I joined Detlef and Carol Davies on a North Peru Bird Tour from Oct 21st through Nov 13th 2014 travelling from Tarapoto to Chaparri. I am writing to express how impressed I was with the whole trip.
Everything from booking the tour, making the travel arrangements and getting to the tour start, could not have been simpler. The tour programme itself was excellent and well thought out, giving exposure to a wide range of environments and maximum chances to see the birds and other wildlife within those environments. The quality of the accommodation and transit between sites was also very high. Having looked at similar tours I felt I got extreme value for my money.
On the birding front, I can thoroughly recommend Detlef and Carol for their tour leadership and their unending patience, eye for details and just good old fashioned enthusiasm. Detlef’s guiding skill and local knowledge, coupled with the very high quality of the local guides ensured a very high success rate. The tour as a whole saw and identified over 500 bird species and my personal tally was in excess of 480 species in just 3 weeks.
Although birding is the main focus for this tour, other features included a huge array of butterflies, months and other arthropods, mammals, frogs and reptiles as well as local history and early human culture for the region. Not to mention the stunning scenery and fantastic opportunities for photography.
I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this tour to anyone who is interested in the birdlife of this fascinating and often overlooked area of Peru.
Robert AtkinsonMy husband and I did the North Peru Bird Tour in June 2012 led by Detlef and Carol Davies. We had a fantastic time and since our return to New Zealand have recommended this tour to others with an interest in wildlife.
Detlef and Carol were great hosts and made sure that everyone was very well looked after. Our group was quite diverse with a mixture of intense birders (twitchers), general birders, wildlife enthusiasts and photographers so it was quite an achievement to meet everyone’s expectations. This was achieved by having a flexible itinerary which allowed time for photography, nice walks and relaxation for those that required it in addition to the hard core birding. Detlef and Carol had obviously put a lot of time and effort into developing such a balanced tour.
We enjoyed the amazing range of habitats visited which allowed us the chance to see the most stunning range of birds, mammals, insects and plants. The trip to Kuelap was another highlight as was Gocta Falls with its amazing views and great walks close by.
Our accommodation and food was excellent and the staff and drivers were all very friendly which added to our enjoyment of the tour.
At some stage we would love to do another trip with Detlef and Carol to see more of your wonderful country and its amazing fauna, flora and scenery.
Morag FordhamWe did a North Peru birding tour in June 2012. It was fantastic. I obtained photos of over 400 species of birds, most of which new to me (lifers) and including some very rare species. I liked being close to hummingbirds at the feeders. In addition to the birds we got to see some great scenery in the Andes, boat trips on a tributory of the Amazon river, and the impressive Gocta falls. I felt completely safe at all times on the tour. Highly recommended for both serious and casual birders alike.
Duncan Watson