Colombia Birding: Antpittas & Hummingbirds of the Central Andes

Flight from Bogota Airport to Pereira Airport

Breakfast

Morning Birding at Kaukita Dry Forest Reserve

Bird the small tropical dry forest reserve on Pereira's western edge, a patch of dry forest ringed by a residential estate with open grassland and ponds. It is a good place for the first Colombian endemics and dry-country specialities, working the scrub, the grassland and the pond edges in the cooler hours of the morning.

Lunch

Transfer Pereira to Otún Quimbaya

Cross Pereira to the guest house beside the Otun Quimbaya reserve, the base for the afternoon session. The reserve protects the Otun river basin, the drinking-water source for Pereira (capital of Risaralda in the Coffee Region), across more than a thousand hectares of well-preserved forest.

Afternoon Birdwatching at Otún Quimbaya

During the afternoon, we continue exploring the diverse habitats of Otún Quimbaya, following quiet forest roads and shaded trails as bird activity shifts through the day. Moving at a relaxed pace, we revisit productive areas and adapt our route to recent sightings, giving ourselves the best chance of encountering species that may have remained hidden earlier. The changing light also creates excellent conditions for photography, while mixed flocks, woodcreepers, tanagers and other Andean forest birds continue to offer rewarding opportunities for observation. Every walk through the sanctuary brings new encounters, making the afternoon a valuable complement to the morning session.

Dinner

Breakfast

Birdwatching at Otún Quimbaya Flora and Fauna Sanctuary

Otún Quimbaya protects one of the finest remnants of Andean cloud forest in Colombia and is home to several of the country’s most sought-after endemic species. Accompanied by a local guide, we explore the sanctuary’s forest trails and quiet roads at a relaxed pace, listening for mixed flocks and scanning the canopy for some of its iconic residents. Among the highlights are the endemic Cauca Guan and the striking Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, while the surrounding forest may also reveal the colourful Multicolored Tanager, Torrent Duck along the Otún River, woodcreepers, foliage-gleaners and a variety of Andean flycatchers. With patience and careful observation, this rich cloud forest offers rewarding opportunities for both birdwatching and photography.

Drive to Cameguadua Marsh

Drive about forty miles north to Cameguadua marsh, a wetland stop on the way toward the premontane country above the Coffee Region.

Birding at Cameguadua Marsh

Work the marsh and its margins for a wetland mix of herons, rails, gallinules, parrotlets and kingfishers, with a strong supporting cast of antshrikes, spinetails, flycatchers, seedeaters and saltators. The open water and reed edges give a distinct change of pace from the forest birding.

Lunch

Transfer to Recinto del Pensamiento

Continue about another hour to Recinto del Pensamiento, a well-located lodge at 1,950 m with extensive forest-fringed grounds and fragments of very humid premontane forest.

Recinto del Pensamiento Lodge Grounds and Premontane Forest

Walk the extensive forest-fringed grounds of Recinto del Pensamiento in the afternoon and evening light, a relaxed introduction to very humid premontane forest. The lodge's on-site bird list runs to 192 species, and the grounds are a low-effort place to pick up quiet forest birds before dinner.

Dinner

Breakfast

Transfer to Río Blanco Reserve

Drive the thirty minutes from Manizales to the Río Blanco reserve, owned by the municipal water company Aguas de Manizales with its guest house and visitor facilities operated by the Fundación Gabriel Arango Restrepo (FUNDEGAR).

Rio Blanco Forest Trails and Mixed Flocks

Walk the reserve's forest trails, where busy mixed flocks move through the canopy and mid-storey. Woodcreepers, foliage-gleaners, barbtails and treerunners join the flocks, and the tanager and hemispingus mix is one of the reserve's quiet pleasures.

Antpitta Feeding Stations

We begin the morning with one of Río Blanco’s signature experiences: visiting a series of carefully managed antpitta feeding stations with an expert local guide. Thanks to years of conservation work, several normally elusive species have become accustomed to these feeding sites, offering an exceptional opportunity to observe and photograph them at close range. Our main targets include the Bicolored, Chestnut-crowned, Slate-crowned and endemic Brown-banded Antpittas, while the surrounding cloud forest often rewards us with mixed flocks of mountain tanagers, brushfinches, fruiteaters, tapaculos and other Andean specialties. Few places in Colombia offer such reliable encounters with these secretive birds.

Lunch

Cloud Forest Feeders & Trail Birding

As bird activity shifts through the day, we slow our pace and spend time around Río Blanco’s hummingbird and fruit feeders before exploring the surrounding forest trails. This combination offers excellent opportunities to observe species such as the Long-tailed Sylph, Collared Inca, Bronzy Inca and Tourmaline Sunangel, often at remarkably close range. Later, we continue into the cloud forest in search of additional Andean specialties, with chances to encounter woodcreepers, Masked Saltator, Rusty-faced Parrot, Andean Motmot and mixed flocks moving through the moss-covered forest. Guided by local expertise, we adapt our route to recent sightings and the day’s bird activity, making the most of every opportunity the reserve has to offer.

Rio Blanco Bamboo Patches

Work the bamboo patches above the guest house, a specialism in its own right. The bird here is a quiet, specialist-birders' list: a rich hemispingus set, Plushcap and Yellow-billed Cacique among the bamboo-loving tyrantlets and wrens.

Dinner

Breakfast

Transfer Recinto del Pensamiento –> Hacienda El Bosque

Equatorial Antpitta Experience

One of the highlights of Hacienda El Bosque is the opportunity to observe the remarkable Equatorial Antpitta at a carefully managed feeding station. Known for its secretive nature, this elusive bird occasionally emerges from the forest floor, offering exceptional views and rewarding photographic opportunities. While waiting quietly, we also keep watch for Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucan, mountain tanagers, brushfinches and other high-Andean species that regularly move through the surrounding forest.

Hacienda El Bosque Hummingbird Garden

Work the active hummingbird garden, where Sword-billed Hummingbird, Tourmaline Sunangel, Sparkling Violetear and White-bellied Woodstar come to the feeders and Masked and White-sided Flowerpiercers join the sugar. Watch the sky for Broad-winged Hawk over the working farmland.

Lunch

Transfer Hacienda el Bosque –> Hotel Termales Del Ruiz

Birdwatching in Los Nevados National Park (Buffy Helmetcrest Quest)

This morning, we venture into the páramo landscapes of Los Nevados National Park, one of the highest and most distinctive birding environments in Colombia. Exploring the high-altitude roads and open grasslands, we search for iconic species such as the Buffy Helmetcrest, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Rufous-fronted Parakeet and other remarkable birds specially adapted to life above the treeline. Combined with sweeping volcanic scenery, this is one of the highlights of birding in the Central Andes.

Elfin Forest Birdwatching

The trails surrounding the lodge wind through elfin forest, waterfalls and high-Andean vegetation, offering a gentle introduction to this unique ecosystem. Accompanied by our guide, we search for mountain tanagers, flowerpiercers, brushfinches and other high-elevation specialties, while keeping an eye out for the elusive Tawny Antpitta, one of the area’s most sought-after species.

Hummingbird Photography at the Feeders

The gardens of Termales del Ruiz are renowned for attracting some of the Andes’ most spectacular high-altitude hummingbirds. We spend time at the feeders observing and photographing species such as the Great Sapphirewing, Shining Sunbeam, Golden-breasted Puffleg and Buff-winged Starfrontlet, often at remarkably close range. The relaxed setting provides excellent opportunities to study their behaviour while refining compositions and close-up images.

Relax at the Thermal Hot Springs

After a day in the mountains, there’s time to unwind in the natural thermal pools that give Termales del Ruiz its name. Surrounded by the Andean landscape, the warm mineral-rich waters provide a peaceful setting to relax, reflect on the day’s sightings and prepare for the adventures ahead.

Dinner

Breakfast

Long Drive to Pueblo Rico

Make the long drive west, past Manizales and on toward Pueblo Rico, a crossing of just under 100 miles that takes four to five hours with birding stops and leg-stretches. The day is a genuine travel day into the Chocó-Pacific country.

Transfer from Pueblo Rico to Montezuma Rainforest Ecolodge Reserve

Lunch

High-Elevation Forest Exploration

After our picnic lunch, we continue birding through the upper cloud forest, adapting our route to recent sightings and the activity of the day. The afternoon offers further opportunities to search for elusive species, observe mixed flocks moving through the canopy and enjoy the remarkable diversity that makes Tatamá one of the world’s premier birding destinations.

Dinner

Breakfast

Dawn 4WD Drive up the Montezuma Summit Road

Leave very early (around 05:00) by 4WD for the ninety-minute bumpy drive to the end of the road, an army base and communications centre at the summit. In clear conditions the views across to Cerro Tatamá are outstanding, and a packed breakfast with steaming coffee comes before the birding.

High-Elevation Birding in Tatamá National Park

Before sunrise, we make our way to the upper reaches of Tatamá National Park, where the cool cloud forests are home to some of Colombia’s most sought-after birds. Exploring the Montezuma Road at a slow pace, we search for iconic species such as the spectacular Gold-ringed Tanager and Black-and-gold Tanager, along with tapaculos, flowerpiercers, mountain tanagers and other Chocó-Andean specialties. A packed lunch allows us to remain in the field and make the most of the day’s bird activity.

Lunch

Low-Elevation Birding in Tatamá National Park

We continue our exploration in the lower elevations of Tatamá, where the warmer Chocó forests host a distinct community of birds. This rich habitat offers excellent opportunities to search for species such as the Club-winged Manakin, Beautiful Jay, Chocó Vireo and a variety of tanagers, woodcreepers and flycatchers. Guided by recent sightings and bird activity, we take our time exploring this remarkably diverse section of the reserve.

Dinner

Breakfast

Mid Elevation Birding in Tatamá National Park

Today we explore the mid-elevation cloud forests along the Montezuma Road, where changing habitats support an exceptional diversity of Chocó and Andean birdlife. Walking at a relaxed pace, we search for mixed flocks moving through the canopy while keeping an eye out for regional specialties such as the Toucan Barbet, Black-chinned Mountain Tanager and Orange-breasted Fruiteater. A packed lunch allows us to remain in the field and make the most of the day’s bird activity.

Lunch

Dinner

Breakfast

Long Drive to Cali via the Cauca Valley

Make the long driving day of about 180 miles through the Cauca Valley toward Cali, taking most of the day with lunch, birding stops and leg-stretches.

Birdwatching at Laguna de Sonso

Laguna de Sonso is Colombia’s largest remaining natural wetland in the Cauca Valley and one of the country’s most important birding sites. Accompanied by a local guide, we explore its trails and observation points, searching the lagoons, reedbeds and gallery forest for the rich diversity of species that inhabit this unique ecosystem. One of the main highlights of our visit is the Ruby-topaz Hummingbird, a striking species that draws birdwatchers and photographers from around the world. Alongside this sought-after hummingbird, the wetlands provide excellent opportunities to observe and photograph herons, jacanas, kingfishers, ibises, raptors and many other resident and migratory birds. Moving at a relaxed pace, we take time to enjoy the ever-changing activity of the wetland and make the most of each photographic opportunity.

Lunch

Araucana Lodge Gardens, Feeders and Bird Tables

Spend the afternoon and early evening in the lodge gardens, feeders and bird tables, where Southern Lapwing, Eared Dove, Ruddy Ground-dove, Squirrel Cuckoo, Andean Motmot, Red-headed Barbet and Acorn Woodpecker come and go, and a strong hummingbird set works the flowers. It is an easy, relaxed session after a long travel day.

Dinner

Breakfast

Transfer to the Old Buenaventura Road at Queremal

Drive out early to Queremal, on the old road to Buenaventura that was once regarded as one of the top birding roads in the world. Now free of security concerns and largely traffic-free, it is heavily forested.

Queremal Old Buenaventura Road Birding Circuit

Spend the day working the traffic-free, heavily forested road, initially across open farmland and hilly pasture, stopping at likely sites while gradually working to lower elevations. The Chocó-Pacific list is long — parrots, hermits, barbets, a rich flycatcher and antbird set, tanagers and the Toucan Barbet — and the road is one of the best Tangara tanager areas around.

Lunch

Return Transfer to Araucana Lodge

Return from Queremal to Araucana Lodge in the late afternoon after a full day on the forested road.

Dinner

Breakfast

Transfer Araucana Lodge –> La Florida – El Bosque de las Aves

Dawn Birdwatching at the Feeders

We begin before sunrise, when the cloud forest is just starting to come alive. At first light, the feeders around the lodge attract an impressive diversity of hummingbirds, tanagers, flowerpiercers and other Chocó specialties, offering some of the best bird activity of the day. The quiet morning atmosphere also gives us a good chance of seeing the resident Chestnut Wood-Quail as they emerge from the forest for their regular morning visit. With excellent natural perches and soft light, this first session is ideal for both observation and photography.

Birdwatching in La Florida – Bosque de Aves

Bird El 18 and the La Florida farmstead for the highly prized endemic Multicoloured Tanager, the emblem of the trip, and a rich set of Tangara tanagers in the same forest. The low pass brings a concentration of colour that makes a fitting close to the journey.

Lunch

Little Tinamou Observation & Forest Hummingbirds

One of the afternoon highlights is the opportunity to observe the Little Tinamou, a notoriously elusive forest bird that often appears during its regular afternoon feeding. Watching this secretive species emerge from the undergrowth is a rewarding experience for both birdwatchers and photographers. We then spend more time around flowering plants where hummingbirds feed naturally, giving us the opportunity to slow down and experiment with different compositions, angles and close-up images in a beautiful forest setting. With fewer time constraints, this session invites a more creative approach while observing these remarkable birds in their natural habitat. Depending on recent activity, we may also encounter woodcreepers, foliage-gleaners, antpittas and other cloud forest specialists.

Transfer to Cali Airport

Transfer to Cali airport at the end of the day for the flight to Bogotá and the overnight connection home. The smooth running of the connection depends on a comfortable buffer between the final field time and departure.

Flight from Cali Airport to Bogota Airport