Owi Photo Tours

01/01/2025

Hopefully you get to enjoy New Year’s Day with some downtime. Why not do it reading our brand new blog!
For example, about birds of the Andes
owiphototours.com/birds-of-the-andes/

Here’s to another year of photographing, exploring, and learning! Happy New Year!

📷 Stout-billed Cinclodes / Schuppenbrust-Uferwipper / Cinclodes (Chungüi) Piquigrueso
(Cinclodes excelsior)
📍 Antisana Ecological Reserve, Ecuador

29/09/2024

"There were many things, many places that I went in Ecuador with Owi Photo Tours that I would like to do again. I would like to travel back to Mindo, I would like to travel to Papallacta. I thought that was such a beautiful place. My favorite part of the trip was in San Francisco de Borja. The people were lovely. Neighborhoods putting in pollinator plants, fruit plants, plants for the birds and the bugs, and the butterflies. To interact with the owners of small businesses and to eat at local restaurants and to stay with nice, clean, modern accommodations in what are new ecotourism lodges. I would like to do all of that again."

— Gene Ellison (Gino)
American Birding Association 2023 Big Year Birder with 801 species joined us for a 8-day custom-made bird photography tour to the northwest and northeast of Pichincha, Ecuador.

Thank you Gene Ellison for your feedback!

20/09/2024

"This is not a tour for the faint of heart. This is a tour for those who are passionate about birding. There will be some muddy trails that have to be climbed. There's some walking up and down some hills that have uneven surfaces and things of that nature. It was not a problem for me. Folks should know that they should come in good shape. They should make sure that they're walking and exercising before they come on this trip. There'll be a few of the walks that will require you to be sharp and they’ll require you to be in good shape and have good balance so that you can get to the places with some of the very special birds."

— Gene Ellison (Gino)
American Birding Association 2023 Big Year Birder with 801 species joined us for a 8-day custom-made bird photography tour to the northwest and northeast of Pichincha, Ecuador.

Thank you Gene Ellison for your feedback!

10/09/2024

01/09/2024

“I think that bird photographers should come to Ecuador. There are over 1,700 species here. They’re beautiful with spectacular colors. They really need to travel with Owi Photo Tours because Owi knows the local people. He will take you to bird places other people will never get to. And you’ll be treated and welcomed so well by small local business owners who know their birds, who put their heart and soul into creating their beautiful gardens and ecotourism lodges. You will go to the out-of-the-way places and learn what it’s like to be an Ecuadorian. That’s what I learned”

— Gene Ellison (Gino)
American Birding Association 2023 Big Year Birder with 801 species joined us for a 8-day custom-made bird photography tour to the northwest and northeast of Pichincha, Ecuador.

Thank you Gene Ellison for your feedback!

26/06/2024

Ojalá todos tengamos al menos un pedacito silvestres, en nuestros jardines, parques y aéreas verdes.

17/06/2024

Would you expect to find a rabbit at 4600 feet above sea level?

Well, at the Antisana National Park you can!

This Andean rabbit is not just cute, but a key player in maintaining the health of the paramo grasslands.

Your best chance to photograph this adorable shy creature is by being patient. Get down to the rabbit’s eye level, stay quiet and still, and you might be rewarded with a perfect shot.

Be sure to be quick too, as it will probably run away after noticing you!

Know someone who loves wildlife? Tag them to brighten their day!

25/05/2024

On Saturday we went on an adventure to Antisana National Park to explore the flora and fauna of this wonderful place.

We were all so grateful for the absolutely amazing nature that was so kind to us as we got to enjoy the spectacular view of a clear Antisana!

That is not always the case. Because it is in the eastern mountain range, the Antisana volcano is almost always covered by clouds caused by the humidity of the Amazon rainforest. So we can count ourselves lucky!

The educational tour was such a beautiful experience and we learned so much about the páramo, its incredible biodiversity, and its importance for humans during the educational talk.

Where in Ecuador would you like to go on an educational tour?

11/05/2024

WE WON A START-UP COMPETITION!!

From 50 participants that made it to the short list, OWI PHOTO TOURS was one entrepreneurship of the four from Ecuador to be selected for the Business Ideas for Development Programme (BID) from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), for being a company that contributes to the sustainable development of our country of origin (Ecuador) and to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

We are at half of the programme now and are glad to invite you to our first tour under this cooperation!

Join us this Saturday, May 18th on an excursion to the incredible Antisana National Park. We'll be exploring the park's diverse wildlife, including Andean condors, ibis, deers, and foxes (and hopefully, spectacled bears). Plus, we'll be learning about the importance of the páramo with an educational talk. Transportation and lunch are included. Space is limited to 15 people, so don't miss out! The cost is just $60.

Tour info here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ja-arbThzo3fCbsdKoSfxGSXDaeCXDXM/view?usp=sharing

We're here to help, if you have any questions!

02/05/2024

¡Únete a nuestra emocionante excursión al Parque Nacional Antisana este sábado 18 de mayo! Descubre la biodiversidad de este paraíso natural, observa cóndores, bandurrias, venados, lobos andinos (y con suerte osos de anteojos). Aprende sobre “La importancia del páramo” con nuestra charla educativa. Incluye transporte y almuerzo. Cupos limitados para 15 personas. ¡Valor 60 USD! 🌿🦅

Discover birds with your 📷 in 🇪🇨 the most biodiverse country/km² —Buy our 📕 get 10% your 1st tour

15/04/2024

And that’s how you freeze the wings of a hummingbird without Flash!

Although having some blur on the wings can be quite beautiful too, if you want them frozen without using Flash, you should:

1. Know the type of hummingbird, smaller hummingbirds move their wings faster, and will require a faster shutter speed.

2. Some hummingbirds tend to open their wings when perched on a branch, so make use of that opportunity to photograph them. Like this one right here! For hummingbirds in flight it can get more complicated… (Continued in comments ⤵️)

📷 Shining Sunbeam / Rostroter Andenkolibri / Rayito Brillante (Aglaeactis cupripennis)
📍 Antisana Ecological Reserve, Ecuador

06/03/2024

One simple way to improve your bird photos?

Aim to photograph at eye level!

Sometimes that means bending down, lying on the ground or standing in the weirdest position.
And what do you do when the bird is above your head? If you come along to one of our tours, you’ll be glad to know that you can do it from a comfortable position in an elevated hide or a lookout, so the bird will be at eye level even if it’s on a tree.

Send us a message if that’s something you’d like to try!

📷 Black Flowerpiercer / Schwarzhakenschnabel / Pinchaflor Negro (Diglossa humeralis)
📍 Antisana Ecological Reserve, Ecuador

20/02/2024

Te invitamos a observar aves junto al Río San Pedro en la Hacienda San Isidro en Sangolquí, donde disfrutaremos de los árboles patrimoniales y su diversidad de aves.
El Programa de Aves Urbanas junto al Colectivo Rescate del Río San Pedro buscamos la conciencia de protección de la naturaleza a través de las aves.
¡Las aves y el río nos unen!
🗓️Fecha: Domingo 25 febrero
📍Lugar: Hacienda San Isidro - Sangolquí
Evento gratuito
¿Qué necesitas?
🌿Viste ropa cómoda y de colores oscuros para camuflarte mejor en la naturaleza.
👟Calzado cómodo.
📸No olvides tus binoculares o cámara si los tienes.
🧢Gorra o sombrero.
🍏Alimentos para compartir
🍶Asegúrate de llevar hidratación.

📷 Fotografía del libro de

18/02/2024

Did you know that a trip two hours away is the perfect amount for a day tour?

Driving two hours each way allows you to visit another location and photograph different birds without feeling too exhausted or needing to stay over for the night.

Now imagine a city that in two hours you can either be in the páramo, the rainforest, see volcanoes, waterfalls or lakes and be back home for dinner! Aren’t you curious to visit Quito?

📷 Many-striped Canastero / Weißstrichelcanastero / Canastero Multilistado (Asthenes flammulata)
📍Antisana Ecological Reserve, Ecuador

05/02/2024

¡Disfruta de un feriado de carnaval diferente, centrado en la naturaleza!
El tour está pensado para principiantes y aficionados a las aves y la naturaleza que quieran hacer un viaje Quito - Yasuní - Quito con paradas en puntos estratégicos en el trayecto para disfrutar de una muestra de la maravillosa biodiversidad del Ecuador. Pararemos en las laderas orientales de los Andes y luego disfrutaremos de la selva amazónica y dentro de ella, en uno de los sitios más biodiversos del mundo, el Yasuní.
Haz click en nuestra story para mayor información!

23/01/2024

After last post, could there be a better bird photo to come back from our break than with this "Páramo Sleeper"? That would be the literal name in Spanish of this species, found only at very high elevations in the Andes. Funny how names can vary between languages, right? Do you know any bird with very different names? Share it with us in the comments!

📷 Plain-capped Ground-Tyrant / Weißbrauen-Grundtyrann / Dormilona del Páramo (Muscisaxicola alpinus)
📍Chimborazo Fauna Production Reserve, Ecuador

22/12/2023

It is time for a well deserved rest!

As the year comes to an end, we hope that you are able to enjoy some downtime over the holidays. We will be taking some time off to rest, recharge and contemplate everything that’s happened this 2023.

We appreciate each and every one of you for sharing this journey with us. If you have stopped by to read our posts, see our stories, or come along to one of our tours, it means the world to us.

We have big plans for next year and we can’t wait to share them with you!

📷 Ecuadorian Hillstar / Ecuador-Andenkolibri / Estrella Ecuatoriana (Oreotrochilus chimborazo)
📍Chimborazo Fauna Production Reserve, Ecuador