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Lots of birds

We did the full-day birdwatching tour. Our guide, Wendy Swee, was excellent. We saw 35 bird... read more

Reviewed 3 days ago
398ricki
,
Hidalgo, Mexico
Review of Maui Birding Group Tour (9/17/2024)

Review of Maui Birding Group Tour (9/17/2024) 970911237 Maui Birding (Group Tour) offered by... read more

Reviewed September 23, 2024
K1490BSdonaldb
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Reviewed August 20, 2021 via mobile

This was exactly the birding experience we were hoping for. I’m the birder and my husband is a photographer. We identified 24 species including the beautiful 'Apapane and 'Amakihi.

Wendy was the perfect guide. An experienced birder and wildlife biologist, she can identify birds by sight and sound and is familiar with their behaviors and habitats. Importantly, she’s good at describing field identifications and making sure we all saw what she was seeing.

Wendy has experience as a park ranger and as a driver on the road to Hana, so we were in very good hands both on the road and in the field.

Our group consisted of a couple from the Midwest, a solo from New England, and my husband and me from Texas. We got along great and by the end of the day we were exchanging emails and photographs.

The van was comfortable. Wendy was a courteous driver in regards to bathroom breaks, roadside photo ops, and climate control. Lunch was yummy with healthy options.

Date of experience: August 2021
1  Thank DayTrip43222094697
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ExploreMauiNature, Owner at Explore Maui Nature, responded to this reviewResponded March 20, 2022

Mahalo nui loa for your detailed review! We're always happy to know when our efforts are appreciated. Lunch is now provided by a local eatery that uses locally grown and organic ingredients--great to hear it's yummy :-) Aloha and a hui hou!

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Reviewed August 11, 2021

We did a full day private bird/animal tour with Wendy. Wendy put.a lot of thought into what my three- and six-year olds would enjoy with multiple consultations with me. We had a great day! My kids were engaged the whole time with the animal spottings and the stories in the car. The adults enjoyed it too. Both kids said it was their favorite thing we did in Hawaii (beating the beach, pool, shave ice, etc etc). We don't normally do such expensive activities but this was absolutely worth it.

The van was also very nice and well set up for car seats and we all loved the snack drawer as well.

Date of experience: August 2021
Thank zigneous
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ExploreMauiNature, Owner at Explore Maui Nature, responded to this reviewResponded March 20, 2022

Mahalo nui loa! So happy to read that your little ones loved it even more than shave ice and the beach ;-) Can't think of a better compliment for Wendy! Aloha!

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Reviewed July 12, 2021

We did a private birding tour with Wendy, who was an enthusiastic guide, very knowledgeable regarding Hawaiian birds, plants, geology and culture. Birding locations were well selected for forest & wetland birds. Travel time was fun and educational, thanks to Wendy's broad perspective. 25 species seen, including I'iwi, A'papane, Maui Creeper.

Date of experience: July 2021
Thank V1570JUkayb
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ExploreMauiNature, Owner at Explore Maui Nature, responded to this reviewResponded March 20, 2022

Mahalo for the kind words! 25 species seen is a real good birding day, especially if you got lucky enough to find a Maui Creeper :-) Happy to know you enjoyed Wendy's passion for birds and the islands. Aloha!

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Reviewed June 4, 2021

Fantastic Hike with lore and humor led by Wendy. Her extreme attention to detail and the fact she was well prepared beyond anything you could think of made this a fantastic and unforgettable day. The hike was a good challenge for our group with views that were breathtaking. Wendy taught us much about the unique flora and wildlife of the area. She even sent an email after the tour reiterating what we covered that day. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, enthusiasm and talent!

Date of experience: May 2021
Review collected in partnership with this attraction
Thank Stay60504
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ExploreMauiNature, Owner at Explore Maui Nature, responded to this reviewResponded March 20, 2022

Mahalo for your detailed review! Yes, Haleakala does indeed take one's breath away, both literally and figuratively :-) Aloha!

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Reviewed May 31, 2021

We did the bird watching with Explore Maui Nature.
It was almost 8 hours of activity, but I would say that almost 5h were just inside the car.
It was too expensive for just a couple hours of watching birds.

Date of experience: May 2021
Review collected in partnership with this attraction
Thank irinabbarros
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ExploreMauiNature, Owner at Explore Maui Nature, responded to this reviewResponded March 20, 2022

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I’m truly sorry to hear that you were disappointed. Sadly, our native honeycreepers have been decimated by avian malaria, carried by mosquitoes, and we have to drive above the mosquito line to find them—an unfortunately incompressible amount of driving time. We also drive to the summit of Haleakala for a chance at finding Nene, Pueo, and/or Chukars. Our efforts are sometimes unrewarded, as wildlife has a will of its own, but we feel it is our role as birding guides to at least try to find them for you.

As for our rates, they simply reflect the astronomical cost it takes to run a permitted tour in a National Park and on Maui, and the extremely sharp increase in costs of doing business, as well as livable wages for our guides, consistent contributions to local environmental organizations, and higher quality local & organic food for our picnic lunches. We also limit the number of participants to 8 instead of the 11 we can fit in our vehicle. All these efforts to provide superior service and a unique experience come at a cost that we have no choice but to share with our guests if we are to remain in business. Our rates are roughly aligned with the state's official transport rates and many regular tour companies that cram up to 24 passengers in their vehicle.

This being said, I am very sorry that the trip fell short of your expectations, but we are grateful for the opportunity to improve—we will do our best to give more detailed information in our pre-tour communication, and we will always strive to spend as much time as the day allows at the viewing spots. Mahalo nui loa!

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