Birding North Peru - partial tour (copy)

North Peru

KE
Kolibri Expeditions
  • Email address verified
  • Facebook verified
30 reviews
Mar 1 - 5, 2020
Group size: 1 - 5
Birding North Peru - partial tour (copy)
North Peru

Kolibri Expeditions
  • Email address verified
  • Facebook verified
30 reviews

Mar 1 - 5, 2020
Group size: 1 - 5

What’s included

  • Kolibri Pro Service
    according to website.
  • Transport
  • Food
  • Driver
  • Entrance fees
    Exception to the rules
  • Flights

What’s not included

  • bottled drinks
  • tips

Available Packages

Trip Price
$2,180

Who’s Going

Your Organizer


KE
Kolibri Expeditions
30 reviews
Gunnar Engblom is a Swedish birder who lives in Peru since 1998, where he operates bird watching and nature tours for Kolibri Expeditions. He is also a dedicated 3:04 marathon runner, right now training for Boston. In 2016 Gunnar additionally re-launched his rock’n’roll singer career with his band Guran Guran and getting over 365 000 views on his recent Rinkeby and Tensta Youtube video.

Reviews

Alex was my birding guide and Coco was the driver, both were very pleasant and good at their jobs and I would highly recommend them. Alex is a superb spotter and identifier of birds and truly skilled at helping you actually spot the birds yourself. He really knows the birds, the English names for them, where to find them - all the skills! He's determined that you see as many birds as possible and he's devoted to this work. My only suggestion for you in choosing Kolibri would be not to leave anything undecided. For instance Gunnar left our choice of lunch options completely up to Alex, who was in a dilemma between finding something "Safe" for a non-Peruvian to eat (to avoid traveler's tummy) and something affordable for himself and Coco. I ended up nibbling on a cheese empanada in the back seat of the van, while they later had soup in a restaurant. I was not at all happy with this, but I perfectly understood Alex's dilemma. The sensible thing would have been for Gunnar to tell us all to bring our own lunch to be eaten together, picnic style, for instance, under the shelter at the Sacred Garden, one of our hummingbird stoops. All tourists can get a box lunch from the hotel, and Alex and Coco were coming from home, so they could have easily brought something. In addition, even though no decision had been made as to actual number of birders participating and therefore final payment due (this problem was at my end, not Kolibri's), Gunnar was unavailable to discuss these things until the very last minute because it was the weekend. I perfectly understand that family takes priority, but when such important details are pending, it also makes sense to at least check your messages occasionally. THANK YOU, Alex, for an excellent birding experience! I saw some amazing birds because of your skills and dedication. And thank you, Gunnar, for choosing Alex as my birding guide!
By Lyn M for Birding Sacred Valley on Feb 04, 2024
I enjoyed the trip immensely. The birding was fantastic, the guides were world class, and the landscape was gorgeous. I took three short trips with Kolibri. First along the coast south of Lima. Second to the highlands and paramo east of Lima, and the third to the Satipo road on the eastern slopes of the Andes. So many marvelous birds! Gunnar was great at preparing me for the altitude and I had no altitude sickness. The accommodations were spartan but there are not really any other options. No heat, no hot water. It was cold in the mountains and the food was not great.
By Miles M for Trip in 2023 for Miles on Jan 11, 2024
Thanks for the kind words Miles. Yes indeed there is limited lodging available in some areas. On a good note: The spartan lodging on Satipo road now has hot water shower and a bathroom. It is still quite basic of course, but a vast improvement that makes it much easier to endure.
By Kolibri Expeditions on Jan 11, 2024
KE
Great day birding with Gunnar to Chilca, Pucusana and Pantanos de Villa wetlands. Very responsive guide not least when I booked at quite short notice due an unplanned business trip. Thoroughly recommend Kolibri - the lucuma icecream and little Green men in Chilca were a cultural novelty!
By Ian C for Lima birding Day on Jan 11, 2024
Thanks for the the review, Ian. We will have to make another trip when you are back for more business in Lima.
By Kolibri Expeditions on Jan 11, 2024
KE
Although it gives me no pleasure to say it, this trip was the most poorly led of any we have been on in more than 20 years. We booked a private tour to the Atlantic Forest and chose Kolibri Expeditions Marvelous Spatuletail (MS) option since we are both 76 and decided to splurge on this trip. Sept 19 to 30 was the duration and Gunnar Engblom, the owner of Kolibri suggested we share the first few days with another client. I booked us In at the Posada Piuval which seemed like, and in fact was, a good option for the two days of Sept 17 and 18 and then we joined Mr. Engblom and his client on the 19th at the lodge. Kolibri organized the trip from this day on. The description on Kolibri’s website for an MS style tour promised good hotels, 2 drinks per person per day, separate driver for the transport vehicle, park entrance fees covered, and a dedicated guide. At Kolibri’s advertised rate of $450 U.S. per day per person for a group of two, we expected our cost to be $10800 U.S. plus another $400 U.S. maximum for an additional flight for two between two cities (Cuiabá and Sao Paulo). We had assumed that All of our arrangements were organized via email directly with Mr. Engblom. In fact, we paid Kolibri approximately $12000 U.S. plus money transfer fees. Our experience. Driving Mr. Engblom rented a vehicle himself and acted as the driver as well as our bird guide. His driving was not careful in our opinion and I can recall at least two times when we avoided an accident because we shouted at him to avoid driving over a large rock which would have disabled our vehicle and we shouted at him another time to avoid hitting a pedestrian when he started to pull away from the curb while still looking at his phone. Driving while juggling two mobile phones is not a good idea. Freeway driving was no better, with Mr. Engblom often drifting out of his lane while looking at his phone again. Also, we had to forcefully remind him to stay within the speed limit while driving on the freeways. Very uncomfortable for us. Lodging Quite variable with some hotels being very basic and even one with mold on the walls of the room Food Mr. Engblom clearly had no plan on where we would be eating on several of the days. Due to this lack of organization, on one occasion we went for 30 hours before getting a decent meal. Very bad planning. Mr. Engblom insisted repeatedly that our trip cost did not include drinks and that included buying water at meals. At one point he suggested that we buy a meal for ourselves, give him the receipt and he would reimburse us. But he never did, even when asked specifically on more than one occasion. Birding Very good indeed. Mr. Engblom knows his birds well. Although he did tend to wander off ahead of us quite a bit and that was frustrating.
By Brian L for Brazil for Brian and Lois Lewis on Oct 09, 2023
Hi Brian I have not any intention to get into an argument about this, but just want to get a few things clear. I never charged for a MST style trip. This concept is only for Kolibri Expeditions tours in Peru where we offer to include drinks and entrance fees in our superior MST service. I never offered you this service in the emails back and forth. The birding lodges in Brazil and the excursions we did (jaguars, ocelot and boat trips) are extremely expensive and hence I charged our normal style prices plus the surcharges for the lodges and excursions. On the Wetravel payment page it is clearly indicated that I had not included drinks. https://www.wetravel.com/trips/brazil-for-brian-and-lois-lewis-kolibri-expeditions-brazil-99945122 Yet, I paid for a bunch of your drinks, which well surpassed the value of the snack you paid for at the airport, as well as some superior restaurants when there was opportunity. Sometimes however due to the distances in Brazil one can't plan meals ahead. The fact that many restaurants were closed in the beginning of the week when in Itatiaia the options were not as many as usual. If you did not have a decent meal in 30 hours is because you didn't eat what was offered. This was an exception to the rule of the very nice eating we had for almost the entire trip. I only used the phone to navigate. Navigating in Sao Paulo is not certainly not easy, as you became well aware of. I had seen the pedestrian, but am thankful for you pointing out the rock on my right corner which I could not see over the hood of the car. Mold on the wall? You never mentioned this on the trip. It would not have been accepted. I think it was a very good trip... but it is hard to please everybody all the time. I am very sorry you feel this way, and I would make it up to you on any future trip you'd chose to do with us. Next time on both sides we need to be clearer what we expect to be included and what is actually included. I thought the mentioning on the payment page ought to be clear enough, but I could certainly have mentioned it also in our conversations back and forth.
By Kolibri Expeditions on Nov 06, 2023
KE
Gunnar organized a fabulous family trip that included nature watching, touring Incan ruins, and sampling a great variety of local food such as ceviche, rocoto relleno, lomo saltado, and pollo a la brasa. Around Lima, we hiked among Peruvian desert flowers (also seeing Viscacha), took a short boat ride to find Humboldt Penguins and seabirds of the Pacific Ocean, got close-up views of Andean Condors, and explored the paramo at 15,000 feet! Then, around Cuzco, we saw Chilean Flamingoes at high Andean lakes, hiked through a polylepis forest at 14,000 feet at Abra Malaga, and got superb views of hummingbirds coming to feeders at various points in the Sacred Valley and the cloud/temperate forests beyond Abra Malaga. The highlight of the trip was hiking through wonderful forest to Machu Picchu -- a truly memorable trip!
By Peter S for Family Birding/culture Machu Picchu, Abra Malaga and Sacred Valley. on Jul 17, 2023
Show More Reviews

Photo Gallery