Guides
Our team includes guides certified by the Federal Secretariat of Tourism, fluent English, Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese speakers, biologists, tourism specialists, and trained educators.
Every one of us has a genuine passion for birds and the biodiversity of Mexico and our home state, Chiapas.
Valente Gonzalez
TOUR LEADER
Valente, born in San Cristóbal de las Casas, got his first pair of binoculars at 7 years old. Recording bird sounds in his garden as a child and learning their calls, Valente has been in love with birding in Chiapas ever since. As such, his knowledge of Chiapas's birds, their niches, and secret habitats, is unrivalled in Mexico.
With perfect English, Spanish, and Dutch, he is a wise and extremely capable pair of hands on our Chiapas birding adventures. Trained as an industrial ecologist at the TU Delft in the Netherlands, he also runs a parallel career producing green technologies in the form of sustainable bio-briquettes.
Eric Lopez Villanueva
TOUR LEADER
Eric was born in Acacoyagua, Chiapas, Mexico, and studied alternative tourism in San Cristóbal de las Casas at the UNICH. He started birding in 2008 and has, since then, been involved with birds in Chiapas as a guide, environmental educator, and field biologist monitoring the Horned Guan and Resplendent Quetzal.
Eric specializes in establishing contact with local communities in and around the Acacoyagua area, engaging them in conservation and monitoring efforts, and collaborating with them on Sabes Aves projects.
Benedict Simmons
TOUR LEADER
Benedict, born in London, England, first discovered birding through his dad's binoculars, looking at a Golden-headed Tanager in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Having lived in Latin America since 2011, he has worked as a guide in Villa Mills, Costa Rica, and San Cristobal de Las Casas, Mexico, introducing nature lovers to the world of birding.
As a fluent English, Spanish, and Portuguese speaker, and student of Natural Sciences and Biology at the Open University in the United Kingdom, he helps lead our tours, bridging the gap between our English-speaking guests and Mexican people and culture.
Patricia Gomez Hernandez
CO-FOUNDER
Patricia, from Romerillo, Chamula, also studied alternative tourism at UNICH. Since 2014, she has dedicated her career to the avian diversity of Chiapas as an environmental educator and species monitor, including working with the Resplendent Quetzal. She is a co-founder of Sabes Aves birding tours.
She also enjoys painting birds in a scientific style. She is a co-founder of Sabes Aves.
Our birding guides in Mexico
Our mission as guides
We aim to showcase Chiapas's stunning natural and cultural diversity in an ethically responsible way, prioritizing conservation of the birdlife that we and our guests treasure so much, while also maintaining our guests' safety and comfort.
Our birdwatching tours in Mexico focus on areas we are deeply familiar with as guides. We are constantly communicating with local people at all of our destinations to provide the safest and most intimate experience with our local flora, fauna, birdlife and cultures.
Birding in the jungles, mountains, and beaches of Chiapas can be an amazing adventure, but we know that small details can make your trip all the more enjoyable the difference. So we do our utmost to ensure the comfort of our guests, providing healthy food options on long mornings in the field, comfortable accommodation, smooth transportation, and an emphasis on flexibility while communicating any changes to schedules.
Ultimately, we want to provide memorable experiences to our clients that impact their lives in terms of caring for our planet and its birds, and leave them with a positive lasting impression of Mexico.
Our tours are...
Bespoke
Our tours are adjusted to your needs as a birder, whether you're a beginner or an experienced birdwatcher. We design a birding tour in Chiapas according to your availability, physical capacity, and interests.
Expert-lead
With experienced local guides who themselves are bird fanatics, and our contacts across the state, we're able to prioritise the safety of our guests while taking you to remote regions of Chiapas. All while ensuring zero impact on the birds through ethical, conservation-focused guiding practices.
Diverse
With experienced local guides who themselves are bird fanatics, and our contacts across the state, we're able to prioritise the safety of our guests while taking you to remote regions of Chiapas. All while ensuring zero impact on the birds through ethical, conservation-focused guiding practices.