The day my husband and I took a tour to Antisana with Andres was among the best of my life. We went specifically to see highland birds. I figured we had about a 40% chance of seeing Andean condors. When Andres picked us up at our B&B in Quito (a nice service), he promised us that we would see condors. But he did not promise us what we actually saw: sightings of about ten condors, two flying low and directly over us! How magnificent and huge beyond belief! This, by itself, was worth every penny, but we enjoyed so much more: black-faced ibis, Andean lapwing, carunculated caracara, giant hummingbird, Andean hillstar, shining sunbeam, tawny antpitta, and so much more—25 species total, respectable for such high elevation.
As professional ornithologists, the birds, of course, were most important to us, but EVERYTHING contributed to the joy of this day: (1) Antisana is breath-taking, the air was fresh and clean, and even at 13,000’ Antisana loomed above us at 18,714’, (2) the lunch at Tambo Condor (http://www.tambocondor.com/) was superb; this is where we also saw the hummingbirds and our first distant glimpse at the condors, and (3) Andres is a superior guide. He drove exceptionally well. He is well organized, so the tour was flawless. He is knowledgeable about many topics and encourages any questions about Ecuador…everything from chocolate to specifics about how the paramo functions. He is pleasant, good-natured, and professional. In summary, I HIGHLY recommend this company, Andres, and the Antisana tour.
Catherine Ortega
Durango, Colorado, USA
