Travel from Manizles to Santa Marta (1 Viewer)

[AliBellMeribel]

We had decided on our itinerary of 6 nights around Cali then road transfer to Manizales to stay hopefully at Tinamu lodge for 3 nighrs and bird there and Rio Blanco then fly to Santa Marta for 3 nights above Minca then 3 nights near Tayrona for some R&R. However the plan has hit a snag in that flying from Manizales to Santa Marta is not a direct flight and involves 2 different airlines and over 300 euros per person. Would a better alternative be to fly from Pereira, again not a direct flight but a lot more options for around 80 euros with Latam or 150 euros with Avianca.
The other option could be land transfer to Medeillin for a direct flight at16h35 with Latam. Final option would be to skip Manizales altogether which would be a shame but maybe we are trying to fit too much in.
Would appreciate any advice from those of you who know these routes and airlines.

Many thanks

 

[temmie]

First of all I would consider it a big loss if you were skipping the Manizales area.

Next, all depends on your flight times / connections. You should share those or we can't evaluate.

Pereira for sure is not far from Manizales so I wonder why you wouldn't consider flights from there. Medelling is not out of reach either, and there is ample transport between Manizales and Medellin. What I generally do / did, was take a taxi to the bus terminal, look for fast minibuses (e.g. Mercedes sprinter), tell the driver to drop you off somewhere at the edge of town where there are many taxis and take a taxi to the airport.

If you're stressing about flights as the only option, you always have nightbuses going through Honda. I took them before and found them surprisingly comfortable (just as a back-up plan B or C, to ease your mind: whatever mishap, you can always get to any place in Colombia but ofcourse some means of travel take more time than others).

ps: I welcome any questions here, but it seems to me you would benefit from a local company / fixer / guide who books accomodation, keeps an oversight, and can arrange small details like transport to the airport etc. Many times, your accomodation can (and will happily) arrange / call transport, but if you fear communication problems or want some more ease of mind, contact a (English-speaking) local organiser and let him / her do the organising. Who knows they come up with even better accomodation for an even better price.

 

[simmojunior]

I agree - don't skip Manizales. Pereira is a 2 hour drive so should not be a problem to travel there. One question, if you are on a budget, why stay at Hotel Tinamu? There is not a massive amount of specialities there. I recommend staying at Rio Blanco. It's relatively basic but the night birding is superb. Another option is Hacienda El Bosque, which has Crescent-faced Antpitta coming to feeders and offers easy access to Nevados.

 

[AliBellMeribel]

I agree - don't skip Manizales. Pereira is a 2 hour drive so should not be a problem to travel there. One question, if you are on a budget, why stay at Hotel Tinamu? There is not a massive amount of specialities there. I recommend staying at Rio Blanco. It's relatively basic but the night birding is superb.

Thanks simmojunior. One of the reasons s for choosing Hotel Tinamu is for the photo opportunities. The plan was to spend some time in the grounds photographing the birds on the feeders. Are there good opportunities for this at Rio Blanco as well?
Thanks

 

[simmojunior]

Thanks simmojunior. One of the reasons s for choosing Hotel Tinamu is for the photo opportunities. The plan was to spend some time in the grounds photographing the birds on the feeders. Are there good opportunities for this at Rio Blanco as well?
Thanks

For the Antpittas, yes, but not much more beyond that. The photo opportunities are best at Hacienda El Bosque, which has a Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan feeder / photography station although the number of species there is limited.

 

[AveryBartels]

There are direct flights from Cali to Santa Marta so I would suggest going to Manizales first (fly into Pereira though as the Manizales airport is fairly unreliable). If you are not too set in your itinerary, I would also suggest spending one more night in Manizales and one less in Cali. Really you should plan to spend time at Rio Blanco, Hacienda el Bosque and Tinamu and ideally Nevado del Ruiz/Termales del Ruiz. All offer superb birding and, weather permitting, excellent bird photography. Maybe 2 nights at Hacienda el Bosque and two at Tinamu?

 

[AliBellMeribel]

There are direct flights from Cali to Santa Marta so I would suggest going to Manizales first (fly into Pereira though as the Manizales airport is fairly unreliable). If you are not too set in your itinerary, I would also suggest spending one more night in Manizales and one less in Cali. Really you should plan to spend time at Rio Blanco, Hacienda el Bosque and Tinamu and ideally Nevado del Ruiz/Termales del Ruiz. All offer superb birding and, weather permitting, excellent bird photography. Maybe 2 nights at Hacienda el Bosque and two at Tinamu?

Thanks AveryBartels, that's really useful.

 

[Antpitta'd]

There are direct flights from Cali to Santa Marta so I would suggest going to Manizales first (fly into Pereira though as the Manizales airport is fairly unreliable). If you are not too set in your itinerary, I would also suggest spending one more night in Manizales and one less in Cali. Really you should plan to spend time at Rio Blanco, Hacienda el Bosque and Tinamu and ideally Nevado del Ruiz/Termales del Ruiz. All offer superb birding and, weather permitting, excellent bird photography. Maybe 2 nights at Hacienda el Bosque and two at Tinamu?

Hi Avery, unrelated to the thread but curious what you mean about Manizales being unreliable? I was planning on flying there but will re-route if you recommend!

 

[AveryBartels]

Hi Avery, unrelated to the thread but curious what you mean about Manizales being unreliable? I was planning on flying there but will re-route if you recommend!

Well, from what I've heard from various sources (including our ground agent when I organize Colombia trips) is that the Manizales airport fairly often has weather related delays/cancellations of flights whereas Pereira rarely does. So it's one of those situations where most of the time there won't be a problem, but if you want to be safe better to go to Pereira. This isn't much of an issue for most people/groups as they usually are including Otun Quimabaya (near Pereira) before or after Manizales anyway.

 

[Antpitta'd]

Well, from what I've heard from various sources (including our ground agent when I organize Colombia trips) is that the Manizales airport fairly often has weather related delays/cancellations of flights whereas Pereira rarely does. So it's one of those situations where most of the time there won't be a problem, but if you want to be safe better to go to Pereira. This isn't much of an issue for most people/groups as they usually are including Otun Quimabaya (near Pereira) before or after Manizales anyway.

Thanks Avery, will go for Pereira!

 

[MalfStape]

That sounds like an exciting trip from Manizales to Santa Marta! While I haven't personally made that journey, I've heard it's quite the adventure. I'd suggest taking a look at mklibrary.com for some solid tips on routes and transport options. Planning is key for a smooth journey, especially for longer trips like this. Consider packing snacks, a good book, or some tunes to keep you entertained. The landscapes along the way are supposed to be stunning, so make sure to soak it all in! Have an amazing time and safe travels!