Wo we are?
Alejandro Ronchetti
Alejandro is co-founder and director of Kúntur Expeditions. He is an Argentine renowned naturalist and wildlife photographer and a top birder. His images have been published in numerous books, magazines, calendars, stamps, corporate publications and educational materials in several Latin American countries. Nature conservation is one of his passions and main interests. He has been the author and co-author of several conservation projects that have created numerous protected areas in his country, such as the Nature Refuge of Ribera Norte and Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve.
Alejandro is also an enthusiastic interpretive naturalist, with more than 35 years leading groups of birders, naturalists and wildlife photographers through Argentina and South America.
As a professional environmental planner he has also worked for the Argentina’s Tourism Board, and assisting several state governments, agencies and local communities in the development of ecotourism and sustainable tourism.
Mariano Micheluzzi
Mariano was born in Buenos Aires but has been living and working in Patagonia for almost 30 years, leading groups of birdwatchers, wildlife enthusiasts and nature photographers and has bee involved in nature conservation projects in Patagonia with several endangered species, such as the rare Austral rail and the endemic Hooded grebe.
Mariano is an active member of Aves Argentinas (Birdlife in Argentina) and co-founder of El Calafate Birding Club, and he is also involved in educational programs for local schools and running a local radio program about wildlife and environmental issues.
Mariano’s passion has taken him to explore almost every corner of southern South America. He is a licensed naturalist guide of Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina, and lives in El Calafate, one of the gateways to southern Patagonia, with his wife and his young daughter.
Alejandro Capelli
Alejandro was raised in the city of Buenos Aires, spending weekends and summer holidays outside the city, in the countryside, practicing all sorts of sports and enjoying horseback riding in the pampas. He finished his Degree in Tourism, and with his wife Fernanda, they did a two month volunteering in the rainforest of Misiones, as Nature Guides. There, is where the passion for nature and birdwatching started, but their plans were in Patagonia. They moved to El Calafate in 2003, and since then, that is their hometown, and where Lucia, their daughter, was born in 2008. Alejandro is a Professional Tour Guide of Los Glaciares National Park and Santa Cruz Province with a deep passion for birds, nature and photography. With his family, they enjoy nature, hiking and camping as much as possible. He teaches Geography of Argentina and Patagonia in the local Institute of Tourism for professional guides. Also, he is one of the main Coordinators of the local Birdwatching Club, from where they organize educational tours and birdwatching introductory courses for the guides and the community, seasonal censuses and cleaning days along the wetlands of El Calafate. Alejandro is a member of the Association of Nature Photographers of Argentina (Afona) and participated in different exhibitions with his photographs. He also published a book for the Municipality of El Calafate, with his photographs of landscape and native wildlife.
María Cecilia Costa
Cecilia is an active professional photographer and birder. After traveling through different countries along Latin America and Europe, getting to know each diverse culture and landscape, she finally chose Patagonia as the place where to develop her interests in constant touch with nature.
Cecilia grew up in Buenos Aires, where she became bachelor in education and got a degree in natural sciences and professional photography. As an enthusiastic member of Aves Argentinas (BirdLife in Argentina), she spends many days in assorted trips in search of birds, all over Argentina and other destinations. She published several guides to flora and fauna of Patagonia.
Licensed Trekking Guide and certified First Responder, co-founder of El Chaltén Birdwatchers Club, she has developed many conservation projects in the local school and community.
Since 1998, Cecilia lives in El Chaltén, at the foot of Mt. Fitz Roy, leading trekking, birding, and photographic trips all through Southern Patagonia and Latin America.
Esteban Daniels
Raised in Tierra del Fuego, Esteban currently resides in its capital city, Ushuaia. He has a university degree in Tourism and he is one of our senior leaders for Tierra del Fuego. As a professional guide, he specialized in birdwatching, nature and wildlife photography. Esteban grew up in a sheep farm where he developed his love for nature and wildlife. He knows Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia firsthand, and he’s proud to show clients all those secret places where special birds and wildlife live in the southernmost part of the Earth. Leading birding and nature tours is one of Esteban’s passions. Esteban is also involved in conservation and sustainable tourism projects in his homeland. Along with a group of local passionate nature lovers, he helped to create the first Urban Reserve in Ushuaia. This strategic place, located close to the city center, covers 35 hectares of grassland, wetlands and an enclosed bay -a perfect setting for birdwatchers and nature photographers! He helps building a nature sensitive conscience in the local community by leading educational tours for local students to this urban reserve, something that has been doing for many years now. Esteban has also been a founding member and is an active participant of the local birdwatching club. He also loves exploring Patagonia, trekking, camping, fishing, skiing and horseback riding with his wife Susana and his son Juan
Matías Ferroni
Matías is a passionate naturalist photographer and bird watcher, raised in the Paraná River Delta by a conservationist family. Among love, respect for nature and the exuberance of the Delta’s nature was growing his interest in exploring every secret corner, observing and learning about wildlife habits.
Currently Matías Ferroni, together with his parents, he is in charge of Los Pecanes Lodge, a very special place in the Paraná River Delta close to Los Bajos del Temor, from where he leads birding tours and photo safaris, being a specialized guide in the Delta ecosystems, being also trained in first aids and techniques of rescue and survival. He is also one of the best bird photographers in Argentina and the ideal guide for discovering the secrets of the Delta and its wildlife. Besides, Matías has placed in the lodge’s park several hummingbird feeders, which has transformed his home in the best site for photographing these magnificent birds not far from Buenos Aires.
Diego Punta Fernández
Diego Punta Fernández is a passionate conservationist, professional photographer, and author of several flora and fauna guides.
He is an active member of Aves Argentinas (BirdLife in Argentina), co-founder of a Birdwatchers Club, and leader of numerous conservation projects within Patagonia.
Motivated by natural photography, he has explored different destinations for almost twenty years. One of his main goals is to find the best balance between conservation and social development; learning from the very particular matters implied in each region, their history, cultural diversity and natural history.
He has lived in El Chaltén, at the foot of Mt. Fitz Roy, Southern Patagonia, for more than ten years; where he worked as a Fire Fighter and Ranger at Los Glaciares National Park. As licensed Trekking Guide, he leads photo safaris and trekking trips all over Patagonia, Argentina, and other destinations.