ANTIGUA GUATEMALA BIRDING
day tours with Knut Eisermann & Claudia Avendaño

Knut Eisermann and Claudia Avendaño of CAYAYA BIRDING have been organizing and leading birding tours throughout Guatemala since 2003. They call Antigua Guatemala their home. Take advantage of their local knowledge and two decades of experience for your private birding day tour from Antigua. What birders say about birdwatching with Knut Eisermann & Claudia Avendaño

Focal Point
Nature around Antigua
Montane Sister
March 2024Antigua Guatemala is unique in several ways. The well preserved colonial town - a UNESCO cultural world heritage site - with its picturesque cobble stone streets flanked by colorful houses and several baroque church façades is a tourist magnet. Numerous cozy restaurants and cafés offer local and international cuisine and many hotels of all budgets invite to stay for some days and make Antigua your base for exciting birding day trips.

Antigua Guatemala is located at 4900 ft (1500 m) in a valley surrounded by several volcanoes and wooded hillsides, which build a beautiful skyline around town. The highland forests and open landscapes provide habitat for numerous birds. More than 400 bird species occur within day trip distance from Antigua.

Among them are exotic looking birds such as Mountain Trogon, Northern Emerald-Toucanet, Blue-throated Motmot, Wine-throated Hummingbird, and Gray Silky-flycatcher. Many of the birds of the surroundings of Antigua Guatemala are regional endemics of the north Central American and south Mexican highlands, such as Blue-throated Motmot, Highland Guan, Pink-headed Warbler and Bar-winged Oriole (More about the birds of Antigua Guatemala). Antigua Guatemala is the center of an Important Bird Area.

Birding day and half-day tours lead by Knut Eisermann or Claudia Avendaño starting at US$ 40.00 per person.

• A relaxed birding day near Antigua Guatemala.

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• A target birding day near Antigua Guatemala.

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• A birding walk at Finca El Pilar.

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• A bird photography day near Antigua Guatemala.

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• A birding weekend trip from Antigua Guatemala.

What birders say about Birding Antigua Guatemala with Knut Eisermann & Claudia Avendaño

Birding with Knut Eisermann and Claudia Avendaño

• We have been organizing and leading expert birding tours in Guatemala with CAYAYA BIRDING since 2003. Our knowledge on birds, people, and country is based on more than 20 years of ornithological field research, travelling, and conservation work. We reside in Antigua Guatemala, and when not leading birding tours, we are in the field finding out new things about special birds, training local guides, supporting the development of birding lodges and areas, finding new and exciting birding hotspots, and supporting conservation initiatives.
• We operate small group private birdwatching day tours from Antigua in order to provide the best birding conditions, to keep our impact on the natural environment as low as possible, and to ensure personalized service. We lead tours in English, German or Spanish.

"Claudia Avendaño and Knut Eisermann are likely the two most experienced bird guides in Guatemala. I have been birding with them several times at El Pilar and Finca Filadelfia near Antigua. Both are extremely knowledgeable, organized and delightful to be with. As they are local, they have detailed knowledge of birds, birding sites, transportation and logistics of Guatemala that no international tour organization could possibly compete with. If you need some key target species for your life list, or if you are a just an ecotourist in Guatemala and you want to get out and see some birds, CAYAYA BIRDING is the way to go."
Kevin Omland, Baltimore, MD, USA.

"I have been on guided bird watching trips in Africa, Europe, Central and South America and the United States. My day with Claudia in El Pilar, Antigua, Guatemala was absolutely one of the most enjoyable of all of them. She was very professional, both as an ornithologist and a guide. She asked questions and listened to what my objectives were and delivered on those objectives. She spent the day not just trying to impress me with her knowledge and skills, although she was terrific at both, but ensuring I had an enjoyable experience, and my birding objectives were met. She has my full endorsement for birders of all levels."
Peter Konrad, Colorado

"Knut Eisermann and Claudia Avendaño are the true “Bird Whisperers” of Guatemala. My two days of birding with them absolutely exceeded my expectations. They made themselves available before and after my trip to answer all of my bothersome questions. I’ve birded the world and rate them two of the best."
Bob Loy, New Mexico.

"Had a fantastic birding with Knut in El Pilar. Organizing the day was very easy through website and followups in WhatsApp. The birding day was tailored to my desires and we had 70+ species for this day including some fantastic time in a blind getting great looks at warblers. Highly recommend and would repeat!"
Joseph McKenna.

"We (my wife and I) spent a wonderful day with Claudia Avendaño near Antigua. We saw many birds, including a great collection of hummingbirds. As well as being very knowledgeable, Claudia was a great companion. We are very much novice birders and she took great care to introduce us to the birds. All in all, it was a great day out."
David Eisner, Manchester, UK.

"My wife and I spent a wonderful day with Claudia Avendaño birding at the end of a weekend stay in Antigua. We have gone birding with world class guides in Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica and Panama, and I can say without hesitation that Claudia is in that class. Given that she and Knut Eisermann are the longest running bird guiding outfit in Guatemala, it is to be expected that she knows and can find the birds of Guatemala better than anyone else. That she is a professional ornithologist, and active in conservation only makes recommending CAYAYA BIRDING that much easier. Most importantly, she was able to take account of our age (early 70s), infirmities (altitude impact) and conditioning to give us the measured activity that allowed us to enjoy our day and see what we came to see. She is as quick to line birds up in her scope as anyone I've birded with, and knows the birds of Guatemala and where to find them from her more than 25 years of study, field research and leading trips all in Guatemala. Claudia is a delightful, charming and interesting woman who clearly enjoys doing what she does so well." Joel Rosenthal, Miami, Florida, USA, 2019.

"Birded with Knut Eisermann one day in Finca Pilar close to Antigua. Would have to say he is one of the best birding guides I have ever hired. The Guatemalan Pygmy-Owl and the Ocellated Quail were just two of the great birds we saw that day. Without him as a guide I would have found very few birds. I have also birded with Claudia Avendaño, and they are both great birding guides."
Mike Parker, USA.

"Claudia Avendaño is a professional ornithologist, Birdlife International consultant and naturally a great birder! Tecpan gave us the opportunity to search for Blue-throated Motmot and Pink-headed Warbler both of which Claudia found but birding here without a guide would be very difficult. El Pilar trip started with a visit to some superb hummingbird feeders which were excellent with so may hummers across six species. If you're a photographer be prepared to spend some serious amount of time there! I have no hesitation in recommending CAYAYA BIRDING and especially Claudia. "
Katherine Branch, United Kingdom.

"Great tour of Pilar forest. Claudia Avendaño is clearly an excellent and experienced guide. Would recommend her any day."
Wendy Baker, Canada.

"Five days in the company of Knut Eisermann birding the hills and valleys of the countryside surrounding Antigua, Guatemala was an absolute delight. Knut is as much an ornithologist, with a special interest in owls, as he is a birder and this made the trip extra special. I am a serial guide user in the Americas and Knut is up there with the best of them." Kevin Buckley, New Jersey, USA, 2018.

"Great birding and great company by a knowledgeable guide, my day trip to Tecpán and Antigua was problems-free and full of regional endemics. Knut Eisermann (and Claudia Avendaño) took care of everything before my arrival to Guatemala, and in the field he was very professional (but treated me like a friend, what I appreciate a lot). I got most of my targets and many other goodies! Thanks guys!"
Jan Axel Cubilla, Panama.

"Claudia Avendaño was very professional and knowledgeable. Her English was impeccable, and I felt very comfortable spending the day with her. She was lightening quick with her spotting scope, and as a result I was able to see many birds I never would have seen without her assistance. She was a good listener and answered all my questions. I was impressed with her keen ear for the birds. I would highly recommend CAYAYA BIRDING tours to any bird lover. It is worth every penny!"
Tina Collins, USA.

"Our guide, Knut Eisermann was excellent! I was impressed by his bird knowledge, phenomenal eyes and ears, and on how well he took care of us. He was charming at all times, attuned to all of our needs both birdwise and otherwise, and extremely patient and considerate. He is lightning-fast on getting a bird in the scope! He is also a very safe driver. We had a delightful time. Claudia Avendaño was very prompt on her responses to all of our queries. Her pre-trip information was comprehensive and very clear. I would highly recommend that anyone interested in birding Guatemala contact them first."
Lorna L. Engleman, MD, and Dodge Engleman, MD, San Antonio, TX. Co-authors of: A bird-finding guide to Panama.

"My experience in Guatemala could not have been better. Knut Eisermann is a very accomplished guide who knows the birds beyond field guide information." Mark Lockwood, Alpine, TX, USA. Senior author of The TOS Handbook of Texas Birds.

"We were very pleased with our trip. Very much appreciated the expertise of Claudia Avendaño, who demonstrated extensive knowledge of birds, habitats, and ecology. Everything from our timely pickup, birding, meals together, and transportation was pleasant and professional. Claudia was very patient with our desires to take photos, and linger at various spots. She was an expert in quickly locating and drawing a bead on numerous species."
Bryan & Judy Hollinger, USA.

"Since the first response to my email, I realized that CAYAYA BIRDING was a great find. The information provided and the proposed plan were just what I needed and it all went as expected. The professionalism of Claudia Avendaño was amazing and finding the target species seemed like a routine for her. Besides the great birding, I had a very pleasent time talking about plants, geography and culture."
Esteban Biamonte, Costa Rica.

"At first, I didn't know what to expect, but I was taken completely off guard at how great this trip ended up being! Knut Eisermann was my guide, and he is incredibly knowledgable about the birds of Guatemala (it appears his partner, Claudia Avendañois as well). It was fun to see a veteran birder get as excited as a kid when finding a bird that he sees almost everyday. I highly recommend CAYAYA BIRDING for any birding experience. I will be going with them again before I go home! They plan everything for you, leaving you with nothing to worry about!"
David Schas, USA.

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