The Golden Birding Trail
Colombia's Golden Birding TrailA classic Colombia birding tour in search of Andes, Magdalena Valley & Choco endemics
Introduction to our 'Colombia's Golden Birding Trail' tour
The mighty Andes splits into three distinct ranges within Colombia’s borders, forming the Eastern, Central and Western Cordilleras. The resulting mosaic of localised climatic conditions and subsequent myriad ecological niches supports a staggering regional biodiversity. On this
15-day classic Colombia birding tour we'll explore all three Cordilleras, focusing on the rich avian diversity found in each. Spectacular endemics like Multicoloured Tanager, Gold-ringed Tanager, Black-and-gold Tanager, Green-bearded Helmetcrest, Buffy Helmetcrest, Bogota Rail, White-mantled Barbet, Red-bellied Grackle, Yellow-eared Parrot, Brown-banded Antpitta, and Rufous-fronted Parakeet (to mention just a few) will be amongst a long list of key targets. Not to mention a host of other goodies like Purplish-mantled Tanager, Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Oilbird, Golden-headed Manakin, Club-winged Manakin, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, Bicoloured Antpitta, Ocellated Tapaculo, Black Solitaire and many many more!
This classic Colombia birding tour (limited to 8 guests) will be led by a seasoned expert bilingual birding guide who knows the region and its birds inside out. We'll also employ local guides to ensure we have the most up-to-date information on recent bird movements - critical for searching out local owl roosts and other cryptic species. During the tour we will focus our efforts on seeing the key endemic species of each location, as well as key regional and range-restricted specialities. The tour pace will be brisk, ensuring we maximise our time. However, there will still be time to enjoy Colombia's incredible culture and food along the way. We use the best available accommodations throughout the tour, including a night in Hotel Termales del Ruiz, where naturally occurring hot springs offer a wonderful way to relax on the last night of the tour. We are very happy to offer customized birding, wildlife, beach and cultural pre or post tour extensions, should you want to extend your time here - something we'd certainly recommend. Please just contact us to find out more, using the 'contact' tab at the top right-hand-side of the page. Please scroll down for more information about this classic Colombia birding tour.
Tour Details
Tour type:
Classic Colombia birding tour
Duration of the tour: 15 days
Group size:
Limited to 8 participants
Dates: New dates coming soon - please enquire below for further details
We can offer a private/customized version of this classic Colombia birding tour on dates suited to you. Please send an email to info@wildaboutcolombia.com for further details.
Pricing: TBC
Single room supplement:
Tour leader(s): With 5-8 guests there will be x2 expert birding bilingual guides (Rob Smith + additional guide). With less than 5 guests there will be one expert bilingual guide.
Tour highlights
Explore the Eastern Andes for range restricted Colombian endemics
Bird in high altitude paramo habitats of Chingaza and Los Nevados national parks
Explore the Magdalena Valley for localised endemics and visit an Oilbird cave
Visit one of the most active Andean Cock-of-the-rock leks in all South America and search for Yellow-eared Parrots from the quaint colonial town of Jardin
See as many as 5 species of furtive antpitta in a single morning at the pristine cloud forest reserve of Rio Blanco
Birdin the mega-diverse 'Choco' bioregion, where a suite of Colombian endemic and Choco specialties await!
A tour tally of over 500 species is expected, including over 50 varieties of hummers and a feast of dazzling tanagers
Enjoy world-class Colombian coffee, delicious food and amazing hospitality throughout the tour
