キツツキツアーでチジュカ国立公園のバードウォッチング

Ric collected us from our hotel. It was an early start. We were soon on the edge of the National Park. Ric pointed out lots of birds and we both had great views. In the Park we saw the scenery and learnt some of the history. More birds including a black hawk-eagle circling over the tree canopy. A great half day tour.

Ric our guide picked us up from our hotel and wisked us off to the Tijuca National Park. On our half day tour we saw or heard 46 species. It was a great insight into the parks scenic places and wildlife. We saw something of the history of the place. A great success for us. Great value. Great guide.

Richardo did a great job. Although the birds didn't want to fully cooperate it was good. We saw a lot of nice places in Tijuca, great views and at the end Ricardo recommended good restaurant

We would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in seeing some incredible local birds. Our guide Ricardo was very knowledgeable and friendly: he made sure we could borrow binoculars, and took us to places where we were likely to see the birds we were keen on seeing. He also provided some great recommendations for other things to do during our stay in Rio as well. We learned a lot about the area and bird life, and saw some amazing sights. Highlights were seeing plenty of toucans and some male swallow-tailed manakins performing a mating dance. This tour is one of the highlights of our stay in Rio.

We had a very good morning out with Francisco, who helped us find 45 species using call recordings. Guide books are difficult to come by in Rio so birding with a guide helps a lot. Service was great including a pick up and drop off.

I could take picture of very many birds. The guide knew were to find them and he was a very good observer. He could tell me all the names This trip could not been better!

Ricardo was not available and sent a substitute. I was concerned about a substitute guide and reached out to Ricardo. He assured me Guilherme was just as knowledgeable and engaging and did not give me the option to cancel. Guilherme was unprofessional from the beginning. I was given no contact info for Guilherme and thought it was a bit sketch when he arrived in a taxi and didn’t introduce himself. Guilherme’s bag was in the back seat where I was to sit. He did not explain anything to me about the park on the drive and instead had the cab driver play loud music. The park was dark, rainy and windy. No one else was there and the trip should have been cancelled for weather. It was not raining in Copacabana but Guilherme said it would be raining in the park. Had he told me this when he picked me up I could have grabbed a rain jacket and pants. Instead, I was cold and soaking wet within the first 30 mins in the park. There were very few birds and although Guilherme was good as spotting birds but horrible at describing where they were or what they were. I have been on lots of bird watching trips and guides always know how to describe a birds location (not, “under the tree”, “on a branch” or “right there!”). He walked ahead of me and when he saw a bird he yelled so loudly that he often scared them away. It was too dark to see birds , especially under bushes which is primarily where the few he saw were hiding. He did not provide binoculars as indicated in the tour description. He also provided no information about the birds. He blared a cacophony of bird calls on a speaker which I found really unpleasant and distracting. I could not hear actual birds over the speaker. Also, many birders consider this practice unethical since it confuses the birds. There were a few tanagers up high in the tree canopy but have no idea which ones since the light was awful and Guilherme didn’t show them to me in a book or on his phone. At 10:25 he decided the trip was over and I was back at my hotel 2 hours before the tour was supposed to end. I have been on lots of bird watching trips and this is by far the worst tour I had ever been on. It was a waste of time and money. I contacted Ricardo and trip advisor immediately upon my return. Ricardo readily agreed that the trip sounded terrible but only offered to refund half because he “still needed to pay Guilherme”. It was a very disappointing bird outing and a waste of time. I booked this trip because of Ricardo’s glowing reviews but the substitute was not a guide at all.

I recommend this tour. Ricardo was friendly and knowledgeable and did his best to give us a fantastic tour. He not only knew many birds by sound and sight, but he also knew the English names of them as well. We made several stops up to the park and several spots inside the park itself. Every stop was breathtakingly beautiful and we saw birds at each one. I suggest you bring your own binoculars if possible.

The night before our tour, the guide contacted me and asked if I wanted to postpone for a day because it was supposed to rain. So we did. The new guide was excellent! He knew his birds extremely well and he used his app and speaker to attract some birds. It was an excellent outing!

Francisco Falcon was an amazing bird guide. He took every opportunity to find the most beautiful birds in The Tijuca Forest. He was prompt, professional & very accommodating. This birdwatching tour was the best tour we have ever taken. We are grateful to have gotten Francisco to guide us, the tour was the highlight of our time in Rio.