Luis is a co-founder and co-owner of Trogon Tours, bringing over 40 years of experience to the nature tour industry. His lifelong passion for natural history and nature photography has taken him around the world in search of birds and other wildlife, experiences that have shaped both his career and the success of Trogon Tours.

Since 1982, Luis has been leading birding and wildlife tours throughout Argentina and South America, backed by extensive training in ornithology, birdwatching, marine mammals, flora, and geology through the Argentine Ornithological Society (AOP) and the Argentine Wildlife Foundation (FVSA). His ability to guide both local and international groups has connected countless travelers with the rich and diverse ecosystems of the Neotropics and beyond.

Luis’ expertise in tour planning and administration began in 1985 when he helped develop and manage the educational tours department for a Buenos Aires-based company. His efforts were pivotal in establishing Costanera Sur as a premier birding destination, leading tours there even before it was officially designated as a reserve!

In 1987, Luis returned to his hometown of Puerto Madryn in Patagonia, where he continued to guide tours worldwide while also serving as a local birding and nature guide. His skills in operational management expanded between 1995 and 1997 when he managed the operations department of a local tour company. These experiences laid the groundwork for the creation of Seebirds, a birding tour company designed to enhance the experiences of birders visiting Patagonia.

In 2000, Luis partnered with Miguel Castelino to launch Birding Argentina and Trogon Tours. Combining their field expertise and administrative skills, they expanded from Argentina-based birding tours to comprehensive nature tours across Latin America and beyond. By recruiting wildlife specialists from various disciplines, they diversified their offerings to meet the broad interests of naturalists worldwide.

Today, Luis remains deeply involved in guiding, planning, and managing tours globally. His commitment continues to drive the success of Trogon Tours while promoting sustainable and educational nature tourism.

Luis has also made significant contributions to wildlife conservation, with a focus on shorebirds and seabirds. He volunteered for four seasons with the Magellanic Penguin Project in Punta Tombo and managed a penguin rescue station in Puerto Madryn during the 1991 oil spill crisis.

Education is a cornerstone of Luis’ career. He organizes and leads birdwatching, natural history, and flora courses in Patagonia, sharing his knowledge and passion with aspiring guides and the wider public. His dedication to fostering a deeper appreciation for nature and conservation has left a lasting impact on the communities he serves.

Luis lives in Puerto Madryn with his wife, Nancy.

Miguel is one of the founders and co-owners of Trogon Tours, bringing decades of experience and a deep passion for wildlife to every adventure. His career began in Iguazú, where he served as a National Park Guard and Chief Naturalist for six years. This role allowed him to combine formal guard training with his personal dedication to understanding the diverse flora and fauna of the subtropical rainforests, building an impressive knowledge base in the process.

As a naturalist, Miguel has specialized in bird song identification. For nearly 20 years, he has been recording and cataloging bird calls, amassing an extensive collection that includes the vast majority of species found in northern Argentina and southern Brazil. Beyond his fieldwork, Miguel has made significant contributions to nature conservation and environmental education. One of his most notable projects was an expedition with Conservation International across northeastern Argentina and southern Brazil in search of the last surviving individuals of the now likely extinct Glaucous Macaw.

Miguel’s expertise has taken him beyond Argentina and Brazil. In Guyana, he worked with the Smithsonian Institution, training indigenous communities to become natural history tour guides. He also collaborated with the Kansas Museum on bird population monitoring projects. His passion for education continues at home, where he teaches professional tour guide training courses at the University of Misiones. Additionally, he is the co-author of the Inventory of the Birds of Iguazú National Park.

Miguel began leading nature tours in 1991, focusing on the birds and wildlife of southern Brazil, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. His deep knowledge of the Pantanal and the subtropical rainforests of northern Argentina has led to several significant discoveries. These include the first recorded sightings in Argentina of species like the American Pygmy Kingfisher and Capped Heron, as well as the discovery of one of the most visited Harpy Eagle nests in southern Brazil—an incredible find made over a decade ago, which has since drawn birders from around the world.

Fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, Miguel is passionate about sharing his love for wildlife with others. He lives with his wife Karina and their two sons, Ignacio and Félix, in Puerto Iguazú, Argentina, just a stone’s throw from the breathtaking Iguazú Falls.

Nicolás joined Trogon Tours in 2017. He has been leading birding and nature tours since 2013, mainly guiding birders across the Argentine provinces of Misiones, Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Formosa, Neuquén, and Buenos Aires.

Birds are his primary passion when traveling the country, but he also enjoys searching for mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods. His passion for both birds and arthropods has resulted in numerous scientific publications, including the discovery of several new spider species for Argentina and the addition of new bird species to the official lists of several Argentine provinces.

Nicolás spent a year living in a nature reserve in the Atlantic Rainforest of Misiones province, where he guided visitors from around the world. He also worked for two years at the Buenos Aires Museum of Natural History as a paleontology lab technician, preparing dinosaur skeletons for research.

He later lived in Junín de los Andes, a town in Northern Patagonia, where he spent much of his time exploring the Patagonian steppe and the Patagonian Andes—searching for new sites where endemic Patagonian bird species might occur and identifying reptiles, mammals, and arthropods from the region’s arid landscapes.

Nicolás has recently returned to his hometown of Buenos Aires, the gateway to the Argentine Pampas and one of the richest birding areas in South America.

He is one of Trogon Tours’ senior leaders and also contributes to the office team, helping to design new tours, improve existing ones, maintain our wildlife databases, and work alongside Luis on marketing strategies.