Colombian Full Endemics 21 Days / 20 Nights

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Night in Bogota.

Today we will get an early start in order to visit La Florida Park in Bogota. This park contains good marsh habitat where we hope to find Silver-throated Spinetail, Bogota Rail, and Apolinar’s Wren, which are all Colombian endemics. We will also enjoy more widespread birds including Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Rufous-browed Conebill, Southern Lapwing, Wattled Jacana and others. After we clean up with the endemics in La Florida, we will start driving downhill to San Francisco. There we will visit Jardin Encantado, where we will enjoy Indigo-capped Hummingbird, Lazuline Sabrewing and White-bellied Woodstar at their feeders! If our timing is right, we have a chance for the beautiful endemic Black Inca. We will enjoy our lunch in a fine local restaurant, then we will drive to Ibague. Night in Ibague.

This day we will visit the Fuertes Parrot Reserve, we will start early morning to see the endemics Fuerte’s Parrot. There we will look for the endemics Yellow-headed Brush-Finch, Tolima Dove (very difficult to get good views) and Bicolored Antpitta. On the way, we will look for the black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Red-crested Cotinga and more. Night in Ibague.

Early this morning we will head to Clarita Botero , we will visit this place to get good views of Tolima Dove and Yellow-headed Brush-Finch. Then we will drive to the dry forest habitat in El Palmar to get the Vetvet-fronted Euphonia and the Apical Flycatcher, Colombian Chachalaca, Spectacled Parrotlet and Bar-crested Antshrike. Then we will drive to La Victoria. Night in La Victoria.

This day we will visit Bellavista, a semi-dry forest near the hotel. We will spend the morning looking for endemic species such as the Sooty Ant-Tanager, Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant, Beautiful Woodpecker and White-mantled Barbet. We will also look for White-bibbed, White-bearded and Golden-hooded Manakins. In the afternoon we will drive to Rio Claro. Night in Rio Claro.

Today in Rio Claro we will focus on the Blue-billed Curassow. Then we will travel to Cerulean Reserve, we will enjoy watching the hummingbird feeders, Indigo-capped Hummingbird and we will try for the endemic Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird. They have put hummingbird feeders in the coffee plantation and the Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird is now visiting them. If we are lucky, we may find the endemic Niceforo’s Wren. At night, we will check a place close to the cabins for Tropical Screech-Owl. Night in the Cerulean Warbler Reserve.

Early this morning we will try for the endemic Recurve-billed Bushbird, and then continue to the top ridge. The reserve managers have set up a nice feeding station for the endemic Gorgeted Wood-Quail and Lined Quail-Dove. The hummingbird feeders attract Black Inca, among others. After enjoying all these great birds we will carry on to the top ridge, where we will look for Parker’s Antbird, Upper Magdalena Tapaculo, Yellow-throated Spadebill and Moustached Puffbird. After enjoying a tasty box lunch in the field, we will search for the rare Mountain Grackle. After returning to the cabins in the afternoon we will spend some time searching for the Turquoise Dacnis. Night in Cerulean Warbler Reserve.

This morning we will bird down to the town of San Vicente, hoping for a mixed feeding flock with Yellow-browed Shrike-Vireo, Olivaceous Piculet, Black-faced Dacnis and more. After, we will have a long drive to Piha Reserve we will enjoy our lunch on the road. Night in Arrierito Reserve (Chestnut-capped Piha Reserve).

After breakfast, we will head out on the Ridge Trail, where we hope to find Multicolored, Gold-and-Black, and Purplish-mantled Tanagers, in addition to Stile’s Tapaculo, Chestnut Wood-Quail, Golden-breasted Fruiteater, Chestnut-capped Piha, Pale-breasted Spinetail, Red-bellied Grackle, Brown-billed Scythebill, Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia, Colombian Chachalaca and Wattled Guan . If we’re very fortunate we may encounter a Black Tinamou, as well as a roost site for the enigmatic Stygian Owl. At the hummingbird feeders we will see Booted Racket-tail, Green-crowned Brillant, Green-crowned Woodnymph, Andean Emerald, and Steely-vented Hummingbird. Night at Arrierito Reserve.

This day we will head to the new lodge in Las Tangaras Reserve (between 800-1000m in elevation) where we will stop in Cauca Valley for Spectacled Parrotlet, Grayish Piculet and more. Night in Las Tangaras.

This is an astounding area to visit as the birds here are fantastic! We will search for Brown Inca, Choco Vireo, Toucan Barbet, Velvet-purple Coronet, Empress Brilliant, Yellow-breasted Antpitta, Black Solitaire, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Fulvous-dotted Treerunner, White-headed Wren and Beautiful Jay. Tanagers we hope to encounter include the Colombian endemic Black-and-Golden Tanager, and many choco endemics including Yellow-green Bush-Tanager, Gold-ringed Tanager, Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager and Glistening-green Tanager. We also hope to find the beautiful Yellow-collared Chlorophonia and we will try for the newly described Alto de Pisones Tapaculo. Night in Las Tangaras.

We leave the Las Tangaras Reserve this morning and head for the Colibri del Sol Reserve, birding the Carme Atrato road. On the way, we will stop to get the Munchique Wood-Wren, and mixed flocks with Black-throated Tody-Tyrant, Mountain Cacique, Black-collared Jay, Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, and we will try a good spot for the choco endemic Tanager finch. We arrive at the Colibri del Sol Reserve on horseback. Night in Colibri del Sol Reserve.

Today we will go to the high paramo, home to the recently rediscovered Dusky Starfrontlet, as well as the endemic Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer , and sometimes the spectacular Sword-billed Hummingbird visit the feeders. We will look for the cute Ocellated Tapaculo in the bamboo. Today will be the most physically demanding part of the tour. Night in Colibri del Sol Reserve.

This morning, we will visit the Fenwick’s Antpitta feeding area. This antpitta takes its breakfast of worms near the cabins at 7.30AM, and we also hope to see Chestnut-naped Antpitta. Then we will walk or ride down to Urrao, and then head to El Jardin, a 4-hour drive. In town we will visit a lek of Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, amazingly just 10 minutes walk from our hotel! Night in Valdivia Plaza.

Today we will spend all day birding along the road to the El Jardin Reserve. Our main target bird is the Yellow-eared Parrot; Proaves has placed nesting boxes around the area, so hopefully we will have nice views of this great bird! We will also search for Munchique Wood-Wren, White-capped Tanager, Barred Fruiteater, Andean Pygmy-Owl, Tourmaline Sunangel, Purple-backed Thornbill, Golden-headed Quetzal, Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Chestnut-naped and Slate-crowned Antpittas, Oleaginous, Superciliaried, and Black-capped Hemispingus, Black-winged Saltator, Slaty Finch and Golden-fronted Whitestart. After returning to town we will continue on to Medellin. Night in Medellin.

Today day we will take the first flight to Santa Marta, where we will have lunch and then transfer to El Dorado Lodge in the Santa Marta Mountains. We will bird from Minca to El Dorado Lodge, hoping to see Santa Martha Woodstar, Santa Marta Sabrewing, Gray-headed Tanager, Santa Marta Tapaculo, and Santa Marta Foliage-Gleaner on the way. Weather-permitting, we will search for the Santa Marta Screech-Owl that night. Night in El Dorado Lodge.

We have two full days around the trails and the road up the hill, so we will be working the various elevations in order to find as many endemics as possible. We will start heading up to the ridge pre-dawn in order to hear and see Band-tailed Guan and Band-winged Nightjar. When we arrive at the top of the ridge, we will look for Santa Marta Parakeets, Brown-rumped Tapaculo, Santa Marta Rufous Antpitta, Santa Marta Warbler, Santa Marta Wren, Yellow-crowned Whitestart, White-lored Warbler, Santha Marta Brush-Finch, Santa Marta Bush-Tyrant and more. We will return to the lodge in the afternoon and immediately head for the feeding station where the Santa Marta Antpitta frequents, and we will check the compost for the Black-fronted Wood-Quail. At the hummingbird feeders we hope to see Santa Marta Woodstar, White-tailed Starfrontlet and, with luck, the Blossomcrown. Night in El Dorado.

Today is a “clean-up” day in order to find species we may have on previous days. After birding our way through Santa Marta we will board our flight to Bogota. Night in Bogota.

Chingaza We have an early start to get the area for the endemic Brown-breasted Parakeet, and we will enjoy the mixed flocks of Buff-breasted, Black-chested, Scarlet-bellied and Lacrimose Mountain-Tanagers, Coppery-bellied Puffleg, Blue throated Startfronlet, Purple-backed Thornbill, Black-headed Hemispingus, Pearled Treerunner, Matorral Tapaculo, Powerful and Crimson-mantled Woodpeckers, White-browed Spinetail, Pale-naped Brush-Finch and more. Night in Bogota.

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