Part 1: The Eastern Andes and Magdalena Valley

 

Day 1: Bogotá

The tour starts this evening in Bogotá. You will be transferred to a hotel in Colombia’s vibrant capital, where we will spend the first three nights.

 

Day 2: Sumapaz

Leaving early, we drive into the mountains south of the city to Sumapaz National Park, where beautiful páramo dominates the landscape. We’re after two very localized hummers here, the spectacular Green-bearded Helmetcrest and the odd Bronze-tailed Thornbill, along with Apolinar’s Wren, Bogota Rail, and Pale-bellied Tapaculo. We’ll also see a nice selection of more common high Andean species such as Andean Tit-Spinetail, White-chinned Thistletail, Chestnut-winged Cinclodes, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Andean Teal, and Andean Duck.

 

Day 3: Bosque Guajira and Hummingbird Observatory

This morning will see us birding cool cloudforest northeast of Bogota, especially targeting the threatened Brown-breasted Parakeet, a very local endemic. Other birds we will seek include Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Golden-fronted Whitestart, Black-collared Jay, Mountain Cacique, Slaty Brushfinch, Blue-backed Conebill, and numerous other species. In the afternoon, we will stop at one of the best set of hummer feeders in all of Colombia, where we will likely get great views of some truly amazing birds including Blue-throated Starfrontlet, both Black-tailed and Green-tailed Trainbearers, Glowing Puffleg, Sword-billed Hummingbird, and Coppery-bellied Puffleg.

 

Day 4: Laguna Pedro Palo and the Magdalena Valley

We’ll pack up this morning and head west into the Magdalena Valley, stopping along the way at Laguna Pedro Palo. Forested side roads here have some easy and excellent birding with great chances to see Black Inca, Turquoise Dacnis, Moustached Brushfinch, Southern Emerald-Toucanet, Scrub and Black-capped Tanagers, Spectacled Parrotlet, and many more. Continuing our journey, we’ll cross the mighty Magdalena River, the longest river in Colombia. In the afternoon, we will bird dry forest, searching especially for two more endemics: Apical Flycatcher and Velvet-fronted Euphonia. We’ll have one night in the city of Ibagué.

 

Day 5: Combeima Canyon to Rio Claro

The scenic Combeima Canyon is a great spot for several more endemics: Yellow-headed Brushfinch, Indigo-capped Hummingbird, Tolima Blossomcrown, and the shy Tolima Dove. We’ll then have a fairly long drive north along the Magdalena Valley, but we can break the trip up with birding stops for species like Russet-throated Puffbird, Savanna Hawk, Wattled Jacana, Large-billed Tern, Green Kingfisher, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Yellow-headed Caracara, Pied Water-Tyrant, Black-capped Donacobius, and Yellow-chinned Spinetail. We spend two nights in a lodge near Rio Claro.

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Day 6: Rio Claro area

A morning in the lush rainforest in and around the Rio Claro will hopefully produce several endemics such as Magdalena Antbird, Sooty Ant-Tanager, White-mantled Barbet, Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant, and Beautiful Woodpecker among other more widespread species like Barred Puffbird, Bay Wren, and Olivaceous Flatbill. The bizarre and unique Oilbird, in its own monotypic family, is also a huge draw for casual and world birders alike. We’ll make an afternoon visit to one of their nesting caves. We may have to wade through a stream, but it will be well worth it to see these neat birds. The trail is also a chance to see other scarce birds like Brownish Twistwing and White-whiskered Puffbird, and birding forest edge may get us various tanagers, oropendolas, woodpeckers, and other species.

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Day 7: Rio Claro to Medellín

Another morning visit to Rio Claro will give us a shot as the endemic Magdalena Antbird, scarce Gray-cheeked Nunlet, and another chance at anything else we still need in the area. We’ll then drive to the city of Medellín, where we spend a single night on the slopes above the city. Time permitting, we will have a first visit to the nearby La Romera Reserve (see Day 1 of part 2).

 

Day 8: Departure

For those not joining Part 2, the tour ends this morning with transfers to Medellín’s international airport. If your flight is not super early, you can join us for the morning birding at La Romera.

 

Part 2: The Central and Western Andes

 

Day 1: Arrival day for those not  joining Part 1

A transfer will be provided from Medellín's international airport to our hotel on the slopes above the city, where you will meet up with the rest of the group in the evening.

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Day 2: La Romera to Jardín

La Romera is a small reserve on the outskirts of Medellín. The stunning Red-bellied Grackle is usually the star bird here, but we’ll also look for Stiles’s Tapaculo and the rare Yellow-headed Manakin. Later, we will drive for several hours to the pleasant mountain town of Jardín, where we will spend two nights. Time permitting, we will visit a superb Andean Cock-of-the-rock lek, where several males can usually be seen at close range despite being only a few hundred meters from the center of town.

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Day 3: Jardín Area

We'll depart early in 4×4 vehicles to the mountains above Jardín. Yellow-eared Parrots are making a comeback here thanks to good local conservation efforts protecting the wax palms they rely on. We’ll head up a rough road early in the morning to their reserve, and should enjoy nice views of them flying to their feeding grounds. We’ll spend the rest of the day birding the forest, searching for some scarce montane birds including White-capped Tanager, Chestnut-crested Cotinga, Powerful Woodpecker, Chestnut-naped Antpitta, Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant, Andean Pygmy-Owl, and Barred Fruiteater among a slew of more common species.

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Day 4: Cauca Valley to Manizales

Leaving Jardín, we’ll stop for an hour or two near the Cauca River to look for the endemic Grayish Piculet, Antioquia Wren, and for another shot at Apical Flycatcher, before driving several hours south to the city of Manizales, where we will spend two nights.

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Day 5: Rio Blanco Reserve

This municipal reserve protects the water supply for the nearby city of Manizales. Rangers maintain several antpitta feeding stations near the lodge, and we will stop at all of them during this morning. The antpittas are wild birds and therefore unpredictable, but there are decent chances to see Chestnut-crowned, Brown-banded, Bicolored, and Slate-crowned Antpittas, and occasionally others. Apart from the antpittas, there are plenty of other birds to look for, including Ocellated Tapaculo, Dusky Piha, Grass-green Tanager, Golden-plumed Parakeet, Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher, Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Black-collared Jay, Black-capped Hemispingus, Capped Conebill, Sharpe’s Wren, Golden-headed Quetzal, Flammulated Treehunter, and numerous tanagers. Hummer feeders are also quite good, with Bronzy Inca, Long-tailed Sylph, and Tourmaline Sunangel among the species that visit them.

 

Day 6: Hacienda El Bosque to Termales Ruiz*

We'll drive up into the mountains to an excellent new reserve on a dairy farm with another set of terrific feeding stations. With luck, we will see both Equatorial Antpitta and the spectacular Crescent-faced Antpitta coming into worms. Other superb Andean species can be found in the forest, including Barred Fruiteater and Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan. We’ll then drive higher up into the Andes and spend one night in a remote and beautiful lodge with thermal baths – it’s nice to soak in the pools after a day in the field! The hummingbird feeders are superb, offering some of the best high Andean hummers around. Golden-breasted and Black-thighed Pufflegs, Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Shining Sunbeam, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Great Sapphirewing, Mountain Velvetbreast, and Viridian Metaltail are all regular there. In the afternoon, we’ll drive up to a spot above the lodge where the rare Rufous-fronted Parakeet can sometimes be seen flying over towards their roosting area. (*Note: due to recent volcanic activity, this area may be closed. If this happens during the tour, we will visit a different site today and stay in a diffent hotel or lodge) 

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Day 7: Nevados del Ruiz to Santa Rosa

Early morning around the lodge can be productive for neat birds like Lacrimose and Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanagers, Pale-naped and Gray-browed Brushfinches, Glossy Flowerpiercer, Paramo Tapaculo, and more. We’ll then head up to the entrance to Los Nevados National Park at 13,800ft (4200m). Buffy Helmetcrest, an impressive endemic hummingbird, can often be seen here feeding on Espeletia flowers. Other possible species here are Tawny Antpitta, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant, Grass Wren, Andean Tit-Spinetail, White-chinned Thistletail, and Andean Siskin. In the afternoon, we’ll head to lower elevations and drive about three hours to the town of Santa Rosa, where we will spend one night, making a few birding stops en route.

 

Day 8: Finca Cortaderal to Otún Quimbaya

We’ll take 4×4 vehicles up to some forest patches high above Santa Rosa, where small numbers of the critically endangered Indigo-winged Parrot are still seen regularly. We’ll stake out one of their favored patches for several hours, hoping to get some views of this super-rare bird. We should see a few other species while we wait, possibly including Buff-breasted and Hooded Mountain-Tanagers, Purple-backed Thornbill, Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant, and Golden-plumed Parakeet. In the afternoon, we will drive to Otún Quimbaya, a reserve that protects one of the last remaining populations of the endangered Cauca Guan, which has become quite easy to see around the lodge along with the spectacular Red-ruffed Fruitcrow. Note: As of Oct 2021, the lodge is still closed due to Covid - if it remains closed, we will spend the night in a hotel in the nearby town of La Florida instead.

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Day 9: Otún Quimbaya to Montezuma

We’ll have the full morning to bird around Otún Quimbaya, where we will try to see Hooded Antpitta at a known stakeout, along with Chestnut Wood-Quail, Chestnut-breasted Wren, Crested Ant-Tanager, and numerous tanagers including a chance at the ornate Multicolored Tanager. In the afternoon, we will drive west a few hours and then switch into 4×4 vehicles for the final journey to Montezuma Lodge, where we will spend three nights. This simple lodge is located in the incredibly rich Chocó region, where numerous stunning endemics occur. The lodge has been upgraded in recent years, and now all rooms have private bathrooms.

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Days 10-11: Cerro Montezuma and Tatamá National Park

With two full days here, we will bird several different elevational zones, each of which have their own specialties. The middle elevations above the lodge are home to some of Colombia’s most coveted birds including Black-and-gold and Gold-ringed Tanagers, Crested Ant-Tanager, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, and Club-winged Manakin. We will find numerous other species while looking for them, some of which may include Fulvous-dotted Treerunner, Sooty-headed Wren, Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager, Indigo Flowerpiercer, Glistening-green Tanager, Parker’s Antbird, Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl, and the newly-described Tatama Tapaculo. One morning we’ll take the 4×4’s all the way to the end of the road for a different set of species, among them Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer, Munchique Wood-Wren, Purplish-mantled Tanager, Beautiful Jay, and Black Solitaire.

 

Day 12: Return to Bogotá

We should have time for a few more hours of birding this morning before driving to Pereira and catching an afternoon flight to Bogotá, where we will spend the final night.

 

Day 13: Departure

The tour concludes this morning with transfers to the international airport.