18 Days Special Colombia Birding Tour

We will drive early two hours to Monterredondo, just one hour before Villavicencio city, the main target here is the Cundinamarca Antpitta but the way offers many other birds of the Eastern Andes, we will spend the de day on that place, in the afternoon, we will drive to Villavicencio (900 ma.s.l.), overnight at Don Lolo Hotel. The birds target are Cundinamarca Antpitta, Greater Scythebill, Brown-breasted Parakeet and others.

After breakfast, we will drive 5 hours to San Jose del Guaviare with some stops on specific spots looking for special birds. In the afternoon, visit Sendero del río, where it is possible for the first views of the Hoatzin and other amazing birds . Overnight at Hotel Aeropuerto. The birds to see are Amazonian UmbrellaBird, White-throated Toucan, Oriole Blackbird, Yellow-bellied Dacnis and others.

This day we will visit this wonderful place looking for the Gianan Cock of the Rock, Clif Flycatcher, Purple Honeycreeper and others, we have to climb 30 minutes but it´s worth it, as well, we will explore the área for other birds. Overnight at Hotel Aeropuerto.

We will visit this amazing place recognized as one of the best places to see birds in this region, we will spend the day at this place and in the afternoon back to San Jose del Guaviare, La Lindosa is located two hours from San José. Burnished-buff.

Tanager, Masked Tanager, Yellow-bellied Tanager, Turquoise Tanager, Paradise Tanager, Opal-rumped Tanager, Gilded Barbet, Latered Aracari and others.

Just 45 minutes from San Jose, this place offers great birds and a great geological history of our planet, we will stay all day here and back to the hotel in the afternoon. Birds Target are Black-faced Dacnis, Short-billed Honeycreeper, Purple Honeycreeper, Yellow-backed Tanager, Chestnut-vented Conebill and others.

Visit to Laguna Negra in the morning, it is a very easy trail with wonderful birds, in the afternoon flight to Cali with a little stop in Bogotá, overnight at Cali (900 m.a.s.l. warm) Birds target are Scarlet-crowned Barbet, Chestnut-capped Puffbird, Brown Jacamar, White-eared Jacamar, Bronzy Jacamar, Amazonian Motmot and others.

The Queremal is located in the old way to Buenaventura, there is Anchicayá, one of the favorite places to watch some endemic and rare birds of the Chocó region. In the afternoon, drive 15 minutes to Queremal (1,750 m.a.s.l.) overnigh at Campanario Hotel.

This place is perfect for Hummingbirds with some rares, but the king here is the endemic Multicoloured Tanager visiting with other Tanagers the fruit feeders. In the afternoon drive two hours to Buga (900 m.a.s.l.) to get ready next day to visit Montezuma. Overnight at Guadalajara Hotel.

The Cerro Montezuma is ideal for the birding experience in the high Andean forest, where the Andes merge with the Chocó, with a little over 300 species of birds, instead beginning to be recognized among birders as one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, finding 11 endemic species of the western mountains, 9 endemic species of Colombia, nearly 14 species of endemic birds. There, we will look for the endemic Gold-ringed Tanager, Endemic Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer, NE Toucan Barbet, NE Purplish-mantled Tanager, endemic Munchique Wood-Wren, NE Black Solitaire and others. Nigth at Montezuma Lodge.

We continue visiting other parts to looking for the other different species in this magical place: Red-headed Barbet, Lemmon and Flamme-rumped Tanager, NE Violet-tailed Sylph, NE Velvet-purple Coronet, White-tailed Hillstar, and NE Empress Brillant. Night in Montezuma.

The La Suiza lodge is a fabulous place. The lodge is surrounded by beautiful forest and all you have done to see forest birds is to step out of your cabin and stroll along the road entering the park. The reserve is the best place to look for the local and endemic Cauca Guan (long thought to be extinct until a healthy population was rediscovered in 1989 near Pereira at the actual location of the Otun-Quimbaya Reserve). We will also be looking for the endemics Chestnut Wood-Quail and Stiles´sTapaculo, Sickle-winged Guan, Greenish Puffleg, Highland Motmot, Strong-billed Woodcreeper, Streak-capped Treehunter, MoustachedAntpitta, Plumbeous-crowned Tyrannulet, Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, both Variegated and Marble-faced Bristle-Tyrants, Chestnut-breasted Wren, Pale-eyed and Glossy-black Thrushes and White-capped Tanagers, among many others. Here we will see the enigmatic Red-ruffed Fruitcrow which is better seen in this location than anywhere else in its range, also is the perfect place for Hooded Antpitta and Torrent Duck.

Another early start will find us at the first traffic light in the upper cloud and elfin forest on the way to Nevado del Ruiz National Park, where our main objective will be to look for the Rufous-fronted Parakeet rare and endemic. At a higher elevation near the entrance to the National Park, we will be looking endemic Buffy Helmetcrest, which is hard to find elsewhere and White-chinned Thistletail, Andean Tit-Spinetail, Stout-billed Cinclodes, Tawny Antpitta, Plain colored Seedeater, Paramo Seedeater,Plumbers Sierra-Finch and is possible to see Andean Condor Wetlands and ponds will also give us the opportunity to Andean Teal and Noble Snipe.
There also have an opportunity to Shining Sunbeam, Black-thighed and Golden-breasted Pufflegs, Great Sapphirewing, Viridian and TyrianMetaltail, Rainbow Bearded Thornbill, Buff-wingedStarfontlet, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Mountain Velvetbreast, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Golden-crowned Tanager, ParamoTapaculo. Other possibilities are rarely OcelatedTapaculo and the rare Black-backed Bush Tanager. Later in the day, we will go to Manizales where we will be lodging.

Río Blanco (2,400 m.a.s.l.) is just 30 minutes from Manizales and is the perfect place for Antpittas (Almost three species) and Cloud Forest Hummingbirds and Tanagers, we will spend the day here, in the afternoon we will drive to Pereira. Overnight there.

In the morning we will visit Cameguadua marsh looking for aquatic birds and other specialists of this place, in the afternoon we will take our flight to Riohacha arriving at 17:00 and transfer to the hotel. Arimaca Hotel

We spent the morning for very special birds like Chestnut Piculet, Slender-billed Inezia, Rufous-billed Hummingbird, Buffy Hummingbird, Glaucous Tanager, Vermillion Cardinal among others, in the afternoon birding at Gaviotas trail and then, drive to Santa Marta, overnight at Sierra Sound Lodge. (600 m.a.s.l.)

We will drive up in the morning to El Dorado Lodge, on the way we will look for the first endemics of this wonderful place like Santa Marta Tapaculo, Santa Marta Brush Finch, Bang’s Wood Wren, White-lored Warbler, Santa Marta Foliage-gleaner, Santa Marta Antbird and others. Overnight t Dorado Lodge (1,900 m.a.s.l)

On This day we began this trip at 4:00 a.m. will search for the highlights of Santa Marta, Besides having the chance to see the snowy mountains at 18.946 ft, it is also
possible to see birds like Santa Marta Parakeet, Santa Marta Antpitta, Streak –capped Spinetail, Rusty-headed Spinetail, Santa Marta Bush Tyrant, Yellow-crowned Whitestart, Grey-throated Leaftosser, Santa Marta Woodstart, Crowned Woodnymph, Santa Marta Sabrewing, White-tailed Starfrontlet, Black-backed Thornbill and other very special birds.Nigth at Dorado reserve.

On our way back, we will keep looking for birds that have not yet been recorded before, we will look on every corner waiting for those hard birds, it is possible to make better records of birds that were far or whose records were sporadic. Santa Marta Screech-Owl,blossom crown, Golden-breasted Fruiteater and others specialties.