Julio Cesar Acosta Burgos

7 Testimonials Write a testimonial for Julio Cesar

My husband and I had been following Julio for months on Twitter and loved learning about birds generally, and Salvadoran birds specifically, through his prolific account. So when we planned a trip to El Salvador in March 2023 to visit family, we contacted Julio to see if we could arrange a trip. We were thrilled that he had availability to take us to see Montecristo National Park. We had really high expectations (really, felt like we were meeting a celeb after following him on Twitter for so long), and he did not disappoint! Julio knows so much about El Salvador and the birds, we learned a lot just on the ride up. He’s an excellent birder by ear, which helped us find so many different birds in the Park. And he could easily identify the birds we spotted. I also have to commend his immense patience with me - I somehow was the only one in our group who couldn’t get eyes on a violet sabrewing, but he helped me locate it after an embarrassingly long time - and what a beautiful bird! I’d almost given up! Other highlights included a collared trogon, lesson’s motmot, masked tityra, squirrel cuckoo, and so many warblers. And to top it off, Julio’s such a joy to spend time with. Can’t recommend Julio enough- my husband and I hope to plan more trips with him on future visits to El Salvador!

I spent a month in El Salvador and Julio was my guide each time I went out birding. I knew from the moment I met him that he was an intelligent guy as we talked extensively about the history of El Salvador on our way to our first birding site. That same general knowledge and curiosity translated to birds as well. Julio has a keen ear and eye and was able to help me find and identify an incredible amount of birds during my stay in his beautiful country. I feel very fortunate to have met Julio and I cannot recommend him enough. If you are visiting El Salvador, Julio is your guy!

I have hired Julio 5-6 times over the past 4 years or so, and he never fails to impress me. He has accommodated whatever time I have available and whichever birds or regions I want to see, from simple jaunts around San Salvador to more remote places like Cerro Verde National Park. He knows every bird and where to find them, of course, but his expertise is much broader, and he provides not only rewarding birding experiences but also ample natural, historical and cultural commentary throughout your time with him. Julio makes your time well spent and you leave feeling you understand the people and the region in addition to being very satisfied with your bird list. I look forward to hiring Julio again soon.

My family and I moved to El Salvador in 2020, and I had been stalking Julio on Twitter ever since for all the great information he shares on species particular to El Salvador and those passing through. Three years later and we finally got to meet the amazing Julio and his equally wonderful wife Claudia in person for a great day of birding and exploring on land and on water around Puerto Barrios, El Salvador. What a fantastic day! Birding aside, Julio and Claudia are a pure joy to be with. Their shared passion for El Salvador, and Julio’s expertise in particular are evident when either frozen on a jungle trail listening as Julio demonstrates his unsurpassed expertise in identifying birds by song long before you catch a glimpse. Or when on a boat trolling the mangroves spotting 4, 5, 6 different heron. For a novice turned enthusiast, along with my wife and two teens, Julio delivered something special for us all. We are looking forward to our next outing!

My wife and I enjoyed two excellent birding trips with Julio; a knowledgeable but humble companion who still emanates the joy he feels when finding birds and talking about them. His English is excellent as his ability to talk succinctly but with great authority but most impressive is his ear. We found so many birds by call with Julio identifying them by ear (and by habit and behaviour) and then leading us to where we had a great chance to see them. An excellent guy and I can't speak too highly of him; especially as he persevered beyond the call of duty to allow me to finally get good views of the amazing violet sabre-wing. Thanks Julio

We had such a great birding trip with Julio and Claudia! We were traveling on a cruise ship and they met us at the port, then took us to different locations where we got to see wonderful birds, many that we added to our life list! And since we were all photographers, they made sure to let us stay "on the bird" long enough to get great photos. Julio and Claudia were friendly and so knowledgeable and made sure we had a pleasant experience. Would definitely book with them again, and recommend them to anyone in, or visiting, El Salvador.

Julio is a fantastic guide!! I frequently travel to El Salvador and have gone on multiple trips with him. He knows all the best locations to see a wide variety of birds and is so personable. He clearly loves what he does and going on trips with him has been a major highlight of my time in El Salvador. During a weekend trip I saw over 100 birds and saw 47 lifers! Also, his knowledge of ornithology is amazing - he was able to identify all birds by both a quick glance and also by their calls/songs. If there is a specific bird you are looking for in El Salvador he likely knows where one lives. You'll have a lot of fun - I promise. :)