paulino lopez delgado, naturalist

Spent a morning birding with Paulino. Absolutely a wonderful guy is you are a birder. He speaks great english and his bird knowledge is awesome.

Feb. 14, 2015 - Paulino offered a wonderful morning of walking (and riding in a 50's Chevy) along the Cayo Coco causeway and mainland back roads to see Cuban countryside and many, many bird species. Joined some Quebec tourists. Highlights include seeing the Cuban Trogan, Cuban Pygmy-Owl and Green-tailed Towhee - some of about 40+ bird species we saw including 10-15 Cuban endemic species. He has remarkable knowledge of the birds and uses bird calls to attract wildlife. It was a highlight of my first trip to Cuba and I highly recommend Paulino. He is well known to hotel staff and accessible by email and mobile phone. There is high demand for his services so book early. Bruce A.

We had three trips with Paulino.. Two on Cayo Coco and one on the mainland. They were the highlights of our holiday. Paulino worked hard to find all the Endemic birds for us. He uses recorded bird calls and these worked very well for the less easy to find. Our visit to the mainland showed us some of the "real" Cuba and we so much preferred it to the Cayo which is basically one large resort with no resident Cubans. Paulino is a very knowledgeable bird guide and his son joined us on our trips as he is learning from his father. Both are lovely people and we thoroughly enjoyed their company and conversation on many subjects. We would totally recommend Paulino to any serious birders as he is really dedicated to his work

I visited Cayo Coco from Dec 28- Jan 4 and went on a tour with Paulino and my boyfriend on Jan 4. Just wanted to say thank you to Paulino, he was extremely accommodating during our visit to Cayo Coco. We originally booked a tour on Thursday morning, but after a night of being suddenly sick, we had to cancel our tour at 6am the same morning and he rescheduled the trip for another day, no questions asked! There are two trip choices: a half day (7am-11:30) for $50, or a full day (7-3pm) for $80. We chose the half day as it was the last day in Cayo Coco and we didn't want to miss our flight, and we were so glad that we went! Paulino began the trip by asking if there were any specific birds we wanted to see, and I mentioned the Spoonbill (coming from Canada, this was an unusual bird that I assumed would be really hard to see in the area). Within 15 minutes of driving, he quickly pulled over to a little bay area, pulled out his viewing scope and pointed out the Spoonbill for me. Me and my boyfriend brought our DSLR cameras and he always tried to make sure we got the right conditions for our shots - lighting, visibility, everything. He can make a wide variety of bird calls, and had a speaker with their calls to attract the birds out. Paulino has a remarkable ear and astounded us with his knowledge and attentiveness in finding the various endemic birds of Cuba. Overall we spotted 45 unique bird species- which we noted with a checklist he gave us at the end of the trip. Paulino has binoculars for everyone and a large scope which he can find birds and show you with. It is a birding intensive tour, but another couple joined us that weren't as into bird watching as myself and my partner and they still really enjoyed it. It's a great opportunity to see the natural environment outside of the resort scene of Cayo Coco and see some of the endemic birds (only found in Cuba). You can tell Paulino loves his job and is very good at it, which only improves the tour. He can tell you something about every bird you see, and identify a bird by it's sound or look from just a glance; very impressive. I am an avid bird watcher, and I highly recommend booking a tour with Paulino if you visit Cayo Coco. He is not advertised through any of the vacation representatives, but most of the concierges in Hospitality Services know him or will call him for you if you have his number. Definitely worth the money and we had a great time with memorable photos.

Would recommend. Knowledgeable. One of us had a bit of trouble understanding his English, so we did not think it was as good as some reviewers stated. He would not always understand the Qns. But very passionate about Cuban nature, esp. birds, has amazing ability to notice them on the trees along the road to be able to pull over and show it to us. Had good binoculars, telescope, guide books on Cuban birds and plants in the trunk. If you like nature, certainly check him out.

I booked online for a birdwatching tour with Palino Delgado Cayo Coco. My grandson and I are not birders but we got much more than that.Make sure you have a good camera because you will want pictures!The Sol Cayo Coco made up 3 simple picnic lunches (one for Paulino) and we brought water.He speaks super English and picks you up at 6:30 AM (we did only first half of day)in a mint 1955 Chev Belair that got respect from the grandson! Paulino has a telescope, binoculars, a Cuban Birds reference book, and provides a Great bird sheet at the end of trip. He answers all questions and is extremely knowledgable!We got to see "the Cave" where younger folk than me (62) are bussed from hotel to dance and party. It's in the ground! He carries a recorder with bird sounds and actually calls them to your spot. Birder or not, you will love the outing, the flora closeup, Hemingways statue, and my absolute favourite--- watching the flamingoes. I could have watched all day! I won't try to recall the many birds we sawbut trust that there were many.Paulino is flexible and realizesThat his customers probably love nature, but hAve different needs. My grandson and I loved our morning! Thankyou Paulino!

A really nice guy, good birder, very knowledgeable on Cuba and you get to ride in a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air

Paulino is really wonderful....He knows his island from East to West, North to South...I highly recommend his services...Memories Flamenco is a nice resort...We booked the Diamond Club to get more perks....was worth it!! The food is really bland....not very warm either...but the Cubans make the difference

This is our 3rd birding trip with Paulino. He is so knowledgeable about birds, wildlife and Cuba! Always a great trip!

Freshly painted buildings,new furniture in guest rooms,new lobby, and Great Cigar bar. The staff as always were amazing.New menus and a Great Beach.

Paulino take you in his old Chevy ( it still has its original straight six engine) what he doe's not know about the bird life of Cayo Coco is not worth knowing, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic .

The region is very poor but everyone lives the same way so that makes it ok. It is nice too see how other countries live and the scenary is beautiful

Like:friendly staff,food,room,the beach long walks plus the viewdislike:none,just don't forget your beach shoes,there are rocks,overcome them and you are on beautiful white sand.

Please see my hotel review for the Melia. I didn't see Paulino was an "attraction" until I was done.

Relaxing and enjoyable. The staff are friendly and kind. This resort has all you need to enjoy a piece of heaven in Cuba. I visited all the others, and this hotel has the best beach.