Imagine a place where all the bird species from the world are gathered together and have made it their home, becoming the world’s region where more bird species live: a place where you can literally have breakfast surrounded by hummingbirds. Every year, photographers and observers from all around the world come to discover this place in the Tandayapa Valley, located in Ecuador’s Occidental Mountain Range, only 30km (18mi) to the west of Quito, at approximately 2000m (6561ft) above the sea level.
Saying that the Tandayapa Valley is only a bird observation site would be an incomplete description of the experience of visiting this place. Think of paradise full of birds, of which a great amount is exotic and even nonexistent anywhere else in the world, that can only be seen if you go further into harsh paths, through an astonishing bright green nature, among the trees and the wind’s whispering, accompanied all along the way by the songs of thousands of birds. Perhaps now you get closer to the feeling of being in Tandayapa.
Before arriving to your destiny, at the Nono-Tandayapa route, you can observe from your car’s windows the beauty of these wonderful creatures. Due to its subtropical climate, the valley has plenty of trees, which has made it a perfect place for the birds to choose to live there. Once you arrive, the hummingbird will become your route’s partner, introducing you to numerous bird species: some of them believed to be nonexistent, some other well known through TV programs; some of them mingling among the trees, others with bright, striking colors; some of them quiet and thoughtful, and others loud and festive. It is a life and survival celebration where some of the world’s most particular birds can be seen all together.
Tandayapa is a place full of life, as many others in Ecuador. It is a piece of earth where our little friends have decided to settle; a place full of peace and tranquility where we, the guests, are invited to witness a song for nature. It is a place that makes us feel attached to nature; that reminds us the urge to meet up again with our origins and go back to the beginning. Certainly, Tandayapa is a valley to enjoy will all your senses.
Photo: Michael Woodruff
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