Tour Leader: Alexander Alvarado
Tour price (Per person): USD5,695 * GBP4,542 * EUR5,480 * AUD9,144
Single Supplement: USD450 * GBP359 * EUR433 * AUD723
Flight costs: USD110 * GBP88 * EUR106 * AUD177
Can be linked with: Colombia - Santa Marta Extension 2025
Tour Leader: Lisle Gwynn
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): USD5,900 * GBP4,705 * EUR5,677 * AUD9,473
Can be linked with: Colombia - Santa Marta Extension 2026
Our comprehensive highlights of Colombia tour cover all three Andean ranges and both inter-Andean valleys, as well as lower tropical rainforests in search of numerous endemics and regional avian specialties. We will be searching for a remarkable collection of birds that are likely to exceed 400 species, including over 60 species of colourful tanagers, 8 species of furtive antpittas, and nearly 50 species of dazzling hummingbirds! Combined with spectacular scenery, friendly locals, and pleasant lodges situated within prime birding areas, this tour of Colombia offers the very best of South American birding!
Bogota Rail; Northern Screamer; Yellow-eared Parrot; Rufous-fronted & Flame-winged Parakeets; Cloud-forest Pygmy Owl; Moustached Puffbird; Black Inca; Empress Brilliant; Velvet-purple Coronet; Violet-tailed Sylph, Sword-billed Hummingbird; Toucan & White-mantled Barbets; Greyish Piculet; White-throated Screech Owl; Brown-banded, Chestnut-crowned, Crescent-faced, Chami, Muisca, Slaty-crowned & Bicolored Antpittas; Bar-crested Antshrike; Red-bellied Grackle; Beautiful Jay; Star-chested Treerunner; Uniform Treehunter; Munchique Wood & Antioquia Wrens; Tanager Finch; Black-chinned Mountain, Gold-ringed, Black-and-gold & Glistening-green Tanagers; Crested Ant & Sooty Ant Tanagers; Turquoise Dacnis; Choco Vireo; Rufous-browed Conebill; Stiles’s, Pale-bellied & Tatama (Alto Pisones) Tapaculos; Grey-breasted & Black-billed Mountain Toucans; Silvery-throated Spinetail; Blue-throated Starfrontlet; Indigo-capped & Ruby-topaz Hummingbirds; Oilbird; Pacific Tuftedcheek; Black Solitaire; Buffy Helmetcrest; Glowing Puffleg; Choco Brushfinch; Yellow-headed Manakin; Beautiful Woodpecker; Plushcap; Antioquia Bristle Tyrant; Grey-cheeked Nunlet; Barred and Green-and-black Fruiteater; Andean Cock-of-the-Rock.
Choco Cloud Forest; subtropical and temperate Andean forests; Paramo; tropical forests of lower Magdalena and Cauca Valleys
Temperate to cold in highlands (Chingaza, Los Nevados), Hot and humid in the lowlands (Rio Claro). Rain is likely on some days.
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader
This is a moderately difficult tour. Not suitable for dedicated photographers; or anyone with mobility / health challenges. Some very early mornings / long days.
Comfortable to good.
Moderate to demanding. Bird density is low in some areas, several difficult target species that require patience, persistence & repeat attempts (ie: Antpittas & Tapaculos).
425
spectacular scenery.
Reasonable, typical forest conditions of variable light & frequent cloud / drizzle.
Dusan is an excellent guide (best ears in the business!) as well as a wonderful person to share this long of an adventure. He’s very concerned for everyone’s health, safety and enjoyment of the birding.
Dušan was an amazing guide. His acute hearing and anticipation of where the birds would be was extraordinary. He had a well balanced sensibility in regards to our limits and possibilities and was always exercising his desire that everyone in the group was able to see each bird we encountered as best as the circumstances permitted. His passion for birding was very apparent and sincere. Dušan's communication and updates as things changed benefited the whole group.
Thank you so much for a wonderful experience on my Remote Colombia Tour. Forrest remains among one of the best guides I have ever travelled with. His knowledge of the areas within Colombia is astounding, he clearly knows his birds and their respective calls, he knows the off-track spots to seek out the more difficult species and the local people he interacts with clearly respect and value their relationship with him. Witnessing the interaction of these relationships makes for such a more enjoyable overall experience. Forrest as a guide brings a strong combination of spotting birds, knowing the bird calls and getting people on the bird. Equally important, he interacts with each and everyone of his participants and just displays such a passion for birds, wildlife and the local culture.
Tuomas is a great guide and excellent with bird IDs and helping people see all of the birds as much as possible. He also managed to maintain group morale despite a very ambitious and exhausting itinerary.
First of all, Forrest Rowland's profound knowledge of the full range of bird identification traits, songs and calls, habitat preferences and behavioural detail was indispensable to our ability to view, hear, and understand what we were looking for/at. Even more so, his knowledge and ability to effectively convey such information in a timely and readily comprehensible manner was an essential component of our ability to get on birds effectively. Plus his expertise and experience did not stop with the bird life. Secondly, he was an amazing leader in keeping a diverse group of participants focused on tasks at hand and committed to an inclusive "team" dynamic, not an easy feat! His very personable and easy going style kept everyone engaged and appreciating contributions from the whole group... and no one ever appeared isolated. Lastly, and also crucial to an effective journey of this type, Forrest was always on top of tour logistics and management, which are extremely complex and sometimes change with little notice (e.g. flights being cancelled). ln part this was due to his own experience travelling within Colombia, building upon the wonderful network of supporting "staff/contributors", and he was always able to easily provide next step details, rationales, and alternatives to the group.
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Colombia - Northern Andes: Medellin & surrounds 2023 - October 2023
Colombia - Northern Andes: Bogota & surrounds 2023 - October 2023
Colombia - Northern Andes: Santa Marta 2023 - September 2023
Colombia - Santa Marta Extension I 2023 - August 2023
Colombia - Highlights 2023 - August 2023
Colombia - Santa Marta Extension II 2022 - December 2022
Colombia - Northern Andes: Western & Central Andes 2022 - November 2022
Colombia - Northern Andes: Medellin & Magdalena Valley 2022 - November 2022
Colombia - Northern Andes: Bogota & surrounds 2022 - November 2022
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Colombia - Mega Birding Tour II 2021 - November 2021
Colombia - Mega Birding Tour I 2020 - January 2020
Colombia - Highlights 2019 - November 2019
Colombia - Santa Marta Extension 2019 - November 2019
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