Tour Leader: Carlos Bocos
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): USD3,300 * GBP2,626 * EUR3,164 * ZAR60,450
Colombia’s vast expanse of Amazonian rainforest habitat is best accessed via the town of Mitu. The town itself is a fabulous base to work from, with comfortable hotel accommodations in town and some of the most enjoyable local guides anywhere. The birding sites are easy to access, and the birds are plentiful, with many near endemics, white sand specialists, terra firme specialists and several scarce species readily seen.
Plum-throated, Spangled & Pompadour Cotingas; Guianan Cock-of-the-rock; Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlet; Amazonian Umbrellabird; Fiery Topaz; Pavonine Quetzal; Brown-banded, Bronzy & Paradise Jacamars; Black-bellied Thorntail; Rufous-throated & White-chinned Sapphires; Green-tailed Goldenthroat; Crested Eagle; Ornate Hawk-Eagle; White-chinned Woodcreeper; Rufous-tailed Xenops; Spot-backed Antwren; Imerri Warbling Antbird; Cinnamon Neopipo; Pale-bellied Mourner; Collared Gnatwren; Red-billed Ground Cuckoo (rare - thought more sightings are known from Mitu than anywhere else in the world); Tawny-tufted Toucanet; Orinoco Piculet; Bar-bellied Woodcreeper; Blackish-grey & Pearly Antshrikes; 10 species of Antwren including Cherrie’s & Yellow-throated; Black Bushbird; 17 species of Antbird including Black-chinned, Black-headed, Grey-bellied, White-plumed & Chestnut-crested; Saffron-crested Tyrant-Manakin; Black, Yellow-crested & Striolated Manakins; Brown-headed Greenlet; Azure-naped Jay; White-bellied Dacnis; White-naped Seedeater; Plumbeous Euphonia.
white sand forest and terra firme forest
warm and humid
8 with 1 Rockjumper Leader
Moderate to difficult. Endemic and target focussed trip. Not suitable for dedicated photographers; inexperienced birders; or anyone with mobility or health challenges. Tour pace is fast. Our Mega tours are very fast-paced birding adventures designed for the dedicated lister and serious birder. The focus of the tour is to see as many of the endemics and area specials as possible in our given time. In order to cover the necessary route to maximise the species list we tend to spend a single night at most sites and travel large distances. There is very little down time aside from that spent driving from one site to the next. These tours are not suitable for dedicated or avid photographers; inexperienced or new birders; as well as anyone with serious mobility or health challenges.
Comfortable hotel
Challenging. Several skulkers and low-density targets that require repeated efforts. Many species that require patience, persistence & repeat attempts.
250+
Reasonable to good. Typical forest lighting difficulties.
I was extremely pleased with Rob and his ability to locate birds and get all members of the group on them for viewing. This was no small task given the reclusive nature of many of the species and the size of our group. In addition to Robs valuable birding skills are his management skills in planning and timing and surmounting both the usual and the unexpected difficulties associated with delays and circumstances. Rob is extremely knowledgeable and has excellent communication skills. His stories are informative and most often entertaining. He was a fun guide and I give him a 5 star plus rating.
Forrest Rowland is an incredible guide.
Forrest Rowland: We think you did a great job organising and leading this trip. It all seemed to go very smoothly so, if you had any problems, they weren't obvious to us. We thought your fieldcraft was also first class. Clearly, all your previous experience has meant that you know the birds, their calls and the sites exceptionally well. We think we did very well with the avifauna, in no small part thanks to you.
Our guide Tuomas was excellent, the trip was excellent!
Dusan is an outstanding guide. He consistently made sure that all of us saw each bird and knew its name. I have hearing and mild short-term memory problems and Dusan took specialefforts to be sure that these did not interfere with my birding success on the trip. Not only does Dusan know all of the Colombian birds by sight, but he knows all of their calls and is able to talk at length about their biology and behavior - that is, he is an excellent teacher, too. This is something that I appreciate greatly, as I am a retired college professor of biology and I recognize an excellent teacher when I see one in action. In addition to his skills as a guide, Dusan was tireless in making sure that the constantly-changing tour arrangements went smoothly from day to day. I am certain that we got every minute that was possible out in the field looking for new birds; this was the goal of the tour (1000 species seen in 30 days of birding). He has a very pleasant, enthusiastically-encouraging personality and is outstanding at promoting group coherence and morale in difficult and sometimes mildly-dangerous situations.
Colombia - Perijá & Santa Marta Endemics - Tailormade 2024 - September 2024
Colombia - Highlights 2024 - July 2024
Colombia - Highlights (ECU replacement) 2024 - January 2024
Colombia - Northern Andes: Central Andes 2023 - October 2023
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
Colombia - Highlights 2022 - September 2022
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
Colombia - Perijá & Santa Marta Endemics (SGT) 2019 - October 2019