Guide for Bogotá (1 Viewer)

[pandachris]

Hi

We've almost completed our itinerary for 3 weeks in Colombia (and Brasil) next month/August. We've decided to spend our last two nights in Bogotá, mainly because we want to ensure that we're close to the airport rather than in a remote location, with time to spare before the flights home. We've already had several schedule changes to our flights. I appreciate that conditions around the city are not ideal for birding day trips but we want to make the most of it. With late flights out (nearly midnight) we can realistically do two day trips.

I've tried to contact Go Birding Colombia, who run several tempting looking trips, firstly using a form on their website and more recently via WhatsApp. So far, no response. We've got a month, so I'm not panicking but does anybody know if they're still in operation? They have tour dates up to December 2024 listed on their website. Am I just impatient? Alternatively, any recommendations for guides/guiding companies for Bogotá and surrounding areas.

 

[kb57]

For day trips out of Bogotá, Bogota Birding are very good: Birding Colombia – Nature – Colombia Wildlife Tours – Live a memorable experience with the best company from Colombia, Awesome Colombia Birding and Nature Tours and let´s explore together our beautiful country.

I had a day trip with Oswaldo Cortes who is a top notch birder, up to Bio-Andina cloud forest and the hummingbird feeders at Observatorio Colibries near La Calera, but other options are available. The fact that you leave the city at about 5am means you avoid the traffic, so being in Bogotá isn't such a problem in that respect - and there are some excellent birding sites around the city.

If you find yourself with a day on your own, there are sites within the city which are safely accessible by taxi. If you are staying near the airport the botanical gardens will be close by, and provide good birding. The other is Monserrate on the eastern edge of the city, which has a funicular to get you up to a small hilltop area with a church around 3100m. Good in particular for Shining Sunbeam which you don't get at La Calera, but also great for other hummers and flowerpiercers, as there are flowering Abutilons and good forest close by.

The wetland at La Florida is a key site for Bogota Rail, and therefore a main attraction for many passing birders - I never made it there, its in a slightly more sketchy area and didn't feel like making the effort solo, so if its a priority for you I would go there as part of a day trip - I believe Bogota Birding offer it as an option.

 

[pandachris]

Thanks kb57. The Bogota Birding website was one that I found months ago when doing some early research for this part of the trip but I had lost track of it. I'm going to give the company I contacted first until early next week to respond (they have offer a couple of trips I like the sound of) and if no luck I'll try BB.

We arrive on a Sunday (very early) and we would have been heading to Monserrate first thing but it's closed on Sundays (I've just checked this and it isn't, but I think there's a specific birding route that is closed - might need to do some further research) , so we've booked an hotel within strolling distance of the botanical gardens which is our first morning target. Apparently the café there is quite good, too. Whether we do more on that first day will depend on our energy levels as we have another flight the following morning, so I'm hoping to turn in by 8 p.m.

 

[kb57]

Thanks kb57. The Bogota Birding website was one that I found months ago when doing some early research for this part of the trip but I had lost track of it. I'm going to give the company I contacted first until early next week to respond (they have offer a couple of trips I like the sound of) and if no luck I'll try BB.

We arrive on a Sunday (very early) and we would have been heading to Monserrate first thing but it's closed on Sundays (I've just checked this and it isn't, but I think there's a specific birding route that is closed - might need to do some further research) , so we've booked an hotel within strolling distance of the botanical gardens which is our first morning target. Apparently the café there is quite good, too. Whether we do more on that first day will depend on our energy levels as we have another flight the following morning, so I'm hoping to turn in by 8 p.m.

Be careful with the walking route up or down Monserrate - I've heard it can be unsafe with a risk of getting robbed. If its just the path that's closed and the funicular to the summit is open it is still worth going - there is only a very small area to walk round, but you can still see a lot, especially from the Stations of the Cross side where you're looking over a low wall into forest.

 

[pandachris]

Cheers. I've also read about the risks, but that notwithstanding, the likelihood that we'll fancy that walk 12 hours after a transatlantic flight is on the low side If we go, it will be via funicular or cable car.

 

[TicoTyler]

We went a few months ago with Jose Luis Borbon, he's a freelance guide and was fantastic. I can DM you his Whatsapp contact details.

 

[pandachris]

Thanks Tyler. I somehow overlooked your reply. My apologies.

We ended up selecting an overnight trip to Chingaza NP with Bogotá Birding. I haven't rechecked their website but the trip we opted for wasn't on the site but was in the PDF they sent. It offered the possibility of Andean (Spectacled) Bear and was therefore too tempting to pass up. As well as a decent quota of endemics and some great hummingbirds we watch an adult bear for over an hour and I saw a smaller bear for a few seconds as well. Our guide was Oswaldo Cortes who is a biologist and knows his stuff.

For the first day, we found that our energy levels were high and we ended up spending 6 hours in the Botanical Gardens. We didn't see loads of species (17, I think) but most of them were lifers and we got surprisingly good views of some. I guess you'd get a bigger list when the boreal migrants are around. And in case anybody cares, the café (La Trocha) was very good indeed. The lemonade with coffee was something else.