Richard was great - knowledgeable, accommodating, passionate about the natural environment and its preservation. We had a terrific time and saw interesting places and lots of nifty birds (our primary interest) as well as learning about other flora and fauna. Highly recommended. P.S. We went in April 2023 but just now got around to posting the review.

We learn so much from Richard. He knows an amazing amount about the birds, plants, insects you name it. He could answer any question we had. He was also really funny and we laughed all day long. I highly recommend this trip

Richard is passionate about birding and the importance of preservation of the ecosystem for birds in Ecuador. This is a long day trip spent driving through the mountains made longer by coastal traffic diverting to this two lane road due to issues with the lone alternative route. Of the ten hours on tour we probably birded for three but given the rich diversity of birds in Ecuador, I counted 40 plus new birds plus several migrants. Of the three stops, two were at feeder stations where you pay a $10 fee to see an amazing array of hummingbirds and other local species. Feeders are really the only way to see so many hummingbirds. A lot of driving but the end result met my expectations.

One of the highlights of our trip to Ecuador was our day in Mindo with Richard. He is an expert in spotting birds, is full of interesting information and stories, and truly cares about the cloud forest and its inhabitants. We saw everything from hummingbirds to toucans and mannekins, and absolutely recommend this tour to any other nature lover.

We enjoyed our tour with Richard. He was funny and friendly and he took us to spots off the b beaten track where we were the only ones. We'd never bird-watched before, but we found seeing (in the wild!) Toucans, Hawks, Humming Birds and many other types of birds really enjoyable and special. We recommend a tour with Richard!

I found Richard on Trip Advisor. My husband loves butterflies and hummingbirds so I thought this would be an ideal day outing. We started the day observing some orchid/plants with a short walk. We then went to a butterfly farm which we really enjoyed. From there he took us to a place for lunch where we were able to observe hummingbirds. Many were around the feeders but I preferred to watch/photograph those away from the feeders. Richard allowed free time to roam both the butterfly and hummingbird area. We chose not to do the chocolate tour but he dropped us off to purchase a yummy Brownie and some chocolate bars in the town of Mindo, We then went to another hummingbird area. Richard had told me in advance that there with be a few charges the entrance to observe. We enjoyed our day with Richard. He is a safe driver, professional and knows a lot about Ecuador and it was obvious he loves nature and his job. We Would highly recommend him.

Richard did a great job of explaining the cloud forest, fauna and wildlife. Saw many wild birds and had a great adventure. Highly recommend his tour.

We hired Richard for a 4 person private tour. In summary, he was FANTASTIC! He was incredibly knowledgeable about the cloud forest and Ecuador in general. We were able to easily customize what we wanted to see and do. I can't recommend him highly enough!

I had an excellent day trip with Richard around Mindo. As an avid birder, I specifically wanted to see new birds species, and Richard did not disappoint! He is very knowledgeable about the area, including the best places to see some amazing species. We saw and identified over 50 bird species, including 30 that I had met seen before! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and we had a lot of say in what we did and how much time to spend. The highlights included: hike to waterfall, orchids, butterflies, hummingbirds and of course straddling the Equator. It was perfect for us.

A fantastic trip. We saw amazing birds we had never seen before. Richard is amazing, knowledgeable, friendly and thought provoking. We also saw amazing orchids and lilies. The hummingbirds, tanagers,and toucanette and female cock of the rock will never forget. We did not want the day to end.

Our tour with Richard was an absolute delight! We had the opportunity to thoroughly customize our experience, and Richard was very responsive to our interests--he often adjusted on the fly based on what we wanted to see and do. Richard himself was personable and interesting. It was truly the loveliest day!

I cannot say enough good things about our tour with Richard! We arrived to Quito without most of our luggage and only had three hours of sleep before Richard arrived at our hotel. He was able to customize and adapt our trip to match our lack of energy and gear. Richard was an absolute expert on the local ecology, history, and culture, on top of that he had a absolute wonderful sense of humor. Our drive out to Mindo was full of grear conversations not just about the area but life, family, food and everything in between! Is knowledge of the flora and fauna was second to none! We were able to see hundreds of bird species, plants found no were else, as well recieving a great education on the environmental challenges with climate change and deforestation. Lastly, if you are a birder, book with Richard!

Richard is an absolute genius! He knows every bird their sounds etc! Knows where to take you brilliant man.

We had a wonderful day in Mindo with Richard as our guide. Mindo offers many different options. Richard listened to what we wanted from our day and then put together the perfect itinerary. Our main focus was to see some of Ecuador's beautiful birds and we were not disappointed. We saw many hummingbirds and tanagers, a toucanette and others. Richard is knowledgeable and very easy to talk with - the day passed very quickly.

Richard was so well educated and an excellent communicator. We saw so many hummingbirds & could hold some in my hand! It was magical! Richard explained about many orchids we saw and showed us unique plants with healing properties like the Dragons Blood to heal wounds. I later found it for sale in the rainforest & took some home. We visited a butterfly farm & took a tram ride across the forest. Even the drive back to our hotel was educational. Richard told us much about Ecuadorian politics and culture. It was truly the best day of our vacation!

Richard was very friendly and knowledgeable about the various wildlife/photography options in Mindo and we were able to see a huge number of Hummingbirds, Toucans and other wildlife. Having him as a guide was invaluable when it came to unexpected events as we had to detour our return route due to mudslides that cutoff the main highway to/from Quito. Richard took the back roads and got us back to our hotel safely (so we could make our flight the next day).

Richard was absolutely fabulous! He was timely, knowledgeable, and flexible with plans throughout the day. His recommendations were perfect and we had so much fun! I would absolutely book this tour with Richard again and could not recommend it enough.

Great guide. Very knowledgeable. Does a good job of customizing exactly what you want to do and see.

Richard Hernandez is a very experienced guide, for both tourism and nature. He shares his knowledge generously along with insights into his own life, which add so much to people who are passing through an unknown place. He picked us up at 7am. And dropped us off around 5 ,pm( in a raging Quito storm!) We visited 2 hummingbird Gardens and a butterfly breeding programme, as well as lunch at an eco-resort with gardens filled with toucans and agouti. If you are after an English speaking driver with general local knowledge, Richard may be overkill. But if you want to learn about the flora abd fauna, I'd recommend Richard