Icarobirding Reviews 7

I attended the epic Andes tour and the Santa Marta extension. It was a fabulous trip! Juan Manuel Cardona is a marvelous guide, as were the local guides that participated. All of the Lodging and meals were top notch! I wholeheartedly recommend this trip!!!

I Would highly recommend Icaro birding for your next birding experience in Colombia (I did the Epic Andes Tour 14 days.) They were top notch from from day one and continued to be so until the very last day. We had a group of 6 which was a perfect size. Juan Manuel Cardona was a fantastic bird guide. Very passionate and very patient and stayed on each bird until we all got a chance to see it. Our driver Mario was wonderful and safe, he too helped spot the birds. The van was plenty roomy and comfortable. It was a real treat to have the owner Giovani Ortíz join us on this tour. He took care of all the little details and was a wiz with the birding scope. He was also instrumental with dealing with airport/passport/checkmig information. the accommodations/eco lodges were top notch as well. Very clean and roomy and wonderful bird themes. The food was wonderfully prepared, breakfast, lunch. Dinner and dessert. Almost too much at times but too good to stop. The pace of the tour was good. Of course early and long days are part of the birding experience. We had a little leisure time on some days which I enjoyed as well.

A long-time-coming birding adventure as we paid for the trip on March 2020. Covid shut us down for 2 years but then finally the restrictions lifted and we got to use that credit for the birding trip that we were ready for. We flew into Cali, Columbia to start our journey. Airlines lost our luggage but the birding guide, Juan, took care of us and got the luggage by noon the next day. The 12-day birding adventure began with driving to new, beautiful locations on various mountains at the top of the world with clouds rolling close by while we were birding. It was amazing the birds we saw and the incredible scenery we were in to find the endemics and other lifer birds. We took the extension to Santa Marta for 7 days too. All in all we got 483 species during this time. Most were lifers for us. The owner of the company, Giovani Ortiz, accompanied us for the first 12 days and was such a pleasure to interact with. The main birding guide, Juan, was really just fantastic in aural and visual spotting of the birds. The driver, Mario, was really challenged at times, but always came through with making sure we got to our next destination.

They took such good care of us. I HIGHLY recommend this company, Icaro Birding, as one of your lifetime adventures. We saw so many awesome birds and rode some really fun transportation methods. Like 4X4 trucks, Bruhitas, motorcyle carriers that were part of the adventure. The owner & birding guide stayed with us constantly so we always had an interpreter and never felt unsafe in any condition. Oh yeah, we also ate 3 wonderful meals a day to keep up with the calories that we burned up. Colombian people are very nice and the prices of items, hotels and food are very reasonable although they are included in the price of the adventure.

Most of all, this business is ethical and works with you for your best time and needs. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Epic Andes and Santa Marta tour July 11, 2022
= 483 species of birds.
Icaro Birding, did an outstanding job on this intense tour.
We covered a lot of the different ecosystems to get as many different birds as possible, which meant long days and moving around a lot of Colombia, keeping us safe and out of areas we should not go in. they were very accommodating, if you wanted to stay at the resorts and watch feeders was your choice. The guide was top notch( I would say the best in Colombia). They tried to make sure everyone saw the birds, the photographers had a chance to take photos. Transportation was a large van, and in country flights with Avianca Air. The resorts we stayed at were all 3&4 stars. Meal were also very good.
Giovani even went along on part of the trip to make sure everyone was happy.
Colombia is a birders paradise, and this is an outstanding tour for a serious Birders.

Our journey to Colombia was a successful experience of that country's terrain, people. ecology and last but not least its wild and exotic bird populations. Our host Giovanni Ortiz and his assistant Johan Flores were all that could be expected from people we barely knew and put our trust in from the beginning. This is rare today and should be applauded.
Though we experienced only a small cross section of Colombia across its mountain chains from west to east we got a real feel for its culture, people, ecology and challenges. We really felt welcome, respected and safe. Many myths surround present day Colombia some founded in a difficult history but the reality is one should go on these journeys because it provides a factual experience from which to both enjoy and educate ones self. Our hosts could not have been better ambassadors for their country and will provide us memories and a true friendship which is rare but so valued...Thank You

Since I was a new birder it was difficult for me. The other birders were advanced but I was not. Juan the guide was very helpful so that made a difference.
Mario the driver was very pleasant and a great driver on the bumpy roads. My favorite bird was the sleeping hawk. Do hawks dream?
Let me know.

From booking to tour to return home, they took care of me in every way. What a spectacular tour in a spectacular country led by spectacular guides. 406 birds in 10 days! Thank you!