Independent Colombia (Santa Marta and Central / Western Andes) July 2023 (3 Viewers)

[simmojunior]

Hi all,

I have just got back from just over three weeks in Colombia with two friends (one of them for two weeks). We drove ourselves but mostly used local guides, meaning ground costs were less than a third of that charged by most tour companies. It was an eventful but hugely successful trip. I saw 662 species (heard only c25 more) of which 231 were new for me. Here is the ebird trip report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/148830

I don't plan to do a full day by day trip report but will share some photos (I'm no good at editing them so they looked much better on the camera than they do now!). PM me for numbers or guide recommendations.

Some notes:

• If you want to see Yellow-eared Parrot and the Tolima endemics, I highly recommend contacting Diego Espitia based in Anaime, Tolima. The 4 endemics are in his parents' garden while the Yellow-eared Parrot is easy to see in nearby wax plantations.
• Nearby Giles Fuertesi is worth a visit and Diego can arrange transport for the bad road. We saw highly sought after species like Black-chested Mountain-Tanager, Chestnut-naped Antpitta, Indigo-winged Parrot and Black-headed Hemispingus there.
• Montezuma was fantastic though unseasonably dry. In our first full day there, excellent local guide, Fernando, helped us have a crazy day. Highlights for that day alone included Cloud Forest Pygmy Owl, Toucan Barbet, Ocellated Tapaculo, Yellow-breasted Antpitta, Gold-ringed Tanager, Black-and-gold Tanager, Tanager Finch, Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer, Tatama Tapaculo, Spillman's Tapaculo, Grass-Green Tanager (a nemesis bird for me for many years!) and Bicoloured Antvireo. Annoyingly, I could not get onto a Hooded Antpitta everyone else saw and we had no luck at the usual site of El Cedral.
• Another special day was our day at San Cipriano we arranged through Araucana Lodge. Staying overnight would be better but we were concerned we were not insured due to UK travel advice against travel to the Buenaventura municipality. Excellent local guide Neiver and Araucana guide Giancarlo helped us see Baudo Guan, Berlepsch's Tinamou (yes, see!), Choco Manakin, Five-coloured Barbet, Black-tipped Cotinga, Streak-chested Antpitta, Blue-whiskered Tanager, Rose-faced Parrot and Thicket Antpitta all in a single day! As we had all seen it in Panama, we did not target Sapayoa.
• The Las Brisas centre in Nevados is closed making Buffy Helmetcrest difficult. We got lucky with a showy female with help of cheery local guide, Luz. Rufous-fronted Parakeet is difficult at the moment and only I saw it.
• The feeders at Hacienda El Bosque are excellent with Crescent-faced Antpitta and Equatorial Antpitta coming in most days. They have also habituated Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucan and Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant.
• I recommend guide Daniel at Rio Blanco. We used him the first evening (where he helped us find Lyre-tailed Nightjar and White-throated Screech-Owl) and our second morning. On our full day, we used the standard guide who was much less good but did find Masked Saltator and the four antpitta species are such a treat.
• I'd advise against driving the northern route. We hired a car but on the second day, I scraped a bus in Barranquilla trying to get out the way of a truck. No one was hurt but an inconvenience we could do without. The driving in the north, particularly in Barranquilla and Santa Marta, is crazy even compared to the Andes. I'm seeking the c£500 back from my insurance. You can't self drive up to El Dorado / San Lorenzo anyway and we arranged this through Sylvana Travel.
• Km 4 near Barranquilla is worth a visit as we saw our only Turquoise-winged Parrotlet and Stripe-backed Wrens there despite arriving at 10.30 after the car incident, as well as a superb Dwarf Cuckoo. We were repeatedly advised the area is not safe. As we could not find an available guide, we arranged through a guide (Omar Palacios) for his brother to accompany us for safety.
• Note that Black-backed Thornbill is incredibly rarely seen outside January and February in San Lorenzo. However, we saw all other accessible Santa Marta endemics with Breiner Tarazona as guide apart from Santa Marta Bush Tyrant, which was heard only.
• Tayrona is not worth a visit for birding as we saw very little. On the other hand, the Guajira peninsula is well worth the diversion as we saw over 30 species we did not see elsewhere including all local specialities like Buffy Hummingbird, Tocuyo Sparrow and Vermillion Cardinal. Our trip there was delayed over 3 hours by a road block by furious villagers protesting about a power cut. There was a terrifying cut through available for cars that we eventually agreed to use with kids repeatedly demanding money to let us past.

 

[simmojunior]

Some more photos!

 

[simmojunior]

• Acorn Woodpecker
• Cauca Guan
• Multicoloured Tanager
• Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush
• Yellow-eared Parrot
• Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant

 

[temmie]

Did you try Blue-billed Curassow at Tayrona?
That would be my most-wanted bird around Santa Marta in the lowlands.
I also have some more (relatively frequently seen) lifers in Tayrona, like White-bellied antbird, Lance-tailed Manakin and Southern Bentbill.

reports like yours really get me itching to go back after my last visit in 2012. So much has changed:
With regards to deforestation / habitat conservation... I don't know.
But with regards to birds being staked out, the situation is so much better these days: Hooded Antpitta (the location and even the sound) was very much a secret back in the days, and species like Ochre-fronted Antpitta weren't staked out. I'm happy to hear that Giles' Fuertesi is safe again. It's one of the best Andean landscapes I have seen in Colombia, with the Waxpalms aka palmas de cera, the (sadly mostly deforested) Andean lush green hills, and the Nevado del Tolima as a spectacular backdrop.

The picture below of this view from near the reserve is by my travel companion Robert Ulph.

 

[simmojunior]

Did you try Blue-billed Curassow at Tayrona?
That would be my most-wanted bird around Santa Marta in the lowlands.
I also have some more (relatively frequently seen) lifers in Tayrona, like White-bellied antbird, Lance-tailed Manakin and Southern Bentbill.

reports like yours really get me itching to go back after my last visit in 2012. So much has changed:
With regards to deforestation / habitat conservation... I don't know.
But with regards to birds being staked out, the situation is so much better these days: Hooded Antpitta (the location and even the sound) was very much a secret back in the days, and species like Ochre-fronted Antpitta weren't staked out. I'm happy to hear that Giles' Fuertesi is safe again. It's one of the best Andean landscapes I have seen in Colombia, with the Waxpalms aka palmas de cera, the (sadly mostly deforested) Andean lush green hills, and the Nevado del Tolima as a spectacular backdrop.

The picture below of this view from near the reserve is by my travel companion Robert Ulph.

We tried hard for Blue-billed Currasow including walking the horse track at 5.30 am but no joy. I've seen the other species you list in Panama but Lance-tailed Manakin was pretty common including round Minca. Plenty of White-bellied Antbird calling but I had an unfortunate encounter with barbed wire fence trying and failing to see one on Gaviotas Road. No sight or sound of Bentbill.

We didn't get Ochre-fronted Antpitta as Montezuma was very dry but Fernando says it is regularly seen.

 

[temmie]

We tried hard for Blue-billed Currasow including walking the horse track at 5.30 am but no joy. I've seen the other species you list in Panama but Lance-tailed Manakin was pretty common including round Minca. Plenty of White-bellied Antbird calling but I had an unfortunate encounter with barbed wire fence trying and failing to see one on Gaviotas Road. No sight or sound of Bentbill.

We didn't get Ochre-fronted Antpitta as Montezuma was very dry but Fernando says it is regularly seen.

I totally messed up names: where I wrote Ochre-fronted Antpitta, I meant to say Crescent-faced (the one in Hacienda el Bosque)!
I guess you are mentally focused about another antpitta as well.

A shame you didn't get the Curassow, as you obviously tried (in the same way that I hope to see one there).

 

[simmojunior]

I totally messed up names: where I wrote Ochre-fronted Antpitta, I meant to say Crescent-faced (the one in Hacienda el Bosque)!
I guess you are mentally focused about another antpitta as well.

A shame you didn't get the Curassow, as you obviously tried (in the same way that I hope to see one there).

 

[simmojunior]

As well as Antpittas, Hacienda El Bosque is a fantastic place to photograph Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan.

 

[simmojunior]

And not a bad place to photograph other birds!

• Masked Flowerpiercer
• Shining Sunbeam
• Slaty Brushfinch
• Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant

 

[simmojunior]

Some photos from La Guajira that I accidentally deleted but have been recovered with expert help. Unfortunately most photos from El Dorado have been lost but there were not too many good ones.

• American Flamingo
• Buffy Hummingbird
• Double-striped Thick-knee
• Tropical Mockingbird
• Orinocan Saltator
• Red-billed Emerald
• Scaled Dove
• Snowy Egret
• Vermillion Cardinal

 

[simmojunior]

Generally I'm not too happy with photo results. Birds were close and showy so photos should be better. Not sure why they are not that sharp. Started a thread here and advice welcome. P900 not as sharp as it was

 

[Julian H]

Hi,
Planning a trip to Santa Marta in November independently with my partner so it will be a few days near the beach then a few days in the mountains, either at the Mountain House or actually staying at a lodge in Minca as a base.
I will not have the time to get to El Dorado I believe.

Still researching logistics but since we are flying in to Santa Marta I can likely arrange transport through the lodges which may make sense than renting a car.

Questions would be if staying in Minca is there good accessible birding from there?

During the beach stay I think I can arrange a trip to Tayrona, again without the need for a rental.
Is the birding at Tayrona needed to be done in a specific way, or is it a long the same hike in as the people take to get to the beach. Assuming if we were going in to relax with my partner it would mean I may see a few birds, but it sounds like a dedicated trip to a certain area of the park for biridng alone needs to be done. Also I believe you need to line up and get a ticket to enter the park?

And is the area around Minca safe? I also heard about the northern road and daltpan area is not safe but I doubt we'll do that.

I also may consider hiring a guide at Minca for the day to optimize time and transport.

Any overviews helpful!!

 

[njlarsen]

I am currently in Tayrona, but more for relaxing than hard core birding. However, tayrona is a lot about beach, so maybe you should talk your partner into going here for the beach time. Probably safer than Santa Marta city.

Another note: a guide told me that the wettest period of the year is a couple of months around November.

I visited Mountain House, they have a really nice setup with feeders, and we had a good lunch there. I used a guide for one and a half days, and felt it was worth it. But staying at El Dorado was fantastic. In Minca, La Casona had hummingbird feeders and was a nice place, but especially during a weekend, it’s a noisy neighborhood.
Niels

 

[simmojunior]

Hi,
Planning a trip to Santa Marta in November independently with my partner so it will be a few days near the beach then a few days in the mountains, either at the Mountain House or actually staying at a lodge in Minca as a base.
I will not have the time to get to El Dorado I believe.

Still researching logistics but since we are flying in to Santa Marta I can likely arrange transport through the lodges which may make sense than renting a car.

Questions would be if staying in Minca is there good accessible birding from there?

During the beach stay I think I can arrange a trip to Tayrona, again without the need for a rental.
Is the birding at Tayrona needed to be done in a specific way, or is it a long the same hike in as the people take to get to the beach. Assuming if we were going in to relax with my partner it would mean I may see a few birds, but it sounds like a dedicated trip to a certain area of the park for biridng alone needs to be done. Also I believe you need to line up and get a ticket to enter the park?

And is the area around Minca safe? I also heard about the northern road and daltpan area is not safe but I doubt we'll do that.

I also may consider hiring a guide at Minca for the day to optimize time and transport.

Any overviews helpful!!

El Dorado is only about 20 minutes further than Mountain House. Both require a 4x4. I recommend getting to El Dorado if possible. Some endemics are only at the top of the mountain, 90 minutes further than El Dorado by 4x4.

Minca is good birding with lots of common species. I think it is safe (plenty of tourists and no situations that felt dodgy). We saw Military Macaw and Black-backed Antshrike on the Gairama Reserve about 4 km south of town. About 4km by taxi above town, you can find a couple of the endemics like Santa Marta Brushfinch and Santa Marta Antbird. Golden-winged Sparrow and Rusty-fronted Antpitta also in this area.

The birding at Tayrona is really poor but it is a beautiful place. I would not recommend a birding day trip there but you could stay there for the beaches. Walking up and down the road or trails, you may see a couple of things. The Gaviotas track c20km to the east is better for birding but nothing else to do there.

 

[njlarsen]

Julian,
you might be better off starting a new thread with your questions. I did not realize initially that this piggybacks on a previous thread.

I was considering that we probably do not know what exactly you mean by the beach versus birding sections of your trip and especially what expectations your spouse would have.

A few additional thoughts: I agree that the endemics are really limited in Tayrona. However, they do have one: blue-billed Curassow (but a local guide said it would be a lifer for him ...). Another specialty bird in the area is Blue-and-yellow Macaw, though some observations might be of birds accustomed to being fed - like those I saw. The main attraction for me was the Cottontop Tamarind (monkeys) which did deliver.

Another alternative for birding and beach would be the Boca de Camerones area. Here you definitely need some Spanish to get along, but there are some specialty birds there you will not see further west. But for the beach part, it is very low key (not luxury), and for some of the specialties you do need a guide.

For Minca and above, much depends on whether you would employ a guide or not. If not, there in no way around El Dorado. If yes, you could conceivably stay anywhere in the area (including Mountain House and El Dorado) and get an early pickup by the guide. For our first guided day we stayed in the upper edge of Minca, was picked up in a 4wd about first light, and birded up almost to the entrance to El Dorado. Next time, a few days later, we stayed at El Dorado, was picked up at 4:30 and driven up to the top of the ridge for Parakeets etc (and saw the owl on the way). With a slightly earlier pickup, this would have been possible from just about any place in Minca.

My spouse is much less keen a birder than I am (but loves nature) and she absolutely loved staying in one of the Koguihabs at El Dorado. I also think she loved the couple of hours we spent at Mountain House. She also liked the La Casona Minca Hotel in Minca town, but did talk about the noise on a weekend (this was the place for my only Copper-rumped Emerald). We get beach where we live on a daily basis, so we did not prioritize that aspect.

Niels

 

[Julian H]

Julian,
you might be better off starting a new thread with your questions. I did not realize initially that this piggybacks on a previous thread.

I was considering that we probably do not know what exactly you mean by the beach versus birding sections of your trip and especially what expectations your spouse would have.

A few additional thoughts: I agree that the endemics are really limited in Tayrona. However, they do have one: blue-billed Curassow (but a local guide said it would be a lifer for him ...). Another specialty bird in the area is Blue-and-yellow Macaw, though some observations might be of birds accustomed to being fed - like those I saw. The main attraction for me was the Cottontop Tamarind (monkeys) which did deliver.

Another alternative for birding and beach would be the Boca de Camerones area. Here you definitely need some Spanish to get along, but there are some specialty birds there you will not see further west. But for the beach part, it is very low key (not luxury), and for some of the specialties you do need a guide.

For Minca and above, much depends on whether you would employ a guide or not. If not, there in no way around El Dorado. If yes, you could conceivably stay anywhere in the area (including Mountain House and El Dorado) and get an early pickup by the guide. For our first guided day we stayed in the upper edge of Minca, was picked up in a 4wd about first light, and birded up almost to the entrance to El Dorado. Next time, a few days later, we stayed at El Dorado, was picked up at 4:30 and driven up to the top of the ridge for Parakeets etc (and saw the owl on the way). With a slightly earlier pickup, this would have been possible from just about any place in Minca.

My spouse is much less keen a birder than I am (but loves nature) and she absolutely loved staying in one of the Koguihabs at El Dorado. I also think she loved the couple of hours we spent at Mountain House. She also liked the La Casona Minca Hotel in Minca town, but did talk about the noise on a weekend (this was the place for my only Copper-rumped Emerald). We get beach where we live on a daily basis, so we did not prioritize that aspect.

Niels

Niels,
Thanks for that information. Apologies if it should have been a separate thread.

I think at this point, we're aiming for 3 nights near Tayrona and 4 nights at El Dorado, or maybe a night at Minca if we have to.
Probably looking to avoid renting a car since we'll not need it at El Dorado so probably hire transport.

Again, my spouse loves the areas like A renal in Costa Rica so is quite happy to stay at El Dorado.

Thanks to all for the general info as I dive into more research.

 

[njlarsen]

Regarding Tayrona: there are places to stay inside or outside the park. We were inside but were told that restaurants were cheaper and better outside. On the other hand, only having to go through the entrance gamut once was nice, and seeing birds from our room was also an advantage.
Niels

 

[simmojunior]

Niels,
Thanks for that information. Apologies if it should have been a separate thread.

I think at this point, we're aiming for 3 nights near Tayrona and 4 nights at El Dorado, or maybe a night at Minca if we have to.
Probably looking to avoid renting a car since we'll not need it at El Dorado so probably hire transport.

Again, my spouse loves the areas like A renal in Costa Rica so is quite happy to stay at El Dorado.

Thanks to all for the general info as I dive into more research.

I recommend a night in or near Minca as there are plenty of birds there that aren't up the mountain. I think 3 nights is plenty at El Dorado as, while it is beautiful, there is not masses to do there. The birding is excellent for specialities but there aren't masses of flocks like in other parts of the tropics so your potential species are limited. Minca has more variety.

Staying in Tayrona is probably better because it does not open until 8am so it is quiet before day trippers arrive. 2 hours east of Tayrona is the Guajira peninsula with its c25 specialities so is well worth a visit. It's a bit more dangerous and you need a local but also a beautiful landscape.

Sylvana Travel can arrange reasonably priced transfers for your trip. I don't recommend hiring your own car as driving round Santa Marta is horrible and you would struggle to get a standard 4x4 all the way up the mountain.

 

[njlarsen]

you would struggle to get a standard 4x4 all the way up the mountain.

I will second that you will not get a standard 4x4 suv up the mountain to El Dorado. You will need a high clearance vehicle along the lines of a Toyota Land-Cruiser or similar. I rented a 4x4 SUV which came in handy in Camarones but was not up to par for the area above the Y in Minca. We flew in to Cartagena so had some longer distance to go, and therefore do not regret renting it even if it got no usage while we were in El Dorado.

 

[Pash44]

I will second that you will not get a standard 4x4 suv up the mountain to El Dorado. You will need a high clearance vehicle along the lines of a Toyota Land-Cruiser or similar. I rented a 4x4 SUV which came in handy in Camarones but was not up to par for the area above the Y in Minca. We flew in to Cartagena so had some longer distance to go, and therefore do not regret renting it even if it got no usage while we were in El Dorado.

Just back from Colombia including Santa Marta - high clearance definitely needed above El Dorado. There was a landslide the day before we got there slightly north of El Dorado and we were fortunate to get through (just). If I were going again, I would stay further down the mountain (Palo Alto- 3kms from El Dorado, Mountain House, Sierra Alta etc - lots of choice) and arrange guide/transport up. The prices at El Dorado are out of line with everything else in Colombia - $100 per night for the most basic rooms (which are actually fine - no need for anything grander but still way over-priced) and food prices are excessive (COP 25k breakfast, 30k lunch and 35k dinner for pretty average food) and we had to push back hard to get early packed breakfasts. 2 nights are plenty - you could even just do a single night. We got all the available endemics on the way up from Minca day 1 and on San Lorenzo on day 2. Sebastian Ballesteros in Minca knows the area and the birds inside out so would be a good choice to organise transport and guiding. He can also sort out a trip to La Guajira where you really need a local Wayuu guide to make sure you stay safe - Camarones where most of the sites are, is a bit sketchy unless you are with someone the locals know.

El Refugio in Minca is very quiet with helpful owners who got up at 4.30am to make us coffee and hot toasted sandwiches to go - highly recommended.