Pantanos de Villa Wildlife Refuge

I enjoyed this excursion very much. The tour guide was very personable and knowledgeable. The only downside was that it was a sanctuary for waterfowl and limited in viewing options. I thought I would see more wildlife indigenous to Peru.

We had one free day in Lima before our trip to Iquitos and an Amazon cruise, and found this tour by Viator of the Pantanos de Villa Wildlife Reserve in Lima to fill part of the day. Touring this reserve ranks among the best for local bird life viewing. It is home to thousands of birds, and was conducted by Nicole who met us at our hotel. She is extremely knowledgeable and amazing in spotting and identifying the dozens of Peruvian coastal bird varieties that are found there, many of which are solitary and hide in the reeds along many waterways in the reserve. Nicole is also gracious and personable, and was accommodating to one of us who was wary of loose sand while recovering from an injured ankle . This was an excellent beginning to our trip. Thank you Viator and Nicole.

This was an excellent tour. Our guide Nicole was personable and well-informed. She had a guide of the birds we might encounter with their English names, which she said she had put together herself. We were picked up at our hotel exactly on time, and during the drive she gave us some books to look at so we would know what birds to look for. She also provided bottles of water for each of us. Once at the refuge, we walked to an observation tower, took a boat ride, and walked around a lagoon at the beach. Make sure you have sturdy, comfortable shoes, as the terrain varies from marsh to grass to sand. It was amazing to see a wild area like this in the middle of such a large city. I definitely recommend taking this tour.