What a magical day! - Mario is an expert in birding and his passion for these beloved creatures is truly apparent. He created a unique day of magic for us with his expertise and in-depth knowledge of birding. He identified the birds by their calls and behaviors and readily shared the information - all through the day. Photo opportunities were plentiful with optimal backgrounds to highlight each species unique behaviors, markings and colors. This daytrip was more than bird-watching; it was a day of bird and nature immersion. Our time with Mario was a highlight of our trip!

Awesome Adventure - Our guide Clari was amazing. We saw 45 different species of birds. I could not have seen even half as many on my own and I wouldn't have known what they were. She could hear a bird, identify them by sound and find them with her spotting scope. This was truly an amazing adventure! Thank you Clari!!!!

Birding with Mario — superb - Although I selected the “Pipeline road” tour, this week I took two full day birding tours with Mario. We went to Anton Valley one day and Guna Yala another day. I had birded Pipeline with Mario 10 years ago and I can just say that he truly outdid himself. It was the best birding I have ever done and Mario is such a KIND, GENEROUS guide and human being. We saw 125 species of birds the first day and 113 on the other day, and Mario catered the trips specifically to target birds (life birds) I had been wanting to see, the vast majority of which (among those actually possible) we found! Furthermore, he is extremely reasonably priced and which honestly wouldn’t even matter either way as the birding with him is so productive. He is great at spotting and has a sharp ear, and he knows people and secret spots for target birds. He isn’t your average Panama guide associated with Canopy Company, etc — he is an elite birder and top-tier person. 1000% recommend.

The best birding guide - Mario is an amazing guide and birdwatcher. He took us to Parque Sobrerania where we saw over 40 species of birds (including a blue cotinga, a motmot, toucans, and oscellated antbirds), not to mention a whole bunch of other animals (including monkeys and sloths). We would go on another tour with Mario in a heartbeat. He is the best!

One of the best trips I’ve ever did! - Mario, the guide, was extremely enthousiastic. He was really good at spotting birds and all other kinds of animals! We saw so many species so close, it was wonderful! As a flight attendant I get to do a lot of tours around the world but Mario was really one of the best guides I’ve ever had. I do really recommend this trip!!

Three full days of hardcore birding - I have done 2 or 3 international birding trips a year to different continents for the last 20 years and Mario is amongst the best guides I have ever had. He has great skills, is extremely personable, energetic and enthusiastic and we loved our three full days with him (two along Pipeline and one to El Valle). Panama is tough, often sweaty forest birding but Mario was superb at finding great birds, using playback and scope excellently, and he was super-generous with his time and effort (and good value compared to other options; we had one shocking day with another guide when M was busy). We are serious world birders and, with Mario’s help, we found key species like Tody Motmot, Great Jacamar and Streak-chested Antpitta and he was highly engaging company, informing us about other aspects of Panama. Hugely recommended; thank you Mario!

Great shore excursion - Our guide Samuel picked us up at the cruise terminal promptly at 5:30 am. Samuel was very knowledgeable about the birds and was conversant in other subjects as well. He spotted over 50 species of birds, many of which we got a good look at through his scope.

Great nature expierience - Amazing Tour observing Wildlife! Mario has an astonishing knowledge concerning not only Birds but all the other Wildlife we encounterd. We saw all kinds of amazing birds (which Mario could all name) monkeys, sloths, a coati and diverse reptilies. Mario was really invested in us having a great experience and we did. A definite recomendation for all nature enthusiasts!!!

Best Day of our visit to Panama - We had a fantastic day with Mario. He was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the subject of birding yet he tailored our tour according to our own level of knowledge. He went out of his way to show us different and unusual things but was also conscious of our need to rest, drink and eat. Mario knew all the specific habitats where particular birds would be found and targeted our tour to find very specific species. We would highly recommend him to anyone interested in the wide variety of birds in Panama. If we return to Panama we would definitely seek him out to explore other birding regions. Thank you Mario for the most memorable day of our visit to Panama.

Toucans and sloths and monkeys! - Mario was INCREDIBLE! He is so passionate about wildlife and really anticipated all of our needs. When I realized my camera lens didn't have a sufficient zoom for some of the birds we were spotting, he actually let me borrow his to get some of the shots I was hoping for. SO kind! He has an amazing eye for finding the most camouflaged creatures...you'll just be driving along and he will casually pull the car over, set up the viewing scope, and voila! "There's a sloth." "Here are some howler monkeys and their babies." "That's an iguana on those rocks." "See the toucan there?" He has bug spray, he has bird calls, he has delicious snacks. (In my case, they had to be gluten-free and he took note to make it happen!) Mario moves quickly enough to help you see lightning-fast birds, yet never makes you feel rushed. He's a problem solver and loves what he does. Do not see Panama with anyone else! Thank you, Mario. We can't wait to come back!