Chakana Reserve: Unique Andean Wildlife, Condors, Ecuadorian Hillstar & Bears

Pick-up from your hotel at 6:00 am. This trip will take you through a great scenery in the Ecuadorian Andes. Visit Hacienda Antisanilla – Chakana Reserve, a 7,000-acre conservation land to safeguard Ecuador’s most important population of Andean Condors. The altitudinal range covered is from 10.000 to 12.000 ft asl . We'll spend the entire day in the area, watching for Andean condors (should be easy!) and other beautiful birds like the Ecuadorian Hillstar feeding on unique flowers of the Chuquiraga shrub, we even have to keep our eyes open for Spectacled Bears. The paramo is rich in important food sources for the bears’ mostly herbivorous diet; The Andean Bear's main food source in the area is a type of ground paramo bromeliad Puya sp. which is pretty abundant in this ecosystem and has a sweet juice heart. The area has a road system and trails of varying difficulty, allowing you to cover big extensions of territory in a short period of time.

After exploring the reserve you’ll have a well deserved break and lunch at Tambocondor where you can also observe different species of hummingbirds like the Giant Hummingbird, Shining Sunbeam, Black-tailed Trainbearer and other species at the surrounding native flora and feeders. You’ll return to your hotel in Quito in the afternoon.