Is this one for you?Book this if you're photographing high-altitude species and want a guide who knows where the Andean Condor and rare hummingbirds appear across different zones—the seven-hour format gives you time to track multiple birds rather than rushing through one area.