Oct 8, 2024
amazing birding tour - This was an amazing birding experience! We saw almost 70 species of birds, saw some cute sloths, and had a delicious Colombian breakfast. Luis is a passionate and dedicated birder, and a wonderful, kind, and considerate guide. I would highly recommend booking one of his birding tours during your stay at Cartagena.
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May 2, 2024
Great trip to unique place! - We had a great birdwatching tour! Luiz really knows his stuff- highly recommend for getting away from all the tourist trap stuff and actually seeing nature!
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Apr 21, 2024
Incredible birding with very knowledgeable guide - This is a phenomenal tour. Luis REALLY knows his birds. He picked me up from my hotel very early and we went to Matute nature reserve about 40 mins out of Cartagena. Luis is exceptional at identifying birds, and he kept an e-bird list to share with me afterwards, plus took photos that he also very generously shared. We stopped a couple of times: for a coffee, and later a local breakfast at the homestead (which is heaven). As well as birds, (Pygmy owl, toucan, hummingbirds, whooping motmot- 44 species altogether) we saw howler monkeys, cotton top tamarins, sloths, frogs and butterflies.
After it got a bit hot we did some “birding-by-car” and saw another 30 species, including Northern Screamers, lots of herons and egrets, savanna hawk, and a yellow-headed blackbird. It was the greatest day of birding.
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Apr 1, 2024
Beautiful birds and people :) - My partner and I were lucky enough to go bird watching with Luis (of Horses Cartagena) - and it was truly one of our favorite things we did on our entire vacation. We are new to birdwatching, but Luis showed us the ropes -- and pointed out so so so many beautiful birds. Also: sloths, monkeys, dragonflies, and frogs. Luis picked us up in at 5AM - we felt safe and comfortable with him immediately; it's clear he's a total pro. His English is perfect but he'll also speak slowly and clearly if you want to practice your Spanish (thanks, Luis). The Matute preserve is a privately owned farm about 30-45 minutes from Getsamani, but you feel a world away - especially once you start hiking off the road a little. We really loved our breakfast with Cele, the owner of Matute -- my partner maintains it was his favorite of our trip. Besides looking at the animals, it was so nice just talking to Cele and Luis and hearing about their lives. I will treasure this experience for a long time. Thanks, Luis.
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Mar 22, 2024
Birdwatch Matute Reserve - We had an amazing birdwatching day with Luis and Sophia. Both are very friendly and professional. We visit the Matute Reserve and had the pleasure to encounter the owner of this incredible place. We saw lots of birds many endemics. We warmly recommend to birdwatching with this fantastic team!
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Mar 12, 2024
Target birds accomplished. - Oh, what a birding trip with Luis. We had several lifers especially in Minca, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Agricola Camelias, and El Ceibal, Santa Catalina. My target birds where the Puffbirds, Manakins, and Pygmy Owl. I love them and thanks to the best bird guide LUIS!!!! Bravo! Hoping to see you again in the near future.
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Mar 5, 2024
Two extraordinary days of birdwatching with Luis Zuñiga - We spent two wonderful days with Luis, an exceptional birdwatching guide! We saw several endemic birds! Luis is punctual, a good driver, passionate about his country and willing to share his knowledge. The breakfasts there
They were simply filling and delicious. Luis was accompanied by Valentina, always attentive to our needs. Thank you very much to both. We highly recommend the excursions that Luis offers.
Merci beaucoup pour ces two beautiful journées que nous n'oublierons jamais!
Sylvie et Denis du Québec.
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Feb 25, 2024
Best birdwatching experience in Cartagena!!! - We did a bird tour with Hugo, and they picked us up from our cruise ship and it was terrific! They picked us up at the cruise port at 5am so we could be at the reserve in time for the sunrise and the best birdwatching. Once we arrived, it was still dark outside, but we could hear the howler monkeys which was really cool! Hugo's knowledge of the birds by just their song was very impressive, and he was very good at explaining all the different types of plants, trees and other wildlife. Besides 3 rounds of birdwatching, we were also treated to fresh Colombian coffee and fruit and then a full breakfast including homemade empanadas, yuca, and buffalo mozzarella at the owner's home, who made us feel like we were family. It was all incredibly delicious and wonderful. On our way back to our ship, they were even nice enough to stop at a grocery store so we could buy some items to take back home. I cannot say enough great things about our experience in Cartagena.
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Aug 30, 2023
Great birds! - I had a wonderful day with Luis and Sophia walking around a beautiful private forest outside of Cartagena. Luis knew where to look for the birds and how to call them in. We saw or heard 54 species. My favorite was the Russet Throated Puffbird, but I never get tired of seeing toucans and mot mots! After birding for several hours we went to the home of the owner of the the farm/forest and had fruit and coffee. The grounds were gorgeous. Then we went out and birded some more before coming back to the house for a full "country breakfast" consisting of homemade cheese and a special arrepa among other tasty things. Then back out for more birds. It was a terrific day if you like looking for cool birds in a beautiful setting with good guides.
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