We’re a couple from Finland. Our joyrney to South America ended on Paraguay in October 2018, where Wildlife Paraguay arranged our last six days plus 24 hour bus trip from... read more Asuncion to Sao Paulo. First days we were around of Acuncion, mostly in Atlantic Forest zone. Altough heavy rain made some change for our well planned program, we got some comprehension about forests, nature, cattle farming and especially birds, in which purpose we had a very good bird quide Rebeca.

Second phase of our week was in Chaco, where we were accommodated to Iparoma ranch near of Philadelphia. There we got proper services from kind host of the ranch, his crew and our friendly guide Nathali, doing trips to different types of nature. In that time it wasnt plenty of bird species, but interesting lagoons and forests, seeing once an armadillo. We also visited barber at hair cutting and made some shopping. We enjoyed special good local style food, what we respect that much!

Because of that full package, what we agreed with Wildlife Paraguay, we didnt need more than about 10 USD per day per person. Between Asuncion and Philadelphia we used bus transportation. It takes time, but gives in the same some good situation meet local life style and watch on landscapes. We are special satisfied on Albertos services, he took completely all our needs to account, so we can warmly recommend Wildlife Paraguay.

  I truly cannot recommend Wildlife Paraguay enough.
My boyfriend and I went on a 12-day tour with Wildlife Paraguay through the Chaco and Pantanal in July 2021. We were... read more so happy with the quality of our tour, the brilliance of our guides, the level of service provided by Alberto to tailor the tour to what we were interested in, and the above-and-beyond help to monitor COVID travel protocols before, during and after our trip. The stops on our tour were Laguna Capitan, Chaco Lodge, Bahia Negra, Tres Gigantes, Chavoreca, Defensores del Chaco, Teniente Enciso and Filadelfia, each of which provided unique ecological characteristics and many animal sightings. Wildlife Paraguay also provided a fantastic bike tour of Asuncion, which was a great way to start our visit to Paraguay (more info on this at the end of the review).

The staff of Wildlife Paraguay are scientists who have years of experience researching the ecology and wildlife of Paraguay and therefore have expansive knowledge of the species, ecosystems and ongoing studies in the regions where they provide tours. It was fantastic to have a guide (Nico) who was able to provide a breadth of information about the places we were traveling and the animals around us. While we were interested seeing the large mammals associated with northern Paraguay, we were also very interested in the birds. Luckily for us, Nico could identify nearly every bird species by sight/ call and showed us how to locate and interpret animal tracks. While we didn’t see a jaguar, we did spot jaguar tracks and saw many other animals, such as ocelots, giant river otters, rheas, capybara, caiman, foxes, howler monkeys and koati.

Each of the locations we stayed in had distinct characteristics and we felt that every new stop was unique and interesting. To maximize our opportunities to see wildlife, we went on three walks nearly every day – one at sunrise, one in the afternoon and one at night. Each of these was a great adventure and we saw unique birds and mammals in each location.

In the Pantanal, there were three trails through the forest (designed by one of the Wildlife Paraguay guides!) and lookout towers, which provided many opportunities to see the diverse wildlife of the Pantanal. We also were able to go kayaking in the river to get another perspective on this amazing ecosystem. When it was hot, we hooked up our hammocks and took a nap under the palms.

We did a mixture of camping and staying in lodges/ hotels on our trip, which we thought was a good balance. Wildlife Paraguay provided a high-quality tent, air mattress and blankets for the camping nights and there were plenty of supplies for cooking by campfire. The food was very good, and they will tailor the meals to your preferences.

The COVID travel restrictions changed frequently before and during our trip to Paraguay, and Alberto was incredibly helpful in monitoring and fulfilling the requirements. Even after our tour was over, he kept us informed on everything we needed to know to travel to Brazil and back to Paraguay and helped us fill out the required forms. We were amazed by how helpful and kind he was throughout the trip.

To be honest, our tour with Wildlife Paraguay almost inspired me to change careers and become a biologist. Nico is such a passionate scientist who inspired us to carefully study the environment around us throughout the tour and ask questions about why things are the way they are. Alberto and Rebeca are equally brilliant. They are the ideal group to provide tours of Paraguay. Above all else, they are really great people who will remain friends long after our tour!
One last thing - Alberto created a biking tour of Asuncion, led by Nico (our guide), which was a great way to travel through the city to explore different landmarks and neighborhoods. Nico provided a fantastic overview of the history, politics, culture, and ecology of the city and took us to a local market to get our first taste of Paraguayan food. I highly recommend this tour for anyone seeking to get a better understanding of Asuncion, greater history of Paraguay, and a good workout!

I was so impressed by our experience with Wildlife Paraguay and would recommend it 10000x over because of the level of organization, quality of the tour locations and accommodations, amount of wildlife and overall excellence of the guides.

  My husband and I went on a 3-day Humid and Dry Chaco Tour. Each morning our tour guide was right on time for birdwatching. We’re not experts, so we didn’t... read more have a list of bird species that we needed to cross off from a list, but we are birdwatching enthusiasts, and we were very much enthused 🙂

The total number of pictures my husband got with his cameras came to about 800. I haven’t gone through them all yet, but we’re happy with the results. I’ll see if I can attach a few pictures along with this review.
I enjoyed the time on the road as well. I was impressed by the change in landscape, and the birds we saw hanging out on fences and poles along roadsides and highways.

Dr. Alberto was our guide for the duration of the trip. He readily answered questions I had by email (like what kind of a jacket to pack for that kind of a climate), as well as to all kinds of questions I had during the trip (about animal behavior, and the politics and history of Paraguay).

If you’re planning on going to Paraguay you must see the Humid and Dry Chaco!