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end of navigationWelcome to Birdquest
COLOMBIA
Saturday 5th March -
Sunday 27th March 2011
(23 days)
Leaders:
János Oláh and Carl Downing
Group Size Limit: 9
Tour Category: Easy to Moderate for the most part, but there are some optional fairly Demanding hikes
The stunning Gold-ringed Tanager is one of several superb specialities that we will be looking for during the tour (Pete Morris)
(Note: This is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)
To most people Colombia conjures up images of some of the finest coffee in the world, emeralds, cocaine, and swinging salsa and merengue music, but for birders it offers the richest avifauna on earth!
Colombia has had a complex history. Once encompassing all of adjacent Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador, the early republic soon shrunk in size, but even today we are still left with an immense country with an endless variety of scenery, habitats and bird communities.
Colombia has the enviable distinction of having the greatest number of bird species recorded from any country in the world: over 1870 species have been recorded to date! Upon entering from Ecuador, the mighty Andean Cordillera soon divides into three huge ranges, Colombia’s ornithologically-famous Western, Central and Eastern Andes. In between are the wide Cauca and Magdalena Valleys that eventually reach the Caribbean Coast. Here, one of the planet’s most awesome mountain ranges, the snow-clad Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, rises abruptly out of the ocean. Only rivalled by Peru for being the country with the world’s biggest bird list, it is not only the sheer number of species that are impressive about Colombia, but also the extraordinary number of endemics found within its boundaries: in this area it far outshines Peru or any other South American country other than Brazil. Faced with the impossibility of covering all of this vast country in a three week tour, it is on these unique endemic species that we shall concentrate.
We will start out in the scenic mountains around the capital, where such exciting species as Bogota Rail, Silvery-throated Spinetail, Apolinar’s Marsh-Wren, Rufous-browed Conebill and Turquoise Dacnis-Tanager await us.
Next we will visit the Cali area where, in addition to sampling a lively marsh, we will go looking for Multicoloured Tanager as well as paying a visit to one of the world’s most spectacular collections of hummingbird feeders. Our next port of call will be the very wet Pacific slope of the Western Andes, known as the Chocó. Here we can find the stunning Gold-ringed Tanager alongside other colourful Chocó endemics, such as Velvet-purple Coronet, Violet-tailed Sylph and Orange-breasted Fruiteater, and such additional specialities as Munchique Wood-Wren and Black Solitaire.
We will then visit the scenic El Mirador reserve in the Central Andes, which is home to the incredibly rare and threatened Fuertes’s Parrot as well as a number of other high Andean goodies including Black-billed Mountain-Toucan.
A morning at the productive La Suiza may well yield Cauca Guan and the elusive Chestnut Wood-Quail, as well as the superb Chestnut-breasted Wren, before we make an extended stay at Manizales, allowing us to make an in-depth exploration of areas bordering Los Nevados National Park. We will visit the excellent Rio Blanco Reserve and the nearby Nevado del Ruiz where, amongst others, we hope to find such legendary endemics as Rusty-faced Parrot, Brown-banded and Bicoloured Antpittas, and Golden-fronted Whitestart, in addition to more widespread but nonetheless elusive species such as Paramo and Ocellated Tapaculos, and White-capped Tanager.
After visiting the Jardin area in search of Yellow-eared Parrot and Tanager-Finch, we will travel into the wide Magdalena Valley where the humid forests hold such specialities as White-mantled Barbet, Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant and Sooty Ant-Tanager.
Continuing on we will reach the very northern end of the Central Andes where our prime targets will be three species which have been discovered and described relatively recently; Parker’s Antbird, Chestnut-capped Piha and Stiles’s Tapaculo. We should also see the spectacular Red-bellied Grackle in this part of the country.
From Medellin, we will fly to Santa Marta, where we will first explore the arid Guajira Peninsula. Here we will look for some restricted-range species only shared with neighbouring Venezuela, such as Chestnut Piculet, White-whiskered Spinetail and Vermilion Cardinal. As the tour’s grand finale, we will ascend the impressive Sierra Nevada in search of over a dozen endemics whilst simultaneously enjoying some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery!
Birdquest has operated tours to Colombia since 1998.
Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels and lodges are of normal Birdquest standard, although at the simpler end of the range at San Lorenzo. At El Mirador we will spend two nights in very simple dormitory style accommodation with shared bathrooms. Transport is by small coach or minibus, and 4x4 cars and jeeps, and roads are mostly good.
Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy to moderate, but there are a few fairly strenuous hikes (plus a strenuous hike up to El Mirador if you opt not to ride on a mule!).
Climate: At this season it should be mostly dry and often sunny. It can be quite hot and humid in the lowlands, whilst at higher elevations it can be quite cool, especially at night. There may be some rain which at times can be heavy and persistent.
Bird Photography: Opportunities are worthwhile.
Pricing
Pricing is available in £ | $
Tour Price: $8330 Bogotá/Barranquilla. Price includes all transportation (including all flights inside Colombia), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.
Single Room Supplement: $600. There are only a limited number of rooms at San Lorenzo, where we stay two nights. There is no single supplement at this location, but singles are provided free of additional charge if available at the time.
Deposit: $810. If booking more than 12 months before departure, the initial deposit is only $220.
Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.
Pricing is available in £ | $
Colombia is a brilliant country for antpittas, and we have seen 11 species on our recent tours! Yhis is the endemic Brown-banded Antpitta (Pete Morris)
... and the superb Chestnut-naped Antpitta (Pete Morris)
The superb Yellow-eared Parrot is a critically endangered species that we should see well (Pete Morris)
The Cauca Guan is another of the endangered endemics that we should see (Pete Morris)
The cute little Greyish Piculet is another endemic (Pete Morris)
The fantastic jay-like White-capped Tanager is a likely favourite (Pete Morris)
The tour ends in the magnificent Santa Marta mountains which rise from the sea to over 5000m (Pete Morris)
181 photos
View Gallery Photos From COLOMBIA
The marshes around Bogota are home to specialities including Apolinar's Marsh Wren (Pete Morris)
A fine selection of specialities and endemics occur around Bogota such as Rufous-browed Conebill (Pete Morris)
... and the seldom seen Velvet-fronted Euphonia (Pete Morris)
With a birdlist well in excess of 600 species, we'll also see a huge number of more widespread species such as Plushcap (Pete Morris)
Excellent endemics found in the Cali area include the fine Multicoloured Tanager (Pete Morris)
In the Chocó we can expect to find stunners such as Black Solitaire (Pete Morris)
... Beautiful Jay (Pete Morris)
... and the superb Purplish-mantled Tanager (Pete Morris)
We'll have a brief foray into the lowland around Rio Claro where as well as some localized endemics, we see more widespread goodies such as Barred Puffbird (Pete Morris)
... and the amazing Oilbird (Pete Morris)
At the top end of the Central Andes we should find the stunning endemic Red-bellied Grackle (Pete Morris)
... as well as the more subtle Sooty-headed Wren (Pete Morris)
The dry Guajira peninsula provides quite a contrast with specialities including Vermilion Cardinal (Pete Morris)
... the attractive Chestnut Piculet (Pete Morris)
... and the superb Russet-throated Puffbird (Pete Morris)
The lower slopes of the Santa Marta Mountains are home to goodies such as Golden-winged Sparrow (Pete Morris)
Whilst higher up, some great endemics include the skulking Santa Marta Antpitta (Pete Morris)
... and the attractive Santa Marta Toucanet (Pete Morris)
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