If you’re a photographer or bird watcher looking to capture or check off some amazing birds or wildlife, then William and his team at Beaks and Peaks is for you. Right from when we first arrived we were out there exploring, whether it be hotel grounds, mountain tracks, bush, Mayan ruins, or the side of the road finding hummingbirds, quetzal, tanager, cuckoo, motmot, jay, woodpecker, kestrel and so much more.
I really enjoyed my 22 days in Honduras. I felt safe, well looked after, had so much fun and have come home to New Zealand with some amazing images. The accommodation was always of high quality but the best was the way William and team really looked after us and made us feel special. They helped us to get the shot by being patient and waiting for the birds to come back if we didn’t get it the first time.
I loved it so much I’m heading back 2025 to do the Colombia tour with William – I will use no other. Hope you join me.

I cannot speak highly enough about Willian Orellana and his team at Beaks and  Peaks Birding and Photography Adventures in Honduras. William totally dedicated himself to give us the very best opportunities to see every bird possible  and at close range, over a vast area of countryside. I was amazed how the team could zone in to pick up many a species that were highly camourflaged in their natural environment. The use of his ‘scope’ and torch light enabled us all some great detailed viewing and photo shots. Among my favourites were the elegant Quetzil, and the Mot Mots with their unusual tails.
Besides all this William went above and beyond to oversee our safety and provide some beautiful accommodation like at Pico Bonito Lodge and at Casa Hotel Celaque. Always thinking of our comfort and wellbeing he was also able to discern
and assist with any personal needs. While it is fair to say that Honduras is a third world country and the roads are a bit rough and bumpy, our travel stops for coffees and meals provided us with great opportunities to meet ‘the people” and experience and learn of the local history and culture. For me Beaks and Peaks certainly packed in a variety of unique experiences and best of all, warm, genuine and beautiful friendships.

I would highly recommend Birding with Beaks and Peaks in Honduras.

I can’t imagine a group of folks more knowledgeable about the bird scene in the area. William and Katinka were obviously born to do what they do. I was mostly tagging along with a more serious birding crew, and the whole experience was brand new to me, but I felt welcomed with open arms and everyone was very patient with my bumbling attempts to see birds.

Hanging out with William immediately feels like you are kicking it with someone you grew up with, whereas Katinka is like a wizard of the forest, effortlessly spotting rare birds in the trees while carrying on a conversation. At one point, William and I watched a hummingbird on his phone that he had attached to a scope as a viewfinder, and it was nothing short of a nature program one would see on PBS or Netflix. We would occasionally go out out with some of their friends and locals and everyone was so nice and knew a ton about birds. Their whole vibe is just great. If you are considering working with them, I say go for it. It was truly a week to remember.

This was my first trip to Honduras and William, GM and Tour Leader at Beaks and Peaks was awesome! He is an incredibly knowledgeable birder. The finest birding guide I have ever had the pleasure of working with. For the first few days, almost every bird was a lifer for me, which was to be expected. I’m sure we didn’t miss a single species! William knew just where to expect certain species and we also saw a few very rare birds. Our trip began normally enough, but midway through, the country was locked down because of the virus, COVID-19. William kept informed and we continued to bird as planned. William took very good care of us and went above and beyond the duties of guide to help us feel worry free in this crazy time. He made sure we weren’t left stranded and looked after us like family. I’m not sure what we would have done without his help. We were lucky to have Katinka, Operations Manager and Tour Leader join us at the end of the tour. Their combined expertise is amazing! I would recommend this tour, it was wonderful. The country was beautiful, the lodges were first rate, and the food was phenomenal. I can’t say enough good things about William and Katinka of Beaks and Peaks.

We have recently returned from a wonderful 18 day holiday with Beaks and Peaks. The focus of the first five days was Mayan culture and we had a spectacular time at Tikal in Guatemala and Copan in Honduras. Our Mayan guides at both sites were superb with a wonderful ability to bring the ancient ruins to life. William of B&P included some super birding in and around the ruins and the whole experience was truly memorable. This was helped greatly by stays at the Tikal Jungle Lodge and Hacienda San Lucas in Copan.

The remainder of the holiday focussed on birding in Honduras. The country is a largely undiscovered gem: great birds especially at migration time, good to very good, clean lodges set in jungle reserves or on the edge of National Parks with excellent food – both local and western. Guanaja was a fitting finale – a beautiful island that hasn’t even made it into the Lonely Planet – white sandy beaches, warm sea, a day trip around the island by boat (there are essentially no roads), some Yucatan bird specials and wonderfully hospitable people and clean well-appointed guesthouses. William was both a good and thoughtful host as well as being an excellent bird guide. Through his contacts we met many interesting people and had a chance to learn something of the culture and history of the region – from the founding of the State of Honduras to the details of growing coffee and making chocolate.

We drove from Copan in the west, via Gracias, La Esperanza, Lake Yojoa and the Panacam Lodge, to Pico Bonito Lodge between Tela and La Ceiba. Quite a lot of driving, but the roads were generally good. We flew from La Ceiba to Guanaja and back – about 30 min flight. The only downside to the trip was an unexpected 3-day cold front from the north which brought lots of rain and unseasonably cold weather – which meant we missed a few birding possibilities. It was nevertheless a first class trip.

My recent bird photography excursion to beautiful Central American country of Honduras has proven to be quite fruitful. Yielding a great number of exotic bird species to my lifer list thanks to the amazing team of William Orellana and Katinka Domen of Beaks and Peaks. This adventure tour company is by far the most hands on, professional, knowledgeable, friendly, attentive and accommodating outfit I have had the pleasure to employ. I always felt safe and in good hands with William throughout my 5 day private excusion. Catering to off the beaten path adventures (both private and small groups), Beaks and Peaks takes you to places no one else goes. This exotic central American country still has unspoiled natural places where you can spend hours, days trekking through mountains and forests without ever encountering another person. You can truly feel one with nature. A true nature lovers paradise. William (aka, to me as the ‘bird whisperer’), along with Katinka have an amazing nack of locating birds, coupled with their extensive knowledge of birds will make your experience truly one you will never forget. William’s enthusiasm and unrelenting commitment and love of birding, enables you to get the birds you came to see, along with others you didn’t expect. Our home base was at a wonderful National Park lodge called Panacam. Within 20 minutes of arriving at the lodge I was able to photograph 12 different exotic species of birds. You can just stay at the lodge and within several feet of you room you can start bird watching or photographing. This place is that amazing. Rooms extremely clean, food very good, and service excellent. Although Beaks and Peaks is located in Honduras, they also organize tours to Equador, Colombia and Peru, and more locations to be added in the future. Staying at top notch lodgings whatever country you choose. With Beaks and Peaks Adventure Tours you are always looked after with top notch professional personal attention and care. With Beaks and Peaks all you need is your camera, binoculars and sense of adventure. Really a great experience!!!!!

Our guide Katinka was the best, very knowledgeable, helpful, pleasant and she wanted to do the best that she could for us. The lodges we stayed at were top rate with great food, very helpful staff and comfortable accommodations. The tour was quite strenuous but Katinka on the whole made sure we did not over stress ourselves. She made changes on the fly to take in sites that we were not expecting since we had already seen some target birds elsewhere. Over all it was a wonderful experience. Have to admit the people of Honduras are wonderfully friendly and cheerful. We saw over 320 species of birds including many hummingbirds.

I just spent 11 days traveling around Honduras with Katinka. I had given her a list of birds I wanted to see and she did a great job of coming through for me.

I have been lucky enough to travel the world, birding with some great guides and I must say Katinka is up there among the best guides I have traveled with. She is very well organized, very friendly and cool under pressure and has great eyes and ears for the birds!

This has been a wonderful experience. Having met William and Katinka here in the USA, we were prepared for a rich and thoroughly enjoyable tour, but we could not have imagined how marvelous and personally rewarding it would be. The tour sounded perfect on paper, but still we kept being amazed by all the friendly, interesting local people we met and interacted with, by the many beautiful national parks, world heritage sites, and other cultural sites we visited, by all the incredible birds William (our guide) found for us and his obvious desire that we each see them in the scope and in our binoculars and get to know their habitats and behavior, and by all our deeply thoughtful discussions with William along the way, while driving, and during all the delicious meals. This is a person who deeply loves and cares about his country, is committed to building a more sustainable future from the ground up, and has a passion to transmit his understanding and appreciation of Honduras to others. He engages easily and meaningfully with people from all walks of life, both locals and visitors from afar, and wants to help us to do so too. We also had an opportunity to spend some time with Katinka, who was out with a small group of her own on a different itinerary that intersected with us at one lodging, and it was clear that members of her group felt the same way about her as we did about William. The experience has been truly extraordinary.

A great birding trip to the Dominican Republic

In January 2019 I visited the Dominican Republic together with Katinka from Beaks & Peaks for an individual birding trip. We came in contact through a mutual friend. I was looking for a Spanish speaking birding guide and driver who arranged logistics and further preparations at the last minute. Katinka was happily willing to do so. My aim of the trip was to see representatives of the now four recognized endemic bird families on the island of Hispaniola: todies, palmchat, hispaniolan tanagers and chat-tanagers. Because the trip was rather short, and I did not want to spend too much time traveling, we decided to focus on just one birding destination: the Sierra de Bahoruco National park, a mountain range in the southwest near the border with Haiti. This worked out great. Katinka rented a cosy house in a small village in the foothills, which served as ‘base camp’ and where we cooked for ourselves. We had very early starts and spent long days in the field, exploring the different habitats and altitudinal zones of this impressive park. We saw Broad-billed Tody and Black-crowned Palm-Tanager already on the first day, Palmchat and the very elusive Western Chat-Tanager followed the next days. Mission accomplished! During the rest of the trip we enjoyed observing todies (I couldn’t  get enough of these brilliant birds!) and a lot of endemics of the beautiful mountain forests, such as the endangered White-fronted Quail-Dove, Antillean Piculet (another personal favourite) and Ashy-faced Owl. Not to forget the Golden Swallow, such a magnificent bird. We tried hard to get views of Bay-breasted Cuckoo, and gloriously succeeded in the end. Hardest bird of the trip for us was the Hispaniolan Crossbill, that Katinka found during our last moments in the pine forests, after I had given up already. Yes!

I would sure like to go on a birding trip with Katinka again. She is a good organizer, patient but resolute, very flexible (I impulsively suggested to change plans and move to the southside of the mountains for the last nights: no problem), a skilled driver (not easy when roads appear to be river beds, either dry or flooded…), with a keen eye for birds, and very persistent in finding the special and elusive ones. And most important of all: Katinka is very pleasant and laid-back company. 

Ten stars! This was a trip of a lifetime. (And to dispense with the first questions North American travelers might have: Yes! You will be completely safe in Honduras! Yes, people are friendly and welcoming! And you will find all the comforts, ease, and care you’d find at home. GO!) But more importantly Beaks and Peaks put together an incredible, perfect trip – fully balanced between our interests in nature and culture and history. First, we came for the beautiful birds and other wildlife. And we reveled in the gorgeous mountains, oceans, reefs, countrysides. And we were so happy to meet many Hondurans – learn about their country, eat their food, hear their thoughts on their country’s place in the world. And, in addition, William and Katinka did extra scouting and planning to help us visit some special, non-tourist sites. A traveler can find all this in many parts of the tropical world, BUT, you should go to Honduras because I don’t think you will find any better guides in the world than William and Katinka. During the trip we were with William and were constantly in awe of his skill and enthusiasm for showing and teaching us about all things Honduran – especially nature. He was professional, fun, and generous – and knew how to tailor the trip to our daily rhythms and interests. I have to add that Beaks and Peaks choice of accommodations was perfect too. Pico Bonito Lodge was an incredible, beautiful, relaxing lodge with such great staff. And Roland’s Guesthouse on Guanaja was a wonderful place to feel at home – the family who runs it treats you like family. I know this is long-winded, but I just can’t say enough about how great this trip and Beaks and Peaks was. It is time for the world to rediscover Honduras. Ecotourism there supports efforts to build the economy and nature conservation in a country so rich in natural resources. Read Beaks and Peaks mission on its web – and you will have to go! Thanks William and Katinka for the most amazing and rewarding trip ever!

William and Katinka are amazing ambassadors for Honduras and the unique ecosystems and birds. And they are committed to the citizens of Honduras especially the jóvenes.

It was inspirational to spend time with them in Honduras.

If I had to list the best 100 days of my life, I would put all eleven days I spent with William Orellana on the 2018 Hummingbird Quest on that list. I will qualify that with the admission that I am an absolute hummingbird fanatic. My very well-planned tour of Honduras in search of birds to photograph was nothing less than phenomenal. I was able to capture many species, four of which are very difficult to find much less photograph.

William knows the various Honduran territories so well that he was able to take me to areas where I was almost guaranteed to find a certain species. He has an impressive ability to spot perched hummingbirds, and he once even knew where a particular bird would land on a particular tree. This is an unbelievable advantage to a photographer and allowed me to obtain some of the finest photographs of the female Wine-throated Hummingbird in existence. The rare Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird is actually a regular visitor to the garden he planted at his own home!

I met some incredible people in Honduras that love hummingbirds and are doing everything they can to preserve their habitat. These people are trying to teach both the children and adults of Honduras how important it is to conserve the beauty of their country for the birds and ultimately for themselves. The people are warm and friendly, and I always felt welcome everywhere I was taken.

Both William Orellana and Katinka Domen love Honduras and will do anything and everything to send their clients home with the memories of a lifetime. Would I go back? Is tomorrow too soon?

We had a blast celebrating my children’s graduations from high school and college (2 different kids each with something to celebrate) with a family trip to Honduras led by Beaks and Peaks (BP). I had indicated to BP that I wanted an equally divided trip of culture, adventure and wildlife and that is exactly what we got! None of our group of 4 had ever been to Honduras before and I feel like Katinka with BP did an excellent job of personally touring us around the country and leading us on her own right – additionally she used local guides when available to communicate directly to us the history and biology of the areas we were visiting. We experienced overnight stays in 5 different locations of the country where we were able to learn about the mixing pot of civilizations that settled Honduras as well as the wildlife that typified the mountainous country. I believe that we were exposed to about 70 new species of birds and at least 4 new species of mammals during our trip. Additionally, we created some awesome memories (and photos) from our many adventures on the lakes, rivers and mangroves as well as the forests, cloud forests and jungles that we visited. I would highly recommend a trip to Honduras with BP and I suggest telling them specifically what you want to experience and let them do the planning.

My fiancé and I loved every moment of our time with Beaks and Peaks! While on our tour, we had the amazing opportunity to see a whole GROUP of Resplendent Quetzals. We also saw beautiful Motmots and stunning Toucans, among other great species. The landscape is gorgeous and we loved that we were out for hours and didn’t run into any other groups. Honduras is truly a hidden gem and perfect for people who want something more unique and exclusive. We really felt like we were a part of the beautiful nature.

Our guide William Orellana was extremely professional, knowledgeable, kind, and overall fun and easy to be around! We are new to birding, but William taught us the basics with patience and humility– plus helped our untrained eyes spot all the amazing birds! William goes beyond giving a simple tour. His passion for the birds and for conserving his country is palpable and contagious.

Moreover, our tour was unique because not only were we able to see magnificent and breathtaking species, but William also taught us so much about the area and about the conservation efforts they are working on. For instance, Beaks and Peaks supports local people who are trying to prevent deforestation. One of our expeditions was not only led by William, but also by one of William’s local Lake Yajoa partners, Leonel. We were able to see Leonel’s house and have a traditional breakfast in his home, made by his wife. This cultural experience really complemented our visit and helped us feel even more connected to the country. It was truly special to be a part of the conservation efforts going on in Honduras. Don’t miss out on seeing this beautiful country with Beaks and Peaks – You will not regret it!

We visited Honduras last year for a hummingbird photography tour and were left with the feeling that there was much more to see and do. So we soon signed up for another, longer tour with Beaks and Peaks this year. We wanted to visit some different places as well as visiting a couple of our favourites from last year. Our tour started in Tegucigalpa and we then worked our way west to Copan and then north to the Caribbean coast where we stayed on Guanaja. We visited various different birding habitats and saw some great birds. This year we managed to get much better views of the wine throated humming bird, and saw a whole range of mot mots and trogons, American migrants and local rarities. We enjoyed every place we stayed for different reasons. We enjoyed our breakfasts with local families, views of migrating swallows, swifts and hawks, walking round the town of Gracias with William, and visiting the ruins of Copan. At no point did we feel threatened or unsafe, and neither did we see any trouble or experience any issues. The security issues in Honduras seem to be vastly overstated. Honduras is a great birding destination, with friendly people who have a passion and enthusiasm for their country. We stayed in some truly excellent accommodation, particularly La Villa de Soledad as an example. Once again we enjoyed Guanaja both birding and snorkelling – the island really is like paradise and there are some great people who looked after us well. It was a great way to finish holiday.

I would highly recommend Beaks and Peaks as a birding tour operator. Whilst we stuck to our overall itinerary William took account of local conditions and how we felt to ensure that we got the best out of every day. William was keen to show us his country of which he is immensely proud and share his absolute passion for the birds. He always tried his best to get us onto a bird …. but there is always one to go back for. We enjoyed each and every minute of our holiday and will always remember it.

I’ll be honest: going into this fourteen-day-trip, I had very little idea of what to expect. Information on Honduras is hard to come by. Friends visiting Central America skipped it, heeding warnings on crime. And not being particularly interested in birds in a company of friends that are, in a country that’s supposed to be birders’ paradise, worried me.

Luckily, I can say all my doubts and worries were unfounded. Honduras is paradise for birders and non-birders alike, if you know where to look. And Beaks and Peaks’ Katinka and William make sure you’ll know!

Beaks and Peaks arranged a busy schedule for our group of five, making sure we’d get to see as much of Honduras’ delights as possible in the short fourteen-day-period. We started in Copan, visiting the picturesque town and the overwhelming Mayan archeological site. We found the Honduran Emerald, had a strenuous hike in the Celaque national park and an informative guided stroll through Gracias. We learned how coffee is produced and how it should taste at the Finca Santa Elena. We kayaked the magnificent lake at Yojoa, walked the Quetzal trail in the nearby mountains and watched the sun set over the lake. Hundreds of hummingbirds greeted us at Rio Santiago. We boarded the only operating train in Honduras to get to a fantastic mangrove forest, the habitat of howler monkeys and all sorts of kingfishers and waterbirds alike. Pico Bonito national park rewarded us with views and waterfalls after a second serious hike and the neighbouring Rio Cangrejal had us rafting downstream. And to top it all off, our stay ended at the gorgeous island of Guanaja, where we snorkeled the reef, swam in the Caribbean Sea and had a picnic under a waterfall.

Having visited Honduras, seen its spectacular sights and met its warm and welcoming people, I’d more than recommend it to everyone interested. And if you do, please consider Beaks and Peaks as your tour operator. Katinka and William don’t only have great knowledge when it comes to birds, they know the country, they love it and its people. Their business isn’t exploitative, but caring, cultivating and sustaining. There’s an inner drive there to show us, you, what it is that made them fell in love with Honduras. And honestly, after two weeks, it’s impossible to disagree.