I had an incredible 3-day tour of the Paraguayan Chaco with guide Fernando Beconi. I decided to hire a guide last-min instead of DIY'ing my birding/adventuring in this region and could not be happier. Point-person Alberto adjusted my itinerary quickly and without hesitation, taking into account my target species and location requests. My guide Fernando was extremely personable, fun, accommodating, skilled, and authentic. He is a local Paraguayan who speaks English very well and it was fantastic to go birding with him while learning about his life, country, and its remarkable history and culture. It was spectacular to sip mate in the Chaco after a long morning of birding before heading over to the Mennonite grocery-restaurant for some fantastic local food. Over our 3-day tour, we saw 143 bird (92 lifers), 4 mammal, 1 caiman, and 1 tarantula species. Fernando made significant effort to successfully locate many of my biggest target birds, including Chilean Flamingo, Jabiru, Greater Rhea, Southern Screamer, as well as my most wanted specialties/endemics including Black-legged Seriema, Chaco Owl, and Quebracho Crested-Tinamou. While we were unsuccessful in finding tapir or anteater, a pair of night drives allowed for Azara's Night Monkey, Crab-eating Fox, and a Pampas Cat vs. Jaguarundi. One of our stops was Fortín Toledo/Boqueron, the site of a major Chaco War battle (birding amid the bunkers and destroyed tanks) and a peccary conservation reserve, where we were able to see the endemic and endangered Chaco Peccary. It was nice to get a complete experience of rural Paraguay; both in term of its unique nature as well as insight into its people's unique challenges and way of life. At the conclusion of our tour, we arrived late back in Asuncion. I had planned to take a red-eye bus to Iguazu which Fernando had helped me book; he subsequently offered to later pick me up from my hotel so I would not have to walk with my luggage to the bus station in the middle of the night. Afterwards, he successfully helped me find and board my (surprisingly comfortable) bus to Brazil. I made a great friend in Fernando and could not be more thankful for his guiding and hospitality. In summary, this tour is an amazing opportunity for anyone visiting Paraguay to explore the nature, people, and history of this under-visited region of the world.

This was amazing. If you want to see a large quantity of overwhelmingly fascinating birds in a beautiful setting with a host who is extremely knowledgeable, personable and kind then I strongly advise you to do this. And try to do the full day if you have time. You'll be learning about some incredible species from someone with the qualifications to really tell you about what you're looking at. I think this is one of my favorite outings I've had in awhile!

If you need to get out of the busy city, this nature tour is for you. The trip was well organised, with great communication and attention to detail. The ride was clean and comfortable. Our guide even provided a nice mid morning breakfast. Alberto was extremely knowledgeable about the area and all things wildlife. We saw several species of native birds, from song birds and finches, small parrots (or conures), storks and herons, large vultures, to majestic falcons and hawks. I had a wonderful day out and recommend this tour with confidence.

This was an excellent experience. We were unsure due to expense on a limited budget but this was a/the highlight of South America/paraguay. We saw more different birds in 4hrs on the half day tour than most of our two months in central America trying! Specific highlights for us included : giant Jabiru, kingfishers and several close up moments with various other birds of prey. Our guide Isaac knew the names and many characteristics of the birds and also flora and good at spotting them! He was polite, conscientious, welcoming and also had excellent english and we had good conversation which contributed to an enjoyable time in the 1hr drive there and 1hr back. The tour takes you own private farmland managed with organic or sustainable practices, I think this contributes to the incredible biodiversity. The property owners are compensated with money from your ticket. Food was good enough. Morning tea coffee with helmeted woodpeckers knocking. We are not experienced twitchers but this was a bird like paradise. I expected a lot less. Highly recommend if you like birds and want a professional tour service to an unforgettable area of the world.

First off I'm not very knowledgeable about birds but Alberto was very kind and explaining everything. On the first day it was very rainy so he was open to rescheduling the trip which was great, since on the next day we had much better weather. We drove out to a ranch in the Chaco and saw various birds, they also provided binoculars. Alberto was a very welcoming and engaging host. Would happily do a longer tour with him!

3 days 2 nights in dry/humid Chaco was a wonderful experience with Alberto Esquivel. Even if 3 days (with all the driving) was very short, we saw quite a lot of birds and I was able to take some nice pictures thanks to Alberto that did a lot of 'U-turns' on the road. These 3 days were really intense and everything went as I'd hoped. Nice hotel, good choice of restaurants, very well organised (cold drinks thanks to the cooler)... I'll definitely be coming back to the region and will use Wildlife Paraguay again for my 'nature' visits.

We had a tailored tour, so the details may not be relevant for others. What I will say is that Alberto is a very kind, helpful and knowledgeable person. He also suggested bringing his kids along (as we had two kids, so we agreed that this would be great). If you are taking kids I would recommend this, as his kids are just delightful.

In August my husband and I joined Alberto and his team from Wildlife Paraguay for the 10 day tour wildlife/birding adventure across the Atlantic Forest , the Humid Chaco and the Dry Chaco. Across the different eco-regions we saw wildlife including lowland tapir, chaco monkeys, crab-eating fox and pampas fox, armadillos, peccaries, the rabbit-like mara, and wild guinea pigs. I noted 135 species of birds, many of them endemic and some endangered. We learned so much from Alberto and his team’s expertise. It was a great way to experience the country and learn about the wildlife and the history. Accommodations were often rustic and there is a good amount of time in the car, often on challenging roads, but the reward is remote and unspoiled destinations. Adventurous and interesting experience!

I had an absolutely wonderful time during my recent birding experience in Paraguay. I was amazed by the diversity of birds that I saw, and my amazement was further reinforced by the knowledge of my tour guide, Alberto, who really made the birding experience exceptional. Given his advanced degrees, alongside WWF experience, Alberto offered expansive information regarding multiple birds and the surrounding area. The depth of his knowledge, coupled with his passion for wildlife in general, really made the excursion memorable. I would happily do the same excursion again whenever I visit Paraguay again!

Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and the breakfast he served our group was yummy. I had a great time. Highly recommended!

Overall it was an amazing experience! Alberto was the perfect guide to travel. From the get-go we were able to see all different kind of wildlife. Starting with birds we even were able to observe armadillos, tapirs, pekaris and incredible insects. With Alberto you will have a guide that is taking care of everything, so you can fully enjoy the experience and wildlife of Paraguay.

Alberto is incredibly knowledgeable about the Chaco and an expert on birds. We saw an amazing variety of birds. He is a gracious and accomplished tour guide who provided us with a well designed yet pleasant and relaxing afternoon.

I cannot overstate how awesome this tour was! Our guides, Alberto and Selene, were very knowledgable, friendly, and welcoming. We learned so much about the birds of Paraguay and they shared professional photos they took of the birds on our tour. We are so, so thankful that we had the opportunity to do this!

Paraguay is not for the faint hearted and certainly not for those who expect a pampered, luxurious experience, but I loved every minute of my 12 day tour, which included several national conservation parks within the Chaco, followed by 3 days in the Brazilian Pantanal. Sadly the weather gods were against us and it rained constantly for the first few days, thus many of the larger mammals we hoped to spot at regular water holes already had plenty to drink and stayed sensibly under cover in the inaccessible (very prickly) vegetation. A paradise for cacti enthusiasts! The bird life however was AMAZING and my guide Alberto was an expert at spotting and pointing out everything from the tiniest humming birds to the many large birds of prey. He was assiduous in looking after me (I took the tour alone and am not in the first flush of youth) he was also an expert at negotiating the extremely slippery, potholed and sometimes flooded dirt roads and very good company. The sun came out when we reached Brazil and our stay at Fazenda San Francisco provided a spectacular end to out trip with sightings of jaguar and ocelot and many other wonderful animals, butterflies and water plants. It was a real adventure and took me right back to my early days travelling in S America in the 70s. I would recommend Wildlife Paraguay to anyone wanting to experience nature in all its glories without too many tourist trappings.

Professional knowledge about names of birds and explanation about each bird. Friendly arrangement of the tour.