Testimonials
"...the nine days we spent here has been (in many ways) a great experiences which will never be forgotten. Francisco is a great guide but also a great guy and I will recommend him strongly to anyone who wants to experience this part of the world." (L. Rydell's blog), Leif Rydell, Per Askengren (Sweden) and Nicholas Armstrong (UK)
"...the nine days we spent here has been (in many ways) a great experiences which will never be forgotten. Francisco is a great guide but also a great guy and I will recommend him strongly to anyone who wants to experience this part of the world." (L. Rydell's blog), Leif Rydell, Per Askengren (Sweden) and Nicholas Armstrong (UK)
"We were very pleased with our experience. He was extremely knowledgeable of the flora and fauna of the area. We saw so many great birds in one day, and I can’t list them all, but a few that were especially pleasing were: a black-and-chestnut eagle; the endemic red-faced guan; the cream-backed woodpecker; and a very entertaining family of torrent ducks. We highly recommend Francisco and will use him again if we return to NW Argentina", Michelle Mc Kim and husband, USA
"Francisco, I want to thank you for such a great birding trip in Jujuy. I really enjoyed birding with you and I learned so much about the birds and nature of the province. I hope I can return to Argentina to take another trip with you." Ann Kovich and Patricia Perry, USA
"We had a wonderful time in Jujuy with Francisco. He guided us from the top of the Calilegua reserve down onto the western edge of the Chaco. The range of birds we saw was broad and very diverse. We even managed to see both species of seriemas (Cariamidae) and the rufous-throated dipper (Cinclus schulzi). I can recommend Francisco if you are planning a birding/nature trip to this area. His natural history knowledge is very extensive", Paul Thomason and Barry McCarthy, UK
"We have been birding three days with Francisco in different habitats. The main target birds/birdfamilies were Red-legged Seriema, Olive-crowned Crescentchest and Grey-breasted Seedsnipe and all of these were seen, and a lot of other local specialities. We enjoyed the company of Francisco and can recommend a birding tour with him", Martien Priens, Netherlands
"Francisco did a wonderful job organizing and guiding me on this specialized birding trip. Having birded nearby Bolivia/Brazil/Chile, Francisco had a specific hit list of birds I needed and he delivered. He is very knowledgeable of the different biomes and where the birds are. What a fun and productive trip!", Tim Fitzpatrick, USA
"...just wanted to thank you again for your very much appreciated guidance and patience through our tour of N W Argentina, we all enjoyed the trip and your knowledge of the area and birds was invaluable", Chris Straw, Geoffrey Dobbs, and Ian Forsyth, UK
"Francisco (...) knows the area (inc Salta and up to the Bolivian border) very well. He is friendly and personable and we very much enjoyed travelling with him. He has an excellent knowledge of the birds in the area and where to find them. He is particularly good at recognizing their calls which made locating them easier. Although we were keen to see any of the birds/wildlife of the area we believe Francisco would be equally effective at finding those special/endemic/reduced range birds that call NW Argentina home. (...) We would have no hesitation in recommending Francisco to anyone who is planning a birding trip to Argentina. We had a great time in NW Argentina, had many wonderful sightings and brought back lots of lovely memories." Trevor and Ann Jones, UK
"Francisco was our guide for four days (...) his knowledge of his area was impressive. He found our target birds in a very pleasant and professional manner. He blended geographical, culinary and bird guiding with skill. Our visit to the Jujuy and Salta area was unforgettable thanks to his guiding.", Terry and Jacques Bel, France
"We had the pleasure of being guided by Francisco in our tour to NW Argentina July 2015. Francisco guided us in Yala and Calilegua places he knew very well. Francisco helped us finding most of our targets and gave us advice for the rest of our trip. We recommend his services and you will be with a very nice and pleasant man.", Per and Larrieta Smith, Denmark
"...just to say your north west birding areas were superb. There were so many birds around Jujuy. Yala in particular was exceptional. Our day trip with you was too short but with your expert guiding we saw so many birds...", Brian and Linda Mathew, UK
"Francisco, my wife and I would like to thank you very much for your excellent guidance in the Jujuy district! We did spot a lot of interesting bird species, many of which were also lifers to us. We could benefit a lot from your bird vocalization expertise. Bird songs, and in particular flight calls, and contact calls, are very difficult to practice, and are very valuable to identify species in a dense vegetation. Without your help we would have overlooked a large number of birds. The landscape in this region is really amazing; so much variety – from dry plains, water reservoirs with marshes to cloud forest-like habitats and Andean outskirts. Your knowledge about all small roads and productive bird spots was really impressive... ...we were so happy with this trip that we probably will go back within a couple of years. All the best." Henrik and Pía Druid, Sweden
"...I certainly like to congratulate you on the wonderful guiding you provided. I certainly consider the Jujuy area one of my favorite for birding and certainly planning on coming back...", Kurt Hennige and Gary Ure, Canada
"...thank you for your expertise and guiding... It was a great trip and the horned coot (Fulica cornuta) watching wonderful, thanks again.", Tim Appleton, UK
"...fue un gran placer conocerlo y tenerlo como muy buen conocedor guía en su provincia. Disfruté mucho de los paisajes, de las aves y de su compañía. Ojala podamos repetir y agrandar ese tour en el futuro...", José Bronfman y señora, Argentina-Madagascar (first trip).
"...this was a fantastic trip with such an array of biodiversity in such a small area. My guide was great and knew all the right places to stop. We saw some amazing birds and I hit most of my targets ( see the trip report ). The scenery is stunning and it’s hard to believe we were in high Puna one day then the next in thick Yungas forest. There is a huge array of birds here and another couple of days were really required to get into the Chaco and south into Salta. The roads were fine and there was usually little traffic anywhere we went. It seemed at times like we had the whole place to ourselves which was especially good when you were trying to listen for birds. All the places we stayed were good and the food was nice and interesting from light corn humitas to an all you can eat meatfest. For the most part the locals were friendly and helpful and with such an array of cultures it was fascinating to move from the Andes to the lowlands. I can’t recommend this part of Argentina enough. Good luck and good birding.", Mike Nelson, USA
"Francisco: You were a fine friend for this trip. You and Adrian (the driver) made the trip most enjoyable for all of us...", Shane Woolbright, USA
José Martín, Álvaro Rodríguez Pomares ( ver sus fotos ), Lidia Romero Amich, Isabel Álvarez y Marcos Frean, Galicia, España
“…the majority of the birds seen these days ( see the trip report ) were new (a total of 76 new species) and I reached my magic number 500 thanks to Francisco.”, Anders Bacher Nielsen, Denmark
Forest, Myriam, and Torrey Tomlinson, USA
"...excellent knowledge of the fascinating ecosystems of the area, of the birds that live in them, and of particular hotspots for hard-to-see birds. Overall we saw several hundred species of birds; he was particularly useful to us in sorting out the more difficult complexes — earth-creepers, miners, yellow-finches and spinetails. It was a real pleasure to be guided by Francisco — we had previously birded between Salta and Mendoza ourselves and identified a much smaller proportion of the birds we saw (and saw fewer birds too) than when we were with him.", Jon Jackson and wife, New Zealand
"...reminded me of your hospitality and patience on the Yala river eighteen months ago, when we were able to watch the behavior of a pair of torrent ducks (Merganetta armata) for more than half an hour – a real experience.", Anthony Strong, UK
"...thanks for a fine adventure in the highlands of Northern Argentina! I'm sure the stories will get better and better with each telling...", Art Evans, USA
"We have now been home for about two weeks and continue to reflect on the wonderful time we had with you birding in Jujuy province. It was remarkable not only for the number of birds seen, nor for the variety, but for the patience you showed in helping us to track birds hidden amongst the trees and brushes ", Neal and Dorothy Friedberg, USA
“Francisco guided me during my second trip to Argentina and I recommend him as a knowable and very pleasant guide, who knows where to find the local rarities around Jujuy. Less than half an hour into our tour he spotted torrent ducks (Mergnetta armata) and rufous-throated dippers (Cinclus schulzi) both lifers for me, plus many more birds ( see the trip report ).”, Knud Rasmussen, Canada
"This is to confirm that Francisco was a perfect guid when I came to Jujuy in 2001 in search of the red-faced guan (Penelope dabbenei). This was part of my work at that time, producing life-size oil paintings of the 50 species of the bird family Cracidae (guans). It was a splendid day and it was clear from the beginning (before dawn) that he was as determined as I was not only to find the birds, but to have good views of them so that I could draw and take notes. This we did in fairly heavy summer rain, a good thing because the birds were less inclined to fly away until the weather cleared a bit. By being quiet and lying close to the ground, I had nearly 20 minutes of drawing time. The result was eventually one of my best paintings ( the Red-faced Guan ). As well as appreciating your wide knowledge of your subject, it was also a great pleasure to be in the company of such an all-weather person!", Nigel Hughes, UK, 2001
