P.O. Box 16545 Portal, AZ 85632 Phone 520.558.1146/558.7781 Toll free 800.426.7781 Fax 650.471.7667 Email [email protected] [email protected] COLOMBIA: SIERRA NEVADA DE SANTA MARTA, TAYRONA, AND ISLA SALAMANCA NATIONAL PARKS Endemics Galore from the Mountains to the Sea March 14-20, 2016 (Designed to pair well with our Canopy Camp in Panama’s Darien March 6-13) A short extension for Birding and Beach time, history of Santa Marta: March 20-22 “Fermina Daza and Florentino Ariza stayed at the railing [of the deck], surrounded by noisy passengers who made bets on how well they could identify the lights in the city, until the boat sailed out of the bay, moved along invisible channels and through swamps spattered with the undulating lights of the fishermen, and at last took a deep breath in the open air of the Great Magdalena River.” García Márquez’s “Love in the Time of Cholera” Join us for a NEW Naturalist Journeys adventure to the landscape of the great Magdalena River, and the endemic-rich Caribbean Coast of Colombia, a spectacularly scenic area where beaches with palms fringe the skirts of snow-capped summits of Santa Marta’s Sierra Nevada National Park. This has long been a safe destination to visit in Colombia, easily accessed from Panama City. Our route from Barranquilla ascends into the lush- forest slopes of the Santa Marta Mountains above Minca (circa 8,800 feet), to higher reaches of the delightful El Dorado Lodge, and back to Tayrona National Park on the Coast. With little driving, we can experience five out of the ten vegetation formations of the Northern Watershed of the great Magdelana River region, one of the most diverse on Earth. A two-night extension invites you to relax and enjoy a beach day, and time in historic Santa Marta, treasured by Simon Naturalist Journeys, LLC / Caligo Ventures PO Box 16545 Portal, AZ 85632 PH: 520.558.1146 / 800.426.7781 Fax 650.471.7667www.naturalistjourneys.com / www.caligo.com [email protected] / [email protected] Bolivar, and to see more of the landscapes featured in García Márquez’s famous novel, “Love in the Time of Cholera”. This adventure should produce most of the 21 endemic species of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta! It is also a wonderful winter break. With the exception of our time in the mountains, average temperature during this trip will be above 24ºC (75ºF). As we will climb to Minca and El Dorado Reserve, temperature will cool off to an average of 17ºC (62ºF). Our total driving distance will be approximately 210 miles, leaving us time for birding, and along the coast, swimming and for those that wish – just relaxing. With just over 1,900 species now documented, nearly 80 of which are found nowhere else, Colombia offers the naturalist an astonishing diversity of birds. They are spread patchily across a country the size of Texas and California combined. Therefore, birding has to happen by region in order to comfortably enjoy every adventure. Otherwise, a focused and intensive investigation of this rich avifauna will involve long drives, internal flights, and repeatedly crisscrossing three ranges of the Andes. One of our alternatives to the extensive traveling across the country is this Santa Marta itinerary, which focuses on northern Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Combining the benefits of a short flight from the U.S. (or a short-hop from Panama City if with us in the Darien the week previous), an delightful ecolodge run by the conservation group ProAves, and an upscale ecoLodge at Tayrona Park, this itinerary is ideal for people who like to explore with some comfort in mind, as well as those wishing for a quick, week-long stay. For those without time constraint, it is designed to pair with Panama: The Darien, another week-long adventure. Jutting up abruptly from the coastline, and isolated from the rest of the Andes by a "sea" of dry forest, these lush, snow-capped mountains have developed the highest number of endemic birds of any area in Colombia. About 25% (21 species) of the Colombian endemics occur here, plus at least 39 endemic subspecies (some of which may eventually be considered full species). Recognizing the area’s unique character, in 1964, the Colombian government designated much of the Sierra de Santa Marta as Colombia’s second National Park. The drier areas surrounding the mountains are home to several more Colombian endemics. Nearby Tayrona National Park splits at its northern face the ring of Tropical Dry forest that surrounds the massif. Tayrona will offer our first direct immersion in Tropical Moist Forest, directly connected to the Caribbean. Naturalist Journeys, LLC / Caligo Ventures PO Box 16545 Portal, AZ 85632 PH: 520.558.1146 / 800.426.7781 Fax 650.471.7667www.naturalistjourneys.com / www.caligo.com [email protected] / [email protected] Although rich with specialties, the tour serves admirably as an introduction to South American birds, with opportunities to see exclusively Neotropical families such as guans, woodcreepers, ovenbirds, antbirds, puffbirds, toucans, jacamars, manakins, and motmots. Migrant North American songbirds, in bright plumage as they prepare to launch north, may occur at any elevation. Extensive coastal wetlands provide a diverse assortment of waterbirds. Our guide for this journey will be Gustavo Canas-Valle who has led tours for us in Ecuador and in the Andes region of Colombia. Gustavo has expertise in botany as well as birding, and is passionate about the history of South America. His knowledge, kindness, and enthusiasm help create a forever memorable time. Peg Abbott, CEO and owner of Naturalist Journeys and Caligo Ventures, joins Gustavo and the group as host for this new adventure. ITINERARY Mon., March 14 -Arrivals in Barranquilla / Coastal Birding to Minca Many of our group will be connecting from our tour just before this tour (easily combined), in the Darien of Panama, and they plan to arrive by mid-day on a flight from Panama City. If you are booking for the Colombian week only, please coordinate arrivals with our office so these can best coincide, or arrive the day before and enjoy a bit of the birding that can be done in the surroundings of this industrious city. After arriving in Barranquilla, we’ll have an afternoon birding transfer (about five hours with stops along the way) to our comfortable hotel in Minca. Immediately east of Barranquilla, we’ll cross the Río Magdalena - one of Colombia’s largest rivers - that carved the huge valley floor separating the Western and Central Andes. The Magdalena River, Karicalí or Río Grande de la Magdalena, was the main waterway giving access to mainland Colombia, even before its discovery by the Spanish explorers in 1500. In the language of the Karibs, Karicalí means River of Caimans. These reptiles, which gave the name to the river, used to be numerous. However, their populations have been dramatically reduced from its shores, as well as those of other species such as manatees and turpins. In the national parks and reserves of our itinerary, we have potential to see them. We drive along the coast through Coastal Rout 90, also known as the “Troncal del Caribe” or “Transversal del Caribe”. At the time of its construction, between 1956 and 1966, the foundations of the road from Barranquilla to the town of Ciénaga, changed the dynamic of the regular mix of salty and sweet water in the area, which negatively impacted on “56,000 hectares of marshes of the Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta”. This sad event modified the natural dynamic of the Naturalist Journeys, LLC / Caligo Ventures PO Box 16545 Portal, AZ 85632 PH: 520.558.1146 / 800.426.7781 Fax 650.471.7667www.naturalistjourneys.com / www.caligo.com [email protected] / [email protected] mangroves and the marshes but left a perfect birding drive to enjoy looking over to both the Caribbean and the Ciénaga Grande in search of marine, estuarine and dry forest birds. This part of our drive brings the Everglades to mind for many. Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta (or Santuario de Flora y Fauna Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta – Santa Marta's Large Marsh) presents the most extensive array of estuarine habitats and ecosystems in northern South America. Its biological features have shaped the life and culture of humans populating it during millennia. Human inhabitation developed around the richness of estuarine resources up to the point that one of the two first records of presence of early ceramics in the Americas was discovered in this region. Its wilderness instilled its charm and natural diversity in Colombian Nobel Prize winner García Marquez. His book: Love in the Time of Cholera presents one of the best descriptions of the Magdalena River and the Ciénaga Grande in Colombian literature. We transit it coming and going. In addition to its biological and archaeological richness, it harbors a unique culture. It is one of the few areas in the world where Palaphitic Towns -villages completely built over water using stilts- still exist: Trojas de Cataca, Nueva Venecia y Buenavista, where about 200 people live. In spite of its importance, the area declared as a reserve covers only 268 sq km, 6% of the total marsh area. The cultural and biological features of this site made UNESCO designate it in year 2000 as a Biosphere Reserve identified and declared as one of the components of its MAB (Man and Biosphere) Program. As time permits, we’ll stop at several small wetlands, either salt flats or patches of mangroves, scanning for shorebirds and waders that winter here in abundance.