This was a very good trip. The birding was great, the accommodations (mostly) nice, and the food lovely. Thomaz was an excellent guide. His knowledge of the birds and where to find them was wonderful. He made a real effort to get all of us to see the birds. The only problem was with equipment. It was fortunate that Doug brought his laser pointer, as Thomaz's didn't work very well. Also It would have been a big advantage for him to have a spotting scope. I can't recall ever being on a birding tour where the guide did not have a spotting scope.

Not only did I have a great tour, and saw spectacular birds, I connected with an organization that does amazing local conservation work. The Fecse Foundacion Sembrando Esperanza. This foundation is supporting local community conservation efforts, and protecting the imperiled Choco Forest habitat that we visited. I was happy to learn about and support this effort. It is important to support local travel companies, but it is also important to support conservation of the very places we visit.

Overall, the trip was very successful and well organised. The standard of accommodation, meals, transport etc. was of a high standard and we appreciated the service that was provided by the various lodges. Javier was an excellent guide, and I enjoyed his company and expertise. He never got upset when we had hiccups along the way, and for a long trip like ours, he maintained a high level of professionalism and worked hard to get us the birds throughout the trip. We of course had many highlights during the trip, such as Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe after three attempts, Rufous-necked Wood Rail bathing in the road up close, Spectacled Bear was another highlight and of course having Jocotoco Antpitta up close was pretty special. The day trip to Salinas was most enjoyable and we picked up some nice birds in the surrounding areas too. It’s probably an area that needs a few days to explore properly and seems to have a lot of potential. I had just over 730 birds for the trip, of which 332 were lifers, so am pleased with that.