Learn what our friends think about Pata de Perro DF
(To see more reviews from our clients, take a look to our page in Tripadvisor here)
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I am the Director of a study abroad program in Guanajuato, Mexico. Our program participants are U.S. university students who spend a semester or a year studying in our beautiful, charming, small city of approximately 140,000 people. One of the highlights of each semester is a weekend excursión with students to visit Mexico City- a megalópolis of over 20 million. This is a fantastic way for our students to see a very different face of Mexico, but as an educator and program administrator, and the person responsible for the safety and security of a dozen curious 20-year olds used to small town living (think country mice going to the big city), a trip to DF is daunting to organize/plan/execute alone.
Myself, our Program Assistant and ten students just returned last night after our third trip to Mexico City working with Gabriel and his team at Pata de Perro. Gabriel was able to accomodate all of our requests and work with us to design and deliver a totally personalized, jam packed 4-day experience for our students. In this and our previous multi-day tours, we were able to visit all the “must-dos”, including Teotihuacan, Casa Azul, Anthropology Museum and other classic stops. But what students (and staff!) enjoyed the most were the very unique, once in a lifetime experiences that Gabriel was able to provide because of his resourcefulness and close relationships in the local community.
As we floated by the typical trajinera full of other college students drinking chelas and listening to pop music in Xochimilco, on our way back from visiting a floating farm (chinampa) our bellies full of delicious fresh salad from Don Felipe’s garden and some of what I am convinced are the world’s best tamales, I was so grateful to Gabriel for taking us far beyond the stereotypes of Mexico, and so that both students and myself could gain a deeper understanding of the realities and complexities that make up one of the world’s most interesting and engaging cities.
Student feedback has been unanimously positive related to Gabriel- he’s like the super cool older brother/uncle type that gets everyone the backstage/behind the scenes, real-deal experience so craved by the Millennial Generation. To me, as an administrator, he is 100% reliable, never runs out of energy, ideas or patience, neither in the planning/execution of these tours, and just an all-around consummate professional and a pleasure to work with.
Gabriel’s newest addition, David, is also fantastic. His strong pedagogical roots shine through in his detailed yet engaging explanations. He was able to keep our students responsive and active throughout the tour of Teotihucan (despite the blazing sun and our early morning departure from Guanajuato… anyone who works with college students can appreciate the state of mind most students are in when they have to get up at 6am for a four-hour bus ride followed by a guided tour, but David had us all scrambling up the side of the Pyramid of the Sun in great spirits and with students asking thoughtful, reflective and critical questions. Marvelous!)
This was our third separate trip to DF working with Pato de Perro in the past year, and each time, we continue to be impressed by Gabriel’s exceptional service and committment. I actually lived in DF for nearly two years and Gabriel continues to surprise me by showing new sides to a city I once called home. We are already planning future tours with Pato de Perro and our students- it’s something really special to be able to hang with and learn from people who are so passionate about what they are sharing- we all walked away from the experience feeling like we received more than just some really great tours- we felt like received a gift.
Muchas gracias Pato de Perro!
Beth West, Resident Director
CIEE-Guanajuato
bwest@ciee.org
Resident Director – Guanajuato, Mexico
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We did a day tour of the Pyramids with Gabriel. He is very professional, organized and charismatic. We picked the tour based on the excellent reviews on trip advisor and was not disappointed. One of the best things about this private tour, is Gabriel’s commitment to service. He was very quick to respond to each request we made, he is a great photographer and knows the best photo spots around the Pyramids and we loved the personal touch of preparing a little picnic snack (which included delicious fuit, cheese and juice) after the beautiful walk of the avenue of the dead. He has excellent knowledge of the area and we were so happy to beat the bus load of crowds and avoid the midday sun with this exceptional itinerary. After spending about 4 hours at the site, climbing the sun and moon pyramids, Gabriel he took us to a very local, fantastic Mexican restaurant in a nice suburb. Being part of a private tour ensures that you do not go to tourist trap sort of restaurant near the pyramids which are where the typical big bus tours take you. After the great meal, Gabriel provided us with some fantastic recommendations of things to do around DF to keep us going for the rest of our stay. We would definitely recommend Pata de Perro DF tours by Gabriel and if we had more time, we would take up one of his other tours.
Jessica H. – Hong Kong
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Gabriel offers personalized tour experiences that take a traveler off the beaten path (or to places on the beaten path but experienced as a local might). With less than 24 hours notice (lucky for me, he was available), we decided to embark upon his already prepared 7 hour Ciudad de Mercados itinerary! It was a Sunday, so our destinations were Mercado Jamaica, La Merced, Mercado Sonora, and La Lagunilla, with the plan to use our own 2 feet, the metro, the bus and the bike-share, eating as much as possible along the way!
Gab walked me through the some markets, talking to me about market etiquette (especially in regards to photography), telling me about the different things I was seeing and the history of the market, reassuring me if I wanted to taste something a vendor was offering, and taking me to his favorite stalls. He quickly noticed that I loved to take photos and made sure to tell me when he saw an interesting subject or when I should probably ask before snapping a shot. Then, as a little mini finale, he took me for carnita tacos…yes, he won an instant friend out of me with this move! Honestly, I found wandering around Mercado Jamaica so enjoyable that I think Gab had to coax me out so that we’d have time for the others. Endless photo opportunities.
Kara D. Minneapolis, Minn.
(Read the complete post on Kara’s blog and learn why our Ciudad de Mercados tour is one of our favorites.)
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Recommendation for Gabriel Talavera:
I am a photographer based in Seattle working for the Andrew Mellon Foundation in New York. My business partner Colleen Chartier and I travel to cities around the world for Mellon capturing current developments in architecture, urban design, landscape architecture and infrastructure development. Our typical mission is to visually describe a city in approximately a two-week time period. The images are distributed world-wide to students and scholars studying architecture, urban planning and design.
We typically hire a team of on-site consultants, guides and drivers that assist us. For the past twenty years we have had some excellent guides that have helped us in identifying, selecting and locating projects that we eventually photographed.
We have never had a guide as outstanding as Gabriel. We hired him for 10 days in Mexico City and were impressed with his preparation, intelligence, resourcefulness, professionalism, humor and common sense. From morning to night Gabriel guided us to our destinations recognizing our specific photography requirements and providing us with the information and access we required to perform our work efficiently. Because of Gabriel’s skills as a guide we were able to visit and document many more projects than we expected.
On a personal level, Gabriel was a delight to be around. He was assertive when required but possessed a great sense of humor and inter-personal skills that connected easily with people of all ages.
Both Colleen and I would highly recommend Gabriel for future guide services with your hotel. Should you want additional information about Gabriel please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Rob W. Seattle, WA
“Es una buena opción para disfrutar un paseo comodamente por una ciudad tan grande y con tantas opciones , sobre todo se aprovecha el tiempo de mejor manera porque vas acompañado de alguien que conoce las calles , los atajos y los mejores lugares!!”
“It’s a good option to enjoy a comfortable visit through a very big city that has a lot of options. It is especially nice because you can be more efficient with your time as you are accompanied by a local that knows the streets, the shortcuts and the best hidden places in the city!”
Fabiola. Monterrey, México.
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Mexico City, a massive city with so much to see, is definitely best explored with a guide, and Gabriel is absolutely excellent. He is knowledgeable about all the sites, fluent in English and outstandingly friendly.
Our tour started out with a structured plan, but we easily slipped into popular chocolate bars, neat shops and off-the-beaten-path scenes when something piqued our interest. From his knowledge of the piramides (pyramids) de Teotihuacan to his knowledge of less-obvious but certainly delicious boutique chocolate bar, in 48 hours Gabriel helped us come to know the amazing capital of Mexico.
I cannot recommend him enough to those looking for more than an encyclopedia-esque trip around the city, but for an experience of DF as only a local could. Thanks so much Gabriel!
– Nick
New York City
Mexico City, a massive city with so much to see, is definitely best explored with a guide, and Gabriel is absolutely excellent. He is knowledgeable about all the sites, fluent in English and outstandingly friendly.
Our tour started out with a structured plan, but we easily slipped into popular chocolate bars, neat shops and off-the-beaten-path scenes when something piqued our interest. From his knowledge of the piramides (pyramids) de Teotihuacan to his knowledge of less-obvious but certainly delicious boutique chocolate bar, in 48 hours Gabriel helped us come to know the amazing capital of Mexico.
I cannot recommend him enough to those looking for more than an encyclopedia-esque trip around the city, but for an experience of DF as only a local could. Thanks so much Gabriel!
– Nick
New York City
Would like to arrange a private tour for 2 to teotihuacan 1/29 or 1/30 and a walking tour of coyoacan and also the Dolores olmedo museum, could do 1/28, 1/29, 1/39 or 1/31. We arrive in Mexico city 1/27 and depart 2/1. So whichever dates work for you. Please advise if you are available. Thank you.
Thanks for your interest. We are available. I’m sending you an email with a proposal. Thanks