Not sure which Colombia tour to choose? Click to see a complete listing and comparison of all our Colombia trips.
Trying to come up with fresh adjectives to describe the birding in the country with the world's longest list is not easy, nor is capturing it in itineraries that will be perfect for everyone. What we have done is take the 17-day survey of the Cauca Valley and the Western and Central Andes we used to operate and divide it into two shorter tours, visiting many of the same places while adding a few new ones. These shorter itineraries take advantage of direct flights from the U.S. to Colombia, which is a short flight across the Caribbean.
As for the adjectives. "juicy" is really obvious, but it is also right on target. This tour is going to be fun, visiting a terrific variety of birdy forests with really juicy birds, many of them endemics in remote regions of the Western and Central Andes. While "remote" suggests hardship, and there are some simple lodges and the challenges of birding in rainy regions, there is also ease and comfort--our gateway is a city of millions served by major international airlines. And good birds are not always remote birds--one of the classiest endemics of Colombia, the Red-bellied Grackle, occurs in the hills above Medellin. It is also a list that is still growing, with Antioquia Wren described from the Cauca Valley since we started the tour, and a rediscovery of the Antioquia Brushfinch. Colombia is well known to Field Guides clients, and if you are looking for a single-visit sampler, this 12-day itinerary traverses almost 10,000' (3000m) of elevation and two of its cordilleras, crossing two major river valleys (the Rio Medellin and Cauca River), in pursuit of a dazzling variety of tropical birds.
In Colombia, the Andes are split into three long, north-south running cordilleras separated by two deep valleys carrying the Rio Cauca and the Rio Magdalena. The valley of the Rio Cauca separates the Western and Central Andes and, in comparison with the valley of the Rio Magdalena, is narrow and slightly higher. The floor and lower slopes of the Cauca Valley are in a modest rainshadow between the very wet Central Andes and the exceedingly wet Western Andes, the west slope of which is in the Choco, one of the five wettest areas in the world.
There are no major difficulties with this tour, but there are a number of points that need to be considered carefully to determine if this tour is right for you. Some of this relates to basic facts about Colombia: The tourist infrastructure is a little basic, but very much adequate, and habitat destruction endemic to this planet means it can be a long way between spots where threatened, endemic birds are to be found.
The focus will be on the endemics and specialties, although at times we will pursue the widespread, because in this taxonomic climate, even the widespread can become very interesting. And we will generally look at the widespread species because we like looking at birds, and that is often what is in front of us. Still, this is just to say that there is an emphasis on what makes Colombia unique.
This tour involves a moderate amount of driving. Still, a fingernail length on the map is, in the Andes, a half-day of driving. The countryside is interesting, and while the environment is generally greatly disturbed, in comparison with many countries, there are actually fewer areas that are devastated: There are large trees or riparian corridors or patches of substantial secondary growth. The pros and cons are that when we travel, that is really all we do--little roadside birding, few stops to check out birds; and when we bird, we are immersed in birding on trails and tracks as close to the wild as we can be, escaping from the bustle of the roadside and cities.
Select the KEY INFO tab or click here for our itinerary plus space requests, status, fees, limits, and guides for any departure.
Client comment
"The tour was excellent. The ProAves lodges were comfortable and the personnel efficient. Most places we stayed were in quiet areas. Jesse Fagan is an excellent guides. He worked diligently to get everyone on the bird we were trying for. The local guides were also great. The Field Guides office service was excellent. Field Guides is the company i like best, well organized." V.P., COLOMBIA'S CENTRAL ANDES: THE WILD, WONDERFUL NORTH