Luis Panama

Luis was born in the cloudforest of the tropical Andes near Quito. At the edge of eighteen he started working in a reserve near the town of Nanegalito (Mindo), where his love for birds and nature was nurtured. As his passion for birds and wildlife increased, he moved to Quito to study English and obtained his certification as National Tourism Guide for Ecuador.

Once he finished his guiding training, Luis had the opportunity to work in one of the top lodges in the western cloudforest, where he worked as a naturalist and bird guide. Later he ventured into the Amazon Rainforest as a naturalist guide, where he discovered a new passion for wildlife photography. Nowadays, he is a dedicated full time naturalist and bird guide in Ecuador.

Luis spends his free time photographing all kinds of wild creatures around South America. His wonderful work and knowledge as a guide and nature lover in Ecuador has been published in The New York Times, Aves do Mundo and iNaturalist. These achievements have filled his family with pride, and he has earned admiration from friends and professionals in the ecotourism field.