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.

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.

Andy walker is one of the best, good-natured birding guides who have served me in 42 guided tours. He makes
certain that everyone in the group has seen each bird and keeps at it until that happens. His use of birding time on the
tours half of all species on this tour and the two Indonesia 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.

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.

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++++

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 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.

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.

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.

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).

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!

"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.

What a great day we had with Oli on the Norfolk coast! We are amateur bird watchers and wanted to add some quiet and nature to our (mostly) London vacation from the States. We knew most of the birds we'd be seeing would differ from what we see at home, so wanted to have a guide help us identify birds and tell us about the area.

Oli was a wonderful guide — informative, kind, relaxed and adaptive to conditions (people, birds, weather etc.). The gentle pace of the day allowed us to go at our own speed — enjoying what we saw through our binoculars/scope as well as enjoying the countryside, a lovely lunch at a local pub (which Oli recommended — we would never have found it ourselves!). He had a great sense of how long to stay at each spot, bird-wise and people-wise. I cannot recommend this one-day tour enough for people who are relatively new to birding — it's a great way to have a taste of this awe-inspiring activity, to be in nature and to see parts of the country you wouldn't usually see on a more routine kind of tour.

I'm going home refreshed and inspired to learn more!

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.

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.

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.

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 for the support they gave to a visually- and hearing-impaired birder!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.