Who we are » BirdsChile

Inspired by Nature

Since 2009, we offer a wide range of birding and nature trips, trekking, photography tours and family adventures with a wildlife and naturalist orientation. Local culture plays also an essential role in our programmes.

Our staff of naturalists guides are prepared to share their knowledge and their passion for nature through authentic traveling experiences along the most interesting regions of the south of South America.

We also offer tailor made tours. Contact us and we will be pleased to provide all the information and ideas to organize your trip according to your interests.

All our programs follow the mission of our Conservation Through Traveling (CTT) Project, that supports local communities and entrepreneurs in order to transform tourism in the most efficient way to encourage wildlife conservation and habitat preservation.

We strongly believe that locals must be the first travelers of their own destination: through our voluntary work with the local communities and schools we promote a responsible and sustainable use of our natural resources.

BirdsChile is a company registered at the Chilean Bureau of Tourism with the Lic. Nr. 6429, member of Adventure Travel Trade Association, Chilean Tourism Network and Tourism Corporation of Puerto Varas.

In 2016 we were awarded as the Most Sustainable Tour Company of Chile, in 2017 we received the “S” seal of Sustainability with maximum score, the Quality seal of Sernatur and we became a Certified B Corporation.

Why Travel with Birds Chile

Excellent professional naturalist guides: we only work with local guides and trip leaders that can provide a meaningful experience and the inside view.
Vast knowledge in local nature, history and culture.
The best locations and spots, carefully designed after continuous explorations.
Always going off the beaten path.
Small groups, better personalized service
Complete documentation prior your departure and during the tour.
High quality equipment, check lists, books and field-guides available on each tour.
Window seat guaranteed on birding programs for each traveler.
Truly responsible tourism with a complete commitment to conservation and a constant support to local communities.
Carbon footprint compensation.
The best value available.
Established company registered and authorized by the Chilean Tourism Bureau.
Flexibility and personal care for each of our guests.
Certified B Corporation.
Sustainability Seal & Quality Seal by SERNATUR 2017

staff

Our Team

Raffaele Di BiaseFounder of BirdsChile

Founder of BirdsChile, Raffaele is a naturalist guide with 15 years of experience leading groups through different destinations of South America, from the jungles of Brazil to the white continent of Antartica. He is a top-notch birder and involved in different conservation projects and educational programs with local communities at the Lake District region, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. Author of the first pocket guide of Birds of The Lake District and the Island of Chiloé. Raffaele lived many years in Europe and speaks fluently English, Spanish and Italian.  He was for 4 years president of the Tour Guide Association and currently is part of the board of directors. He likes to play football, travel with his family, play with his daughters, photography, cooking and of course…birding.

Teresa MontesCo-founder

Co-founder of BirdsChile, Teresa has been taking care and organizing every detail of the company logistic and development from the beginning. Raised up very close to the chilean nature, she set up BirdsChile`s Nature Store in Puerto Varas. Teresa loves reading, walking in the forest and being with her family. Graduated in Aesthetics and Cultural Administration, she also teaches History of Art at the University.

Josefina CuevasSales & Reservations

Josefina has a degree in Ecotourism Administration, and 5 years of experience woking in different areas of tourism, including guiding, operations, and trading. She dedicated many years to work as ski instructor in sky resorts in USA, California and Chile and adaptive ski with Andes Magico foundation in Chile.
She enjoys outdoors and being active and is always willing to learn something new. Josefina believes ecotourism is the best tool for the conservation of the natural areas and the biodiversity of Chile, and she feels very committed to this.

Vanessa MaldonadoNature Store

Vanessa has a degree in Natural Therapies. Born and raised in the Lakes region, she loves sports and hiking in the temperate rainforest. She enjoys travelling along the continent every winter to get to know different cultures and traditions.

Since 2017 she has comitted herself to BirdsChile’s mission “To know to conserve”, receiving visitors and clients in our Nature Store.

Marcela IbietaNaturalist Guide

Marcela is a naturalist guide with more than 12 years of experience and part of BirdsChile since 2009. A great birding guide, she also has a wide knowledge of the rich Chilean flora.  She guides expeditions from the dry desert of Atacama to the windy region of Tierra del Fuego. She spent some time living in Australia, where she studied its rich biodiversity. Marcela lives in Puerto Montt with her son. She loves climbing, permaculture, photography and birding.

Isabel VergaraNaturalist Guide

Isabel is our expert guide in flora and an enthusiast hiker. Very friendly and helpful, she also works at our Nature Store. Isabel travelled widely through Central America and worked as a guide for many years in one of the 8th Natural Wonders of the World: Torres del Paine National Park. Her passion for nature keeps her busy studying and improving her skills and knowledge about the Chilean natural history. Isabel is also involved in local campaigns of environmental education. She lives in Puerto Varas with her family.

Natalia MontesNaturalist Guide

Natalia grew up in a very close relation to nature, mountaineering and outdoor activities. Graduated in Fine Arts in Santiago. She speaks fluent English, Spanish and Portuguese. For the last 6 years she has been dedicated to trekking deep southern Patagonia, mesmerized by the sights and inclement weather. Natalia guides groups through Magallanes mountains and steppes in search of birds and glaciers. Natalia practices many hobbies in these areas, like rock climbing and sea kayaking. She also investigates the healing properties of patagonian flowers, as a complementary natural therapy. As an artist she has developed a fascination for photography and uses her shots of birds and flowers as a reference for her watercolors.

Carolina YañezNaturalist & Birding Guide

Carolina is a marine biologist with more than 6 years of experience leading birding tours. Very passionate for nature in general, she loves to teach and show the wonders of Chile to everyone. She is also involved in different projects and organizations that protect marine otters and chilean biodiversity. Full with energy and very curious, Carolina is always looking for different ways to develop environmental education programs for all ages, she strongly belives that is the best way to protect our natural areas. Her speciality is the central area of Chile, she currently lives in Viña del Mar.

Carlo MontalbettiNaturalist Guide

Carlo is a naturalist guide specialized in birding tours with also a wide knowledge of local culture and history. He travelled wildly through Europe and lived for several years in the archipelago of Juan Fernández, where he was able to study closely the endemic Juan Fernández Firecrown and the very unique flora of the area. He is one of the directors of the local tour guide association. He loves to travel, birding and spend time with his family.

Rocío UsónNaturalist Guide

Rocío is a nature and culture lover graduated in Acting in Santiago. In 2010 she moved to Barcelona and traveled through Europe, where the most amazing experience was to walk for 45 days on the Camino de Santiago path across northern Spain. Since then she never stopped walking. Once she came back to Chile she started to guide in San Pedro de Atacama but it was in the south where she finally found her home and where she fell in love with birds. Rocío is a good person to talk about many subjects and to have interesting conversations with, either in Spanish or fluent English. She is passionate about nature and cultural heritage and always finds a way to be out walking and connecting with people, sharing her knowledge.

Luis Felipe DiezNaturalist Guide

Felipe is a naturalist guide with 7 years of experience in different places throughout Chile. He worked in Atacama Desert, Central Andes and the Lake District. He is passionate about nature, specially birds. He speaks English, Spanish and French.

Felipe loves travelling and between 2016 and 2017 he travelled around the world visiting 20 countries, in Oceania, Asia and Europe. Now he is back in Puerto Varas, the place he wants to settle down.