Testimonials

I had a terrific trip, and realized virtually all my expectations for this excursion. There were 6 people on the trip, and I was the only one NOT a birder, but that did not detract from my enjoyment. My goals with this trip were to see and hopefully photograph the birds-of-paradise, and to my delight, I was able to do that. The local guides were terrific!

Andy Walker was our overall tour guide, and his knowledge of the birds is encyclopedic. He kept the group well organized, on time, and in position to see many very special birds. Andy has promised to send me information on additional trips to PNG and Vietnam.

Absolutely fantastic tour of Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve and nearby wetlands. Birdlife was excellent – a great introduction to Africa for me. Dylan was excellent company and a fantastic guide - very knowledge about the local flora and fauna, and was able to quickly identify all birds by sight and call. I would highly recommend him to any prospective clients.

We chose the 2-day Tankwa Karoo birding trip and had an incredible time. I think we saw just short of 90 different species over the 2 days, including many new species for our bird book, which would have taken us years to find without Dom. It was an incredible experience and Dom’s ability to find birds just by their call is something to marvel at.

Fantastic tour through a remote African birding country that offers a real chance to see all endemics and near
endemics of Angola. Climate change, logging of forests, industrial "advancement" in a poor country despite a high BP
may bring this to an end fairly soon, but there are signs of hope like the reforestation in the Mt. Moco area or
reestablishment of eg. Kissama NP. Birders from abroad might support these tiny efforts on a small scale, the
Angolan counterpart of the tour tries hard to meet the tourists needs.

Dylan was a perfect tour guide with amazing gifts of fantastic hearing, vision, acoustic and eye remembrance, on top
of a huge knowledge of birds habitats and behavior. He showed us this fabulous bird world with real compassion. He
never lost his good mood, always tried to satisfy complex whishes and pampered all of us, thank you very much.
Both Angolan guides did their very best and we learned much about the country.

The birds were spectacular (of course) and both Andy, our Birding Ecotours leader, and our local guide, were excellent in their ability to find and show birds and to shepherd our group.

This tour provided an excellent and thorough overview of the birds of the western Cape, as well as its unique habitats. We were lucky enough to see several species that are nomadic, and were found this year due to good rainfall. Highly recommended.

Dominic Rollinson was an excellent guide. His knowledge of the area and the birds was top notch! He was also a good person to be around during the tour and provided for the group quite well.

This was an eventful tour, with a rapid pace. It covered a diverse array of habitats across eastern South Africa, and therefore we saw a lot of species. We were lucky enough to see leopards and wild dogs in Kruger National Park, a variety of larks and other grassland birds, two flufftail species, and many others. I had never been to Africa before, and this tour provided me with a great overview of the eastern half of the country, its environments, and its birds.

Having been on a tour with Dylan previously, we knew were in for a treat with his knowledge of the bird species, landscape and eagerness to see the birds, and we were not disappointed. EXCELLENT scope work as well made for a most memorable experience.

The entire trip was wonderful! Certainly the White-necked Rockfowl was one of the most amazing birds along with the standard-winged Nightjar! The search and viewing of the Nkulengu Rail was very much a highlight! Our visits to the Kakum National Park and the Ankasa Reserve were rich and exciting!

Andy Walker is one of the best, good-natured birding guides who has served me on 42 guided tours. He makes
certain that everyone in the group has seen each bird and keeps at it until that happens. The two Indonesian tours I took with Andy immediately before this one was excellent and I was able to meet my goals of seeing the last three bird families of all 248 (eBird/Clements list) and to see half of all bird species. Andy has my highest recommendation to other birders – he will serve you well!

Andy Walker is a truly exceptional guide. His ready knowledge of both the local and worldwide birds is phenomenal.
Andy is a very kind, helpful guide who repeatedly went out of his way to help all of us on the tour. I would bird again
with him and, in fact, that's just what I'm doing right now, as I'm in Manokwari, W. Papua for the start of another tour
with him. Andy has my highest recommendation.

Eduardo Ormaeche impressed me in a way few guides ever have. He leads tours in the most densely concentrated birding countries in the world. His encyclopedic knowledge of literally thousands of birds was really something to marvel at. Add to that his ability to find birds and his overall endearing personality and it all adds up to one of the best guides we've ever had. He made our trip very special.

Eduardo was excellent; extremely knowledgeable about Peru and the birds and sites we visited.

Birding Ecotours took us on a whirlwind tour of southern Colombia that we will not soon forget. We asked for and immediately received modifications to the standard tour that met the needs of our group. The staff at Birding Ecotours quickly and happily adjusted the tour to allow one couple to exit early and allowed for an extension for the rest of us. Our guide, Eduardo Ormaeche, and his assistants made us feel comfortable and safe while finding an amazing variety of birds. Away from the incredible birding, the food, lodging, transportation, and general service was outstanding. We have done a fair amount of world traveling and we all agreed this trip ranks in the top four of any we have taken. Well done Birding Ecotours and we will use you again without reservation.

Andy, I just wanted to send you a quick note to thank you for everything on our recent trip to West Papua. The whole schedule ran like clockwork and we were extremely well looked after - not an easy feat in that part of the world and a real testament to the effort and skill demonstrated by you and the whole team in Papua. It also goes without saying that the birdlife was spectacular and exceeded expectations with the quality of some of our sightings. Thanks again for your hard work and I look forward to hopefully joining you on another tour in the future!

The species and geographic coverage on this Darwin-centered tour were excellent. Andy is a truly great guide who is adamant about getting everyone on every bird with their bins. He has a delightful sense of humor, is culturally broad-minded and sympathetic to a wide variety of participants' limitations. His knowledge of the tour birds was phenomenal as well.

This trip was amazing. This is my second trip with Andy, and he is absolutely amazing. His knowledge and birding skills are extraordinary, and he’s so committed to getting all his tour group a good view of all species possible. He also deals with difficult situations and keeps the group on an even footing. A very professional young man! He was invisibly but constantly working to take care of the eBird lists, lodgings, transportation, schedules and all details that made the trip as seamless as possible.

A brilliant day out with an exceptionally brilliant guide (Dylan), in some beautiful places, with some amazing birds - perfect.

Dom was AMAZING! He went above and beyond the call of duty. Even after the tour had finished. We would like to thank Dom SO MUCH. Professional, friendly, kind, highly skilled, organised, patient, generous, enthusiastic, humble, gracious, knowledgeable, wonderful with people, high in ethic, positive, I could go on and on. We were very fortunate indeed to have him guide us and we would go birding with Dom again in a heartbeat. Please pass on our sincere and abundant THANKS!  

We had one of the very best months of our lives travelling through South Africa with Birding Ecotours. It was a dream come true! Thank you sooooo much for enabling and supporting us to have such a MAGNIFICENT trip. Words cannot express our gratitude and love of this trip. We will remember it for the rest of our lives. The major highlights were Cape Town (so beautiful!) and the Western Cape, Wilderness, St Lucia and Wakkerstroom. The place we stayed in St Lucia was exceptional! The presentation of the meals and the care we received in St Lucia, it was one of the very best places we have ever stayed in anywhere. The attention to detail was utterly exquisite! The birds, the mammals, the many amazing creatures, the stunning and varied land itself, everything was an utter JOY! We are so deeply touched by and in love with South Africa. May we have the privilege of returning again one day. The days are long and full, so we slept soundly! The organization, the superb guides, the ethic, the beautiful accommodation, the wonderful meals, it’s all brilliant. THANK YOU all! You do a wonderful job creating all this for us and the time, care, energy and patience that goes into all this is phenomenal! AAA++++

Dom was an excellent guide for the day and was very knowledgeable about the Cape's fauna. He was excellent company for the day, and I really enjoyed talking to him about wildlife and conservation, as we scanned through various habitat types searching for birds and mammals.

Dylan takes care of each person individually taking into account fitness and physical ability to ensure all of the group
see as many birds as possible. He is a great character and an extremely capable guide with a vast knowledge of the
birds and their calls.

For birders wishing to explore a wide variety of habitats, from Kruger National Park to a range of wetlands and ascent to Lesotho via the Sani Pass, this tour offers a wonderful birding experience with some 400+ species to be encountered. The itinerary has been very well thought-out and gives participants maximum opportunity to see a great range of species in a relatively short time.

Dylan's tremendous expertise in finding and identifying bird species, together with his extensive knowledge regarding where to find particular species and his patience in helping each participant find each of the key birds in a particular area were key factors in making this tour such a success. The early (4.30 am) starts were greatly enhanced by the provision of plunger coffee and biscuits from our guide, which certainly smoothed the path to our engagement with the birds of the day. Dylan's passion for birds, and for the environment in which we travelled further added to our enjoyment of the tour. Clearly Dylan has had considerable input into the itinerary for the tour and always gave a comprehensive preview of the following day's birding activities – including key species – at our evening meetings. Dylan's good humour and ability to relate on a personal level with all tour participants, together with his impressive expertise in all aspects of the tour, including long-distance driving further added to our enjoyment of the tour.

For anyone interested in the extraordinary diversity of Indonesian birds, this tour provides a wonderful opportunity to see the many endemic species on six of the islands of the Lesser Sundas. Thorough research and planning by Birding Ecotours will enable participants to see many, if not all of the endemic birds of each island and at a relatively relaxed pace.

We would recommend this trip to anyone interested in Alaska birding. Jacob was very knowledgeable and helpful.
He took his time with us Ohio people that had never seen many of the birds there. The sites and road trips were well
chosen and worthwhile.

Jacob was well prepared and extremely knowledgeable about the birds and the locations where they could be found.
His exceptional eyesight and hearing were great aids to us, since we could not hear some of the birds due to our poor
hearing. He took a lot of time to point out birds so that everyone in the party had plenty of chances to view them.

Dom was fantastic. He is such a nice person and though this was only his second trip to Uganda, his enthusiasm
made up for his less refined experience with all the vocalizations. He has a nice pace, in general does a very good
job keeping an eye out for any problems his clients are having, and does a great job of getting everyone on the birds.

I would highly recommend this tour to anyone that is interested in seeing Hawaii’s native birds on these beautiful islands. One of my favorites was the endangered Akiapolaau, referred to as Aki by our guides, which we saw in a restricted area by permit on the island of Hawaii. The Hawaiian name means “hammerhead,” because the Aki uses the shorter, lower half of it’s mandible to drill into tree trunks like a woodpecker for sap or insects, while the extended, curved upper half operates like a hook to extract the food. During our day spent exploring the restricted area for Hawaii’s endemic birds, three non-endemic (two males and one female) Kalij Pheasants walked across the path right in front of me. I also loved the fantastic coastal views where we observed Red-tailed, White-tailed, and Red-billed Tropicbirds, Red-Footed and Brown Boobies, and Great Frigatebirds, as well as spouting and breaching Humpback whales. I also enjoyed the opportunity to see Laysan Albatross nesting and walking around an upscale neighborhood, and Bristle-thighed Curlews perched in the cemetery from the golf course.

Our guides, Jacob and Mandy, were a great team! This was my second tour with Jacob and I was very impressed with his knowledge of the endemic birds of Hawaii. He is very personable and his birding skills are excellent. Mandy is also very personable and an excellent birder. She shared her extensive knowledge of Hawaii, the endemic birds, their habitat and the dangers they are facing.

Superb birds, magnificent animals; brilliant guide; excellent driver and local guide. Friendly local people. Fascinating countryside. Great team.

Not only did we see a huge number of bird species (between 450 and 500 for all trip participants), but we also had amazing close encounters with Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees and other Africa wildlife. Murchison Falls was astonishing finale to the trip.

Dom is a fabulous guide! He is patient, attentive to details, & always wiling to answer questions. He’s extremely knowledgeable about birds, their songs, the differences between different species, and if he doesn’t know the bird as well as he would like, he asked directed questions to Harriet. Harriet and Dom worked very well together. He was a delight to bird with, and I will gladly go on another trip with him.
The local guides that we used in a variety of places were most excellent as well. They knew the birds & bird songs in their area; also they were very attentive when we struggled to make it up or down a hill by lending a hand. I find over all the Ugandan people that we ran into friendly helpful and eager to have us come back to their country.

The entire tour was very well run. Accommodation was generally more than adequate and I think we generally had the best accommodation available in the more remote places. Food too was generally very good, again given the fact that we were often far away from larger towns. The birding, the most important part, was fabulous!!! We saw almost all the target species, and both guides were very good on getting us on the birds. Overall, a tour I would rate very highly and would have no hesitation whatsoever to recommend. Andy is an all around nice guy who really took care of the entire group. Always willing to help, not just with getting onto the birds, but also with all the other requests our small group had. I like his style and I would certainly book another tour if he was the tour leader.

Our guides, Eduardo (Birding Ecotours) and Garry (local guide), were truly excellent in all respects. They worked well together. They both were very attentive to making sure each client saw every bird. They supplied snacks! They seemed to genuinely enjoy the trip, which set a very positive tone each day. I would travel with these guides anytime, anywhere!

My trip to Guyana with Birding Ecotours was only my second pure birding trip, and I could not have been more pleased. The company and our guide, Eduardo, handled all the details very professionally. We had no mishaps (which is just good luck!). I was very pleased with the variety of birds we saw, and, in particular, to our guides' focus on ensuring that each of us saw each bird. No easy task, since we had differing proficiencies. Not only was I pleased to support Birding Ecotours' mission, but I was also pleased to support the development of ecotourism in an "off the beaten path" destination, such as Guyana. I would definitely travel with Birding Ecotours, and in particular, Eduardo, again! Thanks to all for a great experience!

‘Exceptional experience in seeing the many birds-of-paradise and other rarities seen in PNG and New Britain. Andy was a very good guide – organized, patient and did his best to see ensure all participants could see the birds.’

Dom was an amazing guide! He was friendly, kind, and funny while also being incredibly knowledgeable, working nonstop to both guide and keep accurate bird lists, and tolerated an endless stream of questions and misidentifications with the patience of a saint.

Dylan and his assistant, Luke Safford, worked tremendously hard to help us identify and see as many of the South African birds and wildlife as possible on the trip. Both these guys were extremely knowledgeable and, more importantly, un-endingly patient with those of us that had not taken the "birding" aspect of the trip that seriously and came on the trip with the idea of just having a good time and seeing whatever wildlife was offered. Dylan's professionalism, knowledge, patience, work ethic, and just plain old sense of humor made the whole trip a wonderful time. He did a GREAT job.

This tour is obviously geared towards a fairly knowledgeable birder. I admit that I did not adequately prepare for this trip. But Dylan and his assistant, Luke Safford, worked tremendously hard to help us identify and see as many of the South African birds and wildlife as possible on the trip. Both these guys were extremely knowledgeable and, more importantly, un-endingly patient with those of us that had not taken the "birding" aspect of the trip that seriously and came on the trip with the idea of just having a good time and seeing whatever wildlife was offered. Dylan's professionalism, knowledge, patience, work ethic, and just plain old sense of humor made the whole trip a wonderful time. He did a GREAT job.

Andy is a superb guide with a wonderful knowledge of birds and where to find them. He is enthusiastic and keen, great company and a real pleasure to bird with. Our Australian trip was very successful in terms of sightings and also really enjoyable. Andy played a big part in that with his superb organisation, excellent birding skills, easy-going nature and positive attitude. I would happily join Andy on a birding trip again and hope to be able to do so later this year!

Jacob and Mandy were an excellent team who guided us through the mountains, forests and shores, as well and urban areas of Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii. Both guides knew their birds well. Mandy, our local guide, was very swift to identify calls and knows the habitats of many endangered endemic birds. She also knows individual birds and their histories. Both guides made sure we all saw the birds we were looking for each trip. The scopes came out quickly and there was often enough time to snap a cell phone photo through the scope. Jacob has an amazing grasp of names and places and did an excellent job of compiling our E bird lists. They tour guides informed us each night before of the coming schedule which was very helpful. They worked seamlessly together and we benefited from their camaraderie. Hotel, food, transportation, side trips – all were excellent. This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for me. I am grateful to all involved for providing such an exceptional tour.

Andy Walker is one of the truly exceptional guides in the world of birding. His skill at hearing and then finding birds is amazing. Couple this with an innate sense of getting his clients into the best possible position to both see and photo the given bird elevates him from "competent" to "top notch." I have been with Andy twice and intend to search him out again.

I would highly recommend Birding Ecotours. We had a friend join us on this tour who was not necessarily a birder at the start f the trip and by the, she was a great spotter and completely hooked on birding. Eduardo was fantastic; patient, knowledgeable, informative, had infectious enthusiasm, was flexible and fun. We have been on two trips with Eduardo and enjoyed him very much. We would definitely like to do another trip with him.

Eduardo is such a professional. Always working tirelessly to find and identify the birds. Has great rapport with his clients. Constantly making sure everyone is comfortable and having a good time. If you have a trip planned and you can get Eduardo to be your primary guide you are going to enjoy every minute!

This tour was a blast. The guiding was exceptional. Whether it was our primary guide Eduardo, our drivers, or all the local guides that were helping along the way, they all had one thing in mind, pleasing the customers. Accommodations were very nice and the food was fantastic. We saw over 430 species of birds. We also saw Pink River Dolphins and Andean Bear. Such a great trip!!

This is a fantastic tour. The birds, scenery, mammals, other wildlife, pelagic tours, lodging, and food were all beyond compare. The guides were extraordinary in their knowledge and consideration. I highly recommend this tour for all bird and nature lovers. Andy is wonderful. His consideration and kindness were above and beyond. He is very knowledgeable, and he ensured that I enjoyed the best possible views of the birds and the other wildlife as well. His patience and good humor made this the most pleasant trip.

Dom and Harriet definitely know their African birds, along with their status and distribution. Their familiarity with
vocalizations helped a great deal as well.
Dom is quite affable and displayed a calm demeanor and even temper throughout, treating everyone (not just clients)
with equal courtesy and respect. I appreciate that he went over Birding Ecotours group rules/expectations at the
beginning (e.g., rotating locations on the bus and trails).

Highlights were the days in the Karoo – stunning landscape and some great birds. It was lovely to stay in such a remote farm property with such friendly hosts – I felt we were seeing some of the real South Africa.

Dom is a great guide – very good birder and very good at keeping the group together and cheerful given the different interests and birding abilities. Very calm as well when the odd thing didn’t go to plan.

A superb tour in a lovely friendly and relaxed country, with lovely accommodation, two brilliant guides and birding in excellent habitats; the time allocation was good and made best use of our time in the country

Jacob was extremely well informed, considerate of the personal needs of each participant, and resourceful at finding and showing participants target birds. The trip was well-paced, kept on schedule, and went well. Not a moment was wasted. The places we stayed were excellent and close to the areas where we birded. We saw an incredible number and variety of warblers, went out at night to see a woodcock and a whip-or-will, and were introduced to every aspect of an exciting birding environment. I highly recommend this trip.

I used Josh for a one-day trip to the Cape Town west coast area. Josh is an extremely knowledgeable, professional guide. His easy-going personality made the day extremely enjoyable. Josh is an eBirder and it is obvious that the skills he uses to review bird reports helps in the identification of the local birds. Great job!

The Best of Colombia Part 2 is an excellent balanced tour with many areas of interest. If you want to see good hummingbirds, this is the tour for you. If you want to see elusive Chestnut Wood Quails do this tour. The people you meet are all kind and welcoming and the bird gardens are fantastic. After the Andes and Amazonia, Los Llanos is a welcome surprise with wonderful scenery and photo opportunities. Who doesn't want to see a bare tree decorated with scarlet ibises at sunset – almost too beautiful to believe.

Kind, friendly and unassuming, it took a bit for me to realize that Dylan Vasapolli, who seems quite young to one of my generation, is an incredibly good birder. He found birds most often by ear, and later I came to find out he is described as having the "golden ear" by his colleagues. But he patiently made every effort to get each group member on every bird, especially the endemics and target birds. His tireless enthusiasm was infectious, and gave the group a sense of enjoyable cooperation and togetherness. He also made very good coffee and biscuits for us in the field each morning! He was an excellent group leader. Dylan is like the friend you want to go birding with, and I hope I have the opportunity to do so again in the future.

The most memorable moment was sunset at Nasemani dam; the red African sun was setting in the wide open horizon, and many of the animals and birds came to the water for a quiet final drink of the day. It was magical. Other memorable moments were the resounding dawn choruses, looking for the fluff tail, sitting by the pond at Zenzele Lodge and watching the birds construct nests. I think it's interesting as an enthusiastic lister that my most memorable moments were not ticking a particular bird, but the opportunity to quietly appreciate being a part of their lives. That incomparable experience took a lot of effort, organizing and experience to share with us, and I am very appreciative to Dylan and Birding Ecotours for it.

I have been fortunate to have been on many birding tours, and this was undoubtedly the best. The depth of experience, knowledge and birding skill of our guide Dylan Vasapolli was absolutely outstanding; and combined with his enthusiasm and kindness to every group member it made for a wonderful tour. The group size was small, which had many benefits. The depth of Birding Ecotour's experience in Africa shown thru in the choice of birding locations, meals and lodgings. These were usually quiet and less travelled, but excellent and filled with character, with a full compliment of birds and other animals nearby. We often felt as if we had these magical places to ourselves. The birds were overwhelming at times, and the bird list organization by family was helpful as we got great looks at all the target endemics – take a look at the bird list!

I don’t think we could have had a better time or been more pleased with Dominic Rollinson on our Oceanwide Arctic Cruise this past June. We had a wonderful time touring in South Africa with Dom last year and were eagerly anticipating this trip and Dom did not disappoint!
Dom is the consummate birding guide. He has an absolute command of where the birds are, how they behave, actually finding them, and getting us great looks of them! Dom is very organized and timely with his pre and post trip communications, which was very helpful. Dom shared the trip eBird lists, the well-written and illustrated trip report, and beautiful pictures in a timely fashion. And Dom is just a true gentleman and an absolute pleasure to be with. He is kind, considerate, easygoing, thoughtful, and has a great sense of humor.
Dom was very proactive in coming up with ways to make our arctic experience great! He suggested that we rent a vehicle for our pre-cruise time in Longyearbyen, which was a fantastic idea. And Dom maximized the vehicle rental by taking us out both the evening and morning before we boarded our cruise and we got fantastic close views of all our targets – in particular, absolutely gorgeous views of the Red Phalarope and the Arctic Fox! It was also a very relaxed way to see some local sights including the Global Seed Vault and the northernmost church in the world. Dom also spent the morning after disembarkation with us birding around Longyearbyen on foot, which was such a treat. He was very generous with his time.
We have so many great memories of Dom on the cruise ship! We felt very privileged to have Dom’s expertise available to us and we also appreciated that he graciously shared that expertise with other passengers. Dom was always cheerful and helpful whether we were on excursions, on deck looking for whatever wildlife presented itself, or whatever else we might have gotten ourselves into. I know that the ship’s guides also really appreciated Dom. I heard one of them tell another that they should always listen when Dom was talking because “You can learn so much from Dom!” We all are grateful for the huge amount of time Dom spent on deck scanning for polar bears and other wildlife, no matter what the temperature or wind conditions!
We highly recommend Dom. If you are considering a trip that Dom is leading, I would encourage you to sign up immediately – you won’t find a better guide!

Jacob is one of the best birding guides I have met, marvellous temperament for dealing with people and truly fabulous at getting you onto the bird!

"Andy is a first-rate guide; his ability to direct people on to a bird is tremendous. He is also not just a birder; on this trip we also ended up with over 100 invertebrates fully identified; great for the all-round naturalist! Always affable, and with the best interests of his clients in mind; I look forward to more trips with him in the future". Kelvin, UK.

This is the best tour I've been on in my many years of international birding! Excellent guides, good food, great accommodations! Andy was the best guide I have ever had. Knew the birds cold, was able to call them in for photo ops, great on keeping us on schedule and getting where we needed to be, when we needed to be there. Can't say enough good things about Andy.

Wow – lots of highlights! Eduardo – personable, organized, great with the birds. So good that my wife and I have invited him to visit us in Oregon and let us show him around! Tomas – also very good with the birds, frequently hearing stuff that was inaudible to me. Many second efforts that resulted in birds or thoughtful conveniences for the participants. The bus driver, Renato, was excellent – very competent over all the speed bumps and even a good bird spotter. Food was great throughout and the selection of restaurants very good.

Eduardo is clearly an excellent birder. He is super friendly, well organized and made sure we all had good views of the birds.
Brayan was our local guide for several days. He is an enthusiastic, talented birder. He was excellent in finding the target birds. He also knew about great places to eat.

We have done several trips with Birding Ecotours. As always, the tour did not disappoint, in fact, exceeded our expectations. We had previously done a tour out of Santa Marta, Colombia, so this time we wanted to see the Cali region. We did 8 days of birding, and managed to see all our target birds. Eduardo is an expert birder. He was also very organized and went out of his way to make our trip safe and fun. The local bird guides were all great additions to our trip. The accommodations were very nice and we had great meals. We loved the enthusiasm and personal attention of all the Birding Ecotours team. Birding Ecotours is a top notch birding company. We are already planning our next birding trip with Birding Ecotours.

We have been on numerous Birding Ecotours trips. Each trip has been fantastic including our recent trip to Colombia. The trips are very well organized and the bird guides and drivers are excellent. On our recent seven day bird trip of the northern Colombian coast we saw numerous shore birds, birds of drier bush and birds of the Sierra Nevada mountains. We saw most of the Santa Marta endemics. We felt safe and comfortable throughout the trip.

Giancarlo Ventolini is an excellent bird guide. He works very hard to make sure his clients see the birds. His “people “ skills are wonderful. He is organized and goes out of his way to keep his clients comfortable and happy. I would certainly want Giancarlo to be my bird guide if I return to Colombia.

The Alaska trip was a definite highlight of the year 2022 for us. It was a great way to see Alaska for us as first timers
there. Jacob, our tour guide, can not be more professional, personable, and accommodating. We felt very safe and
well taken care of with him throughout the trip. Jacob is a very accomplished birder, but also wise beyond his years in
managing the business side of the tours. We saw many species thanks to Jacob's skill at identifying birds based on
sound and sight, and truly enjoyed learning and sharing his passion about birding. The trip was well planned, with
many different terrain and scenery. We got to experience the beautiful Old Dinali highway, which seems like a perfect
hidden gem. The lodging and food was modest but comfortable. Being neighbors of nesting swallows and falling
asleep to their murmurs was so peaceful. Seeing nests with babies were also highlights. The whole trip was very
relaxing with little amount of exertion beside about 3 miles of daily walking, making the trip very accessible to most.
We are quite inexperienced birders but did not feel that the trip was too advanced, instead feeling inspired to do more
birding in the future. Thank you for an unforgettable experience.

Dylan is an excellent guide, with great birding skills, a willingness to assist less able birders and ability to track down the hard-to-spot species. He is also a lot of fun and a very nice person.

Dylan led the tour group with aplomb, never wavering from a patient and gracious demeanor. His knowledge of the birds and wildlife of the region was excellent. As a fellow leader I was impressed and it was easy to trust him in all situations.

There were so many highlights, but having Dylan as our guide and the caring and patient way he led the tour with such expertise on the bird life was really a pleasure to experience. It's funny to write, but drinking coffee and enjoying "eet-sum-mor" shortbread biscuits in Dullstroom with Yellow-breasted Pipits and African Snipe flying by was a standout experience. Of course, Kruger was amazing. Ending at Zenzele is a tremendous way to close out the tour. The pelagic boat was a little small for my liking…but I'm not that great out in the ocean so that's really on me!

Dylan's knowledge and expertise on the birds and wildlife of South Africa was amazing, but even more importantly he connected well with the tour group and exuded patience and graciousness throughout. Tucson Audubon is fortunate to have partnered with Birding Ecotours on this experience to South Africa.

Marievale Bird Sanctuary provided ample opportunity to see thousands of birds. We saw a total of 82 bird species with over 40 new life birds. Weather was perfect. Our guide, Dylan, was knowledgeable and informative.

Dylan is an energetic and likeable guide with excellent communication and organizational skills. He worked hard to ensure that our tour ran smoothly and he remained calm in difficult situations.

The Subtropical South Africa tour was an action-packed trip full of amazing birds and mammals. The accommodation was great and left us wishing we could spend more time at these wonderful places.

Go on this Vietnam tour sooner, rather than later. Climate change, deforestation, and illegal trapping are making these special birds disappear very rapidly.

Jacob really knows the habitats and has a lot of experience finding the sought-after birds. Combined with his excellent awareness and listening skills, and his ability to give good directions, with judicious use of laser pointer, his knowledge led to stellar looks at Florida’s birds. He made sure everyone got good looks.

I travelled with Dancho and Dom. The two guides were real birding experts, and couldn't do enough to find birds for us, including my target species. I particularly enjoyed the variety of habitats, foods, and accommodation. Extremely well planned and organised. Fascinating places to travel through – beautiful cities and countryside. Highly recommended.

My three day tips out of Joburg with Dylan were phenomenal - a perfect introduction to the birds of the region, with all the logistics nailed down expertly. I would strongly recommend to anyone wanting to get a quick sense of the region's bird life.

Took the "Eastern Australia: from the Outback to the Wet Tropics" tour, my first with Birding Ecotours. Itinerary fit my needs to a "T". Birds were spectacular and guides made a special effort at each stop to find the unique birds. Also bagged some fascinating fauna including tree kangaroo, platypus, koala, and echinda. Andy Walker was an excellent guide. He is personable with a great sense of humour. His ability to adapt to changing circumstances was excellent. He and his local guide knew the birds and terrain very well, optimized our birding time at each locale by knowing what key species occurred at each, and took pains to be sure everyone got on each bird.

With 153 species, 113 of them new species for me, this trip met and exceeded expectations. The effort put in by our
guides to find our target species was monumental. All our guides were knowledgeable and personable and persistent,
ensuring good views of many of the hard-to-see skulkers.

Between Dom and Fan, all the details were handled seamlessly, the two of them worked well as a team with the many
local guides that were engaged. I was not really up to the rigorous level of this trip but Fan and Dom made sure one of
the local guides were keeping an eye on me or one of them lent a hand over particularly rough terrain, for which I am
exceedingly grateful.

335 species of birds is a good start for highlights. Loved traveling across the county of Namibia to Botswana, birding tours are a great way to experience the many types of environments of the country.

Birding Ecotours provided an outstanding experience, from pre-trip communications, recommended air travel assistance, accommodations and most of all finding the birds.

Dominic Rollinson's first priority was to get everyone on the bird; only after everyone had gotten on the bird did he help folks who wanted a photo. His extensive knowledge as to where to find species and his tenacity in finding target species made this a very successful trip. Dom managed the trip seamlessly allowing participants to focus on enjoying the trip. I particularly appreciated his willingness to call out species we've seen throughout the trip as it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of birds being seen.

For a first visit to Southern Africa – this tour is mandatory! It gives a high chances to see almost all the Cape & Karoo endemics in short time with a great company.

Dom is an absolutely amazing person and birder. It was a great time to have him on this short tour.

I would definitely recommend Birding Ecotours! Before the trip, we had prompt responses to our enquiries and we were fast assigned to a guide, Dominic Rollinson. We had such a great time with Dom on our day out in the Cape Peninsula. He was flexible with the schedule, itinerary, and with our photographic demands. He adjusted the trip so that we did everything at a slower pace, to be able to take pictures of literally every bird we saw. He knew how to position the car to get a better light on the subject, when that was the case. He’s very patient and pleasant to be with, and he shared with us some tips on where to go during the next days.

I really enjoyed this tour in Namibia, which was full of many wonderful moments. We had great views of most of the over 400 bird species that we encountered, as well as all the animals. The scenery in the desert was awesome, and we had three spectacular sunsets at waterholes in the north of the country – quite the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen.

Just back from a three-week tour to Costa Rica with Birding Ecotours. The tour and those leading it was brilliant. The guides, Eduardo and Vernon (Vernon joined us for the first week of the trip), were simply outstanding. Luis, our bus driver, was not only an outstanding driver but was also a great birder too and joined us for some walks, helping to spot birds and wildlife. My advice to anyone reading this is to do yourself a favor and book a tour with Birding Ecotours… you will not be disappointed.    

Andrew Walker is an outstanding birder with superb ability to assist clients in "getting on" species.

Andy Walker was absolutely excellent. Knowledgeable, affable, organized, sense of humor, and attentive to everyone. I would go anywhere with Andy.

‘The tour was excellent, with great birds, although can be strenuous, buggy and wet, even during the dry season. Andy was conscientious, smart, well-organized, hard-working and knows the birds.’

Josh knew the locations well and we explored each thoroughly. He was well acquainted with the birds and where to find them, and explained habits, identification etc. Enjoyable and relaxed chat in the vehicle between sites.

This was my first trip to Africa and my longest birding trip ever. The itinerary was excellent, the accommodations were pleasant, and the guides were outstanding. Compared to other birding tours I’ve been on, this was orders of magnitude better. Kudos to Dylan and William or the support they gave to a visually- and hearing-impaired birder!

Great organization and a fabulous trip. Our guides and drivers were knowledgeable and attentive in the extreme. The birds, wildlife and scenery were stunning and the memory of breakfasting on the road with a view of the snow-capped Himalayas will stay with me forever! Dylan was professional, incredibly knowledgeable and skilled, caring, friendly, incredibly hard-working and always there for us!

Dom was a delight to be with for 3 weeks. He was unfailingly polite and attentive to all of the group and always made sure everyone got to see the target birds. His breadth of knowledge always made the evening check list review productive and informative. He clearly laid out the plans for the following day and the target birds for that day.

It was a great tour; unique country, Malagasy people, wildlife and scenery. Being in this unique environment with local
guides who knew and loved their home was uplifting and sobering. Masoala was an incredible start to the trip, 2 hours
on a boat to a remote and beautiful location, getting out of the boat in front of a village unchanged through time to a
path in the rainforest to the "Ecolodge Chez Arol" was surreal. To a thatched hut with minimal electricity no glass in
the windows where you became part of the forest at night was also magical.

An excellent tour with a great range of activity from easy roadside birding to a couple of good long day walks. I enjoyed the whole thing and particularly like it when the accommodation lends itself to birding in the gardens.

Dylan is a fantastic guide, absolutely dedicated to getting the specials and numbers expected on a trip like this. He also has an eye out for anything else interesting, a good sense of humor and is unfailingly helpful.

Eduardo was amazing! He anticipated our needs, was extremely organized, kept us on schedule, but didn't force us to bird if we didn't want to. He made sure we saw neat things, ate great food, and showed interested in all nature (which we like). He is so easy going, yet attentive. We definitely plan to travel with Eduardo again in the future.

The ruddy crake was a big highlight! Las Guacamayas Biological Research Station was amazing! Being there, isolated and in the middle of nature was fantastic. We could have spent a week there going up and down the river birding and seeing so many neat bird species! And seeing the white-necked puffbird for the first time was a little mind-blowing.

Dylan is the best guide I've ever traveled with – knowledgeable, personable, professional and patient when the sightings got tough. Dylan was a superlative leader – tuned to the dynamics of the group and the challenges we had.

Eduardo is an excellent birding guide but more importantly an outstanding, patient, and thoroughly knowledgeable person who really went the extra mile to make sure everyone had a great experience. His knowledge of the neotropic’s birds and nature is vast, and his enthusiasm for the trip was inexhaustible. Long days, early mornings, and vast distances never once detracted from his positive demeanor and his willingness to entertain questions and share explanations and knowledge.

Eduardo is an excellent birding guide but more importantly an outstanding, patient, and thoroughly knowledgeable person who really went the extra mile to make sure everyone had a great experience. His knowledge of the neotropics and birds and nature is vast, and his enthusiasm for the trip was inexhaustible. Long days, early mornings, and vast distances never once detracted from his positive demeanor and his willingness to entertain questions and share explanations and knowledge 

Eduardo’s knowledge of birds and nature is only surpassed by his friendly nature, his incredible work ethic and his true desire for everyone on his trip to both see the birds and have a really positive experience. I cannot wait to sign up for another of his tours. 

This is truly the trip of a lifetime to an area that not a lot of US birders get to enjoy. Guyana is a place where you will see birds, wildlife, and nature in a state that most people can only dream about. From the gardens of Georgetown, to the rainforest, to the top of Kaieteur falls, to the shores of rivers, to the vast southern savanna. Every day brought new species and unforgettable experiences. Our guide Eduardo and our local guide Gary worked extremely hard to make sure everyone saw every bird. Their knowledge, diligence, and patience really made the experience special.

Fraser Bell is extremely personable and goes the extra mile to make sure each person gets a look at each bird, and not just a look but a really good look, even if we have to try multiple times. He was always available both early and late for any issues and always willing to look for nocturnal and early morning activity. I would welcome the opportunity to travel with him again.

This is the most comprehensive tour of Trinidad and Tobago you will find. We got to experience different habitats and saw so many birds and different kinds of wildlife. The evening trip to Caroni Swamp for the roosting of the Scarlet Ibis is unforgettable!

Dominic’s guiding ability was exceptional. There appears to be a collaborative spirit amongst birders in South Africa which has not been apparent in other countries. This together with his enormous personal experience enabled Dom to get us an amazing number of birds.

We had an excellent experience on the Birding Ecotours Sabah Classic Tour with Andy Walker, the tour leader, and our local guide, both being exceptional birders. They located all the key target birds with skill and tenacity and always worked hard for all members of the group to get good views. So many highlights: the elusive Whitehead's Trogon and Broadbill, the mythical Bornean Ground Cuckoo, the last-minute Bornean Bristlehead, Forktails, Fruithunters, Everett's Thrush…to name just a few truly exceptional birds that were so worth the effort of searching them out. Boating on the Kinabatangen River gave superb views of so many fantastic hornbills and the canopy walkways gave access to great views of many species otherwise unreachable. This was our second time birding with Andy. Excellent birding skills, very well organised, sensitive to needs of group members (photographers/non-photographers), and good company.

Lovely intimate tour with excellent photography opportunities. Good variety of birds and scenery. Beautiful, interesting birds.

The Best of Cape Town and Beyond is a wonderful introduction to South Africa birding. You will experience diverse, interesting, and spectacular habitats where you will find many bird species and an incredible variety of plants.

During our trip, we were able to see 237 species including many endemics. The entire trip was great, with wonderful scenery, lodging and food. Although we were disappointed that the pelagic trip was cancelled due to weather, we certainly could understand! As an alternative, Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope were spectacular. Tankwa Karoo area was very interesting. The landscape was austere, but the bird and animal life was abundant.

Dominic was extremely knowledgeable, professional, and personable. Everything was well-organized. Dom made sure everyone got on the birds, then left some time for the photographers to do their thing. He knew where to find the birds and was very good at getting people on them (as we know can be pretty difficult!).

Dylan is an excellent leader with whom we love to travel, as not only is he a knowledgeable guide but has the kind, courteous personality with a sense of humour that we enjoy. He is completely unflappable and deals with any problems that arise in a mature way that is far beyond his years.

Do you want to see hundreds of Rosy Bee-eaters lighting up a tree as if it was an illuminated Christmas Tree? Then this is the tour for you! Gabon offers a wonderful spectacle of a murmuration of hundreds of Rosy Bee-eaters going to roost at dusk, whilst you sit back in the warmth of an African evening in a boat slowly cruising down the river before drawing into your riverside lodge where you will overlook the Gabon forest as it goes to sleep for the night.

Enjoy the Lowland Gorillas as they enchant you with their sounds and youngsters playfulness, after you have trekked along an elephant trail after alighting from your boat at a Gorilla research station whilst listening out for the approach of Forest Elephants along the way!

The Hawaiian birding tour is a birding tour with a difference! With only a small bird list mostly, comprising of highly endangered endemic birds or many introduced birds from all over the world. The pace of the tour is a very relaxed one and perfect for those who want to experience top quality birds, top quality accommodation, an exuberant, passionate, knowledgeable guide who takes good care of you and delicious sea food with a wonderful one day pelagic with an opportunity of seeing Manta Rays up close and personal in the sea.

Senegal and The Gambia is a delightful destination and is full of birds. For those that have not experienced Africa before, it is an excellent introduction to African birding. The river trips are wonderful and it is difficult to know where to look first with bee-eaters, kingfishers of multi colors assaulting the mind. Dylan is a very able leader whom we enjoy travelling with as his African birding knowledge is first class as well as having a delightful personality well able to overcome problems that inevitably arise in African countries. The climate of sun and heat is a welcome relief of grey, cold miserable weather experienced in the northern hemisphere in winter. Accommodation is basic but adequate and local eateries are interesting but would not win any medals for hygiene.

I would highly recommend the South Africa Comprehensive Eastern Tour. The entire trip was wonderful – seeing an amazing number of fantastic birds, seeing up close some of the great mammals of the world, and meeting some really wonderful people. The lodging and food were top-notch, and where it was more rustic it was always clean and unique.

Dylan is a very competent guide who has an excellent knowledge of the birds, always listening for calls and very able to direct his participants to their location. He had endless patience with the group and solved any issues that came his way with great patience and good humor. We so enjoyed his company that we have booked another tour with himas our guide.

Eduardo is still one of my favourite guides. He is knowledgeable, always kind and considerate and goes the extra mile to look after us. Our Guyana birding tour was an excellent tour with two different habitats, rain forest and savannah, giving a good selection of tropical birds. We enjoyed it immensely!

Andy Walker is a terrific birder and guide. His knowledge, persistence and patience got us a lot of great looks at many skulky birds in the Top End.

Andy Walker is a terrific birder and guide, and the typical small Birding Ecotours group sizes means Andy has a great chance of getting everyone a good look at even the most skulky birds of the Alice Springs area.

Particularly enjoyed the south and southwest coastal regions. Andy is an exceptional guide.

We really enjoyed this tour, and it is one of our favorite tours to date. Fraiser Bell was an excellent guide as was the local guide Lester on Trinidad. Both Asa Wright center locations on Trinidad were perfect for us, and we give it 5 stars out of 5. The accommodations, food, and guiding staff were top notch. We highly recommend this place for your future tour guests.

I was very impressed with the quality of birds seen on this trip as well as other wildlife.

Highlights were the rare birds and Uluru. Andy was great and is top notch and a very dedicated guide. He wants us to see even the hard-to-get birds.

Kakadu National Park was fantastic. Andy is top notch and a very dedicated guide. He wants us to see even the hard-to-get birds.

We would highly recommend Eduardo for guiding in South America as he has extensive knowledge of the birds, is a good communicator and always makes sure you are comfortable on all levels.

As always, the whole tour was great. Highlights were the San Augustin Archaeological Park, the boat trip from Puerto Asis where we saw the pink river dolphins, the condor experience, and Hotel Juan Solito – for the birding, and the giant anteater and tamandua! The first two items were part of our changed itinerary, but they were fabulous detours!

I think this is the best tour I've taken. Brazil's Atlantic rain forest is full of stunning vistas. Every day was remarkable, even with unseasonably cold and rainy weather. Four species of toucans (my favorites), Bare-faced Bellbird, calling yellow frogs, an Atlantic Royal Flycatcher near its nest, and beautiful tanagers and hummingbirds. Our guides, Eduardo and Marco, had extensive knowledge of all facets of natural history, and showed almost as much excitement at some of our sightings as we did!

Where else but Japan in winter can you see six species of cranes? The Red-crowned Cranes dancing in the blowing snow in Hokkaido were magical. The lone Siberian Crane in Kyushu was an unexpected delight. We can recommend this tour unreservedly. Andy is a companionable, knowledgeable guide intent on finding great birds for us  - and highly successful.

Our guide, Dominic Rollinson, was exceptional in every way. Of course, he had an unbelievable knowledge of where and how to find the birds. Additionally, he was a real pleasure to be with. He was happy to answer any question and his knowledge of South Africa really enhanced our experience. The itinerary was thoughtfully planned and we were able to see a huge variety of birds. The accommodations he choose were comfortable and interesting and the food was consistently delicious. We can't say enough good things about Dom and the trip!

Giancarlo has the perfect characteristics of an expert guide. He is very attentive, pleasant, outgoing, calm and helpful. He is also completely honest. He gets along with people well and does what he can to solve problems.

This specialized excursion has its focus on Angolan endemics & special birds and was exceptionally good in that
respect. Besides this, traveling was quite good: food, lodges, local guides, far better than expected.

Dylan is an extraordinarily gifted guide with incredible hearing, visual acuity, memory for bird calls and their
appearance. He was very eager to explain and patient with the not-so-gifted participants. Not every native speaker
has such a clear, distinct and understandable pronunciation.