BIRDING TOURS WORLDWIDE
Welcome to Birding Ecotours! Here we will present to you some of the world’s most spectacular birding tours around the world. Our trips are for small groups of only 6-8 participants. Quality is of paramount importance to us; we prefer to use superior accommodation (where available at the top birding sites) and vehicles. Despite our focus on small groups and the fact that we err on the side of superior quality, our prices are competitive. It is Birding Ecotours’ company policy to contribute a minimum of 10 % of profits to conservation and local communities. We are passionate about birding and also about leaving a legacy – by genuinely helping people and conserving birds – for generations to come.
We like to do things differently. For example, we offer some unique tours in addition to our standard birdwatching tours, including Owls of the World® tours, tough mammal tours (fancy an Aardvark or a Black-footed Cat?), and more. Since 2003, we have been innovating some of the most wonderful bird and wildlife tours available.
What is one of our typical birding tours like?
Our main focus is, of course, on finding the important birds (especially the endemics and specials). Our trip lists are very important to us (we do really encourage you to look at our trip reports – which contain bird and mammal lists – and compare them with those of other companies). However, we understand that birding tours can be tiring, so we as a company prefer to add a day or two and actually have folks enjoy the birding tour – this allows us to accumulate a big bird list (including backup time for finding the most important birds), but it also gives us time to enjoy the bird sightings, as well as to stop for each species of mammal (plus other interesting things we may encounter along the way) rather than to be forced to tell our guests “sorry, we have no time to stop for anything without feathers” – that can be frustrating. Hence, we tend to add a couple of days so we can get the best bird lists in the industry, but without as much of a huge rush as some other companies’ bird tours. As just one example, we must have the most comprehensive eastern South Africa birding tour out there (by the way, so many mammals are also seen on this trip, incidentally to the birding).
We also run a good number of Birding Photo Tours, which need a different approach from typical birding tours – more space in the vehicles for camera gear, the correct tour pace to get photos, making sure the vehicle is at the right angle, and constantly thinking about lighting (although these things are important even on a standard birding tour, they are even more vital on a photographic birding/wildlife vacation). We also operate various other kinds of tours such as birding and wildlife cruise holidays, pelagic trips and 1-day birding tours. Our main focus, of course, is on birding tours!
One of the things we pride ourselves in the most, though, is our enthusiasm which means we get back to you with excitement from the minute you contact us. We tend to struggle to contain our enthusiasm and excitement, so when you e-mail us, you’ll doubtless find that we get back to you fast with detailed information. It’s our contagious enthusiasm for birding (and for the natural world as a whole) and for people, that spurs us on to give outstanding service.
RECENT BLOGS
RECENT TRIP REPORTS
MONTHLY VIDEO
LATEST REVIEWS OF OUR BIRDING TOURS
The tour to Japan was brilliant. We traveled all the way from the far south in Kagoshima to the far north in Hokkaido with great birds along the way from woodpeckers to seabirds to the magnificent Blakiston's Fish Owl. Close-up view of Steller's Sea Eagles made the photographers in the group very happy and the experience of going to see the Snow Monkeys exceeded all our expectations.
Vicky - On Japan
Jacob is a knowledgeable and interesting birder. We enjoyed his company and felt very comfortable with his driving in sometimes challenging conditions. His tour plan was appropriately flexible to increase our odds of finding target species. He was diligent in trying to find specific birds in the wide area that we covered. As photographers, we also appreciated his thoughtfulness in helping us improve our photos through placement and spotting.
Kelly - On Jacob
The mixed environments produced a large variety of birds. I had 64 life sightings and we have been to Costa Rica many times before. The local guide, Herman, was very expert. Jacob was less experienced in Costa Rica. They seemed to make a good team. Jacob is a considerate people person.
Zane - On Jacob and Costa Rica Escape Birding Tour
We had never been on a birding tour before, and found this to be a wonderful introduction. Jacob was excellent, accommodating and knowledgeable, and we saw an unbelievable number of new birds. There was a nice mix of trail-walking, roadside birding, and boat rides, with a few more relaxed feeder-watching sessions thrown in. The accommodations and food were both good, and we were pleased with the way our guides always made a special effort to take the varying needs of group members into consideration. They always worked very hard to be sure every person saw every bird. I would highly recommend this tour!
Andrea on Costa Rica Escape Birding Tour
We took this tour specifically to have help locating and seeing 3 new owls, Long- eared, Snowy, and Boreal. We were successful in seeing these as well as having several great views of the Great Grey Owl. Other highlights included the large flock of Bohemian Waxwings in fruiting ash trees and the displaying Sharp-tailed Grouse. It was worth driving the distance to see both. We specifically wanted to start the tour in Minneapolis to allow us the possibility of seeing birds more likely found in this area and were happy with that choice. Along with Jacob, we had great companions and spotters in our tour group making this an interesting trip, despite the wind and cold. These fellow birders allowed us to spend a bit more time trying to “get on” and photograph birds to take some great images.
Kelly - On Minnesota
The highlights for me were all the wonderful birds we saw throughout the tour. There were an amazing number of birds we saw, I added up to 275 species to my life list. We also saw some animals such as the sloths, coati, bats, caimans, and iguanas. All very interesting to see. We had a good group of people on the tour who were all enjoyable to be around. Our two guides were excellent and really knew their stuff. I also liked the end of the day going through our bird checklist as a group and marking down what birds and animals we saw that day. It was also special to be able to sit out in the early mornings sipping excellent Costa Rican coffee and look at the birds at the feeders that some of the hotel/lodges put out.
Peter - On Costa Rica Escape Birding Tour
It was a trip that I liked very much and highly recommended. Jacob's experience in birds and in the organization of everything made the trip run smoothly. The birds, many of them were new to me which was a delight.
Susana - On Jacob and Minnesota
A completely superb, comprehensive tour with the excellent Dylan Vasapolli. Comfortable vehicle and accommodations. Stunning scenery and plenty of birds and mammals. Over 540 bird species and a total clean-up of all the possible targets – even some flufftails! Highly recommended.
Marcel - On Comprehensive South Africa – Private Birding Tour & Dylan
We were able to tick several difficult birds we missed on (another company's) tour in Thailand. Guides and drivers were attentive to each individual's needs and capabilities. Andy Walker is extremely good at getting the entire group onto birds. He has a talent for describing exactly where the bird was and how to locate it. He is also very knowledgeable about Southeast Asian birds and their vocalizations. He is also extremely attentive to the physical well-being and capabilities of his clients.
Richard and Kathy - on Vietnam and Andy
The Bhutan tour, with extension of India and Kaziranga National Park, was an excellent tour combining amazing birds, breathtaking scenery, and wonderful mammals - all with delightful local color and flavor! Thanks Dylan for a never-to-be-forgotten trip!
Bob - On Bhutan and Dylan