About Us

Comments from our Customers

May 2007, 5 days birding tour focused on regional endemics with CAYAYA BIRDING (Leader: Knut Eisermann):

"In 2005, my wife and I went to Guatemala on holiday for a week in November. During that trip, we arranged a 3 day birding trip with Cayaya Birding to look for the Horned Guan. We had a very successful (albeit very strenuous) hike up the side of Volcano Atitlan, the highlight of which was prolonged looks at two Horned Guans looking back at us. I was very impressed with everything about Knut Eisermann, co-owner, chief cook and bottle washer for Cayaya Birding. He is a brilliant field ornithologist, a great logistician and an all-around very pleasant fellow. Thus when business took me back to Guatemala in May 2007, I pre-arranged a 5 day trip with Knut once again. My goal this time was to look for Resplendent Quetzals and look for highland rainforest owls."

Alan van Norman, Bismarck, North Dakota, USA

May 2007, 5 days birding tour focused on regional endemics with CAYAYA BIRDING (Leader: Knut Eisermann):

"I thought the tour was very well organized. Knut is a very good bird guide and knows the birds very well. The places we stayed, especially Tarrales and Chelemha were wonderful."

Patty O'Neill, Milton, MA, USA

May 2007, 5 days birding tour focused on regional endemics with CAYAYA BIRDING (Leader: Knut Eisermann):

"I found Knut knowledgable and full of energy. We found birds effeciently. The accommodations were good and the food excellant."

Bob Walton, USA

April 2007, 8 days birding tour focused on regional endemics with CAYAYA BIRDING (Leader: Knut Eisermann):

"Until recently, I'd never thought too much about birding Guatemala. Our trip with Knut has convinced to return as soon as possible and see more of this fascinating country. Experiencing the Mayan culture and the fabulous birds in the mountains is something I'll never forget. Having traveled with other birding companies, I'd have to recommend Cayaya Birding over the others for personal service and effort given to show us every possible species. A truly remarkable experience. "

Howard King, Riverside, CA, USA

April 2007, 8 days birding tour focused on regional endemics with CAYAYA BIRDING (Leader: Knut Eisermann):

"Knut and Claudia are amazing.....we told them what we wanted to see and they planned a perfect itinerary. We saw almost all of our target birds! Can't wait to do another trip with them! "

Lori Conrad, Hermosa Beach, CA, USA

March 2007, 10 days birding tour with CAYAYA BIRDING (Leader: Knut Eisermann):

"Cayaya Birding did a great job for us and was outstanding both in terms of the birding and the logistics of the trip. Knut Eisermann and Claudia Avendaño, who run Cayaya Birding together, are deeply knowledgeable about the avifauna of Guatemala, are great birders and organized everything without a hitch. They are working hard surveying the birdlife in Guatemala, developing birding and eco-tourism through local lodges such as Los Tarrales and Chelemha (described below), and exposing Guatemala as a first rate birding destination with marquee species that may be found more easily in Guatemala than in any other area. We would heartily recommend them for anyone interested in birding in Guatemala." See trip report

Jeffrey F. Peters, Weston, MA, USA

March 2005, 3 days customized birding tour in Guatemalan highlands with CAYAYA BIRDING (Guide: Knut Eisermann):

"Guatemala was a pleasant surprise: perhaps two well-kept secrets should be dispelled now. 1. There is a good tourist infrastructure, better than expected, with comfortable accommodation and decent roads. 2. There is a knowledgeable local birder (Knut) who can show you all the birds, including Horned Guan (see photo), Azure-rumped (Cabanis') Tanager and Blue-throated Motmot. Anyone interested in wildlife or Mayan culture will not be disappointed. For the serious birder, there is the chance to see some rare species not easily seen elsewhere in Central America. There should be no reason to put off a trip to Guatemala: start your planning now."

Geoff Dobbs, County Bird Recorder, East Yorkshire, England.

February 2005, 17 days customized birding tour with CAYAYA BIRDING:

"We were 6 senior Danes, however still quite venturous and with great love for nature, some of us especially keen on birds. We found Cayaya Birding on the internet which we never regretted. We got the most excellent service with regard to planning a trip quite according to our wishes and with their professional advice. More than 300 birds were seen during the 17 days we spent in Guatemala. Knut has a talent for spotting, hearing, and recognizing everything. And for our guidance he was carrying these very heavy field guides all the time, so that he could at once show us in the books the birds in question and point out their characteristics. We learnt a lot, and we loved all the sites on the trip. As an extra service, Claudia joined us during the trip to Monterrico, because of the small boats where we had to split up in two groups. They wanted us to have a guide on each boat – isn’t that service ! And it was nice for us to get this opportunity to meet Claudia, who had done so much work for us in planning our trip, not only in Guatemala, but also in El Salvador, where we were going afterwards. The tour with Knut and Claudia was quite exceptional, not only because of their professional competence and their ability to take care of our well-being, but also because of their great sense of humour which meant that we enjoyed their company so much." See trip report by Kirsten Geertz-Hansen

Kirsten Geertz-Hansen, Farum, Denmark.

February 2005, 6 days birding in Petén with CAYAYA BIRDING (Guide: Claudia Avendaño):

"Claudia’s expertise and hospitality is a joy and I can only recommend bird-watching with her. You will not only see the birds but also improve your identifying the different calls. I shall definitely tour with them again!"

Eva Kiefer, Zurich, Switzerland.

November 2004, 6 days birding in southern highlands and Guatemalan south coast with CAYAYA BIRDING (Guide: Knut Eisermann):

"I was looking for a birding tour to take in November 2004. I scanned the birding tour companies and I came across Cayaya Birding. The website is maintained by Knut Eisermann, the co-owner and tour guide. Knut has put a tremendous amount of work into the site. In addition to the normal information, he has included area descriptions, bird species list for each area and much more useful information. The tour was a customized one: we visited pine and oak forests, dry forest, coastal areas, coffee palntations and some highlands. The birding was outstanding as was the guide. Knut is a wonderful guide as his knowledge of the birds and their songs is remarkable. The Cayaya Birding staff had all the logistics worked out well and the entire trip was a great success. In short, I had a great time birding in Guatemala. Thanks Knut."

Jerry Miller, Simi Valley, California.

January 2004, 4 days birding in Los Tarrales with CAYAYA BIRDING (Guide: Claudia Avendaño):

"Claudia was very professional, and both her range and depth of ornithological knowledge were appreciated by our tour members. Claudia patiently explained to our two neophyte birders about "What to look for first," and simultaneously excited our experienced "birder" about the subtilties of both visual and audio identification. Further, your Guide’s commitment to training Guatemala’s indigenous peoples about long-run resource management was plainly evident in her interaction with our "local" guides. All your promised tour services were delivered promptly and with courtesy. We have recommended CAYAYA BIRDING to two Guatemalan families and our US friends at home." See trip report

Steve and Liz Welch, Wakefield, Road Island, USA.

November 2003, 3 days birding in Los Tarrales with CAYAYA BIRDING (Guide: Claudia Avendaño):

"We found CAYAYA BIRDING to be professional, flexible, and thorough. Claudia provided us with excellent birdwatching as well as information on flora and fauna. The accommodations at Los Tarrales were adequate and comfortable and the food was good. We were able to see a working coffee plantation as well as an exotic plant farm. We even met the schoolteacher on the finca and enjoyed watching the children."

David Cole and Betty Slade, Westport Point, Massachusetts, USA.

April 2003, customized nature and photo-tour with CAYAYA BIRDING (Guides: Knut Eisermann & Claudia Avendaño):

" 3 weeks with CAYAYA BIRDING means:

We thank CAYAYA BIRDING for 3 weeks full of experiences. We hope that you will have success during your conservation work, that "Quetzal & Co." can keep on flying through the rainforest." See trip report

Yvette Glass, Ulrich Schuster, Wiebke Schuster (Chemnitz, Germany).

March 2003, 12 days customized nature tour with CAYAYA BIRDING (Guides: Knut Eisermann & Claudia Avendaño):

"With Claudia and Knut we have experienced for 12 days a very exciting and affectionately prepared tour through the main regions of Guatemala. No question remained unanswered and the tour went on smoothly. We stayed in carefully chosen accommodations aside from main tourist trails. Both guides have sovereign scientific ecological and cultural knowledge and they are engaged in exciting conservation projects. We want to highlight their kind, attentive guiding. We felt always safe and well attended. Local food was always very good. The CAYAYA BIRDING web site is no exaggeration."

Vera Luthardt and Günther Vahrson, University of Applied Sciences Eberswalde, Germany.