Ecuador
Ecuador, straddling the equator, is a biodiversity hotspot where the Amazon, Andes, coast, and Galápagos Islands converge to create some of the world’s most unique wildlife ecosystems.
- Bio Blitz Mission
- Open To Anyone in Good Health + Fitness and a Real Interest in Field Conservation
- Live amongst nature in elegant eco-cabins perched at the edge of a cliff within Ecuador's lush cloud forest, where you'll be immersed in one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. Participate in hands-on field conservation efforts, including monitoring transects for the rapid-response tracking of the critically endangered Mindo Harlequin-Toad. You'll learn the art of scientific photography using standardized methods and work alongside renowned field biologists specializing in herpetology, ornithology, entomology, and mammalogy. Activities include setting up light traps to photograph beetles, moths, and mantids against a white background, conducting bio blitz surveys, and installing pitfall traps to document secretive leaf-litter species rarely observed in the wild. You'll also help record bird species through visual and acoustic surveys, with mist nets deployed to capture data on elusive understory birds. Your efforts will directly support a fundraiser aimed at establishing two new protected areas in Ecuador, helping safeguard this remarkable biodiversity for generations to come.
- Available Trips: 22 - 31 August 2025
- Inclusions: Accommodation, Meals, Transport, Airport Transfers, Activities, Contribution to Conservation Efforts
Day 1
Welcome to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Meet your colleagues and settle in for dinner
Day 2
Enjoy the picturesque drive known for its waterfalls and birdwatching before arriving in the Arlequín Reserve in the Mindo cloudforest. Set up your BioBlitz stations and spend the evening briefing about the project
Day 3 - 5
Daytime activities include visiting trap stations, diurnal surveys along transects, and scientific white background photography. Nighttime activities include photography of insects in light traps, herpetological visual encounter surveys, and examination of mist nets to record bat species
Day 6
Travel across the high Andes of Ecuador to the Pitalala Reserve in the upper Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. Set up the next set of Bio Blitz stations and begin monitoring this night
Day 7 - 9
You will spend four nights immersed in the rainforest of Pitalala Reserve building up the species lists of reptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds, beetles, moths, butterflies, and aquatic invertebrates. At the end of each sampling day, the team will gather to annotate the recorded species on a whiteboard
Day 10
Enjoy a last breakfast with the team before heading back to Quito to depart
