Endemic Colombia Birding Tour - 22 Days

Guests will be picked up at the airport.

Lodging: Hotel Araucana

Today we spend the morning around the famous El 18, located on an 1800m (5,900 ft) pass 18km (11 miles) northwest of Cali along the road that connects Cali with the port city of Buenaventura.

Birding can be very productive here, and we will look for four endemics – Chestnut Wood-Quail, Colombian Chachalaca, Grayish Piculet and the spectacular Multicolored Tanager.

This area is a tanager paradise, where we have a good chance of seeing Purplish-mantled, Summer, Beryl-spangles, Flame-rumped, Golden, Metallic-green, Saffron-crowned, and Golden-naped Tanagers as well as Ashy-throated Bush-Tanager and Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager.

We hope to be dazzled by an impressive show of hummingbirds at a private house along the same road, including the beautifully ornate Long-tailed Sylph, Booted Rackettail, Blue-headed Sapphire, Green Violetear, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Speckled Hummingbird, White-necked Jacobin. Brown Violetear and Tawny-bellied Hermit.

Birding the forest can also produce many near-endemics such as Scrub Tanager, Purple-throated Woodstar, Nariño Tapaculo, Purplishmantled Tanager and Yellow-headed Manakin.

Here we will also see striking birds such as Green-and-black Fruiteater, Chestnut-breasted and Blue-naped Chlorophonia, the inconspicuous Golden-headed Quetzal, Scarlet-fronted Parakeet, Red-faced Spinetail, Spotted and Rusty-winged Barbtails, Streaked Xenops, and the noisy, inquisitive Crimson-rumped Toucanet.

We will listen out for species with interesting calls and songs, such as the hawk-like whistle of the Scaled Fruiteater, warbling song of Black-billed Peppershrike, and beautiful flute-like song of Andean Solitaire.

Other species we may find are Chestnut-breasted Wren, Greenish Puffleg, Montane Woodcreeper, Scalecrested Pygmy-tyrant, and the hyperactive Cinnamon Flycatcher.

After birding we head for an afternoon visit to the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek, which requires a 20-minute hike.

Lodging: Hotel La Araucana

Perhaps Colombia’s most famous birding location, the Anchicaya watershed is located along the edge of the Farallones National Park, one of the most diverse parks on the planet.

The birding begins just 40 minutes from the hotel via a paved road that can offer many of the Choco endemics that this mega diverse locality has to offer.

Our day on the Anchicaya road will allow time to enjoy its upper portion and some very well-maintained feeders at our breakfast spot where Rufous-throated, Glistening-green and Silver-throated Tanagers are known to occur.

The road is sure to yield many highly prized species such as Golden-collared Honeycreeper, White-whiskered Puffbird, Uniform Treehunter, Sooty-headed Wren, Green Thorntail and White-tailed Hillstar.

One of the main targets today is Toucan Barbet, sporting 5 different colours elegantly while maintaining a tough demeanour.

We will search the skies for Barred Hawk, Ornate Hawk-eagle and Swallowtailed Kites, whilst keeping an eye out for the attractive Ornate Flycatcher feeding on low branches. Another mega target is the recently described Pisones Tapaculo.

The road can be extremely productive and rarely disappoints.

Lodging: Hotel EPSA Lodge

Birding on this day is again done along the lightly travelled Anchicaya road, but this time with the opportunity to explore the lower portion.

The “El Danubio” area is host to many interesting species, including the near-endemics Rose-faced Parrot and Blacktipped Cotinga, Choco Trogon, Lita Woodpecker and Baudo Guan.

The tanagers can be quite a treat, with chances for Scarlet-and-white, Golden-chested, Gray-and-gold, and Scarlet-browed Tanagers, among many others.

Having lunch along the road will allow us a long day of birding, as we seek out other goodies such as Long-tailed Tyrant, Scarlet-rumped Cacique, Lanceolated Monklet, Bay Wren, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Collared Aracari and colonies of Russetbacked Oropendolas.

The area is teeming with many of our friends who have the word “ant” in their name. And if we are lucky enough to encounter an ant swarm the action can bring birds such as Stub-tailed, Immaculate, Ocellated, and Bicolored Antbirds as well as Streaked and Pacific Antwren amongst many others.

The road to the Pacific lowlands can be rough but it offers such amazing birding opportunities that it makes the slight discomfort inconsequential.

This night is spent in cabins right in the Anchicaya Reserve, managed by a local university.

Lodging: Hotel EPSA Cabins

Birding this morning takes us from the EPSA hotel to the port city of Buenaventura, with the two mega targets of Slaty-tailed Trogon and Five-colored Barbet.

However, it seems as everything in this area is a target, and you don't need too much effort to find species such as White-whiskered Puffbird, Purple-throated Fruitcrow and Black-cheeked Woodpecker.

With the high humidity and heat, though, it is best to have bagged species such as Pacific and Checker-throated Antwrens, Pacific Flatbill, Cinnamon Becard, Whiteringed Flycatcher, Blue-black Grosbeak, and Bluecrowned and Golden-collared Manakin before lunch.

In the afternoon we make our way towards Buenaventura, Colombia’s main port on the Pacific. The hotel has a beautiful terrace with a pool and magnificent views of the bay and the port.

Lodging: Hotel Cosmos

After a one-hour drive to Zaragosa and a pleasant 20-minute ride on “brujitas” (motorcycle-powered wooden carts on rails), you arrive at the town of San Cipriano. The area is a protected reserve and is the source of drinking water for the nearby port city of

Buenaventura.

Located in the Choco Bioregion, it is known for being one of the wettest places on Earth. Some of the birds that are possible include Choco Toucan, Stripe-billed Aracari, Black-tipped Cotinga (NE), Rose-faced (NE) and Blue-headed Parrots, Spot-crowned and Five-colored Barbet (NE), Broad-billed Motmot, Black-chested Puffbird and Purple-throated Fruitcrow.

The area is teeming with antbirds, with chances to see Ocellated, Jet, Stubtailed and Bicolored Antbirds.

We will leave after lunch and drive to the city of Buga at 1,000m in elevation in the Cuaca Valley, in preparation for some wetland birding the following day.

Lodging: Hotel Guadalajara de Buga

We will start early to take a 10-minute drive to the wetland gem of Sonso Lagoon. It is one of the only remaining wetlands in the Cauca Valley and is teeming with birds, making it one of Colombia’s best wetland birding locations. Here we will search the marshes and lagoons that line the Cauca River for Fulvous and Black-bellied Whistling-ducks, Roseate Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Anhinga, Little Blue, Cocoi, and Striated herons, Snowy Egret, Black-necked Stilt and Snail Kite.

We are likely to find Wattled Jacana, which have a polyandry mating system, where females mate with many males within a breeding season. Polyandry is a fascinating adaptation that occurs in fewer than 1% of birds and is most common in shorebirds.

Other interesting species we might spot include the endemics Apical Flycatcher and Grayish Piculet, Jet Antbird, Blackish Rail, Ruby-topaz Hummingbird, and Horned Screamer.

Along the riparian areas we may find Greater Ani, Ringed Kingfisher, Crested and Yellow-headed Caracara, Red-crowned and Spot-breasted Woodpeckers, and Cocoa Woodcreeper. Greater Anis are fascinating because two to four unrelated pairs form a nesting group that build a single nest in which all the females lay their eggs and raise the young communally.

Lunch is at the hotel with time to prepare for a 5-hour drive to the Montezuma Lodge, which will require a transfer to 4x4 vehicles.

Lodging: Montezuma Lodge

The Montezuma Lodge offers unsurpassed hospitality and magnificent feeders and birding right from the lodge, and boasts a 13 km road of pristine forest that covers a 1,400m (4,500 ft) altitudinal gradient. A very early start will have us at the top of the hill by sunrise, in hopes of making the best out of a long day of birding.

Our targets at the higher elevation are the endemics Munchique Wood-wren and Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer, which should be easy to see in the open areas of the top of the hill.

The long descent will provide opportunities for some nice species, including Flame-faced Tanager, Glossy-black Thrush, Barred Fruiteater, Tanager Finch, and Black-and-gold, Rufous-throated, and Golden-chested Tanagers.

We will have a picnic lunch along the way to maximise our birding, allowing time to get after forest skulkers such as Alto Pisones and Spillman’s Tapaculos and Yellow-bellied and Hooded Antpittas.

A long day of birding will end with the reward of an exquisite home-cooked meal and a good night’s sleep.

Lodging: Montezuma Lodge

The Tatama National Park never fails to provide, and seeking out Colombian endemics such as Gold-ringed Tanager and Chestnut Wood-quail can be exhilarating.

If the weather is on our side we will have fantastic views of Cerro Tatama, with hopes of running into species such

as the endemic Beautiful Jay, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, White-faced Nunbird, Glistening-green Tanager, Streak-capped Treehunter, Linnetaed Foliage-gleaner, Olivaceous Piha, and Indigo Flowerpiercer.

A river crossing will give us a chance of White-capped Dipper, and we won’t have to venture too far from the lodge to have chances for Toucan Barbet, Black Solitaire, Choco Vireo and the beautiful Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia.

We will arrive at the lodge in time to scope out the hummingbird feeders for visitors such as Violettailed Sylph, Empress Brilliant, White-tailed Hillstar, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Andean Emerald, and the near-endemic Purple-throated Woodstar.

Lodging: Montezuma Lodge

After breakfast we will have time to enjoy the banana feeders where Silver-throated Tanager, Buffthroated Saltator, and Golden-naped Tanagers take turns at the fruit in a semi-polite manner. Also, the kitchen staff put out maize for a population of Blackish Rail that live in a nearby wetland, affording great views of this usually hard-to-see bird.

After lunch we will head towards the Otun-Quimbaya Reserve, a four-hour drive through the city of Pereira and winding along the Otun River to finally arrive at our accommodation, a locally run and rustic lodge.

Lodging: Yarumo Blanco Cabins

We will rise predawn to look for Choco endemic Colombian Screech-Owl, and then continue birding at the Otun-Quimbaya Reserve, which is right on the doorstep of our hotel.

The Otun-Quimbaya Reserve is a flora and fauna sanctuary located on the west slope of the Central Cordillera and is home to the Wax Palm, the tallest palm in the world and the national tree of Colombia. These palms, unlike most other species of palm, thrive at high altitudes in the cool climates found there.

We will be greeted by the sounds of Howler Monkeys and the endangered, endemic Cauca Guan, once believed to be extinct until the rediscovery of a population in 1990.

Otun-Quimbaya is also one of the best places in the world to observe Red-ruffed Fruitcrow. We will search for endemics – Chestnut Wood-Quail and recently described Stiles’s Tapaculo – and near endemics such as Moustached Antpitta, the handsome Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, and brightly coloured Golden-fronted Whitestart.

Other impressive birds we hope to find include Three-striped, Russet-crowned, and Canada Warblers, Masked Trogon, Green Jay, Andean Motmot, Blue-naped Chlorophonia, and Orange-bellied Euphonia.

We will also look for Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Chestnut-breasted Wren, Plumbeous-crowned Tyrannulet,

Marble-faced and Variegated Bristle-tyrants, and Glossy and Masked Flowerpiercers.

The afternoon drive along the Otun River will be devoted to finding the infamous Torrent Duck. En route to Manizales, a 3.5-hour drive, a stop at a roadside lake may yield more aquatic species for the list including Pied-billed Grebe and Ruddy Duck.

The next two nights are spent at the Rio Blanco Reserve, 30 minutes from Manizales, which has been touted as one of the three best birding sites in the world.

Accommodation for the next two nights is rustic but comfortable and clean, and with unsurpassed hospitality.

Lodging: Rio Blanco Lodge

The Rio Blanco Reserve is owned by Aguas de Manizales, the local water company, and is situated along an altitudinal gradient, therefore including a wide variety of ecosystems. We could possibly observe five antpitta species at feeders located within a short hike from the lodge, including the endemic and endangered Brown-banded, and the elusive Bicolored, Chestnut-crowned, Chestnut-naped, and Slate Crowned Antpittas.

Other feeder visitors that can be sometimes hard to see include Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush and Stripe-headed Brush-Finch.

Additional species observed in Rio Blanco include the uncommon and endangered Rufous-fronted and Golden-plumed Parakeets and the very rare and sought-after Masked Saltator.

The reserve boasts many interesting species that we may encounter, including Tyrannine Woodcreeper, Golden-fronted Whitestart, Dusky Piha, Lachrymose and Buffbreasted Mountain-tanagers, showy Grass-green and White-capped Tanagers, Powerful Woodpecker, and the hard to see Ocellated, Blackish, and Spillman’s Tapaculos.

Other less common species that are possible are Long-tailed Black-billed Peppershrike, the handsome Plushcap, Red-hooded Tanager, Mountain Cacique, and the endangered Golden-plumed Parakeet.

Lodging: Rio Blanco Lodge

Today there's a chance to visit the reserve’s several well-maintained hummingbird feeders that attract a great variety of hummingbirds. We hope to see Tourmaline Sunangel, Buff-tailed Coronet, Speckled Hummingbird, Bronzy and Collared Incas, Mountain Velvetbreast, the tiny, slow-flying White-bellied Woodstar, and the showy Long-tailed Sylph.

In the afternoon we will drive up the mountain to spend two nights at Hotel Termales del Ruiz, at 11,000 ft, where we can relax in mineral-rich, medicinal hot springs and enjoy scenic views of the central Andes.

Lodging: Hotel Termales del Ruiz

Today we will explore Los Nevados National Park, located on the highest part of the Colombian central Andes. We will wind through patches of forest that open up to paramo, an ecosystem of tropical grasslands above the treeline, toward the picturesque 5,300m (17,400 ft) volcano, Nevado del Ruiz.

The scenery in paramo is magical, with the velvety Frailejon plants adding to the surreal effect. Frailejon plants belong to the Espeletia genus and are endemic to Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador.

The tour reaches elevations up to 3,950m (13,000 ft), so it will be cold. Here the goal is to find species adapted to high elevations, such as the endemic Buffy Helmetcrest and the near-endemic Rainbowbearded Thornbill, both of which sometimes forage on the ground.

Also possible are Viridian Metaltail, Stout-billed Cinclodes, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant, the beautiful Golden-crowned Tanager, near-endemic Black-backed Bush-Tanager, and Glossy Flowerpiercer.

We may also find a variety of seedeaters in the paramo, including Plumbeous Sierra-Finch plus Paramo and Plain-colored Seedeaters.

Lodging: Hotel Termales del Ruiz

The morning is spent searching for any targets that may have been missed the previous day and enjoying the hummingbird feeders at the hotel. There is also a chance to look for the very rare and endangered endemic Rufous-fronted Parakeet along a 2km stretch of road that passes through elfin forest, an ecosystem of dwarfed plants. We also hope to spot the very tame Tawny Antpitta, a common companion in this area.

On the drive down to the Pereira airport the road passes by some interesting spots, including a glacial lake, Laguna Negra, where you can find goodies such as Many-striped Canastero, White-tailed Hawk, the rare Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Andean Tit-Spinetail, White-chinned Thistletail, Andean or Ruddy Duck, Andean Teal, Grass or Sedge Wren, and Pale-naped Brush-Finch.

The afternoon is spent flying to Barranquilla.

Lodging: Hotel Barranquilla Plaza

We will rise early and spend the morning birding at Isla Salamanca National Park, 35 minutes from Barranquilla, where we will follow 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 specialties.

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 to have our lunch where Rufous-breasted Hermit, Black-throated Mango, Long-billed Starthroat, the near-endemic Redbilled 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, RufoustailedJacamar, Keel-billed Toucan, Masked Tityra, and Whooping Motmot.

The afternoon will have you birding through a vast altitudinal gradient, at 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, Rusty-headed Spinetail, Ruddy Foliage-gleaner, the recently described Santa Marta Foliage-gleaner, Rusty-breasted Antpitta, Santa Marta Tapaculo, Black-backed Antshrike, the magnificently coloured 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 Flowerpiercer.

We will spend some time trying to see Santa Marta Antpitta, a skullker that will definitely take some work to find.

A day of birding near the lodge will have its rewards, a special treat being the near-endemic Black-fronted Wood-quail that visits 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: Maloka 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,

After lunch, we will take flights from Riohacha to Cali or Bogota.

Lodging: Hotel Hampton by Hilton in Cali, or the Grand

Plaza Hotel in Bogota

The end of this amazing 22-day endemic Colombia birding tour and a chance to reflect on your long list of Colombian specialities.