Southern Ecuador may arguably be one of the most underrated of all South American tours. In spite of the region holding not only plentiful birds, with high diversity, and a long, long list of regional specialties (some of which are easiest in this area), it remains less popular than say northern Ecuador. Yet it boasts a similarly lengthy list of specialties, and also offers excellent lodging and food throughout. This is in no small part due to a network of reserves and lodges set up by the Ecuadorian NGO, the Jocotoco Foundation, which have made finding some of the star species both easier, and provided very comfortable places in which to find them. We visited no fewer than 5 of their reserves (Yungilla, Buenaventura, Jorupe, Utuana, and Tapichalaca), and stayed in 3 lodges that they have built to do so. These sites were combined with Manglares Churute Ecological Reserve, El Cajas National Park, and Acanama near Saraguro.
Link to Sam's trip report here