ガイド付きバードウォッチング写真体験

Did 2 birding tours with Irman. One full day and one half day. When I say full and half day, I mean it. Full day went for 12 hours and half for 7. Irman really wants you to see all your targets or any local specialties he knows about. Knows the Mindo area and beyond like the back of his hand. We are bird photographers more than birders, so quality over quantity was what we were after. Irman understands the needs of bird photographers. First morning I took over 10,000 images and went through 5 batteries that day. Shout out to the Mindo area which was the best birding area we have been to. Among the different birds, we saw and photographed 25 species of hummingbirds, 14 species of tanagers and 4 out of the 5 species of toucans in the area. For the places you go to with feeders/hides, make sure you check the cost to enter which is above the tour price as it is usually cash on entry. Usually something like US$10-15 dollars per person per place. We booked the tours direct with Irman and only paid after the tours. Highly recommend Irman Arias as a bird guide.

+7

I had a tight window after work trip and wanted to get to Mindo and see some birds. Irman customized the tour to the day and a half that I had. He picked me up at a hotel in Quito and we made several stops on the way, seeing different birds at different elevations. Stayed at a one of the very nice affordable hotels in Mindo. Then the next day we saw more than 75 different species at four different locations before he arranged for a driver to take me back to the airport. It was a good mix of feeders and forest walks deeper into reserves. Irman is very knowledgeable and hospitable, and we saw some fantastic animals, including three trogons and a surprise appearance from the waddled umbrella bird.. Even if I was going to stay in a lodge in Mindo, I reconsider having Irman organize my transfer in to see the birds on the way. This was an excellent experience.

Nice quiet little town. The local people are so warm and friendly. Very reasonable to eat out (except for wine) and food is excellent, particularly seafood. If you are interested in Birdwatching or taking photos of wild birds this is an amazing area to visit although it is advisable to hire a guide and a driver. Our guide was Julia Patino and her driver Paul is a great driver. Roads are little more than pot holed dirt tracks in some remote areas but we always felt 100% safe with Paul driving. The variety of beautiful colourful wild birds, the amazing scenery and the friendly chilled out happy local people make Mindo a magical place to visit. I went with 3 other photographers and we stayed in Yellow House (Hacienda San Vincente) which was nice with lovely gardens and hiking trails. We went in November and it was cloudy and rainy a lot of the time. Summer would probably be better for photography as light is so important to getting properly exposed shots. If I ever visit Mindo again I will not be going in November! I still got some great photos and I loved Mindo and the lovely people I met there. A truly magical place!

+2

Excellent morning of birdwatching in the Andean Chocó near Mindo with guide Irman. His knowledge of the birds is truly impressive and his kindness makes all the difference: patient, passionate, and always making sure everyone gets great views. We spotted amazing species like Crested Quetzal, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, and several endemic hummingbirds. Highly recommended — we’ll definitely be back!

I found Irman on TA and booked a private tour with him based on the great reviews (I booked directly via WhatsApp). We had 2 tours (see below) - I'd give 4 stars for the 1st one and 5 for the 2nd (cock of the rock). Advance communication was prompt and clear. Irman has a great eye for the birds and also knows their songs, so he can tell when a particular bird is around before seeing it. His ability to spot the birds is really great, and he can also mimic their songs, so they can come closer. We could look at the birds though the birding scope or binoculars (he gave us a pair each). He took us to the private reserve owned by his brother where the birds are fed and we were able to see tanagers, colibris and toucans. The views from that place are beautiful, and we also were served some snacks and coffee. Other guides also bring their guests there, so we had a little ‘party’ of about 5 or 6 tourists in total. Things to note: Irman’s birding scope is older and a bit ‘wobblier’ – it is fine for looking at the birds but taking pictures/video through it with your phone is not easy. Also, while he mentions when is a good time to take a picture, you have to take a picture yourself, which kind of distracts from the viewing experience and take some fiddling with the scope. Luckily, there were other guides and Irman’s brother who helped us taking pictures through their scopes, so we also ended up with great pictures/videos and had time to enjoy the viewing. He tells you the name of the bird but doesn’t really share any additional information about the birds unless you ask, and then the answers are pretty concise, lol. We also left the viewing platform before other guides, and started walking back towards the village. I understand that the plan was to see some other types of birds (like toucanet) as we were walking but we didn’t see much else (one more toucan and some colibris). The birds of course have their own schedule, but as I really wanted to see toucans, so I wish we stayed at the platform for longer as more toucans came later (one of the other guests told me after). So, if you really want to see a particular type of bird, make it known, lol We also learned that seeing cock of the rock is a separate experience, as you need to go to a particular place, even earlier in the morning, lol. So we took a tour for the next morning with Irman (he picked us up at 5 am, lol) to go to the cock of the rock lek. That was an amazing experience, where we could see quite a few males getting together waiting for a female (who did not show up as it wasn’t mating season). This time Irman shared some interesting facts about the birds. My hubby graciously was taking pictures through the scope, so I could just enjoy the viewing. Thanks to Irman’s keen eye we were also able to see Quetzal (both male and female), which was awesome. We enjoyed both of our bird watching experience but I wanted to also share some additional details, especially if taking pictures is important to you (on all our other tours in Costa Rica or Ecuador guides always helped with pictures) - I find the name of this tour is somewhat misleading. If I were to do it again, I would probably waited until coming to Mindo and then booking a tour on a spot (at least in December it did not seem to be a problem).

+1

Excellent tourist guide to take pictures of birds from the mindo Ecuador area. Irman has a lot of knowledge and experience in finding and describing birds

Was such a lovely experience to venture into the cloud forest of Mindo with Irman and his driver! We dropped of in the middle of the jungle, walked upwards and had the chance to see amazing birds like Toucans, Barranqueros and more! Afterwards we visited a famous spot for the cock of the rock - and what can I say! 6 awaited us in full sight and we stayed there to observe them and have a coffee afterwards. Thanks Irman!

Amazing tour. Would recommend to everyone. One of the highlights in Ecuador. Saw many tucans and other nice birds. Thank you!

Guided Birding Photography Experience Mindo Guided birdwatching in the Mindo Cloud Forrest 1033103012 Bird guide experience in Mindo with Irman Arias. I spent the morning starting at 6AM with Irman Arias. I was picked up at my resort and initially traveled to a private property with viewing platforms over an extensive ravine. There we saw an amazing array of birds including repeated viewing of 2 species of toucans that we observed at length and were able to photograph and video using my iPhone through a powerful telescope. We then continued birding on walks through the beautiful tropical forest (Cloud Forrest). Irman is an excellent guide with good English skills, and a deep knowledge of the local birds and their calls. I was able to accumulate 48 birds to my bird list including 14 of the 30 known local hummingbirds. We chased the call of the golden crowned quetzal but it alluded my viewing. The birds are varied and colorful and seen clearly for identification. The price was more than fair and I highly recommend this experience to anyone who loves, or think they might like, birding.

Irman is an excellent birder and guide. He finds birds that seem invisible. And when taking photos he helps you get into the best position for the bird image.