Items filtered by date: October 2019

Nature Expeditions, So I do not post, comment, social media etc. Yet I am compelled and this has to be expressed:  We cannot fully express the gratitude and sincere praise for Nature Expeditions and  Cristina and Elizabeth. So professional, organized, hospitable, creative, and delightful throughout our multiple travel experiences with them and because of them. And our family and friends feel the same way.  Cristina is very value minded, with truly authentic and exquisite accommodations that we would never encounter without them...such as Ikala hotel in Quito, unique and elegant.  Hacienda Hato Verde, like a small castle on a dairy farm with a plaza de toros in the backyard. Remarkable! And they continue to amaze us...like the homemade delicious box breakfast hand delivered at Termas de Papallacta Hotel Spa before our full day. Along with the drawstring backpack with local fruit, coffee, and local snacks. The drivers and transportation are first class, safe, kind, and reliable. Our tour guides, like Sebastian, are absolutely brilliant, full of knowledge and culture, captivating storytelling, kind, and we always feel like we make a new friend every trip.  We all are looking very forward to Galapagos thanks to Cristina.  ¡Salud! And long live Nature Expeditions. ¡Muchas muchas gracia Cristina y Elizabeth! Jake & Ximena 

Currently in Paris waiting for our flight home, this shot was taken almost at the end of our 24-day trip in Ecuador. In 22 full birding days, we managed to record over 800 species - something we never expected to happen! I got stuck at 799, out of which 525 were lifers. 36 were heard-only, not that bad. Highlights of the trip included the self-found Pittasoma at Playa de Oro (after being one day late in Mashpi!), Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe at 4.300m in the Andes, a cracking Long-wattled Umbrellebird in a mossy forest, both Agami and Zigzag Heron in the Amazon, both Sungrebe and Sunbittern also there, and Black-necked Red Cotinga, Lunulated Antbird and Salvin's Curassow in the amazing Napo Wildlife Center. And, more generally, we enjoyed every hummingbird and - even better? - tanagers including the beautiful White-capped Tanager, the rare Scarlet-and-white Tanager, and the over-the-top Paradise Tanager. It was great, also thanks to our brilliant local agent Cris and #BirdingBreaks! We want to thanks Sjoerd Radstaak, Pieter van Veelen and Lars Buckx to share with us their experience.