Private Tour
Birdwatching Tours in El Salvador with Expert Biologist Guide
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Includes pick up and drop off at your hotel or Airbnb in San Salvador or Santa Tecla. Will take you to the birding hotspots and will be your birdwatching guide.
Ecoparque El Espino provides habitat for a diverse avian community, hosting approximately 221 bird species. It´s number sixth hotspot for birdwatching in El Salvador.
Among the easily observable bird species are the Turquoise-browed Motmot, Lesson´s Motmot, Red-billed Pigeon, Berylline Hummingbird, White-throated Magpie-Jay, Squirrel Cuckoo, Gartered Trogon, Masked Tityra, Black-headed Saltator, Streak-backed Oriole, White-bellied Chachalaca and Collared Aracari.
El Boqueron National Park, situated atop the dormant San Salvador Volcano at an elevation of 5,905 ft above sea level, features a prominent attraction: a crater measuring 3 miles in diameter and plunging 1,830 ft deep. It´s a good spot for regional endemics such as Bushy-crested Jay, Rufous Sabrewing, Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer and Brown-backed Solitaire.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Binoculars and a printed bird guide
All Fees and Taxes
Meals are not included
Meals are not included
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
What To Expect
Ecoparque El Espino
Eco Parque El Espino is characterized as an actively managed shaded coffee plantation interspersed with patches of deciduous forest. Located at an elevation ranging from 2642 ft to 3937 ft above sea level (800 m - 1200 m) and spanning across 35 hectares, it provides habitat for a diverse avian community, hosting approximately 221 bird species. It´s ranked as the sixth hotspot for birdwatching in El Salvador. Notable features within the park include small geysers.
Parque Nacional El Boqueron
El Boqueron National Park, situated atop the dormant San Salvador Volcano at an elevation of 5,905 feet (1800 meters), features a prominent attraction: a crater measuring five kilometers in diameter and plunging 558 meters deep. With a reported count of 170 bird species, the park is particularly renowned for its highland avian inhabitants.
Options
El Espino + Boqueron bird tour
San Salvador volcano bird tour: In this birding tour we combine mid-elevation birds at Eco parque El Espino and highland birds at El Boqueron National Park.
Duration: 4 hours
bottled water
Pickup included
Reviews
43 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Best Intro to El Salvador's Abundance of Birds!
420catherine,
Nov 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What an outstanding introduction to the lush beauty and abundance of stunning birds in El Salvador! Rodolfo picked us up right on time and took us to two different sites. Our group of three was amazed at the number of species that Rodolfo led us to at the first stop, El Espino Park. He provided us with binoculars, took time to make sure we could see and/or photograph, and shared interesting facts about bird behaviors. As we walked through the park, he also pointed out interesting butterflies and plants in the park. At the next stop, El Boquerón, at a higher elevation, Rodolfo once again found more beautiful species of birds at the crater of the San Salvador volcano. The tour was an absolute pleasure. On the drive back to our hotel, Rodolfo asked us if we had other birding destinations while in El Salvador and then gave us the scoop on where to find birds at them. His advice turned out to be spot-on! I’m so glad we took this tour at the start of our trip - it helped make the entire stay in El Salvador more enjoyable!
Awesome birdwatching and El Salvador tour!
ecv14,
Nov 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Me and my wife arranged a custom 4 day tour with Rodolfo, and it was an amazing and unique experience! Before and during the tour, Rodolfo was attentive and accommodating; we loved birdwatching with him and learning from his expensive knowledge on birds, flora and fauna and other things El Salvador. We spotted, heard and photographed lots of endemic bird species, including 3 kinds of mot mots, 12 species of humingbirds, and many more. Our tour included: Day 1: After a pick up at our hotel in San Salvador, we had an early visit of the ruins of Cihuatan; we had the park pretty much to ourselves and mixed birding and visiting the pyramids (a mot mot was part of our welcome committee). We then drove up to a very special place in the mountains called La Burbuja; we stayed in a cozy cabin with a very nice fireplace (it is chilly at night!), saw MANY hummingbirds (I believe the site is uniaue in species sightings) and hiked up and down the beautiful property. Made us wish we could stay longer. Day 2: We drove down the mountain and headed to Juayua for a visit to the colonial towns at the ruta de las flores; Rodolfo recommended the town of Ataco for its architecture, murals and atmosphere. We even saw a religious procesion going by with a mariachi band. Day 3: We had the very unique experience to visit a real coffee producing finca; the roads to this place are a little 'Salvadorean massage' (requiring a 4x4 vehicle), but the destination is worth it. The owner Jose Roberto was extremely hospitable, and we enjoyed learning from him, birding in his property and horseback riding. We then headed to Cerro Verde in time for a stunning sunset view on top of the cloud forest with the Izalco volcano as a backdrop. Day 4: After an early morning birding walk, we took a guided hike to summit the Santa Ana Volcano; it is a steep 8 km hike but both journey and the views atop the volcano (there is a turquoise lagoon inside the caldera) are worth it. After a well deserved lunch, we ended our tour with a visit of the Joya de Ceren archeological site (a towns buried under volcanic ash, like Pompei) and some more birding. We wholeheartedly recommend Rodolfo Walsh for your tour of El Salvador!
11/10 Experience
rogerg908,
Nov 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I was blown away at how many incredible birds we saw. Rodolfo is a master at what he does and I cannot recommend his tours enough. My dream was to see a Turquoise-browed Motmot and we got lucky with a sighting at the top of the day, and then the birds kept coming!
Beautiful birds
Surprise888,
Nov 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Rodolfo picked us up at 6am in a comfortable car. He is cheerful and friendly. He is very knowledgeable about the birds and could identify them by the sounds. He also has recorded bird’s sounds in his phone and he played them to bring the birds closer. He walked at a good pace and gave us time to look at the birds. We were very fortunate to see El Salvador’s national bird, Turquoise-browed Motmot. We highly recommend Rodolfo as a great guide if you are interested in birds.
The best way to visit El Salvador!
Shapplebaum,
Nov 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Spectacular!!! Start with a guide, end with a friend. We spent 6 days touring El Salvador with Rodolpho. He was always punctual, upbeat, organized, flexible, helpful and a great listener. He knows which birds are at each area. He hears them, points to them and sometimes even imitates their calls. We went snorkeling and our bird guide became a fish guide! If you want to learn about El Salvador (nature, history, economy, etc) as well as have a fun time, Rodolpho is your guy!!!
Amazing birds and amazing views!
Alexander O,
Oct 4, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Had a fantastic time birding. We saw plenty of amazing birds, had a wonderful and knowledgeable guide, and we saw amazing landscape views!
A true 5 star experience
B1826NDmarkm,
Sep 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was a phenomenal tour. Rodolfo is your guy if you like birds. Super knowledgable about the region and the majority of birds in general. Only thing is the tour starts super early so don't do it after a long night out. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who just loves nature in general.
Wonderful guide, lot's of birds
davidbL2692HH,
Sep 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a wonderful morning with Rodolfo. He picked us up early in the morning at 05:00 at our accommodation in El Zonte. First we went to one of the community-owned parks close to San Salvador. Afterwards we went to El Boqueron. In total we saw about 57 birds :) Rodolfo speaks impeccable English and is very knowledgeable. Not only did we learn a lot about birds, but also a lot about El Salvador. Highly recommended! Thanks again, Rodolfo, for a wonderful day!
Ricky Perez Leon was a...
Melissa O,
Sep 27, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Ricky Perez Leon was a fantastic birding guide! He’s super knowledgeable, educated, very personable and enjoyable to be around. He and my son (an experienced birder) found multiple birds and were able to have interesting and thoughtful discussions about birds and wildlife, I enjoyed the tour and know very little about birds, birding or binoculars! It was a wonderful tour and I highly recommend!!!
Birds birds birds!
amysL1519LP,
Sep 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had an excellent experience birdwatching with Rodolfo. He drove us to the locations in his car and paid the entrance fees. The tour was an easy hike as he expertly listened for, spotted, and pointed out dozens of birds. We were truly impressed with his knowledge and also enjoyed other information he shared about aspects of the natural surroundings. The tour was a wonderful way to see birds and the volcano. I highly recommend using Rodolfo as your guide.
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Operated by Birdwatching Tours El Salvador