Newsletters - Rockjumper Birding Tours

I really enjoyed the tour. Guides were knowledgeable and helpful, the group dynamics were good and – most importantly, we saw loads of exciting birds. I would undoubtedly have missed many species without the expert guidance and knowledge of Tuomas Seimola and the team.

BS – Panama 2019

As is the tradition with all of the Rockjumper guides that we’ve had the pleasure of being in the boonies with, Tuomas Seimola was outstanding. We enjoyed the trip a lot.

RO & TO – Panama 2019

Stephen Lorenz and our local guide were both great. Stephen’s upbeat personality and unfazeable response to the unexpected are great assets to Rockjumper. We will travel with him again.

SS & JK – Sri Lanka 2019

The guides, Rob Williams and Uthai Treesucon, were top notch and helped us to see many species of birds. We were allowed time to view or photograph them. They worked well together. Uthai was very good to the drivers, an important part of the trip. Rob was passionate, funny, very sociable and somehow managed to locate a frogmouth in a banana grove. It was a great privilege to be with Uthai. He taught me a lot about Thai customs, and was patient with everyone in the group. He helped me when I got sick, and he noticed if someone hadn’t seen a bird, and tried to get them on it. The trip was beautifully planned and somehow we were wheels up at 6 am every day. It was a very well planned trip.

MS – Thailand 2019

Gareth Robbins’ knowledge is awesome, and his ability to keep us organised and focussed was exceptional.

NR – South Africa 2019

Gareth Robbins was one of the better guides I have travelled with. He did an outstanding job of finding the avian species, providing an enjoyable outing for all participants, and serving the needs of individuals. His humour is delightful and his personality endearing both in the field and during non-birding times. His outstanding relationship with local guides and hoteliers makes for an added benefit to the overall tour.

BH – South Africa 2019

Gareth Robbins was an excellent guide. He was friendly and approachable, made all the group feel welcome and his sense of humour kept us all amused. His ability to find birds is second to none and he took great pains to ensure everyone had seen every bird. I would love to travel with him again.

PB – South Africa 2019

No one beats Rockjumper and Forrest Rowland for running wonderful trips. The logistics are incredible and involving so many Colombians to get us places and up steep trails were amazing. Thanks to all involved at Rockjumper for making this trip possible.

DP – Colombia 2019

First of all, Forrest Rowland’s profound knowledge of the full range of bird identification traits, songs and calls, habitat preferences and behavioural detail was indispensable to our ability to view, hear, and understand what we were looking for/at. Even more so, his knowledge and ability to effectively convey such information in a timely and readily comprehensible manner was an essential component of our ability to get on birds effectively. Plus his expertise and experience did not stop with the bird life. Secondly, he was an amazing leader in keeping a diverse group of participants focused on tasks at hand and committed to an inclusive “team” dynamic, not an easy feat! His very personable and easy going style kept everyone engaged and appreciating contributions from the whole group… and no one ever appeared isolated. Lastly, and also crucial to an effective journey of this type, Forrest was always on top of tour logistics and management, which are extremely complex and sometimes change with little notice (e.g. flights being cancelled). ln part this was due to his own experience travelling within Colombia, building upon the wonderful network of supporting “staff/contributors”, and he was always able to easily provide next step details, rationales, and alternatives to the group.

SS – Colombia 2019

I was thrilled when Forrest Rowland agreed to run another Colombia Mega, as I really wanted to join a tour led by him – he has such extensive experience of this country and its birds. Even with that expectation, the trip exceeded my wildest dreams. Forrest’s grasp of Colombia’s birds, herps, plants, geography and history sets the scene for a magnificent experience. His humour and personality ensure one enjoys every minute.

JA – Colombia 2019

Forrest Rowland: We think you did a great job organising and leading this trip. It all seemed to go very smoothly so, if you had any problems, they weren’t obvious to us. We thought your fieldcraft was also first class. Clearly, all your previous experience has meant that you know the birds, their calls and the sites exceptionally well. We think we did very well with the avifauna, in no small part thanks to you.

CL & RL – Colombia 2019

Doug McCulloch was a great leader. He is very sensitive to his clients’ individual needs and is very adroit at finding birds and making sure everyone in the group has seen them to their satisfaction. His insight into environmental issues facing South Africa specifically and Africa in general added a lot to the tour.

MA & JA – South Africa 2019