381 bird species, a working field station, and people who know where to look
Yanayacu Biological Station · Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador ·2,100 m. Cloud-forest birding, photography and field research, with lodging, meals and local guides on site.
381
Species on eBird
34
Hummingbird species
9
Antpittas recorded
2
Species named after this place
Not a hotel with a trail behind it
Yanayacu is a working biological station in temperate cloud forest on the east Andean slope, at km 5 of the Las Caucheras road in Cosanga. Researchers have worked here for 21 years, and visitors sleep in the same place they do.
That is what makes the birding different: the trails, the feeders and the observation points exist because someone needed them for fieldwork, not because they photograph well.
Target species
Ten of the birds people come here for. All are recorded at our eBird hotspot; the ones marked ·recent· appear on current checklists.
- Andean Cock-of-the-rock — Rupicola peruvianus
- Sword-billed Hummingbird — Ensifera ensifera
- Wattled Guan — Aburria aburri · near-threatened · recent
- Chestnut-crowned Antpitta — Grallaria ruficapilla · recent
- Slate-crowned Antpitta — Grallaricula nana · recent
- Powerful Woodpecker — Campephilus pollens · recent
- Long-tailed Sylph — Aglaiocercus kingii · recent
- Chestnut-breasted Coronet — Boissonneaua matthewsii · recent
- Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucan — Andigena hypoglauca
- Golden-headed & Crested Quetzal — Pharomachrus auriceps / antisianus
Our records are public
Every species we claim is backed by an observation anyone can check. Our hotspot and our observations are open on eBird and iNaturalist.
eBird hotspot L471438
381 species, updated by every visiting birder
iNaturalist observations
Plants, insects, amphibians and everything else recorded here
Where you will sleep and eat
- Private rooms and dormitory beds
- Shared and private bathrooms · Hot / cold water
- Electricity 24 hours · Wi-Fi access
- Early breakfast before dawn starts, boxed field lunches, vegetarian and vegan on request
- Lodging and meals quoted per person per night, by group size and length of stay
Simple and clean rather than luxurious. Most of our guests are on the trail before sunrise anyway.
Getting here
- Quito to Cosanga: 3hours by road via Papallacta and Baeza
- Km 5, vía a las Caucheras, Cosanga, Napo
- Private transport available, quoted with your booking, or we meet you at the bus terminal in Cosanga
- Best months: [meses] · boreal migrants from [mes] to [mes]
- Bring: rubber boots, waterproof layers, insect protection, torch, binoculars
For researchers, students and universities
Two species described from work carried out here carry the names of this place and its people: Besucheteidos simbanai (2026) and Cuterebra yanayacui (2024). Yanayacu has hosted field courses, thesis students and research teams for 21 years.
- Capacity for groups of up to 25 people
- Advice on research permits and institutional paperwork in Ecuador
- Long-stay and group rates, with formal invoicing
- Historical site data and guides who have supported fieldwork for years
Science that came out of Yanayacu
Species described from material collected at the station, and studies carried out on these trails. Two of them carry the name of this place and its people.
Scraping the surface of a hyperdiverse group — new genera and species of Ecuadorian Pselaphinae
Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, with an emphasis on the cloud forest fauna · 2026
Includes Besucheteidos simbanai, named after Jose A. Simbaña.
A new bot fly species of Cuterebra (Diptera: Oestridae) from Ecuador
Zootaxa 5437(3) · 2024
Described as Cuterebra yanayacui, named after the station.
Gallery
Birds, trails, the station and the people who work here. Click any image to open it.
What visitors say
4.9 ★ from 10 Google reviews
“An excellent place to do research. I am a biologist and my stay was very comfortable. It is also very safe, and the food is delicious.”
Jefferson Mora, biologist · Google review
“An excellent place for birdwatching.”
Paulo Clemente · Google review
Reviews published on Google, originally written in Spanish and translated here.
Tell us your dates
Send your dates, group size and target species. We reply within [one business day] with availability and a plan.