Birding suggestions (1 Viewer)

[maj.sujan]

Hi good folks,
My wife and I am planning to visit Bogota around mid to late December for about a week (I am an enthusiastic birder/photographer, fairly new to the field and my wife likes birds but not as much as I do). Instead of trying to plan things alone (it's easy to get overwhelmed when every bird species is new), I am looking into local birding guides or tour guide companies for a 4-5 days birding trip.
Any advice regarding planning and expenses (anything relevant at all) are appreciated. Thank you!

Best regards,
Jafar
Norway

 

[fbeeldens]

Hi good folks,
My wife and I am planning to visit Bogota around mid to late December for about a week (I am an enthusiastic birder/photographer, fairly new to the field and my wife likes birds but not as much as I do). Instead of trying to plan things alone (it's easy to get overwhelmed when every bird species is new), I am looking into local birding guides or tour guide companies for a 4-5 days birding trip.
Any advice regarding planning and expenses (anything relevant at all) are appreciated. Thank you!

Best regards,
Jafar
Norway

Oswaldo Cortez is Bogota based, with a lot of experience on the Bogota area. He's on FB and guides for Colombia Birding. He's a very knowledgeable birder/scientist and a very nice guy.

There's Pablo Florez of Multicolor Birding (based out of Medellin), who could probably put something together for the area and set you up with a local guide.

Juan Lopez-Zuluaga (also on FB) started his own company. He's birded all over colombia and is a great guy. I've ad him as a driver (but was already an avid birder) for multiple trips and can highly recommend him.

I do believe Pablo and juan are currently guiding in Brazil, so replies may be slow.

KR,

filip

 

[AveryBartels]

Having Bogota as a base for birding the area is a drag as traffic is atrocious and basically every birding destination is 1.5-2.5hrs drive one way. I would suggest to whoever your guide is that you stay at maybe 2 different places, outside the city to be nearer to the birding areas. Villavicencio area is worth 2-3 nights. You can spend the morning that you leave Bogota birding Paramo Sumapaz, then bird sites like Monterredondo, the Cundinamarca Antpitta deeding site, Bosque Bavaria on the other couple days.

You could also spend a couple nights in/near La Calera (Chingaza National Park, Hummingbird Observatory, Guasca pits) or out toward La Vega (Laguna Tabacal, Jardin Encantado).

 

[maj.sujan]

Thanks for the suggestions! The trip will be birding oriented, so we are fine with staying in different places throughout the stay. We will land in Bogota, which is why I am looking for Bogota-centered ideas.
We are both young PhD students, so the money is limited. I have checked some guide agencies, which cost about 800-1000 euros per person. It'd be great to find cost-effective ways

 

[AveryBartels]

You could try getting in touch with Elvis Felipe Quintero, a good guide in Villavicencio at Elvis Felipe Quintero Quintero
He could probably arrange to pick you up in Bogota, or you could bus down there (~4hrs) . He also helps run a reserve where there is a Harpy Eagle nesting, a few hours from Villavicencio https://ebird.org/hotspot/L20463071

Are you planning on renting a vehicle? If you are on a budget, one of your biggest costs will be the vehicle/driver.

 

[maj.sujan]

We are still looking in to different options. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[njlarsen]

I have no experience in the part of the country you are asking about. I hope you are aware of the trip reports sites such as

CloudBirders

The world's biggest birding trip report database.

www.cloudbirders.com

Niels

 

[mjh73]

We spent a few days around Bogota at the start of End of September 2023 (second trip to Colombia, but spent just 1 day around Bogota in March 2020)

Day 1 we flew very early into the airport and met our guide and driver and went straight up to Chingaza for the day. We had a few ebird lists for the day as we worked along the road so I won't link them.

Day 2 we went to Sumapaz
There seems to be a tightening of regulations there. Any tracks off the road were taped off. Which was fine in the most part as we were walking along the road in front of our driver birding the roadsides anyway. The rangers came past at one point and told us in no uncertain terms we were not allowed to walk off the road (they had spotted one of our group stepping off the road to being run over by a quarry truck) and said that they would prefer the park "not be promoted to bird watchers" and that we bird from inside the car. Departed lunchtime for the long drive to Villavicencio which ended up even longer than expected.....

There were significant delays because of roadworks. Major landslides mean this road is operating one direction at a time while they build a diversion route. So there was a lot of time sat waiting for the road to run in the Bogota direction before we could move again towards Villavicencio. We were supposed to head into Monterredondo in the afternoon but it just became impractical so we headed straight to the hotel when we finally made it to Villavicencio. You might be lucky and the construction works might be finished but I would guess it it still ongoing....

Day 3 we joined the queue early in the morning, birding the middle of the highway in the traffic jam until the road reopened in our direction! https://ebird.org/checklist/S151193147
Then we headed up to Sendero La Herreria which is an excellent reserve. I have only just finished the bag of coffee I bought from them! https://ebird.org/checklist/S151192798

Day 4 We birded Laguna de Pedro Palo in the morning before heading up to Chicaque to bird the afternoon, stayed there in the lodge then birded 4 hours in the morning of Day 5 before driving to the airport for an afternoon flight to Manizales

Back in 2020 in our 1 day we did a circuit of Laguna El Tabacal, Jardin Encantado hummingbird garden and Observatorio de Colibries which got us just under 90 species for the day before we had to head to the airport to fly to Cali.

 

[Mark Jarrett]

…before heading up to Chicaque to bird the afternoon, stayed there in the lodge then birded 4 hours in the morning of Day 5 before driving to the airport for an afternoon flight to Manizales

Back in 2020 in our 1 day we did a circuit of Laguna El Tabacal, Jardin Encantado hummingbird garden and Observatorio de Colibries which got us just under 90 species for the day before we had to head to the airport to fly to Cali.

We were in Colombia in September last year. The sites mentioned above can all be done relatively easily from Bogotá but remember to factor in the fact that the traffic in the capital can be horrendous.

The Observatorio de Colibries near La Calera would make a nice morning or afternoon trip, a lovely, high elevation setting and several species of hummingbird as well as other birds in the gardens.

In Bogotá itself, there is also La Parque Florida (impressive bird list) that can be done on your own if you don’t manage to get a guide and also Humedal de Córdoba which is another park.

Have a great trip, it’s a beautiful country.