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15 Days from$4000 p/p in USD -
DeparturesYear Round
Destinations
Colombia,
Tour Type
Guided, Small Group
Safari Standard
Budget, Luxury
Tour Overview
Colombia boasts the highest number of bird species in the world, a staggering 1,950 species, and for many reasons it has grabbed the headlines in the bird world in recent years. More and more sites are offering feeding stations conducive to photography, not just for the spectacular hummingbirds, but also for tanagers, antpittas and much more. This photo safari is a moderate paced birding safari, with a strong focus on Colombia’s remarkable birdlife and nature, offering diverse photographic opportunities. Group size is 1-8 people.
General Information
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Safari types:Birding Safari, Guided Safari, Photo Safari
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You will visit:Los Nevados National Park, Bogota, Observatorio de Colibries, Finca Colibri, Jardin, Manizales, Rio Blanco Nature Reserve, Cali, Finca Alejandria
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Activities:Walking Safari, Nature Walk, Birding, Cultural Experience
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Getting around:Transfer Vehicle, Domestic Flight
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Start/end:Start/end in Bogota
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Minimum age:14+
Price Per Person – USD
From USD 4,000 per person, based on double occupancy
Single room supplement USD 450
DATES
January 22 – February 5 – 2021
January 22 – February 5 – 2022
Available year round
What's Included
- All hotels described in the itinerary (14 nights)
- Eco-lodges inside the natural reserves
- Towel and linen provided in all places
- Entrance fees at national parks and reserves
- Local guides, drivers and cooks
- The group will be accompanied by one of our professional guides throughout (speaks English & Spanish)
- Experienced cooks in all reserves, lodges and hotels
- All food: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in all locations with open menu in restaurants
- 2 snacks daily that include bottle water, fruit, etc
- Water available all the time on the bus (big bottle to recharge the portable bottles)
- Private transport 4×4 and Jeeps
- Domestic flight: Bogota D.C. to Medellin / Cali to Bogota D.C.
What's Excluded
- International flights and taxes
- Alcoholic drinks
- Activities not included in the itinerary
- Toiletries and personal items
- Laundry and room service
- Tips and gratuities
- International or local phone calls
- Insurance and medical expenses
- Extensions of a trip due to circumstances beyond our control
Disclaimer
- This itinerary is owned and delivered by ‘Bogota Birding Tours‘
- All prices are ‘From’ and may vary at the time of booking
- Display price is usually based on two people sharing
- ‘Bogota Birding Tours‘ reserves the right to change the content and price of the itinerary
- All itineraries are subject to availability
Day by Day Overview
The tour begins this evening in Bogota city, where we spend the first night in a nice hotel. Enjoy dinner and talking about the start of the trip the following day.
Overnight: Hotel Holiday Inn Bogota Airport or Tequendama Hotel
This morning will see us birding in the cool high Andean cloud forest in the northeast of Bogota, especially targeting species like the lazuline sabre wing, short tailed emerald, gorgeted woodstar and numerous other species. In the afternoon we will stop at a hummingbird observatory, one of the best set of hummer feeders in all of Colombia: Observatorio de Colibries, where we will likely get great views of some truly amazing birds including blue-throated starfrontlet, both black- and green-tailed trainbearers, glowing puffleg, sword-billed billed hummingbird and coppery-bellied puffleg.
Overnight: Hotel Holiday Inn Bogota Airport
We will move from Bogota to Finca Colibrí in Fusagasuga. The hummer feeders here attract superb species including lesser violetear, long-tailed sylph, golden-winged manakin, beryl-spangled tanager, golden tanager, fawn-breasted tanager, blue-necked tanager, bay-headed tanager, flame-rumped tanager, blue- and black tanager, speckled tanager. The temperate forest often has good mixed species flocks with typical Andean birds such as tanagers, flower piercers, warblers, flycatchers and others.
Overnight: Hotel Holiday Inn Bogota Airport
Early morning we will transfer from Hotel to El Dorado Airport to the airport for a flight from Bogota to Medellin. On arrival we will move across the Cauca Valley to Jardin (small town) but first we have to do stop at the restaurant Rancherito for lunch and our first time to photograph the rustic feeder (black winged saltator, black capped tanager, flame-rumped tanager, acorn woodpecker and emerald toucanet). After lunch we continue to drive to Jardin. We will use the late afternoon to visit one of the most accessible lekking sites on Colombia to get really good quality photographs of the stunning Andean cock-of-the-rock.
Dinner and overnight: Balandu Hotel in Jardin
This morning will be the highest elevation at Jardin (reserve yellow eared parrot) where we have hummingbird feeders: collared inca, bufftailed coronet, tourmaline sunangel, mountain velvetbreast and in season dusky starfrontlet. Also see the local ranger has feeders for rufous antpitta plus around the garden you can to get photograph the golden face whitestart. Then lunch and we finish the day again at Cock of the Rock Lek.
Dinner and overnight: Balandu Hotel in Jardin
We’ll transfer from Jardin this morning to the city of Manizales in the central Andes. From here we’ll travel about 5 hours up into the mountains and valley. Afternoon photographic time at feeders Hotel Tinamu – bronzy inca, black throated mango, steely vented hummingbird as well as the tanager feeders.
Overnight: Tinamu Hotel
We leave the hotel early and spend a full day enjoying the Rio Blanco Nature Reserve, situated above the city of Manizales. Here there are over a dozen active hummingbird feeders along a wooden balcony that is lined with flowers (long-tailed sylph, buff-tailed coronet, speckled hummingbird) but this place is amazing for your antpitta feeders – bronw banded antpitta, bicolored antpitta, slaty crown antpitta, chestnut crowned antpitta. There are perching areas to photograph Andean guan, blue winged brush finch, buff breasted mountain tanager and slaty brush finch.
Dinner and Overnight: Tinamu Hotel
In the morning we’ll travel about 1.5 hours up into the mountains high above the city to a remote and beautiful elfin and cloud forest We’ll spend the morning at Hacienda el Bosque where the main attraction is the feeding station that has been setup here to view the incredible crescent-faced antpitta. Sometimes there’s a good chance to photo the grey-breasted mountain toucan. Then after lunch we’ll go to Hotel Termales for new hummingbird and tanager species: near-endemic black-thighed puffleg, rainbow bearded thornbill, viridian metaltail, glowing and golden-breasted pufflegs, great sapphirewing. It has feeders for lacrimose and scarlet-bellied mountain-tanagers, pale-naped and gray-browed brush-finches, glossy flowerpiercer.
Dinner and overnight: Hotel Termales del Ruiz
This morning we will be at the highest elevation in Nevados National Park looking for the endemic buffy helmetcrest, a stunning hummingbird, often photographed on perches or while feeding on Espeletia flowers. Other change (without feeders) as well tawny antpitta, brown-backed chat-tyrant, sedge wren, Andean tit-spinetail, white-chinned thistletail and Andean siskin. The scenery is also impressive with fast grasslands. Then afternoon again feeders at Hotel Termales.
Dinner and overnight: Hotel Termales del Ruiz
Morning photographic time around the feeders then we’ll transfer from Hotel Termales to the city of Cali in the western Andes. We’ll travel about 5 1/2 hours up into the mountains and valley before arriving in Cali town.
Dinner and overnight: Cali Marriot Hotel
Enjoy a full day at Finca Alejandria, which is much warmer in the afternoon and cooler in the morning. It has quite a different set of species to photograph. There will be options around the feeders for the likes of endemic multi-coloured tanager, and lovely hummers such as the booted racket-tail, blue headed sapphire, purple throated woodstart and bronzy inca. Also the tanagers like golden naped tanager, golden tanager, saffron crowned tanager, flame-rumped tanager, scrub tanager and green honeycreeper as well as the chachalaca and toucanet. The forest itself also offers great birding, with the likes of ornate hawk-eagle and golden-headed quetzal always a possibility.
Dinner and overnight: Araucana Lodge
Spend a full day at La Minga. Another bird photography area is the main draw here: its superb garden with numerous feeders, a covered area, and plenty of space for multi-flash setups: multi-coloured tanager, crimson-rumped toucanet, red-headed barbet and black-capped tanager are all regular visitors to the bananas, plus several euphonias. As for the hummingbirds: green thorntail, western emerald and purple-throated woodstar.
Dinner and overnight: Araucana Lodge
The Anchicaya area became popular with Colombian birders long before it was recognized as the place to find the rare toucan barbet. This morning we will get an early start, photographing a small and basic feeder station, our accommodation, that is little-known in birding circles. It’s also known as Dona Dora after the lovely lady who owns it and has become known as a paradise for birds. Dora’s feeders attract rarities like the chocó brush-finch, toucan barbet, golden-collared honeycreeper, yellow-collared chlorophonia and some times moss backed tanager. When the ficus tree is in the fruit season it’s a remarkable sight, as tropical rarities practically queue up to feed. Spend a full day at Dora’s house and around the forest.
Dinner and overnight: Araucana Lodge
We shall return to the airport in Cali for a mid-afternoon internal flight to Bogota where the tour will conclude for some, while everyone else can look forward to our Orinoquia extension.
Final dinner and overnight: Holiday Inn Bogota Airport
Transfer from the hotel to El Dorado Airport for your international flight home.
