Western & Central Andes of Colombia
Western & Central Andes of Colombia
In this tour we visit some of the most popular birding sites of Colombia, this tour also covers most of the ecossystems, starting in Cali and finishing in Medellin we are likely to watch over 350 species of birds.
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Available all year
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Set departures
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2024-Nov-02
2025-Feb-16
2025-Oct-02
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Region
Central and Western Andes
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Birdwatching Tours and Experiences
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Western & Central Andes of Colombia
Central and Western Andes
In this tour we visit some of the most popular birding sites of Colombia, this tour also covers most of the ecossystems, starting in Cali and finishing in Medellin we are likely to watch over 350 species of birds.
Schedule
- 1
Arriving to Cali International Airport CLO
Arrival at Cali International Airport Alfonso Bonilla Aragon CLO. Transfer to the first lodge.
- 2
Km18 Cloud Forest
Km18 Cloud Forest, the Km 18 is a famous spot for birdwatching in Colombia, we will have the chance to visit this forest and some well recognized photography and Birding feeder places the targets are the endemic Multicolored Tanager and Chestnut Wood-quail, Scrub Tanager, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Golden-naped Tanager, Black-capped Tanager, Chestnut-capped Brush-finch, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Little Tinamou, Rusty-winged Barbtail, Green-and-black Fruiteater and White-throated Quail-Dove, Booted Racket-tail, Blue-headed Sapphire, Bronzy Inca, Tawny-bellied Hermit, Long-tailed Sylph, White-throated Daggerbill, by the end of the day we can enjoy Araucana Lodge gardens and feeders where we can see birds as Dull-colored Grassquit, Yellow-backed Oriole, Lineated Woodpecker, Parker’s Antbird, Green Jay, hummingbirds such as Long-billed Starthroat, Black-throated Mango, Andean Emerald, Purple-throated Woodstar and Western Emerald.
- 3
Queremal and Doña Dora at Km 55
Queremal and Doña Dora at Km55, this is a short stop by the old Buenaventura Road doing the Upper part, we will do stops on the road looking for birds as Crested Ant-tanager, Uniform Treehunter, Bar-crested Antshrike, Black-billed Peppershrike, Glistening-green Tanager, Brown-billed Scythebill, Lyre-tailed Nightjar; to end up at Km 55 Doña Dora’s place a famous birding spot where we can enjoy great views of Toucan Barbets, Black-headed Brushfinch, Rufous-throated Tanager, Silver-throated Tanager, White-lined Tanager, Gray-and-gold Tanager, White-whiskered Hermit, Rufous-gaped Hillstar, Purple-bibbed White-tipped and Green Thorntail.
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San Cipriano and Drive to Buga
Early start to get to San Cipriano a remote village to the Choco Lowlands, Getting to there will required a ride in a weird and picturesque type of transportation which is known as the ¨Brujita¨ this is basically a wooden cart with iron wheels that goes on the old train track push by a motorcycle, San Cipriano is an afro-Colombian community that lives by the reserve that at the time is a forest that protects Buenaventura watershed, the is the nearest city that at the time is the main port of Colombia and the only one to the Pacific Ocean the targets for San Cipriano are Choco Toucan, White-tailed Trogon, Stub-tailed Antbird, Chestnut-backed Antbird, Bicolored Antbird, Dot-winged Antwren, White-whiskered Puffbird, Black-breasted Puffbird, Spot-crowned Barbet, Five-colored Barbet, Blue-whiskered Tanager, Tawny-crested Tanager, and many others from the Choco lowlands. After lots of good birds in San Cipriano, we leave the town and move to our following destination Buga, a town in the mid Cauca valley close to Sonso Lagoon reserve our next birding destination.
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Sonso Lagoon and drive to Montezuma
Early breakfast to the Hotel Guadalajara that is a charming site where we can also see birds as Blue-headed Parrot, Saffron Finch, Yellow-crowned Parrots and other by the gardens and trees, after breakfast toons of birds await for us to the dry forest, Cauca river and some of the wetland of the Sonso Lagoon Reserve this is one of the few wetlands that reminds in the whole Cauca Valley region, to this place we can look for endemic s such as Grayish Piculet, Apical Flycatcher and lots of tropical dry forest species such as Yellow Oriole, Oriole Blackbird, Little Cuckoo, Dwarf Cuckoo, Slate-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-olive Flycatcher, Cocoa Woodcreeper, Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Jet Antbird, Great Antshrike, Cinereus Becard, Blackish Rail, Purple Gallinule, Black-bellied, Fulvous and White-faced Whistling-ducks, Pale-breasted Spinetail, and more; this is the only place west to the Andes to look for Horned Screamer a species usually in to the Amazon region that can be seen in open areas or top on the trees by the marsh or the dry forest. The afternoon is going to be spent getting to Montezuma our next destination in Western Andes.
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Montezuma upper portion
Montezuma Upper Portion, from the lodge at 5000 feet we drive early morning to head to almost 9000 feet this in only seven miles of distance an absolutely great range where lots of endemics are possible, there to the top we'll look for Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer, Gold-ringed Tanager and Munchique Wood-wren, those are pretty restricted to the Highlands in Western Andes, other targets include Smoky Bush-tyrant, Tanager Finch, Beautiful Jay, Barred Fruiteater, Rufous Spinetail, Fulvous-dotted Treerunner, Purplish-mantled Tanager, Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia, Velvet-purple Coronet, Violet-tailed Sylph, Black Solitaire and more.
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Montezuma medium and lower portion
Montezuma Upper Portion, from the lodge at 5000 feet we drive early morning to head to almost 9000 feet this in only seven miles of distance an absolutely great range where lots of endemics are possible, there to the top we'll look for Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer, Gold-ringed Tanager and Munchique Wood-wren, those are pretty restricted to the Highlands in Western Andes, other targets include Smoky Bush-tyrant, Tanager Finch, Beautiful Jay, Barred Fruiteater, Rufous Spinetail, Fulvous-dotted Treerunner, Purplish-mantled Tanager, Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia, Velvet-purple Coronet, Violet-tailed Sylph, Black Solitaire and more.
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Montezuma Lodge
Montezuma Lodge to look for missing ones to the lower area during the morning, walking from the lodge in the road to the top we can find lists of good birds such as Striolated Manakin, White-shouldered Tanager, Lanceolated Monklet, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Bay-headed Tanager. In the afternoon we will drive to Manizales, we will do a birding stop to the Embalse Cameguadua, a wetland where we are likely to enjoy views of Pied.billed Grebe, we have chances to watch the endemic Grayish Piculet, some others include Blackish Rail, Purple Gallinule, Spot-breasted Woodpecker and more. After lunch we drive to Manizales located in the central Andes.
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Rio Blanco Reserve
Rio Blanco Reserve, this is the reserve to protect the watershed for Manizales city, but it is also one of the most popular birding sites of Colombia, famous for having great mixed flocks, Antpitta feeding stations and lots of high Andean species, the targets are Masked Saltator, Black-billed Mountain-toucan, Flammulated Treehunter, Brown-banded, Chestnut-crowned and Bicolored Antpittas, Grass-green Tanager, Buff-breasted Mountain-tanager, Black-capped, Black-eared and Superciliared Hemispingus, Hooded Bush-tanager, Capped Conebill, Powerful Woodpecker, Plushcap and much more.
- 10
Hacienda El Bosque and the Nevados National Park
Hacienda El Bosque and Nevados National Park. Hacienda El bosque is one of the new most popular sightings for birding and bird photography, a farm for milking cows where you can enjoy lists of great birds from central Andes Highlands, this due to there are feeding stations by the reminds of forest, the first one to visit is the Ecuatorial Antpitta station, where we can also see Gray-browed Brushfinch, White-browed Spinetail, Mountain Wren and if some of the plants around are in bloom those could attract Purple-backed Thornbill, the next feeding station is a place for hummingbirds and also Crescent-faced Antpitta another rare of rares, some of the hummingbirds that can be seen are Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Black-thighed Puffleg, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Collated Inca, Shining Sunbeam, Tyrian Metaltail, Tourmaline Sunangel, White-bellied Woodstar and more, one of the most wanted birds at El Bosque is undoubtedly the Gray-breasted Mountain-toucan pretty special bird that come to eat grapes. In this feeder we can see also Hooded Mountain-tanager and Slaty Brushfinch, after enjoined the feeders we will head to the Nevados national park where the main target is Buffy Helmetcrest a hummingbird endemic to this national park. Other birds that we can see are Plain-colored and Paramo Seedeaters, Grass Wren, Tawny Antpitta, Pale-naped Brushfinch, Viridian Metaltail, White-chinned Thistletail, Brown-backed Chat-tyrant, Rufous-fronted Parakeet. By the end of the day we will visit the feeders at Termales del Ruiz Hotel where we can see birds as the stunning Scarlet-bellied Mountain-tanager, Lachrymose Mountain-tanager, Rainbow-bearded Thronbill and Golden-breasted Puffleg.
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Drive from Manizales to Jardin
Drive from Manizales to Jardin & Andean Cock of the rock to the afternoon.
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Ventanas road & Mirador El Roble
Ventanas Road & Mirador El Roble, 40 minutes away from Jardin we get in good forest area, proper western Andes forest where we will search for different targets such as the endemic and endangered Yellow-eared Parrot, other targets include the uncommon Chestnut-crested Cotinga, Capped Conebill, Oleaginous Hemispingus, Plushcap, Mountain Cacique, Grass-green Tanager and more, getting to Mirador El Roble the star if the place is the endemic Chami Antpitta which is comming to the antpitta feeder, in the afternoon we head back to the charming town Jardin.
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Bambusa Feeders and drive to Medellin.
After enjoying breakfast we will visit Bambusa feeders to then drive to Medellin which will be the departure location.
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Departures
Departures from Medellin International Airport Jose Maria Cordova MDE.
Birdwatching Tours and Experiences
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