CLASSIC COLOMBIA – The Ultimate Birding Tour to the Ultimate Birding Destination!

PRICE INFORMATION

Birdquest Inclusions: Our tour prices include surface transportation, accommodations, meals and entrance fees.

We also include all tipping for local guides, drivers and accommodation/restaurant staff.

We also include this flight in the tour price:

Bogotá-Santa Marta

Deposit: 20% of the total tour price. Our office will let you know what deposit amount is due, in order to confirm your booking, following receipt of your online booking form.

TO BOOK THIS TOUR: Click here (you will need the tour dates)

There are only a limited number of rooms at the San Lorenzo (El Dorado) reserve. There is no single supplement at this location, but singles are provided free of additional charge if available at the time (they usually are, but not always for everyone who wants one).

The single supplement will not apply if you indicate on booking that you prefer to share a room and there is a room-mate of the same sex available.

This tour is priced in US Dollars. Amounts shown in other currencies are indicative.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency will be pleased to arrange your air travel on request, or you may arrange this yourself if you prefer.

CLASSIC COLOMBIA BIRDING TOUR: DETAILED ITINERARY

Colombia: Day 1  Our Classic Colombia birding tour begins in the evening in Bogotá, where we will stay for three nights.

Colombia: Days 2-3  Built on a flat, high mountain plateau, the bustling city of Bogotá is a great base from which to explore an excellent variety of natural habitats in Colombia’s Eastern Andes.

During our exploration of the Bogotá region, we will explore some high paramo, where we have a great chance of finding the splendid endemic Green-bearded Helmetcrest and near-endemic Bronze-tailed Thornbill. Here, in the thin mountain air, endemic Boyaca Antpittas bound across the turf, Chestnut-winged Cinclodes creep around the wetland edges and endemic Bogota Rails and Apolinar’s Wrens frequent the marshland. Another typical inhabitant here is the distinctive Noble Snipe, and we shall have an excellent chance of seeing this localized bird.

Other species at these high altitudes include Andean Teal and Andean Duck. During the boreal winter, we could encounter a Merlin.

We will also visit some feeders where the delightful, restricted-range Golden-bellied Starfrontlet can often be seen, as well as Lesser Violetear.

On our second day, we will explore an area of high elevation forest in Chingaza National Park where we have an opportunity to see the colourful endemic Flame-winged (or Brown-breasted) Parakeet, the endemic Silvery-throated Spinetail (which betrays its presence with its staccato vocalizations more typical of Cranioleuca spinetails) and the near-endemic Pale-bellied (or Mattoral) Tapaculo.

Other specialities we may well encounter while exploring this diverse park include such near-endemics as Longuemare’s Sunangel, Blue-throated Starfrontlet (which nowadays regularly visits feeders), Coppery-bellied Puffleg,  Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, Rufous-browed Conebill and the pretty Golden-fronted Whitestart (here of the nominate white-cheeked race), and also the localized and gorgeous Golden-crowned Tanager.

The monotonous calling of an Andean Pygmy Owl may well lure in a mob of nervous little birds, and amongst these, or in the busy mixed feeding flocks, we will look for Pearled Treerunner, White-browed Spinetail, Black-capped and White-throated Tyrannulets, Agile Tit-Tyrant, Rufous Wren, Black-crested Warbler, Black-headed, Black-capped, Black-eared, Superciliaried and perhaps Oleaginous Hemispinguses, and the brilliant Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager, the electric-blue Blue-backed Conebill and the smart Plushcap. Black and Bluish Flowerpiercers vigorously pursue their nectar thievery in the company of many other passerines in the flowering shrubs.

Thick bamboo fills many of the forest glades and strange but distinctive calls may well lead us to the endemic Muisca Antpitta, while other birds of interest in this splendid area include Andean Guan and Ash-coloured Tapaculo. We may also find the interesting Red-crested Cotinga and the uncommon Andean Siskin.

Other widespread species we may well encounter include Sickle-winged Guan, Band-tailed Pigeon, Scaly-naped Amazon, Chestnut-collared Swift, Long-tailed Sylph, Tyrian Metaltail, the colourful Glowing Puffleg, Bronzy and Collared Incas, Masked Trogon, White-throated Toucanet, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Merlin, Azara’s Spinetail, Montane and Lineated Foliage-gleaners, Blackish Tapaculo, Mountain Elaenia, White-banded and perhaps Tawny-rumped Tyrannulets, the delightful Rufous-headed Pygmy Tyrant , Streak-necked, Slaty-capped, Flavescent and Cinnamon Flycatchers, Smoke-coloured Pewee, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant, Green-and-black Fruiteater, Barred Becard, Blue-and-white and Brown-bellied Swallows, Sepia-brown Wren, Grey-breasted Wood Wren, the musical Andean Solitaire, Glossy-black Thrush, Black-collared Jay, colourful Hooded, Blue-winged and Buff-breasted Mountain Tanagers, Grass-green, Blue-capped, Blue-and-black, Beryl-spangled and Flame-faced Tanagers, White-sided, Glossy and Masked Flowerpiercers, Grey-browed, Pale-naped and Slaty Brushfinches, Plain-coloured Seedeater, Citrine, Three-striped and Russet-crowned Warblers and Northern Mountain Cacique.

Widespread birds likely in more open habitats as we travel around the Bogotá region include Neotropic Cormorant, Western Cattle, Snowy and Great Egrets, Striated Heron, Bare-faced Ibis, Black and Turkey Vultures, White-tailed Kite, Roadside Hawk, American Kestrel, Southern Lapwing, Eared Dove, Ruddy Ground Dove, Squirrel Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Sparkling Violetear, Tropical Kingbird, Cattle Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Southern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow (during the boreal winter), Bananaquit, Blue-grey and Palm Tanagers, Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, Yellow-backed Oriole, Shiny Cowbird and Eastern Meadowlark.

Colombia: Day 4  West of the capital, the western slope of the Eastern Andes still harbours some very ‘birdy’ patches of cloudforest. One of these is one of the few sites where one of Colombia’s rarest endemics, the colourful Turquoise Dacnis, can sometimes be found, though it is by no means common here. Another of the country’s specialities that occurs here is the flashy but scarce endemic Black Inca, and whilst looking for the latter species (which is very erratic at this site) we are likely to encounter several other hummingbirds such as Crowned Woodnymph, Andean Emerald, Steely-vented Hummingbird and White-booted Racket-tail.

Oak trees, not found in any other South American country, are sometimes inhabited by parties of noisy Acorn Woodpeckers, while active mixed flocks nervously flit through the canopy and mid-levels, and often include Red-crowned and Smoky-brown Woodpeckers, Ash-browed Spinetail and Brown-capped Vireo. Warblers often join the flocks and, as well as the resident Tropical Parula and Slate-throated Whitestart, during tours in the boreal winter we may well find wintering Black-and-white, Tennessee, Blackburnian, Mourning, Canada and possibly even Cerulean Warblers, as well as Swainson’s Thrush. Colour is added by the bewildering array of tanagers, which include Fawn-breasted, Golden, Blue-necked, Bay-headed, Scrub, Black-capped and Crimson-backed.

Other species likely here include the near-endemic Moustached Brushfinch as well as Pale-breasted Spinetail, Sooty-headed and Golden-faced Tyrannulets, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Whiskered and House Wrens, Black-billed and Great Thrushes, Streaked Saltator, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Saffron Finch. Brown Scythebill and Montane and Lineated Foliasge-gleaners are also possible.

We will also explore some shade coffee lower down where, in the brushy borders, we should see the zebra-striped, near-endemic Bar-crested Antshrike, which occurs here in close proximity to the similar but more widespread Barred Antshrike. Other species at these lower elevations include White-tailed Kite, White-tipped Dove, Slaty Spinetail, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Vermilion Flycatcher, Scrub Greenlet and Rufous-browed Peppershrike. Here also we will look for flowering trees frequented by ‘hummers’ such as Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and White-vented Plumeleteer, and, if we are fortunate, we will find one of the rarer species such as Short-tailed Emerald. We may also come across the smart Stripe-breasted Spinetail.

During the late afternoon, we will explore some dry habitat in the Magdalena Valley, where we will have our first chance to find the endemic Apical Flycatcher and Velvet-fronted Euphonia, while other new birds could well include Crested and Yellow-headed Caracaras, Scarlet-fronted Parakeet, White-bellied Antbird, Pale-eyed Pygmy Tyrant, Black-striped Sparrow, Grey Pileated Finch, Grey Seedeater and Black-faced Grassquit.

After exploring this area we will continue to Cajamarca for a two nights stay.

Colombia: Day 5  Today we will explore the very important Giles-Fuertesi reserve in search of two rare endemic parrots that are both regularly recorded in this area; Fuertes’s and Yellow-eared Parrots. Yellow-eared Parrot is a little-known species which is severely threatened due to the cutting of the wax palms that it needs for roosting and breeding. The species has become a Colombian endemic following the extirpation of the last population in northern Ecuador in the 1990s.

Colombia: Day 6  This morning we shall visit some relict patches of drier woodland in the Cajamarca region. Here we will try to find such endemics as the rare Tolima Dove, Indigo-capped Hummingbird, Tolima Blossomcrown and the highly localized Yellow-headed Brushfinch. We also have a good chance of finding the shy White-naped Brushfinch, as well as the superb White-throated and Crimson-rumped Toucanets, White-crowned Tapaculo, Moustached Puffbird, Collared Trogon and Andean Solitaire.

Afterwards, we continue northwestwards across the paramo to Otún Quimbaya for an overnight stay. We may encounter Rufescent and Tropical Screech Owls this evening.

Colombia: Day 7  This morning we will visit the Otún-Quimbaya Reserve where we shall find ourselves listening for the pre-dawn calls of the endangered Cauca Guan, for it was at this site that this previously thought-to-be-extinct cracid was rediscovered during the 1990s. As the sky lightens we should locate this Colombian endemic as well as Sickle-winged Guan, whilst the booming calls of lekking Red-ruffed Fruitcrows (which are surprisingly common here) fill the air. If we are in luck we will encounter the furtive and very difficult Wattled Guan.

Dense brush at the forest edge holds the inconspicuous and recently-described Stiles’s Tapaculo, whilst almost pure whistles from the forest understorey indicate the presence of Chestnut-breasted Wrens, perhaps more numerous here than anywhere else in the species’ range. It is also an excellent place for hearing, and with luck seeing, the secretive Chestnut Wood Quail, and even the rarely seen Hooded Antpitta, which is being seen with increasing regularity at this site.

As mixed foraging flocks start assembling, we shall carefully scrutinize these for the localized Plumbeous-crowned Tyrannulet and Rufous-breasted Flycatcher as well as Golden-olive Woodpecker and Red-faced Spinetail, and amongst the tanager flocks, we may well find the magnificent endemic Multicoloured Tanager. Other species we may well see include the impressive Golden-plumed Parakeet, Strong-billed Woodcreeper, Slaty Antwren, Marble-faced and Variegated Bristle Tyrants, and Inca Jay.

Along the river, we are very likely to find a superb pair of Torrent Ducks, which we will also take the time to look at. This stunning duck is another flagship species for many South American countries and highly evocative of the tumbling rivers of the Andes. We may also find Black Phoebe, Torrent Tyrannulet and White-capped Dipper.

Later we will drive to the town of Manizales for a three nights stay.

Colombia: Day 8-9  Protecting an important watershed for the city of Manizales, the important Rio Blanco reserve holds some of the rarest and most threatened species in Colombia. In particular, we will be keen to find the rare Rusty-faced Parrot and the skulking and hard-to-see Brown-banded and Bicoloured Antpittas.

In recent years, Brown-banded Antpitta has become easier to see as it visits a feeding station alongside Slaty-crowned Antpitta and Chestnut-crowned Gnateater. Other skulkers include Chestnut-naped Antpitta, the amazing Ocellated Tapaculo (which can be hard to see) and Spillmann’s and Ash-coloured Tapaculos. We shall also be alert for the jay-like calls of a party of stunning White-capped Tanagers, one of the oddest members of its family.

Another feature of the reserve is the amazing set of hummingbird feeders where, as well as the ubiquitous Tourmaline Sunangel, we should see the more drably-cloaked Speckled Hummingbird, the aggressive Buff-tailed Coronet and the tiny White-bellied Woodstar.

Other species that we will hope to see here include Plain-breasted Hawk, Long-tailed Sylph, the superb Black-billed Mountain Toucan, the delightful Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Tyrannine and Black-banded Woodcreepers, Streak-headed Antbird, the drab and elusive Dusky Piha, Rufous-crowned Tody-Tyrant, White-tailed Tyrannulet, Pale-edged and Golden-bellied Flycatchers, Mountain Wren, Capped Conebill (here with a white cap), Grey-hooded Bush Tanager and Black-winged Saltator. We will also seek out bamboo specialists such as Black-eared Hemispingus and Plushcap.

Pre-dawn, armed with a spotlight, we shall go in search of White-throated Screech Owl, Rufous-banded Owl, Rufous-bellied Nighthawk and Band-winged Nightjar.

If we are fortunate we will see one or two of the rarer or more difficult species such as Scaly-naped Amazon, Yellow-billed Cacique and the bamboo-loving Masked Saltator.

During our second full day, we will explore the high temperate zone at Nevado del Ruiz, which is situated at above 9800ft (3000m), where patches of forest give way to the paramo. Here, our primary targets are the endemic Buffy Helmetcrest and the endemic and very localized Rufous-fronted Parakeet (which is often hard to find).

In the more open areas and around a wetland we shall look for Andean Teal, White-tailed Hawk, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Andean Tit-Spinetail, the localized Stout-billed Cinclodes, the attractive Many-striped Canastero, White-chinned Thistletail, Grass Wren, Pale-naped Brushfinch, and a variety of seedeaters including Plumbeous Sierra Finch and Paramo Seedeater. Tawny Antpittas are often very tame here and we should see this endearing species well.

Of special interest are the fabulous hummingbird gardens surrounding the hotel at Los Nevados where we will spend the night. Here, a number of colourful hummingbirds, including Viridian Metaltail, Golden-breasted Puffleg, the lovely Buff-winged Starfrontlet and the dazzling Shining Sunbeam, occur alongside Great Sapphirewing and the formerly tough-to-see, near-endemic Black-thighed Puffleg and gorgeous Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, and sometimes even the scarce Purple-backed Thornbill.

Colombia: Day 10  We will spend the morning near Los Nevados where we hope to see Crescent-faced and Equatorial Antpittas attending feeders. The feeders also attract Wite-throated Quail-Dove, Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan, Hooded Mountain Tanager and other species.

Afterwards, we will head down to the humid Chocó region for a four nights stay in the fantastic Montezuma region.

Colombia: Days 11-13  No ‘ultimate’ Colombia birding tour would rate as such without visiting the Chocó! As well as being very birdy, the Chocó region of Colombia is one of the wettest areas on our planet, and we are bound to have some rain during our visit.

As well as holding a number of Chocó endemics that are shared with Ecuador, this area is also home to plenty of Colombian endemics, including the stunning endemic Gold-ringed Tanager and its close Bangsia relative the endemic Black-and-gold Tanager, both of which we can expect to see.

While at Montezuma we will walk a series of forest trails and work our way along a little-used track through the mossy forests. We should see a number of colourful and exciting hummingbirds, such as Tawny-bellied Hermit, White-throated Daggerbill, Rufous-gaped Hillstar, Empress Brilliant, Collared Inca, the near-endemic Brown Inca, Velvet-purple Coronet, Purple-throated Woodstar and the exquisite Violet-tailed Sylph. In recent times, the very rare endemic Dusky Starfrontlet has occasionally been recorded at feeders in the area.

Mixed flocks are a feature of the area and in these flocks, or elsewhere, we may well encounter Red-headed Barbet, the near-endemic Toucan Barbet and Black-chinned Mountain Tanager, Yellow-vented Woodpecker, Olive-backed Woodcreeper, the skulking Rufous Spinetail, the smart but localized Star-chested Treerunner, the retiring Uniform Treehunter, Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, the near-endemic Narino Tapaculo, Ornate and Handsome Flycatchers, Black Solitaire, the stunning, near-endemic Glistening-green and Purplish-mantled Tanagers, Silver-throated, Lemon-rumped and near-endemic Rufous-throated Tanagers, Dusky Chlorospingus, the delightful, near-endemic Indigo Flowerpiercer and the near-endemic Choco Brushfinch.

We should also come across some of the scarcer species of the area, which include such endemics and near-endemics as Cloud-forest Pygmy Owl,  the little-known Bicoloured Antvireo, Parker’s Antbird, the elusive Yellow-breasted Antpitta (easy to hear!), Choco Tapaculo, the gorgeous Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Club-winged Manakin, Choco Vireo, Beautiful Jay, Crested Ant Tanager and the stunning Yellow-collared Chlorophonia, as well as Pacific Tuftedcheek, the sluggish Olivaceous Piha and Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia.

We should also find such more widespread species as Swallow-tailed Kite, Broad-winged Hawk, Ruddy Pigeon, the gorgeous Golden-headed Quetzal, Andean Motmot, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Streak-necked Flycatcher, Slaty-backed Chat-Tyrant and Capped Conebill (the subspecies here has a blue cap and so does not appear capped!).

We will also explore another area, high up on a ridge shrouded in clouds. This area is very good for four rare and localized endemics; Chami Antpitta, Tatama Tapaculo, Munchique Wood Wren and Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer. Also in the area are Green-and-black Fruiteater and the skulking Tanager Finch.

On another occasion we will spend a morning at lower altitudes in the Chocó, visiting an area where the impressive but very localized endemic Baudo Oropendola is regularly found.

Colombia: Day 14  After some final birding around Montezuma we will drive to Riosucio for an overnight stay.

Colombia: Day 15  Today we will visit a lodge where VChami Antpitta and often Chestnut-naped Antpitta visit the feeders.

Afterwards, we will continue to Jardin for an overnight stay.

We are likely to come across a number of other goodies in the cloudforest en route such as White-browed Spinetail, Striped Treehunter, Rufous-chested Chat-Tyrant, Streak-throated Bush Tyrant, the splendid Barred Fruiteater, Black-collared Jay and, with luck, the near-endemic Tanager Finch or even the rare Tawny-breasted Tinamou or Chestnut-crested Cotinga.

Lower down, in the more open country, we may well find a few more new species for the trip, such as White-capped Parrot, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, White-lined Tanager, Subtropical Cacique, Russet-backed Oropendola and perhaps a small group of Black-and-white Seedeaters.

We should arrive in plenty of time to see the magnificent Andean cock-of-the-Rock at a huge lek on the edge of town. As this is indeed one of the spectacles of Andean birding we will devote some time at this site watching these bizarre birds displaying. Local feeders attract the endemic Colombian Chachalaca and Red-bellied Grackle. We might also see Chestnut-capped Brushfinch and Black-chested Jay in this area.

Colombia: Day 16  Today we will head for Rio Claro for a two nights stay. Along the way, we will stop to look for the recently-described endemic Antioquia Wren and we also have a good chance to see the endemic Greyish Piculet, as well as Black-crowned Antshrike.

Colombia: Days 17  The excellent Rio Claro Reserve preserves one of the best tracts of humid tropical forest remaining in the middle Magdalena Valley and here we hope to find no fewer than four of Colombia’s threatened Magdalena Valley endemics, the gaudy White-mantled Barbet, Beautiful Woodpecker, the recently-discovered Antioquia Bristle Tyrant and the stunning Sooty Ant Tanager with its bubblegum-pink throat patch and crest that stand out against the dark of the forest interior. We will also be looking for such near-endemics as  Choco Screech Owl, the amazingly colourful Citron-throated Toucan and Magdalena Antbird as well as the range-restricted Russet-wing Schiffornis.

In addition, a host of other exciting birds inhabits this interesting habitat, and we shall arrive early when the dawn chorus is in full swing. Black-bellied and Bay Wrens vigorously proclaim their territorial rights with their loud duets and strikingly plumaged species include Striolated and White-bearded Manakins.

One of the area’s outstanding avian highlights is an impressive Oilbird cave. After entering the dark haunts of this strange nightbird, we will listen to the loud shrieks constantly echoing from the guano-covered walls of the cave and look up at the greasy chicks and their devoted parents huddled on the narrow ledges.

Other birds we may well find in the Rio Claro area include the impressive King Vulture, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Plumbeous Kite, Laughing and Bat Falcons, Plumbeous Pigeon, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Spectacled Parrotlet, Blue-headed Parrot, Striped Cuckoo, Greater Ani, Spectacled Owl, Grey-rumped and Short-tailed Swifts, Rufous-breasted and Long-billed Hermits, Purple-crowned Fairy, Black-throated, White-tailed and Gartered Trogons, Rufous and Broad-billed Motmots, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, the attractive but sedate Barred Puffbird, White-whiskered Puffbird, Yellow-throated Toucan, Collared Aracari, Olivaceous Piculet, and Crimson-crested, Red-rumped and attractive Cinnamon Woodpeckers.

Passerines include Plain-brown, Wedge-billed, Cocoa, Straight-billed and Streak-headed Woodcreepers, Plain Xenops, Pacific, White-flanked and Dot-winged Antwrens, Chestnut-backed and Bicolored Antbirds, One-coloured and Cinnamon Becards, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet, Forest Elaenia, Ochre-bellied, Sepia-capped, Piratic, Great Crested, Dusky-capped, Streaked and Boat-billed Flycatchers, the restricted-range Panama Flycatcher, Olivaceous Flatbill, the bizarre Southern Bentbill, Brownish Twistwing (uncommon), Long-tailed Tyrant, Bright-rumped Attila, Golden-headed Manakin, the gorgeous Black-chested Jay, the noisy Band-backed Wren, Pale-breasted Thrush, Trilling Gnatwren, White-winged Swallow, Grey-breasted Martin, Chestnut-headed Oropendola and Yellow-rumped Cacique (sharing a breeding colony with their attendant brood parasite the Giant Cowbird), Orange-billed Sparrow, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-capped and vociferous Buff-rumped Warblers, Blue Dacnis, Red-legged, Green and Purple Honeycreepers, Thick-billed Euphonia, and Grey-headed, Golden-hooded, Dusky-faced, White-shouldered, Plain-coloured, Tawny-crested, Scarlet-browed and Yellow-backed Tanagers., the unique Swallow Tanager and Blue-black Grosbeak.

We should also find a few of the more difficult species while at Rio Claro. These include the colourful but now rare Saffron-headed Parrot, the unobtrusive Grey-cheeked Nunlet, the secretive Bare-crowned Antbird (our best chance is if we come across an antswarm), Black-faced Antthrush, Wing-barred Piprites, Russet-winged Schiffornis, White-thighed Swallow, White-breasted Wood Wren, Southern Nightingale-Wren and Fulvous-vented Euphonia.

Colombia: Day 18  After some final birding at Rio Claro, we shall make our way to Bogotá airport. From there we take an evening flight to Santa Marta in northernmost Colombia for an overnight stay.

Colombia: Day 19  Today we will ascend from the Caribbean coast at Santa Marta to El Dorado lodge, near San Lorenzo, for a three nights stay. As with the Chocó, no ‘ultimate’ Colombia birding tour could omit going to the Santa Marta region. We have even had to extend our stay in these wonderful mountains as the number of endemics and the time required to find them has increased!

We will have plenty of time to day for our introduction to the extraordinary number of endemic birds that inhabit the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Colombia: Days 20-21  With the snow-capped peaks of Simon Bolívar and Cristóbal Colon towering up to 5800m (19,000ft) above sea level and lying just 45 kilometres (28 miles) from the coast, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia is the world’s highest coastal range. Nowhere else on earth is the distance so short between palm-fringed tropical beaches and windswept icy peaks. Between these two extremes, the mountain’s slopes are covered in lush forests showing an extremely high degree of endemism. A montane ‘island’ separated by a wide lowland gap from the Andes, this roughly triangular massif is home to more than 20 endemic bird species and an impressive number of often highly distinctive endemic subspecies. Though large parts of the mountains are currently inaccessible, the San Lorenzo road at its north-western corner allows the visiting birder to see the majority of the area’s endemics, in addition to a wealth of other birds.

As we climb up to El Dorado and as human influence diminishes and forest starts to predominate, we should soon find our first Santa Marta endemic, perhaps the attractive Santa Marta Brushfinch. On reaching lower subtropical elevations we shall start looking for four endemics that primarily inhabit this zone, the secretive Santa Marta Foliage-gleaner and Santa Marta Tapaculo and the somewhat easier Santa Marta Antbird and White-lored Warbler. We will also listen for the exquisite Rusty-breasted Antpitta, which we have a good chance of seeing in this area.

The tall forests and shrubby edges are home to a number of other interesting birds, such as Red-billed Parrot, the spectacular White-tipped Quetzal, the yellow-billed form of the Groove-billed Toucanet, Santa Marta Toucanet (currently treated as an endemic subspecies of White-throated), Keel-billed Toucan, the distinctive local form of the Tyrian Metaltail (a good potential split), the striking Golden-breasted Fruiteater, Black-hooded Thrush, Black-headed Tanager and Golden Grosbeak.

Higher still, we shall concentrate on the Santa Marta endemics above San Lorenzo. In dense bamboo thickets, Rusty-headed Spinetails deliver their relentless squeaks, whilst in vine tangles higher up in the trees, Streak-capped Spinetails eagerly forage for insect prey. We shall watch tubular flowers for the exquisite but elusive White-tailed Starfrontlet, and we will keep our ears open for the soft squabbling calls of a flock of quietly foraging Santa Marta Parakeets, masters at blending in with their surroundings. The ‘bob-white’ song of the omnipresent Santa Marta Antpitta will soon become a familiar sound, but we shall have to work hard to glimpse this phantom of the forest floor. Equally secretive are the endemic Sierra Nevada Antpitta and the now very rare near-endemic Black-fronted Wood Quail, though the endemic Brown-rumped Tapaculo and the recently recognised endemic Hermit Wood Wren should prove less difficult.

Luckily, not all the endemic birds require so much effort, and we will scrutinize mixed flocks for the lively Yellow-crowned Whitestart, the smart Santa Marta Warbler and the handsome Santa Marta (or Black-cheeked) Mountain Tanager.

Amidst striking mountain scenery, where we can look down on the hot and dry Caribbean coast far below us, we will also search for Santa Marta Bush Tyrant and the uncommon Santa Marta Blossomcrown, as well as more widespread species such as White-rumped Hawk and Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant. We may also see a few of the other difficult species, which include Military Macaw, Mountain Velvetbreast, the difficult Flammulated Treehunter, Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush or Yellow-tailed Oriole.

An endemic that needs just a little luck to see is the tiny Santa Marta Woodstar, but the endemic Black-backed Thornbill is more difficult to find.

At night we will make a concerted effort to see the recently-described, endemic Santa Marta Screech Owl as well as the much more widespread Mottled Owl and Band-winged Nightjar.

[There are three Santa Marta endemics which are beyond our reach. The very rare endemic Santa Marta Sabrewing has been recorded exceedingly rarely in the San Lorenzo area, but as it has never been reliably recorded on any birding tour to the area, we are not going to hold out any hope for that one! Occurring only at high altitudes, far beyond any roads and so requiring an expedition to see, are the endemic Blue-bearded Helmetcrest and Santa Marta Wren.]

Colombia: Day 22  After devoting much of the day to the birds of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, we shall begin our descent to Minca, situated in the semi-arid foothills above the coastal town of Santa Marta, where we will stay overnight. As we descend we will look for some of the mid-elevation species.

Colombia: Day 23  Today we shall work our through the lower elevation habitats below Minca; a patchwork of dry woodlands choked with dense vine tangles, fields, pasture and small plantations of shade coffee, where flowering trees often act as a magnet to a variety of hummingbirds, and we shall watch especially for the tiny, near-endemic Coppery and Red-billed Emeralds.

Other birds in this zone include the near-endemic Black-backed Antshrike, the splendid Golden-winged Sparrow and the stunning Rosy Thrush-Tanager (now treated as a monotypic bird family), as well as Scaled Pigeon, White-vented Plumeleteer, Lineated Woodpecker, Social Flycatcher, Masked Tityra, Rufous-and-white and Rufous-breasted Wrens, Golden-fronted Greenlet, American Redstart (during the boreal winter), Swallow Tanager, Crested Oropendola, the colourful Blue-naped Chlorophonia and Black-striped Sparrow.

Working our way to the coastal highway, we then head for some patches of humid lowland forest. Here we will hope to add Pale-bellied Hermit, White-necked Puffbird, Lance-tailed Manakin, Buff-breasted Wren and perhaps the attractive Colombian Red Howler Monkey.

We will eventually reach the coastal town of Riohacha, where we will stay overnight.

Colombia: Day 24  East of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the arid Guajira Peninsula juts out into the Caribbean Sea, becoming progressively drier towards the east. Here we shall search for a number of specialities only shared between this part of Colombia and adjacent Venezuela. Arguably the most striking of these is the eye-catching Vermillion Cardinal, but they also include Russet-throated Puffbird, the tiny Chestnut Piculet, the ubiquitous White-whiskered Spinetail, Slender-billed Inezia and the harder-to-find Tocuyo Sparrow.

Bare-eyed Pigeons constantly fly back and forth, and more widespread species inhabiting the arid desert scrub include the near-endemic Caribbean Hornero and the restricted-range Rufous-vented Chachalaca, Buffy Hummingbird, Orinoco Saltator and Glaucous Tanager, as well as Harris’s Hawk, Pale-vented Pigeon, Scaled Dove, Groove-billed Ani, Brown-throated Parakeet, Green-rumped Parrotlet, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Whooping Motmot, Black-crested Antshrike, Northern Mouse-colored Tyrannulet, Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant, Ochre-lored Flatbill, Brown-crested Flycatcher and Tropical Gnatcatcher.

The nearby lagoons hold an impressive number of wetland species such as American Flamingo, Roseate Spoonbill, Reddish Egret, Great Blue, Little Blue and Tricoloured Herons, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, White and Scarlet Ibises, Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Royal, Caspian and Gull-billed Terns, and sometimes Cabot’s Tern. During tours in the boreal winter, we may possibly see a vagrant American Herring or Lesser Black-backed Gull amongst the wintering Laughing Gulls.

After our visit to the Guajira Peninsula, we will drive westwards to the town of Santa Marta for an overnight stay.

Colombia: Day 25  We shall take advantage of the cool morning hours to visit the cactus-studded coastal scrub in the Santa Marta region, where early in the morning we hope to see the endemic Chestnut-winged Chachalaca and perhaps Crested Bobwhite.

Along the coast between Santa Marta and Barranquilla, we will see Magnificent Frigatebirds, numerous Brown Pelicans and Common Black Hawk, and will scan the shorebirds for Semipalmated and Wilson’s Plovers, Willet, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Short-billed Dowitcher, Stilt and Solitary Sandpipers, and Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Shorebirds are more numerous during the boreal winter when Osprey is also likely.

Mangroves are home to a very dense population of Bicoloured Conebills, sharing this habitat with Prothonotary Warblers and Northern Waterthrushes (during the boreal winter), and, with just a bit of luck, we will also find the rare endemic Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird.

Other key species which we may well see today include the endemic Turquoise-winged Parrotlet, the endemic Bronze-brown Cowbird and the near-endemic Northern Screamer. We should also encounter Trinidad Euphonia and there is a reasonable chance of finding the rare Dwarf Cuckoo.

Additional widely distributed birds include Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Zone-tailed Hawk, Purple Gallinule, Wattled Jacana (represented here by an interesting black race), Common Ground Dove, Ringed, Amazon and Green Kingfishers, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Northern Scrub Flycatcher, Pied Water Tyrant, the attractive White-headed Marsh Tyrant, Stripe-backed and Bicoloured Wrens, Red-eyed Vireo, Olive-grey Saltator and Great-tailed Grackle.

Our Classic Colombia birding tour ends in the afternoon at Baranquilla airport.

(If you would find it more convenient, we will be pleased to supply an internal flight ticket to Bogotá on request even if you are arranging your own international flights.)