TOLL FREE
owl-birdwatching
blue-bird-birdwatching
colombian-birdwatching
Plan Your Trip
Preferred method of contact
Please complete all required fields
Please enter a valid email
Email and confirmation Email doesnt match
There was an error sending the form, please try again!
Send

Colombia Birding Tour 14-Night Itinerary

Who would have thought it? Colombia is on the road to becoming the hottest destination for birders and birdwatchers wanting to visit South Latin America.

Possessing the most extensive bird list of any country on earth, Colombia is a birder's dream – whether you’re a casual (yet passionate) “birdwatcher,” or a more devoted “birder” intent on adding more species to your sightings list. Though only about ninth the size of the United States, this Caribbean/South American nation is home to more than twice as many bird species as its northern counterpart. And of its enormous list of 1,890 bird species, about 74 are endemics found nowhere else on the planet. All of this is now opening up to birding enthusiasts.

Colombia is rapidly overcoming its poor image from years past. The old drug cartels of the ’80s are now largely dismantled, and political stability has been re-established in the nation – which means that the previous risks to traveling here are no longer such obstacles. Indeed, most areas are now just as safe as other birding destinations in Central or South America.

This particular 15-day/14-night expedition is one of the most popular birding tours in Colombia. It will take you from the lowlands of Magdalena Valley and the nearby Santa Marta Mountains – the perfect habitat to more of 500 species – to visit one of the endemic hot-spots of the world. This will add to your hit-list by giving you the chance to spot amazingly exotic species. You will visit other fantastic natural reserve ecosystems such as Chingaza National Park, Monterredondo Cloud Forest, Sumapaz National Park, Chicaque National Park, Rio Claro Reserve, Cerulean Warbler Reserve, and several others.

Colombia! A true birding delight!

Reviews

“I was very happy in every way with your booking and Cuyabeno Lodge. It surpassed my expectations in every way. No hitches with flights and transportation. The lodge was beautiful. The staff was professional and friendly.”Tim Matheson

Highlights

Sumapaz, Chicaque, Paujil and Yariques National Park, Nevado del Tolima, Combeima Canyon, Rio Claro Nature Reserve

Itinerary at a Glance

Day 1: Arrival in Bogota – Transfer to Santa Maria
Day 2: Santa Maria Forest (full day) – Transfer to Bogota
Day 3: Chingaza National Park – La Calera Hummingbird Garden – Return to Bogota
Day 4: Monterredondo – Bogota
Day 5: Sumapaz National Park – Return to Bogota
Day 6: Chicaque National Park – Transfer to the city of Ibague
Day 7: Nevado del Tolima Volcano – Combeima Canyon – Ukuku Lodge – San Jorge Botanical Garden
Day 8: Doima Road – Mariquita/Laguna del Hato – Transfer to Rio Claro Nature Reserve
Day 9: Rio Claro Nature Reserve – Rio Claro Eco-lodge
Day 10: Rio Claro – Transfer Paujil Reserve
Day 11: Paujil Reserve National Reserve
Day 12: Paujil Reserve – Transfer to Cerulean Warbler Reserve
Day 13: Yariquies National Park
Day 14: Cerulea Warbler Reserve – Transfer to Bucaramanga – Bogota (night flight)
Day 15: El Tabacal Lake – Departure from Bogota
South America Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival in Bogota – Transfer to Santa Maria

After arriving in Bogota, you will be transferred to the town of Santa Maria, in Boyacá department (a 3-4 hour drive). The afternoon will be spent owling along the Cachipay Trail in search of Black-and-white owls, Mottle owls, Spectacled owls, Crested owls, Tawny-bellied screech owls, Striped owls and others. You will spend the night in Santa Maria at the La Esmeralda Hotel.

Read More
Dinner
Day 2
Santa Maria Forest (full day) – Transfer to Bogota

Today we will visit two different locations in the Santa Maria area: Almenara Reserve & Cachipay Road. At these sites, it will be possible to sight bird species that include rare and enigmatic Spot-winged parrotlets, as well as Violeaceus quail-dove, Grey-chinned hermits, Blue-fronted lancebills, Violet-fronted brilliants, Violet-headed hummingbirds, Golden-tailed sapphire, White-chinned jacamars, Gilded barbets, Chestnut-ear aracari, Crimson-bellied woodpeckers, Fasciated antshirkes, Dusky antbirds, Blue-rumped Manakins, the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Golden-collared honeycreepers, Northern slaty antshirkes, Cinereous antshirkes, Rufous winged antwrens, White-browed antbirds, Spot-winged antbirds, White-faced antbird, Shirke-like cotingas, Cinereous becards, Black-and-white becards, Violaceus jays, Speckled tanagers and others. At the end of the day, you will be driven back to Bogota to spend the night.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 3
Chingaza National Park – La Calera Hummingbird Garden – Return to Bogota

This morning we will head out early for the Chingaza National Park, having breakfast and later lunch in the field. Our focus will be this park’s many important birds, such as Brown-breasted parakeets, Silvery-throated spinetails, Blue-throated starfrontlets, Matorral tapaculos, Golden-fronted whitestarts, Coopery-bellied pufflegs, Rufous-browed conebills, Purple-backed thronbills, Paramo seedeaters, Plush-capped finch, Pale-naped brush-finch, Smoky bush-tyrants, Black-billed mountain toucan, Black-headed hemispingus and many more. In the afternoon, we will visit La Calera Hummingbird Garden, where you can enjoy some amazing species that include the Black-tailed trainbear, the Sword-billed hummingbird, Glowing pufflegs and others. We will return to Bogota at the end of the day, again spending the night at a comfortable inn.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 4
Monterredondo – Bogota

Today’s search for even more bird species will take us to Monterredondo, a location in the cloud forest of the eastern Andes. After a scenic 3-hour drive from Bogota, you should find some of the most important birds of the mountain range. Birds of interest on this day will include Cundinamarca antpittas, East Andean antbirds, Andean pygmy-owls, Golden-crowned tanagers, Andean guans, Green-and-black fruiteaters, Glittering-throated emeralds, Green-bellied hummingbirds, Crimson-mantlet woodpeckers, Blackish tapaculos, Black collared jays, Buff-breasted mountain-tanagers, and many more. In the late afternoon, we will head back to Bogota to review your birding list and get a good night’s sleep.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 5
Sumapaz National Park – Return to Bogota

Today we will search birds in the amazing and strikingly beautiful Sumapaz National Park or the Paramo de Sumapaz, where the landscape as well as the diversity of birds and plants are the attractions. At either destination, you will be able to see fascinating birds like Green-bearded helmetcrests, Bogota rails, Apolinar´s marsh wren, Bronze-tailed thronbills, Red-rumped bush-tyrants, Red-crested cotingas, Black-chested buzzard eagles, Many-striped canasteros, Chestnut-winged cinclodes, Plain-capped ground-tyrants, Tawny antpittas, Andean ruddy ducks, and many more. Later this afternoon we will return to your hotel in Bogota.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 6
Chicaque National Park – Transfer to the city of Ibague

After a hearty breakfast, we will visit the famous Chicaque Nature Reserve, where you can view some important birds at hummingbird feeders and in the incredible cloud forest on the western slope of eastern Andean ridge. Some interesting birds this day include Golden-bellied starfrontlets, Matorral tapaculos, Golden-fronted whitestarts, Rufous-breasted flycatchers, Moustached brush-finch flavescen flycatchers, Brown-billed scytebills, Flame-faced tanagers, Smoky bush-tyrants, Grass-green Tanagers, Blackish tapaculos, Andean pygmy-owls, Glowing pufflegs, Palen-naped brush-finches, Streak-capped tree-hunters, String-billed woodcreepers and may more. At the end of the day, we will travel to the city of Ibague to check in and spend the night at a pleasant city inn.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 7
Nevado del Tolima Volcano – Combeima Canyon – Ukuku Lodge – San Jorge Botanical Garden

This will be a whole day of birding deep in the wonderful cloud forest and the dramatic surroundings of El Silencio, Juntas, the El Nevado del Tolima Volcano and Combeima Canyon. We will also visit the hummingbird feeders of the Ukuku Lodge, where you will witness a host of outstanding species. In the afternoon we will look for birds in San Jorge Botanical Garden, outside the city of Ibague. Some of the possible bird sightings will be those of Tolima doves, Tolima blossomcrowns, Yellow-headed brush-finches, Indigo capped hummingbirds, Agile Tit-tyrants, Scrub tanagers, Spillmann’s tapaculos, Ocellated tapaculos, Black-collared jays, Buff-breasted mountain-tanagers, Masked saltators, Golden-plumed parakeets, Gray-breasted mountain-toucan, Sword-billed hummingbirds, Hooded mountain tanagers, Red-hooded tanagers, Dusky piha, Chestnut-breasted chlorophonias, Andean siskins, White-capped tanagers and many more. Heading back to town, you will spend another well-deserved restful night.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 8
Doima Road – Mariquita/Laguna del Hato – Transfer to Rio Claro Nature Reserve

Early in the morning, we will going birding along Doima Road, an area of dry forest and cereal fields to the north of the city of Ibague. In the afternoon we will drive to the village of Mariquita (Laguna del Hato), where we will search for some of the birds of the dry forest there. The most fascinating birds we expect to see today include Velvet-fronted euphonias, Apical flycatchers, Lance-tailed manakins, Blue-ground doves, Pileated finches, Crested bobwhites, Pearl kites, Ruddy ground-doves, Common ground-doves, Yellow-crowned parrots, Dwarf cuckoos, White-collared swifts, Short-tailed swifts, Barred puffbirds, Western slaty-antshrikes, White-fringed antwrens, Jet antbirds, Vermilion flycatchers, Fork-tailed flycatchers, Panama flycatchers, Scrub greenlets, Pale-breasted thrush, Buff-breasted wren, Rufous-capped warblers, Buff-rumped warblers, White-eared conebills, Plain-colored tanagers, Grassland sparrows; and Slate-colored, Ruddy-breasted, Gray- and Yellow-bellied seedeaters, as well as Blue-black grassquits and many more. At the end of the day, we will drive to the Rio Claro "Blue Morpho" Natural Reserve Eco-Lodge to spend the night.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 9
Rio Claro Nature Reserve – Rio Claro Eco-lodge

We will search birds all day in the Rio Claro Nature Reserve, a place where you can enjoy an incredible tropical forest and amazing biodiversity. Some birds of interest here include White-mantled barbets, Sooty-ant tanagers, Colombia chachalacas, Beautiful woodpeckers, Magdalena antbirds, Antioquia bristle-tyrants, Saffron-headed parrots, Moustached brush-finch, Citron-throated toucans, Black-bellied wren, Black-headed tody-flycatchers, Marble wood quail, Chestnut-backed antbirds, Stripe-throated hermits, Ruby topaz, Purple-crowned fairies, Western white-tailed trogon, Pied puffbirds, Barred puffbirds, White-whiskered puffbirds, Cinnamon woodpeckers, Jet antbirds, Pacific antwrens, Brown-capped tyrannulets, Southern bentbills, Long-tailed tyrants, Rufous pihas, Blue cotingas, Black-chested jays, Rufous wren, Scarlet-browned tanagers, Plain-colored tanagers, Golden-hooded tanagers, White-ear conebills, Slate-colored seedeaters, Thick-billed seed finch, Large-bellied seed finch, Masked yellowthroats, Orange-crowned orioles, Fulvous-vented euphonias and many more.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 10
Rio Claro – Transfer Paujil Reserve

All morning, we will make more birds sightings in the Rio Claro Reserve. After lunch we will transfer to El Paujil Natural Reserve in Serrania de las Quinchas. On the way, we will make stops in search of important birds of the Magdalena Savannahs. Some of these sightings should include Northern screamers, the Black-capped Donacobius, Blue and Yellow macaw, Chestnut-fronted macaw, Large-billed seed-finches, Red-breasted blackbirds, Rufescens tiger-herons, White-throated crakes, Long-winged harriers, and Laughing falcon. You will later spend the night at the Paujil Nature Reserve Eco-lodge.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 11
Paujil Reserve National Reserve

Will we spend all day searching for birds in the Paujil Natural Reserve and visiting the curassow feeders. We will walk through the tropical forest of Magdalena Valley and the amazing Ermitaño Rover border, where almost anything is possible. Possible bird sighting today include those of Blue-billed curassows, Black-billed flycatchers, Scarlet-browed Tanagers, Black-breasted puffbirds, Choco screech-owls, Chestnut-mandible toucan, Marble wood-quail, White-fronted nunbirds, White-breasted wood-wren, White-thighed swallows, Buff-throated foliage-gleaners, Chestnut-winged foliage-gleaners, White-tailed trogons, Black-tailed trogons, Scaly-throated leaftosers, Bi-colored antbirds, Blue-lored antbirds, Bare-crowned antbirds, Black antshirkes, Cinnamon woodpeckers, Collared aracari, White-whiskered puffbirds, Purple-crowned fairies, Rufous-breasted hermits, Ruby-topaz hummingbirds and many more. We will do some owling this night on the main road to Paujil, finally turning in for some sleep in the comfortable cabins of the Paujil Eco-lodge.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 12
Paujil Reserve – Transfer to Cerulean Warbler Reserve

We will continue birding in the Paujil Natural Reserve all morning, later driving to the eastern Andean village of San Vicente de Chucuri, which is close to both Yariguies National Park and the Cerulean Warbler Reserve. We will make a few stops on the road to see birds in the lowland wetlands of Magdalena Valley. Some interesting species of this area include Bare-faced ibis, White-collared hawks; Yellow-crowned, Orange-winged and Blue-headed parrots; Little blues; Capped, Cocoi and Striated heron;  Neo-tropical cormorants, Black-bellied and White-faced whistling duck, and many more. We will spend the night in this village at a charming colonial hotel.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 13
Yariquies National Park

We will get up early for a one-hour drive in a 4x4 car to Yariguies National Natural Park and to the forest of the Cerulean Warbler Reserve. We will spend the whole day in these forests searching for a number of interesting birds while trekking along the “Lengerke Trail,” which was built 130 years ago. Some of the many birds we expect to see today include Gorgeted wood quail, Black incas, Parker’s antbirds, Magdalena tapaculos, Colombia mountain grackles, Double-banded greytails, Long-tailed tapaculos, Andean emeralds, Highland tinamous, Mustached Puffbirds, Red-headed barbets, Crimson-rumped toucanets, Spotted barbtails, White-bellied antpittas, Ochre-breasted antpittas, Yellow-throated spadebills, White-throated spadebills, Green and black fruiteaters, Pavonine cuckoos, Golden-wing manakins, Rufous-naped brush finches, Uniform antshirkes, Chestnut-crowned gnat-eaters and more. In the late afternoon, we will return to San Vicente de Chucuri to spend another night.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 14
Cerulea Warbler Reserve – Transfer to Bucaramanga – Bogota (night flight)

The Colombian coffee fields of San Vicente de Chucuri and the road to “La Germania” will be today’s destinations for some more exotic birding in the tree canopy and grasslands. In the afternoon we will travel to the area around the city of Bucaramanga, where we will try to spot the enigmatic and beautiful Recurved-billed bushbird. Some other important birds we hope to see today are the Russet-crowned Cake, Orange-billed nightingale-thrushes, Slaty spinetails, Cinereous becards, Bi-colored wrens, Band-back wrens, Sooty-headed tyrannulets, Striped cuckoos, Lemon-rumped tanagers, Large-billed seed-finches, Lineated woodpeckers, Rufous-naped greenlets and many northern migratory birds like  Morning, Yellow, Cerulean, Blue-winged, Black-and-white, Blackburninan and Bay-breasted warblers. From Bucaramanga, we will fly back to Bogota for the night.

Read More
Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner
Day 15
El Tabacal Lake – Departure from Bogota

We will visit Lake El Tabacal, with its great secondary forest and captivating birds like Rusty breasted antpittas, Rosy thrust tanagers, Grey throated warblers, Stripe breasted spinetails and more. Afterwards, we will return to the Bogota international airport, where we will bid you farewell and see you off on your flight home after more than two weeks of some amazing Colombian birding.

Read More
Breakfast

Prices

Price per person
Room
15 Days
DBLUS$ 6,110 PP
*Price per person based upon double occupancy.
*PP (per person)
Included in the price:

Transportation

  • Comfortable private vans or 4x4 car with air conditioning
  • 4x4 transportation in the Paujil Natural Reserve
  • 4x4 transportation in the Cerulean Warbler Reserve
  • Domestic flight (Bucaramanga – Bogota)

Meals

  • All meals (breakfasts, lunches and dinner) in all locations, with open menus at restaurants (w/ one national beer, soda, bottled water or juice included with each meal. Additional beers, juice, bottles of water or juices need to be paid for per client)
  • 2 snacks daily, to include bottled water, fruit, etc.
  • Water available all the time on the bus (with a large bottle available for refilling personal water bottles)

Accommodations

  • All hotels described in the itinerary
  • Eco-lodges inside the natural reserves
  • Towel and linen provided at all accommodations
  • Entrance fees into national parks and reserves

Guides, drivers and cooks

  • The group will be accompanied by a professional birdwatcher guide all times
  • Experienced car and boat drivers
  • Experienced cooks at all reserves, lodges and hotels

Insurance

  • Non-medical travel insurance (covering trip cancellations, lost luggage, and other losses incurred while traveling)
Not included in the price:
  • International flights and taxes
  • Personal items
  • Laundry services
  • Room service
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Medical expenses / insurance
  • Beer in addition to one beer at lunch or dinner
  • International or local phone calls
  • Activities not included in the itinerary
  • Trip extensions due to circumstances beyond our control

Contact Us

Interested in more information about any particular South American destination or trip?

Simply let us know your interests or question, and one of our travel experts will be more than happy to assist you -- at no charge, of course!

Contact One of Our Experts

Preferred method of contact
Please complete all required fields
Please enter a valid email
Email and confirmation Email doesnt match
There was an error sending the form, please try again!
Send
Traveler Reviews
traveler-reviews
Reviews

“Everything went off without a hitch. Accomodation was just what we wanted. Clean, great location and within our budget. The dive master was great. ”Sarah Darwin