Gold-ringed Image: Tim Smith

Santa Marta Parakeets - Jaruen Rodriguez

BIRDING IN PARADISE Santa Marta & the Caribbean coast endemics birding tour

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is arguably ’s most spectacular birding destination. Its towering snow-capped peaks rise as high as 5,700 metres above sea level and overlook sun-drenched beaches and sparkling Caribbean waters far below. Between lies a series of rich and varied habitats, from tropical coastal dry forests and saltwater lagoons, through to lower and mid-elevation cloud forests, all the way up to cool elfin forests and sub-paramo zones. On this 8-day classic Colombia birding tour, we shall spend our time searching out the rich avian diversity found in each of these locations, including 3 nights at the famous El Dorado lodge, which offers access to some of the most exciting birding on the entire South American continent! View from El Dorado lodge, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Plushcap Blue-naped Chlorophonia - Roger Ardila Tour highlights: itinerary at a glance Birding near Bogota for endemics Bogota Rail, DAY: Silvery-throated Spinetail and Apolinar’s Wren 1. Arrive Bogota Explore tropical dry forests & lagoons on 2. Birding La Florida wetlands (near Colombia’s Caribbean coast, for range-restricted Bogota) for east Andean endemics. Later such as Vermillion Cardinal, White- fly to Riohacha for the night. whiskered Spinetail & Chestnut Piculet! 3. Birding tropical dry forests and coastal Spend 3 nights birding the high elevations of lagoons of the Guajira Peninsula. Continue Santa Marta from El Dorado lodge – surely one of to Minca. Night in Minca the most scenic birding locations in all of South 4. Birding near Minca and then drive up to America! El Dorado lodge, birding en route. 3 nights A host of Santa Marta special endemics and near El Dorado Lodge endemics are possible including gems such as 5. 2 full days birding the San Lorenzo Ridge , Santa Marta Parakeet, from El Dorado lodge. Santa Marta Antpitta, Santa Marta Screech-owl 6. El Dorado Lodge. and Black-backed Thornbill! 7. Birding from El Dorado before returning From Minca we search for the likes of Golden- to Minca for one night. Night in Minca. winged Sparrow, Rosy-thrush Tanager, Northern 8. Final birding of the tour around Minca, Royal Flycatcher, Black-crowned Antshrike and before flying to Bogota, where the tour Keel-billed Toucan ends. A tour tally of over 400 species is expected, Special note including over 20 varieties of hummers and a feast of dazzling This tour is limited to 8 participants, but, if we Enjoy world-class Colombian coffee, delicious have 5-8 guests, we will supply a second expert food & amazing hospitality throughout the tour. bilingual (Spanish/English) birding guide. Here's to seeing more special ! DETAILED ITINERARY D ay 1 – Arrival in Bogota

You will be greeted at Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport by a friendly member of the Wild About Colombia team, and then transferred to a comfortable hotel in the city. This evening we will enjoy a welcome dinner at an excellent restaurant close to our hotel, where you will meet your Wild About Colombia tour leader and have the chance to discuss the exciting days ahead!

Please note, we shall depart our hotel very early on day 2, so we suggest you arrive in reasonable time today. Should you wish to arrive a day or two early, whether to prepare for the tour, enjoy additional watching or to explore the cultural delights of Bogota Crowned Woodnymph (we work with some of the finest cultural guides in the city), we would be delighted to assist with your pre-tour arrangements. Day 2 – Birding the Sabana

Please just let us know when you enquire, de Bogota and we can make all the necessary Our Colombian birding adventure begins at arrangements. Equally, should you wish to a productive marshland site on the western join the group in Riohacha on Day 2, this is border of the city called Parque La Florida. possible (and we can offer a discount from Among the reed beds here we shall be on the main tour price). Please let us know the lookout for Bogota Rail, as well as when you enquire. making a special effort for both the Keel-billed Toucan nominate race of the endemic Apolinar’s Wren and the tricky Subtropical Doradito. In contrast, noisy parties of striking Yellow- hooded Blackbirds should be far more easily located, and both Silvery-throated Spinetail and Rufous-crowned Conebill should also make an appearance. A supporting cast of waterbirds includes Andean and Masked Duck, Blue-winged Teal and Spot-flanked Gallinules.

Depending on our flight time to the northern Caribbean coast, we may have time to visit one or two other birding sites this morning. Later we shall return to the airport for our onward flight to the coastal Caribbean city of Riohacha. Again, depending on timings, we might enjoy late afternoon birding. Otherwise, it’s a short transfer to our comfortable hotel where we will enjoy dinner and a restful evening. Day 3 – Birding Los Flamencos Boat-billed Flycatcher This morning we shall explore the tropical dry forests of the Guajira Peninsula – a region that is the driest in all Colombia, and holds an exciting assortment of desert specials, many of which have highly restricted distributions. The contrast in habitats with the elevated forests of the Santa Marta mountains, which we will bird in the coming days, could hardly be more marked, and only adds to this truly world-class birding destination! Our attentions will focus on the Los Flamencos sanctuary, which is the best site to see the many specialities of the region. Much of our time today will be spent in close proximity to the local indigenous people of the region, the Wayuu, and we will be joined by a birding member of the community. This will not only add another excellent pair of spotting eyes to our team, but will also allow us to enjoy insight and learn about the local community first-hand. Key targets this morning include the Glaucous Tananger, Tocuyo Sparrow, Pileated striking Vermillion Cardinal, the smart White- Finch, Blue-crowned Parakeet, Green-rumped whiskered Spinetail and the diminutive Parrotlet, Rufous-vented Chachalaca and Chestnut Piculet. As we gently bird the area Russet-throated Puffbird. we will also pass a coastal lagoon, which should add an attractive selection of Having enjoyed our morning’s birding, we will waders, terns and gulls, as well as elegant start to head west along the coast, making American Flamingos and stunning Scarlet various stops as we go. On reaching the Ibis. Other top birds we will be hoping to see coastal city of Santa Marta, we start our include Buffy , Bare-eyed ascent into the lush forested lowland hills of Pigeon, Slender-billed Tyrannulet, Northern the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and on to Scrub-flycatcher, Orinoco Saltator, the village of Minca, which lies at an altitude Black-fronted Wood-quail - Jaruen Rodriguez of 650 metres above sea level. We will certainly feel considerably cooler here compared to the coastal dry forests of this morning. Our comfortable hotel features very pleasant birdy gardens and a set of hummingbird feeders on a long balcony outside the restaurant that overlooks expansive forest, which stretches out to the horizon. It’s a wonderful base from which to explore the avifauna of the area as well as enjoying the hummingbird feeders which attract beauties such as Rufous-breasted Hermit, Steely-vented and Rufous-tailed , Black-throated Mango, White-necked Jacobin and White-vented Plumeleteer. Day 4 – Minca to El Dorado lodge This morning we shall enjoy birding in productive sites near Minca. Target species include Golden-winged Sparrow, Rosy-thrush Tanager, Coppery Emerald, Northern Royal Flycatcher, Black-crowned Antshrike and Keel-billed Toucan, amongst many others. Later on we'll start to make our way by 4x4 vehicles to the famous El Dorado Lodge which is perched high on the San Lorenzo Ridge of the Santa Marta Mountains - it's a truly spectacular location and the reason this tour was named ‘Birding in paradise’. After a few days birding this incredible location, we are confident you will agree! However, first we need to drive up to our lodge - a journey that can take several hours, but we will break the trip with several exciting birding stops along the way and enjoy birding close to the lodge this afternoon.

Black-backed Thornbill - Roger Ardila

Day 5 & 6– Birding from El Dorado We enjoy two full days birding and exploring the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

The Santa Marta range harbours some 20 Colombian endemic birds - the highest concentration of endemic species of any location in the Colombia, and it is for this reason that the region is considered one of the planet’s most important sites for threatened and endemic biodiversity. By visiting you provide income to local communities and thereby help to protect this rich ecosystem. Of the endemic birds it is perfectly feasible to view between 15-18 species within a 3 night stay! Many should be encountered with relative ease, including Santa Marta Brush-finch, Yellow-crowned Whitestart, Santa Marta Mountain-tanager and Rusty-headed Spinetail. However, others require more effort and it is these more furtive and tricky species which will be our main focus to begin with. They include star birds such as Santa Marta Sabrewing, Santa Marta Parakeet Santa Marta Parakeet, Santa Marta Antpitta, Santa Marta Foliage-gleaner, Santa Marta Scarlet-fronted Parakeet - Perico de frente Escarlarta Screech-owl (a species which is still yet to be formally described) and Black-backed Thornbill. However, the endemics form only part of the birding picture here, since there are many more cracking birds on offer such as Black-chested Jay, Band-tailed Guan, White-tipped Quetzal, Golden-breasted Fruiteater, Coppery Emerald, Rosy-thrush Tanager, Red-billed Parrot, Scarlet- fronted Parakeet, Rusty-breasted Antpitta, Lined Quail Dove, Black-fronted Wood-quail, White-rumped Hawk, Stygian Owl and Grey- throated Leaf Tosser. The San Lorenzo Ridge is without question one of the finest birding locations in the world and it is sure to be a true highlight of our Colombia birding adventure!

Day 7 – El Dorado to Minca

Although we depart from El Dorado today, we can enjoy another full morning’s birding for any species that might have evaded us to this point. Later we’ll make our way back to Minca, with birding stops. Depending on timings and energy levels, we will either explore sites around Minca, or alternatively spend the remainder of the afternoon enjoying relaxed birding around the lodge and hummingbird feeders.

Day 8 – Return to Bogota

Our final morning will be spent birding around Minca, ensuring that we soak up the rich avian diversity on offer before we make our way back to Santa Marta for onward flights to Bogota, White-tailed Starfrontlet -Jaruen Rodriguez where the tour ends.

Onward travel

In the same way that we can make pre-tour birding/cultural arrangements, we would be delighted to assist with your post-tour travel plans. We work with the finest local bird watching and naturalist guides throughout Colombia – they are bilingual, highly experienced and, importantly, good fun to bird with! There are various options available to you should you want to continue your bird watching adventure. If you would like time to relax on the beach, while still being close to some excellent birding sites Magdalena Giant Glass Frog - Roger Ardila Multicolored Tanager - Image: Proaves (and the fantastic endemic Cotton-top Tamarin), we would suggest a few nights at a delightful beach lodge on the edge of Tayrona National Park – also on Colombia’s northern Caribbean Coast (this can also be done after a visit to Santa Marta, for the full Colombian Caribbean experience).

Should you want to add on further incredible birding, then Colombia’s Andean regions would be ideal, Equally, we can arrange time in Amazonas (various locations) - which offer more avian delights!

Should you wish to enjoy some of Colombia's rich culture, a few nights in the historic city of Cartagena is also possible - we work with a fine selection of cultural guides there who will introduce you to this fascinating city.

We would be happy to discuss these and any other possibilities, to make sure you enjoy your time in Colombia to the fullest.

Blue-necked Tanager

included in the tour price: A professional bilingual expert bird watching guide. If the tour runs with 6 or more guests (note that we limit the group to 8 guests) we will add a second guide and also include a detailed tour report. Our priority is your enjoyment of the tour, and we want you to have the best possible bird sightings! Local reserve guides Domestic airfare from Bogota to Riohacha and Santa Marta to Bogota (see note below) All land-based transport from day 1 arrival transfer in Bogota, to final departure transfer on day 8 All accommodation (double/twin occupancy). Single room available for a supplement. All meals from dinner on day 1 to lunch on day 8 Daily drinking water and snacks All local reserve and park entrance fees Some alcoholic beverages will be offered throughout the tour, at the discretion of the lead guide. Violet-tailed Sylph not included in the tour price: International airfares to/from Colombia Domestic airfares in Colombia (other than those stated in inclusions) Insurance Tips (special gratuities) Alcoholic beverages Laundry Any other items of a personal nature

General tour information On this classic Colombian birding tour, pre-dawn starts and long days in the field are to be expected. Much of our time is spent in pleasant elevated sub-tropical conditions. The tropical dry forests and coastal lagoons of the Guajira Peninsula, however, are generally very hot. In contrast, our visits to Minca and the higher regions of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (where we explore from El Dorado lodge) are much cooler. Packed breakfasts and picnic lunches will offered on some mornings and taken in the field to maximise our birding time. We will always aim to offer coffee/hot chocolate and a pre-breakfast snack wherever possible. Walking will be conducted downhill as much as possible, although some gentle uphill will sometimes be necessary. While our walks will not be overly strenuous, participants will be expected to spend long periods on their feet, gently birding the many habitats that we will be covering. However, our support vehicle(s) will never be far away, so there is the option of a sit- down break if required. Much of the birding will Enjoying breakfast in the field be conducted on little used tracks and roads - uneven surfaces are to be expected.

Further detailed information will be sent to you once you have booked, including a check list and practical information for your visit to Colombia, such as a clothing and equipment packing list, passport/visa information, currency and tipping suggestions, vaccinations, reading lists and suggested field guides, etc. In the meantime, should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch! Accommodation Accommodation is of a good standard throughout the tour, although we will stay in some simple birding lodges. In Bogota and Riohacha we will stay in a conveniently located modern hotels. In Minca we stay in a simple lodge - the Minca hotel which features beautiful gardens, delightful views and hummingbird feeders. 3 nights are in the excellent El Dorado Lodge - one of the finest birding locations in the world! Should you have any questions about the lodges or hotels we use, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We will be very happy to discuss them in more detail.

Tour guide(s) & group size

We work with the finest bilingual birding guides in Colombia. Please get in touch to see who is scheduled to lead on specific tours, noting that we usually asign guides 2-3 months prior to the tour date. Be assured that whoever it is, will be a red- hot birder and great fun to be with!

Plushcap

How to book your place on this tour

Current dates for all Wild About Colombia tours can be found on our website: www.wildaboutcolombia.com

Once you know which tour you want to join, or if you have any questions on any of our tours, please contact us by telephone or email:

[email protected] or call: +57 316 815 8341 (Rob Smith)

We require a 20% (per person) deposit to confirm your place on the tour.

We look forward to hearing from you, and hope you will join us for a birding tour of a lifetime! Until then, happy birding, wherever you might be,

The Wild About Colombia team.

www.wildaboutcolombia.com