Three Forest Herping Tour - $2000 + $1000/person
TWO WEEK (14d/13n) all-inclusive tour for 1-6 guests.
Quito (UIO) → Chocó Rainforest Lodge → Mindo Cloud-
forest Lodge → Amazon Rainforest Lodge → Quito (UIO).

Basic Itinerary:

Day 1:	Flight lands in Quito and stay the night in Quito.
Day 2:	Travel to the Chocó Rainforest and herp there.
Day 3:	Herping in the Chocó Rainforest.
Day 4:	Herping in the Chocó Rainforest.
Day 5:	Herping in the Chocó Rainforest.
Day 6:	Travel to the Mindo Cloudforest and herp there.
Day 7:	Herping in the Mindo Cloudforest.
Day 8:	Herping in the Mindo Cloudforest.
Day 9:	Travel to the Amazon Rainforest and herp there.
Day 10:	Herping in the Amazon Rainforest.
Day 11:	Herping in the Amazon Rainforest.
Day 12:	Herping in the Amazon Rainforest.
Day 13:	Travel to Quito and stay the night in Quito.
Day 14:	Flight leaves Quito.

Pickup at UIO:
We will be spending the first night in Quito because some flights may arrive late at night. One of us will meet you at the airport. Your tour starts here; we cover all your expenses until we return to the airport, with obvious exceptions such as alcohol and souveneirs.

Chocó Rainforest:
This is the second most biodiverse forest on the planet and encompasses three countries: Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador. It is on the western side of the Andes mountains. Although some species are also found in the Amazon and Central America, the majority are only found here. The Andes acts as a barrier for reptiles and amphibians to get to the Amazon, and the somewhat recent geological joining of Central and South America, have isolated many of the species to this rainforest. This is a great place to find both reptiles and amphibians. Eyelash vipers, Bothriechis schlegelii, and graceful snail suckers, Dipsas gracilis, are common in this area. In fact, our best day for snakes in Ecuador was from this area. We encountered 9 different species on one walk including a Chocoan tree boa, Corallus blombergi, and a rough coffee snake, Nothopsis rugosus. Perhaps our record for snakes will get broken on a future herping trip here!
On our tour, we can expect to see snakes, lizards, frogs, and salamanders. Eyelash vipers, Bothriechis schlegelii, often turn up but not on every trip. The last two trips yielded two each! Anoles, Anolis, and dwarf iguanas, Enyalioides, are commonly encountered too. As far as frogs go, we will see treefrogs, Hyspiboas, and the masked treefrog, Smilisca phaeota.

Mindo Cloudforest:
This tourist town is a hotspot for frogs and lizards. There are a total of 115 species of reptiles and amphibians in Mindo. Some of them are very unusual such as the pinocchio anole, Anolis proboscis, because the males have a long nose. This species was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 2005. The mutable rainfrog, Pristimantis mutabilis, is able to change its shape. They normally have bumpy skin but they can become smooth and slippery to make a hasty escape if grabbed. It was just described to science in 2015. Both of these species are endemic to the region.
On our tour, we can expect to see some endangered frog species such as spring rainfrogs, Pristimantis crenunguis, and mutable rainfrogs, Pristimantis mutabilis, some common frogs such as executioner clownfrogs, Dendropsophus carnifex, and emerald glassfrogs, Espadarana prosoblepon, as well as some lizards such as equatorial anoles, Anolis aequatorialis, and western basilisks, Basiliscus galeritus. There are other cool herps in Mindo that we will get to see too!

Amazon Rainforest:
This is the most biodiverse forest on the planet. The Ecuadorian Amazon is even more diverse than Brazil because the elevation is a bit higher so it is possible to see species from the foothills of the Andes, such as the elusive black-backed coral snake, Micrurus narduccii. There are so many species of reptiles and amphibians here. Snakes, lizards, and frogs are pretty much guaranteed, but amphisbaenians, caimans, turtles, salamanders, and caecilians are all possible too. The Amazon is home to some of the world's most spectactular frogs such as the fringe treefrog, Cruziohyla craspedopus, monkey treefrogs, Phyllomedusa, and poison dart frogs such as the endemic Ecuadorian dart frog, Ameerga bilinguis.
On our tour, we can expect to see diurnal lizards, snakes, and frogs. This is a great place to see snail suckers, Dipsas, two species of blunt-headed treesnake, Imantodes, and the common lancehead, Bothrops atrox. Anoles are common and the banded tree anole, Anolis transversalis, is a very neat species because the females and males look completely different. Dwarf iguanas, Enyalioides, are also highlights here. Since we will be on indigenous territory, we might see one of the native tribes during our stay.

Dropoff at UIO:
We will be spending the last night in Quito to ensure that everyone catches their flight the next day. We suggest to book a flight with an afternoon departure since it is better to be relaxed if delays do occur.

Travel Preparations:

Contact us to reserve your spot!

Send us a 50% non-refundable deposit at least 30 days before arrival.

Inform us of any allergies.

Book your flight to UIO.

Vaccinations (please ask if required): Hepatitis A&B, yellow fever, typhoid fever.

Anti-malaria tablets (optional).

Lightweight, long-sleeved clothing.

Rubber boots. We can lend sizes 36 to 44.

Flashlights and batteries.

Camera gear. Contact us for suggestions.