Testimonials

We liked that we saw lots of birds and lots of animals (more animals than we saw on our trip to Costa Rica). We especially liked the hotel in Panama City. We liked that we could see birds from the balcony and intermingle with the other guests. We liked the variety of habitats that we explored..We enjoyed eating at the local restaurants and interacting with the local people. We liked the eco-lodge near Colon - wonderful family atmosphere! Jacobo was an excellent guide. He had the eyes of an eagle and the ears of an owl. He was extremely knowledgeable and really worked to get us to see some of those birds..All in all a nice trip. I liked that you had us fly in a day early so we could all meet that first night and also spend the last night somewhat close to the airport so we did not have to drive a long way the last day. It was nice to have a very small group. We felt pretty pampered! - B.W. and C. W., Minnesota (Birding tour)

Thanks for sending [your] photographs, very good shots! ... As a birder I liked the [photo] tour. The Colon part was new to us and we saw new birds.... Jacobo [the guide] is very good with knowing about and finding birds! - H.L., California

I had a fabulous time at NWC and the trip from Coca to NWC and back to Coca. Very knowledgeable and helpful and friendly people! And high quality equipment: boats, lodge, boots, ponchos.... Great birding, and I loved all the canoe rides (which included birding, of course). We planned too few days at NWC! Having sure a small group was really a treat! Our birding guide, Miguel, was fabulous! We were very lucky to have him for our guide. He and Meliton, the non-English speaking guide, worked very well together. Thanks for organizing this trip for us! - C.C., Illinois

My time at Napo Wildlife Center is surely the most wonderful trip I've ever taken and definitely a life highlight. Not only was this lodge and the community of people who run it outstanding, and the location is totally serene and beautiful, but the rainforest itself is just . hard to describe in words. I felt like I was in the Garden of Eden, and I did not want to leave. It is still haunting me. I feel extremely lucky to have had this experience. Miguel [the guide] was a lovely man, extremely patient with out incessant questions, very intelligent, and well-bred, extremely knowledgeable and hard working (before dawn until 10 at night!). If/when I go back, I would hope to have him as my guide again. Our other guide (from the community) has an unusual name that I forget - I also loved him. He also was dedicated, unstinting in his attempts to find birds for us, and like Miguel, very patient. These guys are incredibly wonderful. I can't say enough good things. [The lodge] provided among the best service I've ever had, and the best food. I am vegetarian, and they were very accommodating. - D.S., Illinois

This was a very well organized tour with a schedule that worked great for serious birding with about the right number of breaks. Nice people to spend the time with, great accommodations, good food. Almost 300 species of birds, including 23 species of hummingbirds alone! [Our guide] Gerardo Vega is a tenaceious, skilled, and enjoyable birder and guide. We would enthusiastically go with him again. I appreciated being able to work on identifying birds with him, even the chance to disagree occasionally. First class expert. - J.M. and C.M., Wisconsin (Birding tour)

We loved Villa Lapas, especially the grounds with the toucans and macaws. Orotina was really charming, seeing the birds but also interacting with the people in the square. The Guanacaste countryside was really interesting. [Our guide] is an excellent birder and was a valuable member of our group. He was patient in helping everyone spot the hard-to-see birds, and his ability to locate birds visually and by call was wonderful. - R.R and S.R, Florida (Bird photo tour)

The whole birding tour was one I shall cherish. Such a wonderul experience seeing all its wild life and the beautiful birds. Seeing the nesting toucans at Villa Lapas was something I never thought I would ever see in the wild. Just loved our stay at Villa Lapas a little piece of heaven. Besides being drop dead gorgeous, we found [our guide] to be a great guide. He was most helpful always willing to share knowledge of the bird life we saw. How he manages to spot some of the birds I will never know. We wouldn't hesitat to have [him] as our guide if we were ever to visit Costa Rica again. - J.S., Isle of Man, UK (Bird photo tour)

It was the best possible birding photo tour I could have had. I received valuable help with my photography. The variety of birds was outstanding. Enjoyed the boat trip, really loved seeing the macaws and toucans flying in the wild. All in all a really good cross sesction which was well planed. [Our guide] was a tip top chap. Very knowledgeable, he could not do enough for you and extremely pleasant with it. Hope maybe one day we will tour with him again. [Exotic Birding's] team made it all very memorable. - W.S., Isle of Man, UK (Bird photo tour)

[Our] tour [to Belize] was a special experience because there were only three participants - ourselves and a long time friend. Jim [from Exotic Birding] was tour leader, Wilfred our driver and our bird expert - Lee Jones. Jim, Wilfred and Lee were able to customize the tour to meet our experience. For us, as novice birders, we were constantly amazed at the number and variety of birds we saw. The locales we visited were all very different and each had its own special feature to recommend it. However, our last stop at Crooked Tree is the highlight we have chosen. The trip on the lagoon and the wide variety of birds we saw during those two days made this locale a fitting closing highlight to a wonderful, and for us, different vacation. Lee Jones is obviously the expert on the Birds in Belize. He showed endless patience in answering our questions and was a wonderful teacher. We were doubly blessed when it came to finding birds and having our questions answered. Wilfred ,our driver, was also an experienced birding guide and his knowledge of the locales and keen eyesight, and the care and comfort he provided to us, greatly added to our overall experience and to the number of birds we saw. - D.R and U.R, Toronto, Ontario (Birding tour)

I had many wonderful experiences on this tour [to Ecuador]. The birds were spectacular, and we had lot of great sightings. The scenery, including the marvelous variety of vegetation, was also fabulous. The food at several of the lodges was truly exceptional. And I enjoyed traveling with a small group of congenial and interesting people. [Our guide] Willie Perez was certainly one of the finest birding guides I've encountered. Besides his superb skills in finding and identifying the birds, his enthusiasm and pleasant personality were much appreciated. He was very patient and tried very hard to make sure everyone saw the birds. - W.A., New Jersey (Birding tour)

Our overall experience was very positive. It was our first time on a birding tour and we were surprised by the number of bird species that we saw. The tour was set up in two segments, the Andean Mtns. segment and the Napo Valley segment. Because of time, we were only on the Andean Mtn. segment. In thirteen (13) days we (the two of us) saw almost 400 species of birds. We personally saw fifty three (53) species of hummingbirds and forty two (42) species of tanagers. The lodges that we stayed at were comfortable with excellent birding on grounds, most often with hummingbird feeders. The food was always beyond expectation at each lodge. We had a bonus with our driver, he was an excellent driver, a very nice person, plus he was a pretty good birder. For beer drinkers, the two brands of beer available were both good. Our birding guide had excellent birding and people skills. He knew where to look for particular birds, had an amazing ability to see birds; but his ability to identify the majority of birds by their calls was the most impressive. We feel [Exotic Birding] did an excellent job. - S.J. and G.J., Texas

Great tour! Covered an amazing amount of ground for 10 days! Not only saw many new birds, wildlife, and Costa Rica, but also improved birding skills a lot! Also, company of other birders and all staff a big plus!! [Our guide] is an incredible, world class birding guide! Has birding and people skills, and also immense knowledge and intelligence, and great sense of humor! AAA+++!!! - D.Z. and S.B., Florida (Birding tour)

Andrew and I had a great time on the trip. We enjoyed seeing several different habitats, and the pace of the tour was good. [Our birding guide] was an amazing guide. He is obviously interested in and excited by the world around him. We appreciated his scientific background and willingness to describe many aspects of value, not just birds. We would love to have him as a guide on another trip. - R.T, Switzerland (Birding tour)

Thanks once again for an outstanding trip. I'll be meeting with my field trip committee in May to, among other things, discuss our next Exotic Birding trip. - B.R., Florida (Birding tour)

Overall a very, very nice trip! ... The birding and lunches were great.... [Our guide] was very skillful at finding birds and worked as long and hard as we wanted. [He] has an exuberant personality and we had a very good time with him.... His English and "people skills" are very good. His love for his country came through in all the interesting places he took us and things he told us about life in Panama. - C.D. and C.D., Pennsylvania (Birding tour)

We had a very good trip...saw 290 species of birds, heard 8, and the group saw 2 species we did not see. [Our guide] was very good ... (1) very good English; (2) accomplished at hearing, seeing, finding and made every attempt for each of the four of us to see the bird; made every attempt to accommodate needs/wishes of all ... above and beyond what we might expect.... We enjoyed good fish, Italian, Greek and Jimmy's Steak House was a great meal and a real treat. - (Private birding tour)

We thought the tour was wonderful. We have never been on a guided tour before and it was fabulous.... The overall experience of the country, its people, and the birds was delightful. We enjoyed eating at local restaurants and interacting with the Costa Rican people.... Our birding guide was a wonderful young man. He was extremely knowledgeable about the birds. My head is still spinning from all the beautiful birds, animals, plants, and flowers we saw. - B.W. and C. W., Minnesota (Birding tour)

I really enjoyed the trip as I think most of the other participants did. The bus was air conditioned! I've been on trips where the bus driver will not turn on the a/c in order to save fuel. The group size was great. The small group allowed everybody a chance to see birds without fear of being trampled.... This is a definite advantage over other tour companies.... I appreciated the fact that we did not change hotels every night. Our guide [was] a delightful young man. He is gregarious and is knowledgeable about many things Costa Rican besides birds. - A.Z., Florida

Excellent! [Our guide] was constantly upbeat, cheerful and enthusiastic and a pleasure to be around. His English was excellent. His skill at bird identification, both by sight and sound, was truly impressive. Without him, we would probably have seen fewer than half the birds we saw, and we would have been able to identify only a small fraction of those. Accommodations were good ... The attempt to find good restaurants was much appreciated and the food was very good overall. [Our tour coordinator] handled the logistics well and was especially attentive to our personal needs, which we really appreciated. - O.J. and D.S., Virginia (Birding tour)

We enjoyed birding the Plantation Trail, Pipeline Road, Old Gamboa Road, Achiote Road, Tocumen Marsh...Seeing the Resplendent Quetzal again was a special treat. Accommodations were great. - R.C. and R.C, Pennsylvania (Birding tour)