Refugio Paz de Las Aves — Attraction in Pichincha

A tropical paradise for bird watchers...

On our first visit to Refuio Paz de las Aves in 2012, my husband and I arrived in the dark, not knowing what to expect. The stars looked as if someone had collected them into a bucket and tossed them back out across the southern sky in an unfamiliar arrangement. I found Orian upside down where he hides from the northern hemisphere during the summer. We heard a car pull up, followed by crunchy footsteps and excited whispers. In the darkness, we could barely see a group of eight or nine people pass us. We followed, assuming they knew where to go. After a quarter mile, the sounds of whispers were replaced by eerie ratcheting screeches of male cock-of-the-rocks, competing for the attention of females. The sounds became louder and louder as we approached a blind, where we stopped to watch the bright reddish-orange birds flit from branch to branch.

When darkness gave way to the sun, Angel and Rodrigo, the famous Paz brothers, gathered up all the people in the blind and led us along some other paths, where they stopped to call numerous species of antpittas, whistling and calling out the names they had given them: “Venga, venga, María; venga, venga, Tomás.” With worms, they enticed the long-legged ground-oriented birds to come out from the dense tropical vegetation. In the background, toucan barbets called, and hummingbirds showed off their scintilating colors in dazzling aerial displays. We stopped along the paths to enjoy a great potoo snuggling with her baby and a perfectly camouflaged lyre-tailed nightjar hanging on a vertical wall.

We didn’t know the tour included breakfast, so we were pleasantly surprised when the tour’s last stop included breakfast, consisting of the best coffee in the world, along with empanadas and bolones verdes, a savory concoction made with plantain. We have been to Refuio Paz de las Aves four times, so I now know more-or-less what to expect, but we always find a little surprise (last time it was a new space for their breakfast). We could not visit Ecuador without making Refuio Paz de las Aves part of our plan. It is a tropical paradise for bird watchers, with hidden...

My sister and I visited Refugio Paz de Las Aves for their 2D/1N birding tour. If you read no further, know that all of my expectations were exceeded! Perhaps my favorite stop during our trip to Ecuador, my only regret was not staying longer.

Angel and his family were incredibly kind, helpful, and overall excellent hosts. Although my Spanish isn't great, they were very patient and we were able to communicate effectively throughout the entire tour.

The food and accommodations were also fantastic! Nestled in a hillside, the lodge itself was beautiful and only steps away from the fruit and nectar feeders. My sister's favorite feature of the lodge was the balcony and sitting area that overlooked the stunning valley.

And last of all, the reason we traveled to this lodge - the birding! I'll attach a few sample shots taken at the lodge from the back of my camera, but know that we saw many, many, more species. One of our favorite experiences at the lodge was venturing out with Angel and Rodrigo for a night walk in search of screech owls. While we didn't see the screech owl, we heard their calls frequently and felt the burst of wind as one flew right past our heads! At the end of our walk we saw a pair of magnificent black banded owls next to the lodge.

The amount of diversity at the refuge is absolutely incredible. Whether you're an avid birder, or just looking to enjoy some of the beautiful landscape of the Ecuadorian cloud forest, make sure to visit Refugio Pas...

I did the three night tour. The lodging was very nice with beautiful views! ! Had electricity, outlets, WiFi, hot water, everything you need to be comfy as long as you don’t mind a few insects!

The food was incredible! I can’t stop thinking about all the healthy meals served with a variety of juice and desserts.

Last, but not least, the absolutely incredible birding excursions. There are hummingbird and fruit feeders scattered all over the property including right outside your cabin offering countless opportunities for close up views especially for photography of the huge variety of birds feeding including, but not limited to Tanagers, Hummingbirds, Toucans, Barbets, and more. Andy was my guide and he did an incredible job identifying species left and right keeping track of the ones he knew I had not seen yet or had not had the best looks at yet. The Paz family located many hard to see species throughout the property including the Antpittas (I saw 4 Antpitta species!!!) Rufous-breasted Antthrush, Olivaceous Piha and Golden-winged Manakin for me to view!

I came back home sad the experience was over yet very grateful that it happened and hope to return to Refugio Paz de Las Aves...