I recently had a chance to take my 4th tour with Wildlife Paraguay. Two years ago, I did the Puerto Olivares overnight tour with Alberto and the Arroyos y Esteros and Humid Chaco tours with Selene. This time, I repeated the Puerto Olivares overnight tour with Nico. All four of these experiences have been exceptional and the first 3 were a big factor in why I returned to Paraguay. This country is simply underrated and is without a doubt a top-notch birding (and wildlife) destination! Alberto and his guides are phenomenal at spotting and identifying birds/wildlife. They're also all wonderfully welcoming and friendly guides that are a joy to spend time with.
Puerto Olivares has quickly become one of my favorite birding destinations (hence the repeat tour, my first). I was so impressed by Alberto and the lodge owners (Arturo & Diana), that I was worried my 2nd tour might not live up to the initial one. Fortunately, Nico was every bit of a great guide and fun guy to chat with. He was excellent at spotting birds and helping me get in position for some great photographs. Since I've spent a lot of time birding in South America, I didn't expect to see a ton of new species. We still managed 16 new in 2 days. My focus this time was improved photos and there was no shortage of opportunities! Once again, Arturo proved to be the finest boat pilot I've toured with. His ability to not only spot animals, but to track them in the boat while I'm photographing them in flight is second to none. Add to that, Diana's fantastic cooking for the several meals served during the tours, and I leave there with my heart, stomach, and SD card full!
A huge bonus on this recent tour was Nico suggesting that since I wanted to get an early start, we begin the first morning out with a stop at Juan de Mena. I had visited this spot with Selene on my Arroyos y Esteros tour and I dubbed it the "birding road". It was an instant favorite as the place had a greater quantity of wetlands birds than I'd ever seen in one place. That day's quantity wasn't as substantial as the first tour, but we spotted 3 new birds in the first 5 minutes and had some exceptional photo opportunities (especially of a low flying gilded hummingbird)!
In short, the guides of Wildlife Paraguay are amazing. The Puerto Olivares overnight tour is amazing. If you come to Paraguay, do this tour (and other tours with WP)!