Ecuador - or to be official, the Republic of Ecuador - literally "Republic of the equator" is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia (sharp intake of breath - it's snow time people!) on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America (with Chile) that does not have a border with Brazil. The country also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 965 kilometers (600 miles) west of the mainland. Ecuador straddles the equator, from which it takes its name, and has an area of 256,371 square kilometers (98,985 square miles). Its capital city is Quito; its largest city is Guayaquil.

Ecuador is one of 17 megadiverse countries in the world according to Conservation International. With 1600 bird species (15 percent of the world's known bird species) in the continental area, and 38 more endemic in the Galápagos. In addition to 25,000 species of plants, the country has 106 endemic reptiles, 138 endemic amphibians, and 6,000 species of butterfly. The Galápagos Islands are well known as a region of distinct fauna, famous as the place of birth of Darwin's Theory of Evolution, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite being on the UNESCO list, the Galapagos islands are endangered by a range of negative environmental effects, threatening the existence of this exotic ecosystem.

.....(thanks to Wikipedia for making me sound like an Oxford Don!...Andy)

The first base location on our Ecuador trip is the Mindo region - some 2 to 3 hours west of Quito.

Mindo is a district in the canton of Los Bancos 84 km west of Quito, with a rapidly growing tourist industry based on Ecotourism in the Mindo-Nambillo Protected Forest. Small commercial enterprises exhibiting butterflies, hummingbirds, orchids and bromeliads abound.

The Mindo area ranges from approximately 1400 to 4780m above sea level, and its most popular attractions are typical of the cloud forest flora and fauna. Temperatures range from about 15ºC – 24ºC (60ºF – 75ºF), and rain storms are common throughout the year, although the climate is driest from May – September.

Within the Mindo region there are an estimated 550 bird species. Birds that can be seen in the Mindo area include Cock-of-the-Rock, Chestnut-Mandibled Toucan, Toucan Barbet, Giant Antpitta, Scaled Fruiteater, Club-Winged Manakin and Torrent Duck, among others.

July - October are the busiest months for overseas tourists, hence we go in May!

At the other end of our route on this Ecuadorian odyssey is the Cuyabeno district in the north east corner of the Ecuadorian Rain Forest.

In 1979 the area was designated as a Wildlife Reserve and is recognized as a major bio-diversity hot-spot; it covers some 603,000 hectares of tropical rain forest, alluvial formations and a complex of 13 major freshwater lagoons, tributary streams and rivers, and flooded forest - known locally as 'igapo' - around the Rio Cuyabeno, and it records some of the highest levels of bio-diversity on the planet.

This is an astonishing opportunity to see some of the finest ecology on face of our planet, and the unparalleled access we have to eco-sensitive areas and conservancy projects make this trip an opportunity that's never been presented before - just make sure you bring all your lenses and PLENTY of storage media.