Our specially selected local leaders are not only birding experts with years of experience, but also residents who have grown up with the birds and habitats in their areas of operation. They possess deep-rooted knowledge of local ecosystems, bird behaviour, and migration patterns, ensuring an insightful and immersive addition to the experience that our Rockjumper Tour leader provides.

• Read more on Local Leader

  Each of our local leaders brings a unique perspective to the tours, shaped by a lifetime of experiences in their native landscapes. They are passionate about nature, conservation, and sharing their knowledge with others. Our team includes certified ornithologists, conservationists, and nature enthusiasts, all dedicated to providing you with a memorable and educational experience.

• Testimonials Local Leader

  MT, Australia - East Coast 2025

  I have waited a while before responding. Firstly I should like to say this was one of the best birding trips I have ever been on.(20+ and counting) Before I went I was concerned that 12 clients were too many. However Greg worked extremely hard with Hu and Richard to try to get everyone on every bird. He quickly summed up our respective birding abilities and responded to that with the help he provided. Thankfully there were very few 'narrow jungle paths' where the number inevitably restricted opportunities. I particularly appreciated the regular ebird lists which left me more time to concentrate on the actual birds and not scribbling in my notebook.

  HT, Colombia - Northern Andes: Central Andes 2025

  Manuela Zapata was an excellent guide. She knows the songs and calls of the birds in the region very well. She finds the birds very quick and points its positiion to the clients very good. The tour was very good organized. She is a lovely guide.

  DP, Colombia - Northern Andes: Central Andes 2025

  This was my first professionally organized and run birding tour and it exceeded my expectations. Rockjumper put together an amazing itinerary and was very efficient and thorough with the pre trip communication. Manuela Zapata did a fantastic job leading our group! She is a very knowledgeable and personable young lady and really knew the localities and birds! She was very attuned to the needs of the group and willingly birded extended hours as the group desired. I was very glad to have such a great local guide and not be led by an international “expert”.

  CH, Colombia - Santa Marta 2025

  Roger was an excellent guide - really enthusiastic and skilled at getting everyone on the bird. This was an excellent trip, short but we got lots of birds.

  CM, Japan - Winter Birding 2026

  Couldn't be better me.

  MH, Bulgaria & Greece - Spring in the Balkans 2026

  Tour leader worked very hard to get the target birds, never giving up. Handled challenges in birds, weather and clients very well. Excellent job by guide

  NB, Bulgaria & Greece - Spring in the Balkans 2026

  Dimiter did a great job making sure we all saw the most birds possible.

  AS, Finland & Norway - Forests and Fjords 2026

  Very good first experience with Rockjumper. Destination magnificent! The leader Rob Williams was excellent so as the local guide Kalle both very friendly and so competent. Only point a little negative, sometimes the quality of food specially on lunch in restaurants not that good, on the road (sandwiches) excellent idea and very quick.

  RM, Finland & Norway - Forests and Fjords 2026

  This was my first tour with Rob Williams, and it was a great experience. He is a great spotter, knows the birds by ear, and so easy to be with. Also, he is interested and knowledgeable about so many things that the conversation in the car never got dull. Also, he deferred to Kalle the local guide about locations and seemed to collaborate with him easily about daily schedules. I liked all of the hotels on this trip, and the food was very good. The 3am early morning starts were hard, but worth it. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss anything.

  TM, Mongolia - Birds & Snow Leopards 2026

  Wonderful trip. Both Lev and Yumchin are excellent guides -- skilled, informative, handle logistics well, good humored and fun to travel with. I really enjoyed exploring this interesting country and may return for a spring trip. Thanks for a memorable adventure!

  CC, Mongolia - Birds & Snow Leopards 2026

  Our trip to Mongolia was special in so many ways. Of course, the highlights were seeing a Pallas’s Cat and no fewer than seven Snow Leopards in two separate sightings. But the adventure offered so much more - we enjoyed seeing more than 150 bird species, along with many other mammals, beautiful desert flowers, and incredible landscapes. Lev was a kind and capable guide, always keen to make sure we all had a good look. And our local guide, Yumchin, was a real gem - a master of logistics and an excellent interpreter of Mongolian culture and wildlife. We especially enjoyed staying in traditional ger camps and sampling typical Mongolian foods, including camel milk! This was truly an unforgettable adventure.

  RK, Australia - Southwest Extension 2026

  Local guide Cat was top notch. Main guide Stuart also excellent. Well planned itinerary to capture the great bulk of the birds. Both guides worked very diligently to make sure everyone saw all the species. Overall fabulous first leg of my three legged trip here in Australia.

  TJ, Argentina - Cordoba Extension 2026

  I have been teaching Tropical Ecology for 26 years. During that time I have scouted, organized, and led 32 international trips to Australia, Belize, Bonaire, Costa Rica, South Africa, northeast India, Roatan, and the Philippines. We focus on conservation issues in each country and I certify students as divers. Fishes, herps, mammals, and birds are a focus taxa. Martin was fantastic! He knew the sites and got us endemic and common birds. We plan on running a trip in Argentina in the near future and we plan on utilizing Martin. My wife Alyssa Jones and her bird husband Mike Stinson have done several trips with your group and they have been raving about your bird adventures. Excellent job!

  RK, Australia - East Coast 2026

  Stuart Elsom our primary leader is a fabulous person and even better birder. With great local help from Cat and Yu and Jane and Steve we found birds and mammals and everything else. Excellent and rewarding trip. Thanks to all of them and the team at Rockjumper for organizing a very thorough and thoughtful schedule for a huge country with lots of birds and wildlife.

  JM, Brazil - Atlantic Coastal Forest II 2026

  Andy Foster is an amazingly talented and helpful tour guide and I would gladly join him on future tours.

  EW, Brazil - Atlantic Coastal Forest II 2026

  Andy was an amazing guide who has intimate knowledge of the birds and habitats of the Atlantic Coast. We were very lucky that the weather mostly held for us after several weeks of rain. While the days were long and covered a lot of ground, the tour never felt rushed. Each outing was very well planned around changing weather and visibility conditions. Andy was not only an outstanding guide who made sure everyone in the group saw the birds, he was always very kind and considerate. I cannot recommend this tour more highly.

  KC, Costa Rica - Cloud Forest & Quetzals 2026

  Anthony is a terrific guide with excellent birding skills. He is kind and helpful and has a great sense of humour. He shared a lot of interesting information about Costa Rica's history, culture and resources. He is one of the best RJ guides we have had.

  KW, Costa Rica - Cloud Forest & Quetzals 2026

  Great tour. Tony was excellent. Very quick finding birds, good on the scope and very organised. The schedule was very well organised with bird feeder places undercover on the afternoons when it was raining. We particularly enjoyed the extra local curltural infomation that Tony made a point of talking about. It was great to learn more about the country and life there than just birding. Sandro was an excellent driver and was a good spotter of the birds as well. John appreciated Tony's help with his Gluten free food.

  VK, Brazil - Atlantic Coastal Forest II 2026

  I had looked forward to this tour for a long time, I had originally booked in 2019 before covid and then of course it was cancelled. I wasn't disappointed, the tour was great, I enjoyed Itororo lodge and Andy was an excellent leader. The weather was sometimes a little cloudier than I had hoped but that isn't under Rockjumper's control! I wouldn't have minded an extra half day to explore more around the lodge grounds and take more pictures at the hummingbird feeders. Overall, excellent!

  KL, Brazil - Atlantic Coastal Forest II 2026

  Andy was great. His knowledge of the birds and where to find them was excellent. His sense of humor meshed well with those on the tour and we had lots of laughs. Itotoro Lodge is fantastic. The innkeepers were lovely and food was delicious. We had a grand adventure.