Birding in Santa Marta Mountains and Caribbean Tour in Colombia - 12 Days

Depending on your arrival time at Barranquilla, an afternoon of birding is possible near the town, in search of the endemic Chestnut-winged Chachalaca. This is one of the most attractive chachalacas in not only Colombia but possibly the whole of South America. The dry forests on the outskirts of the town will also provide opportunities for species such as the very photogenic Russet-throated Puffbird and the common Brown-throated Parakeet.

Lodging: Hotel Movich Buro 51

We will rise early and spend the morning birding at Isla Salamanca National Park, 35 minutes from Barranquilla, where we will use the newly rebuilt walkways through the mangroves in search of Sapphire-throated Hummingbird, Bicolored Conebill, the common Brown-throated Parakeet, Green-and-rufous Kingfisher and Yellow-chinned Spinetail among many others.

We will also have time to bird some wetlands in the area in search of Northern Screamer and other specialities. After a morning of birding, we will embark on a two-hour drive to Minca, a quaint little town with nice lodging along the river.

Located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Minca is a great location to bird for lower elevation species. We will arrive in town and visit some hummingbird feeders at lunchtime, where Rufous-breasted Hermit, Black-throated Mango, Long-billed Starthroat, the near-endemic Red-billed Emerald and Violet-crowned Woodnymph can be found.

We will also have time to explore the surroundings in search of birds such as Black-backed Antshrike, Scaled Piculet, Swallow Tanager, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Keel-billed Toucan, Masked Tityra, and Whooping Motmot.

Lodging: Hotel Minca

This day will have us birding through a vast altitudinal gradient, covering different elevations along the road to El Dorado Lodge. Birding up the mountain will surely yield a large number of species, including Golden-winged Sparrow, Rosy Thrush-tanager, Rustyheaded Spinetail, Ruddy Foliage-gleaner, the recently described Santa Marta Foliage-gleaner, Rusty-breasted Antpitta, Santa Marta Tapaculo, Black-backed Antshrike, the magnificently colored Blue-naped Chlorophonia, and the attractive Rufous-capped Warbler.

Lodging: El Dorado Lodge

We will rise early and head up to higher elevations towards Cerro Kennedy, in search of these endemics: Santa Marta Parakeet, Santa Marta Warbler, Santa Marta Mountain-tanager, Santa Marta Bush-tyrant and Brown-rumped Tapaculo, among many others.

We will have a picnic at high elevation with great views of the Sierra Nevada, and bird along the road on our way down, hoping to run into awe-inspiring species such as Swallow Tanager, Grove-billed and Santa Marta Toucanet, Black-chested Jay, the endemic White-lored Warbler, Golden-breasted Fruiteater and the near-endemic White-tipped quetzal.

After dinner, we will scout for the endemic and recently described Santa Marta Screech-owl.

Lodging: El Dorado Lodge

After breakfast we will have time to enjoy the well maintained feeders at the lodge. Hummingbirds that visit the feeders include the endemic White-tailed Starfrontlet, White-vented Plumeteer, and Long-tailed Hermit. The bananas attract the endemic Santa Marta Brush-finch and also the endemic Colombian brushfinch, and the many flowers in the garden attract White-sided and Black Flowerpiercers.

We will spend some time seeking out the Santa Marta Antpitta, a skullker that will definitely take some work. A day of birding near the lodge will have its rewards, though, a special treat being the near-endemic Black-fronted Wood-quail that visit the lodge's compost pile in the afternoon.

Lodging: El Dorado Lodge

We will spend the day birding the road en route to our next stop - a hotel beside a beautiful beach. We will pause along the way to catch any birds we missed on the way up.

Finca Barlovento, our accommodation for one night is an exquisite lodge right on the beach that is touted as one of the best places to stay in Colombia.

Lodging: Finca Barlovento

We will have a morning visit to the Tayrona National Park and, if all things align for us, the Blue-billed Curassow could show up. Otherwise, this is a great place to see some species that we are not as likely to see elsewhere on the trip.

One abundant bird that is easiest to see here than anywhere else is the stunning Lance-tailed Manakin. Sometimes it can be found with its relative, the White-bearded Manakin.

The birds at this location are varied, from Crane Hawk and Boat-billed Heron to Greater Ani, White-necked Puffbird and Rufous-tailed Jacamars. Blue-headed Parrot is common, and Lineated Woodpeckers are impressive to see as they forage on the large trees in the area.

White-bellied Antbirds belt out their song from the understorey and if you are lucky they will even show themselves.

The complex songs of Buff-breasted and Bicolored Wrens are heard in the forest, along with the repetitive songs of Scrub Greenlets, nasal sounds of Barred Antshrikes and loud calls of Boat-billed and Streaked Fycatchers. It is an active area, full of birds!

Crimson-backed Tanagers and the gorgeous Redlegged Honeycreepers give a lot of colour to the local flocks. While you are birding here it is common to see the Cottontop Tamarin, a gorgeous little monkey that is dwarfed by the less common White-fronted Capuchin.

While our visit to Tayrona will be brief we will see a lot, and we will enjoy the company of our trained guides who have their fingers on the pulse regarding where to find the birds.

The afternoon will be spent driving to Riohacha, with a stop at a spot where it is known that Double-striped Thick-knees are often seen. Our hotel is again right on the beach.

Lodging: Hotel Taroa

Very close to the city of Riohacha is Los Flamencos and the village of Camarones. This is the west edge of the Guajira desert, where dry forest becomes shorter and sparser and bare dry earth separates the trees from each other.

However, before you have the mistaken idea that this is a parched world, Los Flamencos is on the coast and it has shallow waterbodies that fill as the rains come but evaporate during the dry season.

These evaporating ponds concentrate salt and then the brine shrimp bloom, which brings in the birds that give their name to the park – American Flamingos!

Their numbers vary depending on water levels, but they can be here in their hundreds on a good day. Then, if you have not had enough pink, how about the even brighter Scarlet Ibis? These birds concentrate here as well, with their very close relatives, the White Ibis. Relations are so close, in fact, that every once in a while a hybrid Pink Ibis is seen here. Gulls, terns and many migratory shorebirds are also to be found at Los Flamencos.

Retreating to the forest, you can find a series of very attractive regional specialities. In this drab desert habitat there are wonderful dry forest birds to be found.

The sole South American offshoot of what is really a North American group, the Vermilion Cardinal in one of these. Nothing prepares you for the striking red of this species, even if you are familiar with Northern Cardinals. The Vermilion also has an overdone crest and a very different look to its close relatives from the north.

On the ground, the White-whiskered Spinetail is one heck of a good looking Spinetail - a member of a group that is usually very drab and brown - and tends to bring a "wow" from the crowd.

Pecking in the branches in the forest, and trilling away, will be a tiny and colourful woodpecker, the Chestnut Piculet. And there are specialities that are more somber in tone, such as the Slender-billed Inezia (Tyrannulet), and White-tipped Inezia.

A Santa Marta birding tour favourite is the Russet-throated Puffbird (the Bobo, or fool bird as the locals call it) that will sit and stare back at you as hard as you stare at it.

The less common Orinoco Saltator is another good looking bird to find here, standing out, as it does, from the general saltator group that tend to be relatively greenish, greyish and nondescript birds,

Our forest birding over, after lunch, we will spend the afternoon driving to Villavicencio.

Lodging: Hotel Hampton by Hilton

There will be lots of good birding to be had on our way to the Perija Reserve. The Sierra de Perijá is an isolated offshoot of the Eastern Andes and forms the border with Venezuela. It is one of the least explored areas of Colombia. Much of the country suffered from internal strife that lingered for decades and Perijá was a final stronghold.

Since 2009 the area has thankfully been clear of any political problems, and birders are now venturing to this amazing range of endemic-rich mountains. A new birding lodge, ProAves’s Chamizero del Perijá Reserve, started to receive tourists from May 2015. It is a small, comfortable lodge surrounded by amazing montane forest.

Currently, the Sierra de Perijá is considered to have four endemic species, the Perijá Metaltail, Perijá Thistletail, Perijá Sierrafinch and the newly described Perijá Tapaculo. Yet, this is where things get interesting!

This area was out of reach to birders and scientists for decades. Now, even a cursory visit to the area has revealed that many of what were thought of as common species, such as the Rufous Spinetail and the local Rufous Spinetail version of breasted Brushfinch, are in fact endemic species!

And those are just the common ones, many new discoveries await as birders and biologists increase their visits to Perijá. There is a spinetail there that could be a new species, but so little is known of it a decision on its exact status has not yet been reached.

This area may never rival birding in Santa Marta in the number of endemics it offers, but it will come close once taxonomy has been updated for these birds.

This is a unique area, still being discovered, gorgeous to look at and wonderful to be in. The morning views across the valley to the Sierra Nevada are breathtaking.

Other birds to be found here include Crested and Golden-headed Quetzal, Barred Fruiteater, Andean Condor, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Plushcap, and Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanager.

A unique looking form of Lachrymose Mountain-Tanager is common in the higher areas, as well as another unique endemic that may one day be a full species - the local form of the Golden-bellied Starfrontlet.

Hook-billed Kites are relatively easy to see and, with luck, White-rumped Hawk or even Black-and-chestnut Eagle may fly through.

The road that reaches the Perija reserve continues into páramo habitats, where Rufous-breasted Chattyrants abound and Páramo Seedeater may be found, as well as many Tyrian Metaltail and a few of the stunningly purple-tailed, endemic Perijá Metaltail.

A full day to continue enjoying the amazing habitats and birds of the Perija Reserve.

Lodging: Perija Reserve Lodge

We will spend the morning birding down the road towards Valledupar to catch an afternoon flight to Bogota.

Lodging: Hotel Habitel