We've traveled many places around the world for birding and nature in recent years and experienced many guides. A week in Ecuador visiting Antisana, the cloud forests around Mindo and other locations in Pinchinca Province confirmed Neotropical Nature & Birding Trips guide Santiago Salazar as among the very best. Our group of 16 included serious birders and casual nature lovers, and it was the first trip for all of us since the pandemic began in early 2020. We could not have felt more comfortable during our entire time. Beyond being an exceptional birder and guide to finding birds, Santiago is very kind, great to be with, and attentive to all aspects of logistics and people's needs. I would go with into the countryside of Ecuador or Brazil with Santiago again at the drop of a hat.

If you ever find yourself birding in Ecuador or Brazil, remember Neotropical Nature and Birding Tours, and especially the name Santiago Salazar. We have used guides from Central America all the way to Scandinavia, and this guy was the best I have ever seen! Made it a marvelous trip!

I visited several places around Papallacta Pass to look for a large list of target birds with Santiago Salazar. Santiago was extremely knowledgeable of the area and knew exactly where to go to search for all of the special birds of the area. He was able to organize the trip extremely last minute (including getting us access to Cayambe-Coca National Park on a day it is normally closed to tourists). He knows the birds and natural history of the area extremely well. Anyone looking to visit this great area should definitely contact Santiago and Neotropical Nature & Birding Trips.