A birding and wildlife trip with Paraguay Birding  and Nature Tours with Oscar Rodriguez

We’d been contemplating a trip to Paraguay since the early 90’s. Some things take their own time happening and this was an example. Angie and I had started exploring the idea of a visit a few months ago and she discovered Oscar’s company during a website search. He had the itinerary we thought we wanted and we contacted him via email. A quick response was received, and now that we know how hard he works we’re even more impressed with his rapid reply! He outlined his ideas to maximize birding hotspots and the unique nature of Paraguay. We liked his ideas and set about pulling together dates and flights. We flew Copa Airlines connecting through Panama City. No direct flights are available from the USA that I’m aware of. It necessitates an early arrival into Asunción. Oscar was prepared for that. Our hotel room was ready! Our first day was a washout in Asunción due to a rainstorm, so we took it easy and got a bit of rest.    Oscar arrived the next morning as scheduled and we loaded up and started what turned out to be a marvelous day. As we left the big city we began to see birds right away. Some were old friends from previous visits to South America, but lots were what we in the birding community call “lifers.” It’s quite a rush to see a new species, but even more exciting to see one after another. Our first experience was the Humid Chaco, followed by the Dry Chaco. Both areas are incredible in the amount of birds and animals that can be seen. I won’t do a day by day or this review will run to many pages.    As we moved from Humid to Dry Chaco things were getting busy. The dry area was very interesting. Lots of special species that only occur there. It should be mentioned that Oscar is a phenomenal birder. I’m half deaf and hehears things that are beyond my comprehension. He uses his hearing as well as sight to spot the unusual. Unbelievable.   The Dry Chaco gave us lots of new birds and a few new animals, a standout being Giant Anteater and Night Monkey. The birds are too numerous to mention, but we were thrilled with the quality and quantity of species.    Our next stop was the Atlantic Forests, an area that’s sadly being lost to development in all the countries on the East side of South America. We had lovely looks at Bare-Throated Bellbird, and many other Atlantic Forest specialties.   One thing that should be mentioned is that the tour is customized on the fly if necessary. Oscar watched the weather for rain and we adjusted the tour to fit the pending rain. Moving quickly from one area to another to avoid roads that had the potential for flooding. Marvelous.    As a guide Oscar was a marvel. Wonderful to spend time with him. Great at his chosen profession and a stand up fellow that loves nature. It shows in every aspect of the trip.    Lastly, he has the most memorable places picked out for lunch on the road. In fact, the food was a highlight of the trip.    If you have the inclination to visit Paraguay, please consider Oscar and his organization. You will not regret it.

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Thoughts on our travels in Paraguay from our perspective.

The best way to begin is in the past. We’ve discussed visiting Paraguay since the 90’s. Our initial trips to the East side of South America took place in the early 90’s. We’d spent time in all the countries on the West Coast and wanted to visit what seemed an enigma at the time, "Paraguay". For one reason or another, we couldn’t seem to find the opportunity to make the trip. We began discussing it again last year and found Oscar’s website after a short search online. That was a stroke of luck! It turned out to be the opening we needed to make the trip a reality.   Arriving in Asunción was via Panama. No direct flights were available from our location. Simple flights that connected through Panama City. Entry formalities were simple and there was no charge for the visa on arrival. We’ve visited lots of airports and found that you can’t tell a lot about a place from the drive in to town. It took a bit to get the sense of the city and country. One of our first impressions was the friendly atmosphere and people. No attitude. We met lots of people in various locations and invariably were met with smiles and kindness, even with our atrocious Spanish speaking abilities. Remarkable.   Secondly, as we began to travel the countryside we noticed that there was still a good deal of what seemed like wild areas. Very encouraging. Since the thrust of our trip was wildlife and birding we found that to be good sign. We also noticed the cleanliness of the small towns we visited. Absolutely amazing that the streets weren’t covered with litter. It seems that the residents took pride in keeping their communities clean. Wonderful. We did notice one area that was full of trash on our travels, but Oscar said it was a newly established settlement. I’m assuming that the longer established communities had more invested in keeping their areas safe and clean.   Thirdly, the natural areas. We visited both private and public places that have been preserved for wildlife. All were excellent. Birds and animals seemed less pressured than in the neighboring countries. Lovely, lovely, forests and countryside. Our three-week trip was a resounding success on all levels; due in large part to Oscar’s remarkable ability to hear and see the invisible. I hope that the future will bring more areas under the protection of the government. Congratulations on the job so far. The reserves we visited that were training areas for tourism were particularly good. The accommodation was excellent and the staff wonderful. They provided home cooked meals that were spectacular. I had to restrain myself at each meal!  Lastly, it was mentioned that hunting of birds and animals was being considered. In our opinion, not a good idea. The birds were not persecuted and therefore less frightened than other places that allow sport hunting. There is no upside if you want ecotourism to thrive. Please don’t sacrifice your birds and animals for a select few people.In closing, we very much enjoyed our visit and would love to return. Believe me, we’ll be spreading the word about Paraguay to everyone!.

Best,Hugh and Angie Tyner

Atlanta, Georgia USA