Ivan was incredibly knowledgeable, calm & patient. We did half day Endemic Birds along river to Santa Rita falls. Then full day (11 hours!) yellow eared parrot tour into the beautiful Carbonera valley. All transport & food was of very high quality. You are provided at the end of the day with an electronic list of birds seen. Yes this is relatively expensive but if you've come all this way.... Good Luck to trainee Juan (who joined us with our permission). Thank you Ivan.

We had a wonderful experience! Ivan was a great guide - very friendly, astute at finding birds and making sure everyone in our group got to see them, and had fantastic English. Our group was a mix of folks who have lived in Colombia for a long time and those for whom this was a first trip, and we all thoroughly enjoyed this experience. Beautiful, relaxing setting and a great variety of birds!

It was an amazing tour, Ivan is so knowledgeable, supportive and helpful. A lovely walk and lots of beautiful birds to see and learn about.

We had an awesome time on this tour. It was a total of 6 hours; 4 bird-watching and 2 at the coffee bean farm. Highly recommend!

Spent an awesome morning with Juan who was very knowledgeable about all the Colombian birds (and also knew lots about plants too!). The weather was really nice which definitely helped our luck - heads up that Salento is quite a rainy place and I think that would impact what you saw so check the forecast before booking if you can! We were delighted to see a hummingbird within the first 5 minutes and we also got to see a female andean cock of the rock! Thanks to Juan knowing where she was nesting. Juan also managed to spot a spectacled owl nestled deep within the trees which was awesome. Overall a great day. Maybe consider packing swimming stuff in case you get the chance to swim in the Santa Rita waterfalls! Knocked a star off as it was the most expensive thing we did in Colombia by a really big margin! I've paid a similar amount for a similar tour in Extremadura in Spain so it could just be that this is what it costs but it just felt a little incongruous with everything else we did (coffee tours, a three day trek which cost a tenth of one we did in Chile, thermal springs, etc). But absolutely no disrespect intended to Juan's wonderful bird expertise and good sense of humour 😊

We went on the Yellow-eared parrot tour (not on Tripadviser, but the Advistando Aves Andina website) that went to Carbónera. Awesome experience. We saw a lot of fascinating and beautiful birds with the easily usable equipment that was great for my friend with little experience with binoculars. Our guide, Ivan, was fantastic. Clearly loves his job and sharing his passion for birds with the people on the tour. Our driver Jorge was also great with driving the Willy. I recommend standing when in the back of the Willy and getting close to Carbónera. It’s just like being on a roller coaster, but with better scenery and you feel very safe with Jorge driving. The breakfast and lunch at the finca was delicious—even the vegetarian option—and can’t beat the scenery there. Just make sure to bring a wind breaker or jacket/sweater because it can be chilly up there with the wind. This tour was definitely the highlight of our two-week Colombia trip!

One of my favorite experiences on our trip to the coffee region! We had a wonderful morning in Santa Rita with John, who helped two beginners see nearly 80 species. He knew the answer to every question I could think of, about the specific species as well as the ecology of the area — and lots more I would have never thought to ask about! He was also great company for a half-day excursion. The hike itself was also enjoyable and we took a quick dip in the waterfall. The team that puts together this tour is very active in conservation efforts and their enthusiasm is infectious. Highly recommended!

Juan was an excellent guide. So well informed not just on birds but a lot about Colombia in general. We only took a 2 km walk in a few hours and saw over 30 species. The tour came with breakfast and binoculars . I recommend without reservation !.

Well organized tour with exceptional knowledge of the tour guide. We spotted more birds than expected.

The endemic birdwatching tour with Nestor was the highlight of our trip to Colombia. Nestor is not only extremely knowledgeable, but also an engaging guide. This was our first birdwatching tour, and we were enthralled. We ended up booking a second tour with him the next day. Over the two days, we spotted 60+ different species of birds. Nestor was great company and made our trip so memorable. He ended up connecting us with other amazing guides that enriched our time as well. Without a doubt, this is the top activity to do in Salento!

It was a breathtaking experience! Nestor and Jorge are very approachable and warm. They have in-depth knowledge of the characteristics and behaviors of the regional bird species and enjoy sharing this with their guests. At the end of the tour we visited a coffee plantation. Here we learned everything about the traditional production of coffee in a very small, private group. All in all a wonderful day - definitely recommended!

It was an excellent tour, definitely one of the best moments of our travel in Salento :) Ivan provided everything we needed. He is an expert, great at spotting lots of birds and explaining their characteristics nicely 🐦 Listening to the birds singing, watching various endemic birds with binoculars (which is very exciting) , walking in the nature reserve in a relaxed way... I really enjoyed all the moments of tour☺️ I would recommend this to everyone who loves the nature🌿 Thank you very much, see you again!

I sent Ivan a list of specialty birds, and he put together and excellent package to look for the birds. Ivan and Nestor were very knowledgeable, and I will be calling them again to find more birds from my list. Highly recommended Muy bueno viaje buscamos aves especiales

Ivan took me on a private excursion, and it was hands down fantastic. He knows every single bird by name (in English) and recognizes 99% of the sounds as well, which is really helpful. Based on what I wanted to see, he took me to nice places. He will also keep track of the species and send you the list in the end. We saw 70 species in around 5 hours! The binoculars you get are great and breakfast, snacks, and a coffee were also included. Would definitely recommend!

I had a great experience with my guide Ivan. He did not above and beyond to make everyone feel comfortable and excited. He waited at my hostal before sunrise to make me feel safe. He brought water and snacks so we all had something before breakfast. The breakfast place on the side of the street is local and authentic. The coffee farm of his choice has a 5-star review. Ivan also customized the tour to give me more time for birding while others visited a coffee farm. I would bird with Ivan again the next time I visit Salento ❤️