Birding Trip to Colombia
Photo credits: Felix Uribe and Alejandro Bayer
Colombia is one of the best birding destinations in the world, having more species than any other country – Approx. 1950 species and about 80 of them being endemic.
So much has changed in Colombia in the past 20 years, and it's much much safer. While there are no guarantees of safety in any city today, many people feel safer walking the streets of Medellin than those of San Francisco. Also you will love the places we shall be visiting and the lodges we shall be staying at. The Colombians are warm and friendly people and the country itself has a charm not many others have.
Dates:
April 19-28, 2022 – 10 days
Cost: $3350 per person (twin sharing)
Single supplement: $750.
Deposit: A $750 deposit is required to confirm your spot.
Minimum Group Size – 4. Maximum – 9.
Included: All lodging, all meals, group airport transfers, all park fees, ground travel within Colombia, flights within Colombia
Exclusions – International flights, beverages, laundry, tips for guides, travel insurance, and items of a personal nature.
Covid Vaccinations Required
Mowgli Expeditions has been taking people to unique locations, with a focus on birding and wildlife experience. Guiding will be provided by local birding guides. Sachin Aggarwal, founder of Mowgli Expeditions, a naturalist and Austin resident shall escort the trip.
To confirm your spot, please contact Mowgli Expeditions Email : sachin (@/at) mowgliexpeditions.com or call 512-808-0414
Itinerary summary: *Updated April 2022*
Day 1: Arrival in Medellin
Day 2: Jardin
Day 3: Jardin
Day 4: Tatama National Park
Day 5: Tatama National Park
Day 6: Santa Marta Mountains
Day 7: Santa Marta Mountains
Day 8 Santa Marta Mountains
Day 9: Medellin**
Day 10: Departure
** You can choose to depart out of Bogota.
Please book you international tickets to arrive in Medellin on on 19th April and depart on 28th April.
Expedition itinerary:
Day 1 – Arrive in Medellin
Both Bogota/Medellin are very well connected to the US with direct flights from Miami, Dallas and Houston. The first evening in Colombia we shall have a relaxed dinner at the hotel and look forward to our adventure. (For those flying into Bogota, you can take a short 45 min local flight to Medellin airport. From there you shall be transferred to the Medellin Hotel.)
Day 2 - Jardin
Jardin meaning “a garden” is considered one of the most beautiful parts of Colombia. On the way there from Medellin, we may stop for short breaks and do some birding.
We shall arrive in Jardin in the afternoon and after checking into the our lovely boutique lodge, we shall have lunch and leave to visit a Cock-of-Rock lek around 3 pm. Here it’s possible to see several males displaying at very close range. Of-course, other than the Andean-cock-of-the-rock, there shall be many other species of birds to spot.
Day 3 – Jardin
This morning we shall head to a trail that starts in Jardin but heads toward the hills surrounding Jardin. It's a rather flat trail of a few miles but you can get to see almost 50 speciaes in a few hours- many of them shall be lifers for many of you.
We shall return for breakfast and some free time to explore the charming park in the "town centro" and surrounding cafes. After lunch, we shall head by cars, to an area about 20-25 minutes away where there is a chance to see many more species. This place is home of a family that love birds and have set up a garden with flowering plants that attract different species of birds. They also have a fruit feeder, and you shall get to see species like Red-headed Barbet, Bay-headed Tanager, Flame-rumped tanger, Scarlet-backed tanager and Andean motmot.
After a full day of birding, we shall return to our lodge in late evening for dinner and rest.
Day 4 – Yellow-eared parrot Reserve and on to Montezuma Rain Forest
This morning we shall head to the Yellow-eared parrot Reserve. We have a good chance of finding the critically endangered Yellow-eared Parrot (E) here thanks to the efforts of ProAves non-profit which has been doing some great conservation work in Colombia.
We shall stop at a place called Lucia's where the local family has planted many many native flowering plants that attract hummingbirds. They also have bird feeders which attaract white-sided and masked flower piercer besides at-leas five species of humming birds.
After breakfast we shall continue to Montezuma, stopping for lunch at a small village town on a hillside. We hope to get to the lodge in the evening and get in a few hours of birding rigt at the lodge where the fruit and hummingbird feeders are set up.
Day 5 – Full day at Tatama National Park
With packed breakfast, we shall leave early to the mountain top near the military base of Tatama National Park. The Montezuma road here is one of the best places to bird in Colombia.
Today we shall spend the whole day birding, starting with the upper trails and look for Chestnut-bellied flowerpiercer and Munchique wood-wren, both endemics.
We shal then walk down to the mid elevation (2500-2700 metres) and look for Black-and-gold Tanager (E), Gold-ringed Tanager (E), Toucan Barbet (NE), Golden-headed Quetzal, Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia , Empress Brilliant (NE), Tatatama Tapaculu (E), and many more.
After having our packed lunch at one of the newly built all wood shelters, we shall descend further down to the lower elevation (1800-2000 metres) closer to our lodge and look for Flame-rumped tangers(lemon morph found here) and many species of humming birds including Tourmaline Sunangel, Violet-tailed Sylph, Collared Inca and the spectacular Booted Racket-tail.
Day 6 – Montezuma Lodge, on to Santa Marta via Pereira
This morning we shall bird at the lodge grounds and near by trails and look for Orange-bellied Euphonia , Purplish-mantled Tanager, lemon-rumped Tanager, Crested Ant-Tanager , Yellow-collared Chlorophonia, , Yellow-vented Woodpecker, Club-winged Manakin (NE), Olivaceous Flatbill, Sooty-headed Wren (NE) and Zeledon's Antbird among many more.
After breakfast we shall head to Pereira airport ( approx 3-4 hours) to catch a non-stop flight from Pereira to Santa Marta. On reaching Santa Marta, late in the afternoon depending on the timimg of the only non stop fligt from Pereira to SMR, we shall be picked up by 4X4 vehicles that shall take us to the El Dorado lodge. It takes about 2 1/2 hours with the last 45 minutes being a bad dirt road. However, once you reach the spectacular setting of the lodge, the rough ride shall be well worth it.
Santa Marta Mountains
A birding tour to Colombia would be incomplete without visiting Santa Marta mountains of Colombia.
The Santa Marta Mountains have been identified as the planet's single most important and irreplaceable site for threatened and endemic biodiversity by numerous scientific publications and every major international conservation organization. For the birder the intense attraction of the Santa Marta Mountains is that they are incredibly rich in endemic birds, species you cannot see anywhere else on earth. Currently 19 endemic species are found here.
Day 7 – Lorenzo Ridge, Santa Marta Mountains
Many of the endemics are found at higher elevations, much above the lodge we shall be staying at.
Today we shall start real early with packed breakfast and head up the mountain to the Lorenzo ridge with a hope to spot the rare and endemic Santa Marta Parakeet.
Other species that we shall look out for rest of the morning as we bird and descend down towards the lodge are Santa Marta flytrap, Rusty-headed spinetail, Santa Marta antpitta, Santa Marta tapaculo, Santa Marta bush-tyrant, Santa Marta mountain tanager, Yellow-crowned whitestart and Santa Marta warbler among many more.
We shall visit a local cafe with humming bird feeders and hope to spot some of the humming birds that are found in the region. These include White-tailed starfrontlet, Green violetear, Brown violetear, Sparkling violetear, Violet-crowned woodnymph, Tyrian metaltail, Long-billed hermit, and the Santa Marta woodstar.
Day 8 – Bella Vista, Santa Marta Mountains
Today we shall head to an area that is at mid elevations, descending down from where the lodge is located. This shall give us an opportunity to find a different set of species that are to be found at mid elevations. These include Santa Marta Brush-finch, Swallow tanager, Black-headed tanager, White-lined tanager and many more.
Day 9 – Bird around the lodge and near Minca, Santa Marta Mountains
There are many many species of birds here, especially tanagers and this is one place you will not want to leave. However, on the third day here, we hall do some birding around the lodge in the morning and after breakfast, we shall say goodbye to El Dorado and head back to Santa Marta.
We shall make a few short stops for birding, have lunch at Minca and reach the airport in the evening to take a short flight to Medellin/Bogota depending on where you are flying out of.
Day 10 - Departure
After getting a good nights rest, a leisurely morning and breakfast, reflecting on our experiences in Colombia, we shall be transferred to the airport for our flight back home.
NOTE: The order and sites visited and other parts of the itinerary may vary due to weather, road conditions, and other factors.
The lodging is at some nice boutique lodges. Please feel free to email us to find out the lodge names that the group shall be staying at.
Come join us for this memorable trip!
Email us: info (at/@) mowgliexpeditions.com
Photo credits: Felix Uribe and Alejandro Bayer
Colombia is one of the best birding destinations in the world, having more species than any other country – Approx. 1950 species and about 80 of them being endemic.
So much has changed in Colombia in the past 20 years, and it's much much safer. While there are no guarantees of safety in any city today, many people feel safer walking the streets of Medellin than those of San Francisco. Also you will love the places we shall be visiting and the lodges we shall be staying at. The Colombians are warm and friendly people and the country itself has a charm not many others have.
Dates:
April 19-28, 2022 – 10 days
Cost: $3350 per person (twin sharing)
Single supplement: $750.
Deposit: A $750 deposit is required to confirm your spot.
Minimum Group Size – 4. Maximum – 9.
Included: All lodging, all meals, group airport transfers, all park fees, ground travel within Colombia, flights within Colombia
Exclusions – International flights, beverages, laundry, tips for guides, travel insurance, and items of a personal nature.
Covid Vaccinations Required
Mowgli Expeditions has been taking people to unique locations, with a focus on birding and wildlife experience. Guiding will be provided by local birding guides. Sachin Aggarwal, founder of Mowgli Expeditions, a naturalist and Austin resident shall escort the trip.
To confirm your spot, please contact Mowgli Expeditions Email : sachin (@/at) mowgliexpeditions.com or call 512-808-0414
Itinerary summary: *Updated April 2022*
Day 1: Arrival in Medellin
Day 2: Jardin
Day 3: Jardin
Day 4: Tatama National Park
Day 5: Tatama National Park
Day 6: Santa Marta Mountains
Day 7: Santa Marta Mountains
Day 8 Santa Marta Mountains
Day 9: Medellin**
Day 10: Departure
** You can choose to depart out of Bogota.
Please book you international tickets to arrive in Medellin on on 19th April and depart on 28th April.
Expedition itinerary:
Day 1 – Arrive in Medellin
Both Bogota/Medellin are very well connected to the US with direct flights from Miami, Dallas and Houston. The first evening in Colombia we shall have a relaxed dinner at the hotel and look forward to our adventure. (For those flying into Bogota, you can take a short 45 min local flight to Medellin airport. From there you shall be transferred to the Medellin Hotel.)
Day 2 - Jardin
Jardin meaning “a garden” is considered one of the most beautiful parts of Colombia. On the way there from Medellin, we may stop for short breaks and do some birding.
We shall arrive in Jardin in the afternoon and after checking into the our lovely boutique lodge, we shall have lunch and leave to visit a Cock-of-Rock lek around 3 pm. Here it’s possible to see several males displaying at very close range. Of-course, other than the Andean-cock-of-the-rock, there shall be many other species of birds to spot.
Day 3 – Jardin
This morning we shall head to a trail that starts in Jardin but heads toward the hills surrounding Jardin. It's a rather flat trail of a few miles but you can get to see almost 50 speciaes in a few hours- many of them shall be lifers for many of you.
We shall return for breakfast and some free time to explore the charming park in the "town centro" and surrounding cafes. After lunch, we shall head by cars, to an area about 20-25 minutes away where there is a chance to see many more species. This place is home of a family that love birds and have set up a garden with flowering plants that attract different species of birds. They also have a fruit feeder, and you shall get to see species like Red-headed Barbet, Bay-headed Tanager, Flame-rumped tanger, Scarlet-backed tanager and Andean motmot.
After a full day of birding, we shall return to our lodge in late evening for dinner and rest.
Day 4 – Yellow-eared parrot Reserve and on to Montezuma Rain Forest
This morning we shall head to the Yellow-eared parrot Reserve. We have a good chance of finding the critically endangered Yellow-eared Parrot (E) here thanks to the efforts of ProAves non-profit which has been doing some great conservation work in Colombia.
We shall stop at a place called Lucia's where the local family has planted many many native flowering plants that attract hummingbirds. They also have bird feeders which attaract white-sided and masked flower piercer besides at-leas five species of humming birds.
After breakfast we shall continue to Montezuma, stopping for lunch at a small village town on a hillside. We hope to get to the lodge in the evening and get in a few hours of birding rigt at the lodge where the fruit and hummingbird feeders are set up.
Day 5 – Full day at Tatama National Park
With packed breakfast, we shall leave early to the mountain top near the military base of Tatama National Park. The Montezuma road here is one of the best places to bird in Colombia.
Today we shall spend the whole day birding, starting with the upper trails and look for Chestnut-bellied flowerpiercer and Munchique wood-wren, both endemics.
We shal then walk down to the mid elevation (2500-2700 metres) and look for Black-and-gold Tanager (E), Gold-ringed Tanager (E), Toucan Barbet (NE), Golden-headed Quetzal, Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia , Empress Brilliant (NE), Tatatama Tapaculu (E), and many more.
After having our packed lunch at one of the newly built all wood shelters, we shall descend further down to the lower elevation (1800-2000 metres) closer to our lodge and look for Flame-rumped tangers(lemon morph found here) and many species of humming birds including Tourmaline Sunangel, Violet-tailed Sylph, Collared Inca and the spectacular Booted Racket-tail.
Day 6 – Montezuma Lodge, on to Santa Marta via Pereira
This morning we shall bird at the lodge grounds and near by trails and look for Orange-bellied Euphonia , Purplish-mantled Tanager, lemon-rumped Tanager, Crested Ant-Tanager , Yellow-collared Chlorophonia, , Yellow-vented Woodpecker, Club-winged Manakin (NE), Olivaceous Flatbill, Sooty-headed Wren (NE) and Zeledon's Antbird among many more.
After breakfast we shall head to Pereira airport ( approx 3-4 hours) to catch a non-stop flight from Pereira to Santa Marta. On reaching Santa Marta, late in the afternoon depending on the timimg of the only non stop fligt from Pereira to SMR, we shall be picked up by 4X4 vehicles that shall take us to the El Dorado lodge. It takes about 2 1/2 hours with the last 45 minutes being a bad dirt road. However, once you reach the spectacular setting of the lodge, the rough ride shall be well worth it.
Santa Marta Mountains
A birding tour to Colombia would be incomplete without visiting Santa Marta mountains of Colombia.
The Santa Marta Mountains have been identified as the planet's single most important and irreplaceable site for threatened and endemic biodiversity by numerous scientific publications and every major international conservation organization. For the birder the intense attraction of the Santa Marta Mountains is that they are incredibly rich in endemic birds, species you cannot see anywhere else on earth. Currently 19 endemic species are found here.
Day 7 – Lorenzo Ridge, Santa Marta Mountains
Many of the endemics are found at higher elevations, much above the lodge we shall be staying at.
Today we shall start real early with packed breakfast and head up the mountain to the Lorenzo ridge with a hope to spot the rare and endemic Santa Marta Parakeet.
Other species that we shall look out for rest of the morning as we bird and descend down towards the lodge are Santa Marta flytrap, Rusty-headed spinetail, Santa Marta antpitta, Santa Marta tapaculo, Santa Marta bush-tyrant, Santa Marta mountain tanager, Yellow-crowned whitestart and Santa Marta warbler among many more.
We shall visit a local cafe with humming bird feeders and hope to spot some of the humming birds that are found in the region. These include White-tailed starfrontlet, Green violetear, Brown violetear, Sparkling violetear, Violet-crowned woodnymph, Tyrian metaltail, Long-billed hermit, and the Santa Marta woodstar.
Day 8 – Bella Vista, Santa Marta Mountains
Today we shall head to an area that is at mid elevations, descending down from where the lodge is located. This shall give us an opportunity to find a different set of species that are to be found at mid elevations. These include Santa Marta Brush-finch, Swallow tanager, Black-headed tanager, White-lined tanager and many more.
Day 9 – Bird around the lodge and near Minca, Santa Marta Mountains
There are many many species of birds here, especially tanagers and this is one place you will not want to leave. However, on the third day here, we hall do some birding around the lodge in the morning and after breakfast, we shall say goodbye to El Dorado and head back to Santa Marta.
We shall make a few short stops for birding, have lunch at Minca and reach the airport in the evening to take a short flight to Medellin/Bogota depending on where you are flying out of.
Day 10 - Departure
After getting a good nights rest, a leisurely morning and breakfast, reflecting on our experiences in Colombia, we shall be transferred to the airport for our flight back home.
NOTE: The order and sites visited and other parts of the itinerary may vary due to weather, road conditions, and other factors.
The lodging is at some nice boutique lodges. Please feel free to email us to find out the lodge names that the group shall be staying at.
Come join us for this memorable trip!
Email us: info (at/@) mowgliexpeditions.com