Five stars for Mandy Talpas and her 10-day, 3-island Hawaii birding tour that just wrapped up. Mandy found every one of the birds we targeted, shared her deep knowledge of and passion for Hawaii and its birds and habitats, and made the trip fun with her infectious personality. I recommend Mandy without reservation.
Craft Your Dream Tour
Everybody Welcome
Dedicated Service
Create Your Own Dream Hawaiian Birding Adventure
Whether you envision casually cruising the coastline in search of shorebirds, chasing after endemic forest birds, embarking on a pelagic birding expedition, exploring local hot spots, or all of the above. We are dedicated to providing customized wildlife excursions and the best all-inclusive eco-tours to create your ultimate birding experience. Guests of all ages, abilities, and interests are encouraged to inquire. Our all-female team is comprised of dynamic and knowledgeable conservationists, naturalists, foodies, and adventure seekers with interests beyond birding, who have previously led all kinds of tours. We can arrange anything from a casual 5 hour birding tour with sightseeing and foodie stops to an all-inclusive, multi-island hardcore birding extravaganza.
Trip Details
Day Trip Prices
- Half day/ 5 hours on Oahu for 1 -10 people: $1095
- Full day/ 10 hours on Oahu for 1 -10 people: $1795
- Full day/ 10 hours on Kauai for 1 -10 people: $1795
- Full day/ 10 hours on Big Island 1 -10 people: $1795
- Full day/ 10 hours on Maui 1 -10 people: $1795
Please note our access into Hakalau Forest NWR is very limited and is $1995 for 1 -10 people
What the price does & doesn’t include
The day trip pricing above for 1 -10 people doesn’t include lunches (with the exception of Hakalau) but does include a local lunch stop (where guests purchase their own lunch), the use of binoculars if needed, the use of a scope if needed, the use of a walking stick if needed, sunscreen, bug spray, online checklists and fun!
Meeting point
These are personalized experiences designed to cater to you, your family, friends and colleagues from your accommodations, whether they were arranged by us or by you, to our adventure destinations safely and comfortably.
Availability
Custom tours run August to June
We prefer bookings over 3 months in advance but we will accommodate last minute requests as best as we can. Please remember our team boasts some of Hawaii’s most sought after guides and we’re easily booked with groups over a year in advance.
Group Size
- 1 -9 on Kauai with Mandy or Maria and/ or Patti in a 10 passenger 4×4 Nissan tour van
- 1-10 on Oahu with Mandy and/ or Patti in a 12 passenger Ford Transit tour van
- 1-10 on Big Island with Mandy or Pippa and/ or Patti in a 12 passenger 4×4 Nissan tour van
- 1 -10 on Maui with Mandy and/ or Patti in a 12 passenger Ford Transit tour van
- Please note we are happy to team up together to cater to larger groups of 10 -25 and even larger groups by collaborating with transportation services. Mandy has a current commercial driver’s license and worked professionally as a guide and bus driver for other tour operators for years before launching her own company.
Tour duration
5 hours to multi-day to all-inclusive multi-islands adventures – the choice is yours!
Important info
Please note these are for land based tours but we are happy to collaborate with our favorite boat operators and captains to get you out on the water off Oahu, Kauai and Kona on the Big Island. Mandy has been pioneering pelagic birding trips for years in Hawaii and wants to extend a friendly reminder that conditions out of Kona are usually the most desirable and reliable year round to get off shore in search of pelagic seabirds. Typical conditions off Kauai and Oahu can make getting off shore difficult, especially from November through February. Again, Mandy is eager to get out on the water with you and arrange an amazing adventure; this is just a reminder that all of these trips are weather dependent.
What to bring
- Binoculars
- Cameras
- Lightweight rain gear
- Sun protection
- A day pack to carry your valuables and/ or picnic lunch in
- Comfortable closed toes shoes with good traction
- Quick dry lightweight clothing
- Long pants if we’re birding in the forests at low elevation, layers if we’re birding at high elevations
- Walking stick(s) of folding stool if we’re targeting birding and you need some extra stability and/ or have difficulty standing for long periods of time, a sense of adventure, and a smile.
Participation requirements
Most of our activities are designed for guests 10 years and older but we are open to families traveling with younger children upon request.
Read Why People Love Us
Very occasionally you meet and spend time with someone whos infectious enthusiasm, passion and commitment to a chosen endeavour erodes a little of your cynicism and restores a huge chunk of your faith in humanity. Mandy Talpas is one such individual.
I have just had the pleasure of spending six days with Mandy birding and photographing on Oahu and Big island.
I highly recommend hiring Mandy as a birding guide. She help me get some of the hardest birds in Kauai, Hawaii on a custom trip on my ABA Big Year 2018. We got the Anianiau, Kauai Amakihi, Akeke’e, Akikiki, and Puaiaohi along the Mohihi-Waiale Trail. We hiked 7 to 8 miles to achieve this goal 2 different days in a row. It is tough up-and-down terrain and wet and muddy in places but breath taking too. She is willing to go the distance by returning the next day and hiking rain or shine. Always pointing out hazard spots that could possibly trip you up. She is very friendly and easy to talk to you if you want to talk. Outstanding birder that will find the birds for you.
