Greetings from Roanoke! My wife and I are fairly new to the birding scene. We/I have taken two trips to Costa Rica over the last two years and are slated to go to the Mindo, Ecuador, area in mid-July for 8 days. We plan to rent a car (is an SUV recommended?) and base as much as possible from Mindo. I'm looking for your thoughts on a still-rough itinerary that has us going to the following for day-trips: Refugio Paz, Amagusa, Milpe, and Rio Silanche. We hope to spend a night or two at Bellavista Lodge for birding there, as well a day trip to Zuroloma and Yanacocha. Our thought is to not hire a dedicated guide, but to use some of the local guides while at the various lodges. As first-timers to Ecuador, is this reasonable/doable? Are there other places that we should prioritize higher than what I've listed?
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