Testimonials
About People who Trust on Us
Bird, birthday and family Galapagos Trip
Hi Edison and Diego. We’re back home now and wanted to let you know what a wonderful time we had on our recent Zarate Family Galapagos adventure.
As you know this was a special family gathering to celebrate my 70th birthday. The planning process started a couple of years in advance so there were lots of details to think about and worry about over a long stretch of time. Appreciate all your guidance in putting together our itinerary during this long planning phase.
All the big pieces and all the little pieces came together nicely and the logistics of the trip were seamless. Accommodations, being picked up at the airport on a timely basis, meals and all those little details were perfect. The first phase in Quito was fun. Our Quito guide, Santiago, was gracious and attentive. Our stay with Mario and Blanca at Casa El Eden was especially memorable. They made the whole family feel at home and they were ready to do anything to make everyone happy. I know we were one of your first clients to use Casa El Eden and the family would be unanimous in recommending they become a primary resource.
By the time one reaches 7 decades there is less interest in receiving presents and my thought for this trip was the best gift to myself was to give the family a memory, a special experience that we could all share for the coming years. This was my dream and that dream was more than fulfilled. Thank you for making this possible.
Guyana and Colombia
Earlier this year we completed our seventh trip with Edison, visiting Guyana and Colombia for a full month of amazing birding, when more than 900 species were recorded.
As has been the case with all of our previous trips, Edison had carefully researched the logistics of reaching all the best birding places, enabling us to see such Guyanese specialities as Cock-of- the Rock, Sun Parakeet and Red Siskin. Our two weeks in Colombia enabled us to traverse the country from Cali to Perija, visiting key birding sites en route and concentrating on the tremendous diversity of hummingbirds and tanagers to be seen, as well as visiting the feeding places established for various species of antpitta. As is usual with any Edison tour, our days started before dawn (a 2.30 am start was the earliest!) and a new experience for us this time was a two-hour trek by horse – to the Dusky Starfrontlet Reserve in Colombia.
Not only was the trip an unqualified success in terms of the birds seen, but sightings of Mountain Tapir, Giant Anteater, and Fer-de- lance, and some wonderful scenery at Kaieteur Falls and Reserve La Perija added so much more to our experience this year. As always, Edison was so helpful and obliging, never being satisfied until we had both obtained good views of particular birds and responding to any requests we had for additional activities – on this occasion including searching for and photographing local species of cacti.
We can continue to unreservedly recommend Edison to anyone contemplating a birding trip to South America!
Choco and Eastern Side Trip
“My wife and I had a wonderful holiday in Ecuador, including 10 days being looked after and guided by Edison in the north-west/Choco region. There were many highlights during this time, including visiting the legendary Angel Paz and seeing four species of Antpitta as well as the Cock-of the-rock lek, staying at the extremely accommodating Septimo Paraiso Lodge outside Mindo and experiencing the wide selection of more unusual birds at the remote Canande reserve. Edison exhibited the height of professionalism and had an amazing talent for finding difficult, skulking birds with his acute ear for bird vocalizations and his sharp eyesight. He was also great fun to be with and proved to be an extremely safe driver in his modern 4 wheel drive.
All in all his company, Swordbilled Expeditions, is highly recommended.
Macchupicchiu and Northern Peru Trip
If you are looking for an intense birding trip where you will be carefully tracking birds from sunrise to sunset + and you want to have the opportunity to actually see and hear the more reclusive and secretive species than Edison is your guide. He did a great job in finding most of the Choco Endemics during our two week trip. Loved the out of the way tour to see the oilbirds. Great thanks for the ability to spontaneously change our day birding to meet our needs and personal desires. Loved all the accommodations. All the lodge owners were wonderful. It was great to have the opportunity for a private tour although that was not our original intent.! It was quite awesome.
The accommodations were all excellent. Edison got along well with my 7-year-old daughter, who is probably the youngest person ever to see these species through binoculars. I look forward to my next trips with Edison.
Cuba and Panama Trip
On our fourth birding trip with Edison last year – this time to the amazingly bird-rich country of Colombia – we suggested to Edison that he expand his horizons and that we would willingly be his first guests on a trip to Cuba. To our delight, Edison organised a wonderful birding trip – from which we have just returned – comprising eleven days in Cuba and eight days in Panama. The logistics of organising a stay in Cuba are indeed challenging, and it was clear to us that Edison had been to inordinate lengths to ensure that we could see as many birds as possible and stay in places which afforded more than our basic needs. During the stay in Cuba, we visited the far west of the island, the south (the famed Zapata Peninsula) and the north coast. Edison employed local guides so that we could find as many of the endemics and other local specialties in particular areas and in the end, we had great views of all but two of the endemics species, missing out only on the Zapata Wren and the Zapata Rail – although the latter has not been reliably reported for some years. Cuba also gave us the chance to find many North American migrants, notably shorebirds and wood warblers as well as other species which are more difficult to find elsewhere.
For those birders who have visited northern South America, we can unreservedly recommend Cuba for a different kind of birding – fewer species but many are challenging to find – and Panama for an interesting mix of species from both North and South America. With Edison as your guide, you are assured of a memorable trip!
Bird Holidays Trip
Edison was our local guide during my recent trip to Ecuador organised by Bird Holidays of Yeadon and we had the most amazing time. Edison is incredible at identifying a squeak in the undergrowth and minutes later enticing the actual bird to appear in front of our eyes. He was so patient and worked so hard to ensure everyone in the group managed to see each bird.
His knowledge of the local birds is outstanding and I would not have managed to see an incredible 421 birds in 14 days without his expertise. Thank you, Edison, and I hope to have you guide me on another trip in South America soon.
Bird Holidays Trip
Thanks, Edison, for our three days in Mindo filled with birds, sights, and adventure beyond anything we could have imagined. Your itinerary, excellent English, kind manners, excellent driving skills, good humor, vast knowledge of not only birds, but all flora, fauna, and cultural aspects of our trip made every day packed with fun and excitement.
Your patience and determination to have both of us see and enjoy each sight and event made the three days totally filled with beauty and birds. We are definitely considering another trip with you. We’ll keep in touch with your web site.
