[4 October 2011]

“I had the pleasure of working with Claudio for several years when I worked at International Expeditions, and it was extraordinary. It would be hard to imagine anyone or any organization with a more detailed, thorough and passionate approach. Claudio probably knows "his" part of the world better than anyone else on the planet, and he is continually working to learn even more. Both as tour operator and guide, he is the best in the business. On top of which, he's an all-around good guy and the soul of integrity. There aren't enough superlatives in the dictionary!”

Ralph Hammelbacher, Past President International Expeditions / Vice-President Lindblad Expeditions

[6 September 2011]

'The tour we have just completed was an 8 day Patagonia Photo Safari with Fantastico Sur Expeditions. "Fantastico" is definitely the word without doubt whatsoever.  Our guide Claudio Vidal is one of the owners of Fantastico Sur and has co-authored many books about the birdlife of Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and Atacama - all the areas we will have travelled by the end of our journey.  If you are interested take a look at some of his photography click on this link Claudio Vidal Photo.'

Coreena Lucas & Roy Viehl (Australia)

Read the full version of the travel blog of our Aussie guests Coreena and Roy who joined one of our photographic trips from Torres del Paine to Tierra del Fuego. Read more

[26 May 2011]

'Our trip [to the Falkland Islands] in summary, was simply spectacular and one of the most marvelous experiences of my life. Everything was great: the lodges, the people, the places, the flights, the boat trips. Everything was just right. Enrique was spectacular! His sound knowledge, his friendly approach, his flexibility and attention towards our own interests was phenomenal. He was always available to answer the countless questions we asked, with his special dedication to talk to Natalia, my daughter (who came back entirely convienced that biology, is definitely her career). Everythings was sensacional and we are looking forward for the next journey.'

Rodrigo Jordan - Accomplished Chilean explorer and founder of 'Vertical' Trip to the Falkland Islands in March 2011

'El viaje, en muy pocas palabras, fue sencillamente espectacular. Es una de las experiencias más lindas que he tenido. Todo magnífico: los lodges, la gente, los lugares, los vuelos, las navegaciones. En fin, todo. Enrique también. ¡Espectacular! Su conocimiento profundo, su buena disposición, la flexibilidad y la atención hacia nuestros intereses fue fenomenal. Siempre dispuesto a contestar las infinitas preguntas que le hicimos, con especial dedicación a conversar con Natalia (que llegó más convencida que nunca que lo suyo es la biología) Todo sensacional. Ya estamos pensando en el próximo.'

Rodrigo Jordan - Destacado explorador chileno y fundador de 'Vertical' - Expedición a las Islas Falkland [Malvinas] en Marzo de 2011

[11 May 2011]

Dear Claudio,
Please convey my greetings to both Enrique and Roberto, and also to Carolina and Rodrigo. We fondly remember our time with them.
As fot the trip itself, it was a very pleasant and enjoyable experience. Not having been to Chile before, initially we had a lot of apprehension, specially with the language, communication and security. But our guides had been very helpful and took very good care of us and we enjoyed their friendliness. As a nature lover and having travelled in many different parts of the world, we can say that the natural beauty of Chile was very enchanting and immensely enjoyable to us from the Atacama Desert region to the Lake District to the Tores del Paine national park and the surrounding region. Without any hesitation we would recommend your company to anyone wishing a trip to South America and we would also like to do the same with you in future.
Wishing everyone all the best,

Sincerely, Prof. Dilip K. Chaudhuri

Prof. Dilip & Kanika Chaudhuri - 3 trips in January/February 2011 with FS Expeditions: 'Atacama Desert Explorer', 'Lake District & Chiloe Island' & 'Patagonia Photo Safari'

[9 May 2011]

Dear FS Expeditions,

I have had the fortune to take many wonderful trip in various parts of the world in my life but I am sincere when I say my visit to Chile and Argentina was one of the very best. Day after day wonderful visual experiences and marvellous photo opportunities. I am now busy processing all the pictures I took and reliving great memories.      

Torres del Paine is a must for any serious traveller and thanks to Roberto I feel I saw most aspects of it including some wonderful walking experiences.

In addition my experience on 'Via Australis' was exceptional - not least the landing on Cape Horn in rather rough weather which provided a bigger thrill than I anticipated. I am not a cruise ship sort of person, but the relatively small size of the ship, the constantly changing scenery and a very positive and friendly crew made the voyage an absolute pleasure.
It will not be in the immediate future, but I do anticipate approaching you again with a view to visiting other parts of Chile etc.

Jim Elliott (UK) - 2 trips in March/April 2011 with FS Expeditions: 'Torres del Paine Explorer' & 'Expedition Cruise to Tierra del Fuego & Cape Horn'

Follow Jim's blog at www.JimElliott.me and his photo sets in Flickr at www.DigitalPhotographyAnd.me

[2 May 2011]

Dear Claudio...

Julie and I feel that overall our trip with [your company] was truly excellent, and sightings of wildlife and scenery were very good for the trip overall! We will remember these outstanding experiences for all of our lives. This was true especially because Roberto made the trip very special for us with his kindness and attention to our needs and requests, and his enthusiasm for guiding and strong dedication to working to track and find pumas for and with us. It was a pleasure to travel with him! Even when we were tired and needed some rest time, Roberto was continuing to scout in the Sarmiento area and other good locations to try to track and locate the cats for us. Because of his efforts and dedication, we did in fact succeed and were able to have two separate night sightings of pumas over the time of our stay. I believe that the first sighting, (which we made at the site of a guanaco carcass that a puma had killed the night before) would in fact have been much longer and more productive under Roberto's guidance, but it was unfortunately cut short by the impatience and too rapid approach by another photographer who was also scouting independently for pumas in the area. His premature and fast approach alarmed the cat and caused it to retreat from the kill, and it likely did not return until hours later, if at all.

It is of course also true that, given the excellent photographs and information on your company web site, we were of course hopeful that we might even be able to see a puma up close during the daytime on this trip as well. But (as is always the case with wildlife watching) we do realize and expect with any wildlife oriented travel that there can be no guarantees, and even under the best of conditions and with the best guides there will still always exist a matter of luck with regard to finding and sighting wild animals. We may not have had the very best luck to see a cat up close in the daytime on this trip, but we were indeed quite fortunate to see the two that we did see, and we greatly appreciate the skills and hard work of Roberto our guide (and FS Expeditions for making such a trip available to us!) which made those sightings possible for us.

Robert & Julie Phelps (USA) - 2 trips in April 2011 with FS Expeditions: 'Pumas of Torres del Paine' & 'King Penguins of Tierra del Fuego'

Dear Claudio,

Thank you for a wonderful tour.  We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the time we spent with you.

Dear Rodrigo,

We had a wonderful tour of the Lake District ...  Hopefully we will come back and go farther south to Patagonia!
Many thanks for the arrangements that you made to made our tour possible.

Marlene and Roger Harris (United Kingdom) - Trip to Chile's Lake District & Chiloe Island | 7-11 March 2011

Dear Claudio,

Thank you for getting in touch with us. It is always good to have some follow-up exchange. In this case it is all positive: we had a wonderful time with Enrique, who is excellent company, a first-rate birder and is willing to discuss any kind of query: be it ornithological historical or cultural.

We were particularly pleased with the visit to Yeso Valley were we found not one but four diademed sandpiper-plovers. Enrique was so pleased to see so many and his enthusiasm really added to the experience. We were also delighted with the moustached turcas dancing on their rock and the crag chilias. Really we could just go on enthusing about it all. And our other two days were equally full of memorable moments – from Magellanic tapaculo to Humbolt penguin….

We feel very fortunate to have been able to put together such a contrasting trip and thank you both for your part in achieving it.

Best Wishes

Carol and Rob Cockbain (United Kingdom) - 2 trips with Fantastico Sur Expeditions | February 2011

My wife and I are full of praise (and good memories) of the trip Fantastico Sur organised and Roberto Donoso led for us late last October/early November 2010.

Robert & Sieglinde Oades (United Kingdom & Germany) | Birding Chile (Northern Chile, Lake District, and Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego - 3 trips with Fantastico Sur Expeditions) | January 2011

Hola! We arrived safely back from Ushaia and would like to thank you for making our trip so enjoyable!

"We wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our visit to Torres del Paine' with Fantastico Sur Expeditions! The trip was as you described and we look forward to using Fantastico Sur Expeditions again to explore the Patagonia and beyond! Roberto was "fantastico" and we would not have enjoyed the visit without his knowledge and assistance!

Rick Rumrell, USA | Torres del Paine Explorer | January 2011

"Everything worked out wonderfully and we enjoyed our stay through Fantastico Sur tremendously. Thank you so much for your help!"

Marcus Reed, USA Torres del Paine Hiker | 5 November 2010

'Your company can justifiably be called fantastico.  You have a fantastic "product" to promote - your beautiful, diverse land of Chile with stunning scenery and wonderful wildlife. But a visitor like me needs a guide who can impart knowledge, knows where certain species are likely to be, has a very good command of English, is a careful driver and considerate in everything.  Roberto was the perfect guide and I am immensely grateful for all that he did to cater for my special interest in mammals as well as birds.  Watching a puma on a beautiful clear morning , observing a female huemul sitting in falling snow and seeing Darwin's Fox sunning itself by the Chepu river are special memories that I shall treasure for evermore, but there were many other highlights too.'

Norma Chapman, UK | 10 September 2010

Recent testimonial on the recent Ornitholidays 'Birds & Wine' Tour

Enrique, thank you so much for such excellent guiding on the Ornitholidays tour. I had an excellent time, and loved Patagonia especially although every part that we saw was beautiful.
I look forward to travelling with you again in the future.

Sue Healey, UK | 3 December 2009

Recent testimonial on our Torres del Paine Explorer program!

Roberto,

Thank you so much for a great Torres del Paine adventure! Never have we seen so many new birds, in so few days, and we specially liked having the time to observe the bird behavior, really facinating.

You were a SUPER guide, superior knowledge of the birds, other wildlife and plants of the area. We specially appreciated your willingness to get up at such a crazy early hour to get us in position for sunrise photography. We will remember this trip as one of the highlights of our life!

Wishing you all the best,

Pat & Rich Jacobs, USA | 22 November 2009

Roberto Donoso with our guests Pat & Rich | Torres del Paine Explorer, Chile - 21 November 2009

We had a spectacular time with Claudio and I was honored to have the author of the best bird book for Patagonia as our guide.

Melinda Quiat - Denver CO, USA | Central Chile • 16-18 November 2009

Enrique Couve, founder director of Fantastico Sur Expeditions, together a good birding friend, Bob Hargis from Wyoming, USA. What a happy coincidence! Bob and his buddies bird with Enrique across Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego in 2006.

Bob Hargis & Enrique Couve, Valparaiso, 1 Nov 2009

Dear Rodrigo and Claudio,
 
We wanted, rather later than intended, to send you an e-mail to thank you for a fantastic Fantastico tour.
 
I guess Brian and Margaret will contact you, or may have already done so, as well. If not I can speak on behalf of our party of four.
 
Roberto is a brilliant tour leader and guide and added great value to our travels. Although there were only four of us there was still a lot of organising for him to do. He never failed us!
 
We got to flights on time, drivers and mini busses were waiting, we were whisked through check-in and in our rooms in minutes. Always the right room (ie twin for us and double for Brian and Margaret). Lunches appeared into the back of the van, fruit was arranged from somewhere and water always ready. He is on speaking terms with staff everywhere we went and conveyed to them the very odd needs of birdwatchers: early breakfast, early (for Chileans!!) dinner, negotiating menus, a good spot to do the bird list at the end of the day. You name it he sorted it.
 
Carlos set the standard for spotlessly clear minibuses with sparkling clean windows every single day. We never pulled into a petrol station but the tank was always full. Always ready to pick us back up again and joining into the bird spotting if we missed something. His choice for lunch on Christmas day was excellent.
 
Roberto has an in-depth knowledge of his birds, their patches, their habits and habitats, their likes and dislikes. Day after day he showed them to us. In the process we learned so much about the Chile and it natural environment.  He appears to have a well worked out logic to optimise the chances of getting good, long, close views of almost every bird on the ‘wish list’.  Always with a plan B (and C and D if needed).
 
Another mention should go to the staff at the Espana Hotel in Porvenir; they made us feel so welcome and took a personal interest in our well being and comfort. We will not forget the roast lamb lunch in a long time.
 
I know Roberto is now on a long tour but we will be ready with a personal e-mail for him (as soon as he gives us the detail) and I will get another e-mail to you soon with two post tour questions.
 
We appreciate all the planning and expertise that was lavished on our trip and are grateful to Roberto and Carlos (and their families) for sharing Christmas with us to create a memorable holiday.

With kind regards,

Giles and Renee Braithwaite, UK | Birding Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego, January 2009

Hi Claudio,

Thanks for your kind email.  I wanted to send you this photo that i took of my wife (Laura), Roberto, and Jorge at the docks in Punta Arenas.  It is another reminder to us of the great day that we had with them.

While it has been 2 months since we were in Punta Arenas and Puerto Montt, I still would like you to thank Roberto Donoso and his driver Jorge in Punta Arenas as well as Diego Nunez in Puerto Montt for two very enjoyable days of birding.  We really had a good time and they, especially Roberto, are very good guides. 

Laura & Wayne Wathen, USA | Day tours in Chilean Patagonia, March 2009

Hereby the victory photograph of the diademed sandpiper plover at El Yeso in the beginning of this year. We have such nice memories of that beautifull place. It was an unforgettable day for us: the birds, the amazing surrounding, the beautifull wheater, the wet shoes, the lunch and the companionship of Claudio. Victor, also many thanks for the tip of the possible place to find the magelhaen woodpecker in the south of Patagonia near Bulness. We indeed saw a pair of these woodpeckers at that place. It was a wonderfull sight.

At the airport at Santiago the Chile we have bought one of Claudio's books, that one about the pinguins. Next time when we are in Chile we will buy the other books.... and we will make use again of the services of Fantastico Sur. Thanks again and all the best for the both of you.

Siep Kromsigt and Marga van Meel, The Netherlands

"The team at 'Fantastico Sur' excel; enthusiasm shines through, whether it's sharing their avian specialities, introducing you to awe-inspiring landscapes or chatting about their countries historic magical araucaria forests and magellanic woodpecker, wind swept goas with kelp geese and magellanic plovers, stands of bamboo with skulking but stunning tapaculos. All experiences I'll never forget. I'd join a Fantastico Sur trip in the blink of an eye and would recommend anyone else to do the same."

Nigel Marven, Intrepid Film-maker, UK • Trips to Chile, Patagonia, Easter Island and the Falkland Islands

"Professional in all aspects from organization to superb guides, Fantastico Sur leads the pack for South American Travel".

Noble S. Proctor, USA • Three trips to Chile in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Just a note to say a big thank you for all your work to make our visit to Chile such a resounding success. I just wish that we could have had twice the time. Your arrangements for us went like clockwork. Your care in making sure that we all saw what we wanted to see was wonderful.

Dr S M Bignold, UK • Trip to Chile

Now that we have had time to reflect and look at photos, it has confirmed our lasting impressions that the trip was only so successful because of the meticulous attention to detail of every single arrangement which made it run like clockwork from beginning to end. This allowed us to see as much as we possibly could of your amazing country in the time we were there as well as the birds, animals and plants we had anticipated seeing.

S Kemp, UK • Trip to Chile

I really enjoyed Chile birding … and thank you so much for your excellent guide. See you again.

K Watanabe, Japan • Trip to Chile

During our travels around the world we have had five truly great days birding in various places and one of those days was with you. Thank you so much for looking after us old people so well - we greatly appreciated your kindness.

B Watts, UK • Trip to Chile

I write on behalf of Anne and myself to thank you for your part in creating a magnificent holiday, one of the best we have ever had. That really is high praise as we have been privileged to travel a great deal.

Prof P & A Grubb, UK • Trip to Chile

I just wanted to send a note and say many thanks for a great trip. The trip was all I had hoped it would be.

D Shirley, USA • Trip to Chile

Many thanks from both of us for an extremely well-organized trip to Torres del Paine National Park! We appreciated your superb organizational skills as you planned every logistical detail of our trip. Everything worked out according to plan, and we loved our visit to the area.

L Degernes, New Zealand • Trip to Patagonia

Dr Kenney really enjoyed being with Enrique and had a very nice trip – he took 6000 images and 6 different penguins!

K Johnson, USA • Trip to the Falkland Islands