Birds & Mammals of Colombia

Colombia

See Why This is Earth’s Second-most Megadiverse Country

15 days £3,795 pp This is the per person group tour price, based on 2 sharing. The price is subject to change with exchange rate and flight cost fluctuations.
Ask us a question
Book now
Intro, Dates & Prices

Intro

Hands down, Colombia is an avian paradise. South America's northwestern frontier contains 20% of all the world’s feathered species. This tour, as brilliant as its Sapphire-Winged hummingbird, might not provide enough time to spot all 1,958 avian types found here, but you will leave richer for the experience of having seen dozens of endemic and migratory species you will see nowhere else.

With the guidance of native experts, we’ll take you on a four-part tour of some of Colombia’s key biospheres: including the montane forests of the Central Andes' Magdalena Valley, the Orinoquia wetlands, the Eastern Savannahs, plus the Eastern Andes. At each and every interval you’ll experience some of Colombia’s most thrilling habitats. Biodiversity hotspots through and through, each of these four habitats form an ecological niche abundant in the flora that supports a plethora of birdlife.

As the tour name suggests, it's not all about the birds either. On Los Llanos, you're bound to spot quintessentially South American mammals, too. Capybara, caimans, giant anteaters, giant otters, howler monkeys, and even poison arrow frogs, to name but a few. At Otum Quimbaya National park, animals of a different variety abound: tapirs, tayras, elusive coatis, and giant rodents called pacaranas.

From sea level to high altitude, the tour knows few limits. Birds & Mammals of Colombia goes out of its way on the breadcrumb trail for species considered an ornithologist’s dream: antpittas, tanagers, toucans, as well as just about every kind of hummingbird you can imagine. In short, you'll criss-cross major biospheres in the world's second-most megadiverse country under professional guidance, seeing monumental landscapes, spotting dozens of exotic species, meeting congenial locals, while staying in style all the way.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

  • Chingaza, home to the rare, spectacled bear
  • Protected floodplain savannah of Hato La Aurora.
  • Orinoquia, biosphere home to Colombia's cowboys and capybaras.
  • Los Llanos Orientales, one of 6 recognised biospheres in the country.
  • Spanish Colonial Honda: City of Bridges.
  • Bella Vista: ecological hotspot in the midst of the Magdalena Valley.
  • Rio Blanco, one of the world's truly great birding sites.
  • Termales del Ruiz: home to the sapphire wing hummingbird.

Places Visited

Bogotá - Chingaza National Park - Orinoquia - Hato la Aurora - Los Llanos - Jardin Encantado - La Florida Park - Honda - Bella Vista Reserve - Tinamú - Rio Blanco - Termales del Ruiz - Hacienda El Bosque - Valle de Cocora - Otun Quimbaya NP

What's Included

Arrival & departure transfers
Ground transport with driver
Domestic flights (if relevant - refer to itinerary)
Accommodation
Meals (refer to itinerary for meal plan)
English-speaking guides
Entrance fees to sites & parks

Contact us today

Please confirm your humanity

Itinerary & Map
View Map

Download Itinerary
Overview Itinerary Detailed Itinerary
Image 3

Day 1 : Arrival into Bogotá

On arrival, you’ll be met by your Travel The Unknown representative to be transferred to your hotel. 

Time-permitting, we’ll arrange a city tour and a visit to the glittering Museum of Gold, the world’s premier repository of pre-Columbian artifacts of this most precious of metals. 

In the early evening, we welcome you to join us at a getting-to-know-you dinner with your fellow aficionados of all things avian.   

Overnight at the Hotel.

Meal plan: Dinner

Bogotá's Museo del Oro (Gold Museum) has a permanent exhibition of approximately 32,000 pieces of gold, 20,000 stones, ceramics and textiles: all of incalculable value to the Quimbaya, Calima, Tayrona, Sinu, Muisca, Tolima, Tumaco and Magdalena cultures. The Museo del Oro is considered as one of the most important museums of its kind internationally and has been functioning since 1939. In 2007 it underwent a complete overhaul to make it an interactive museum that brings the objects on display to life.

Read more
Image 3

Day 2 : Bogotá - Chingaza National Park

We hit the ground running with a 2 hour drive to Chingaza National Park. Located in the Paramó, a neotropical high mountain biome, this national park is a haven for every feathered thing from green-bearded helmetcrest hummingbirds to the Black-billed Mountain-toucans; from the tiny scarlet-bellied mountain-tanager to the high-flying, black-chested buzzard-eagle. Mammals abound at this high altitude: white-tailed deer, Andean fox, and spectacled bear. But you’ll have to count on good fortune to see the latter. 

N.b. This park sits at an altitude of over 11,000ft. Oxygen levels at this elevation are 13.7%, compared to over 20% at sea level. 

Overnight at the Chingaza National Park. 

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Located in the Paramó, a neotropical high mountain biome, this national park is a haven for every feathered thing from green-bearded helmetcrest hummingbirds to the Black-billed Mountain-toucans; from the tiny scarlet-bellied mountain-tanager to the high-flying, black-chested buzzard-eagle. N.b. This park sits at an altitude of over 11,000ft. Oxygen levels at this elevation are 13.7%, compared to over 20% at sea level.

Read more
Image 3

Day 3 : Chingaza - Bogotá

After a morning spent spotting what wildlife delights we missed yesterday, we leave the park and head back to Bogotá in anticipation of our next-day flight to the Eastern Plains (Llanos Orientales).

Overnight at hotel in Bogota Airport.

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Image 3

Day 4 : Bogotá - Yopal - Hato La Aurora (Orinoquia)

A morning flight from the capital to the Orinoquia region’s hub of Yopal sees us pick up a 5hr ride by jeep into the heart of Los Llanos Orientales. 

Forming the watershed of the mighty Orinoco, this unique ecosystem is one of 6 recognised biospheres in the country. In any river floodplain system one would expect bird life, but the Orinoquia is no ordinary floodplain. Welcome to the beginning of a 4-day riverine safari, where each day will bring more sightings and more revelations from a host of coexisting habitats.

4 nights at a lodge.

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Hato La Aurora is a wildlife-rich nature reserve located in the Llanos Orientales region, some 180 km from the nearest airport in Yopal. 

Hato La Aurora is a 17,000 hectares ranch encompassing the natural reserve of about 10,000 hectares and Juan Solito Ecolodge, a rustic eco hotel to cater for visitors of the reserve. It’s a deep-into-the-wild, raw and earthy experience – getting close to the region’s culture, nature and exploring its essence!

The reserve is part of the ‘jaguar corridor’, a genetic corridor across 18 countries providing travel pathways for felines. La Aurora is home to about 42,000 capybaras, about 2500 deer and plenty of other mammals such as anteaters and monkeys and over 350 species of birds. This is also the place to go to see anacondas in the wild with a probability of 70-90%.

Read more
Image 3

Day 5 : Orinoquia Wetlands (Los Llanos)

On our first full day on the Eastern floodplains we’ll really try to scratch the surface of the sprawling Orinoquia wetlands. Returning to distinctive habitats, we’ll go in search of giant anteaters in the dry scrublands, jabirus in the flooded forests, cattle on the dry plains, capybara heads popping up like periscopes in the wetlands, crocs sunning on the banks, and ibises painting the sky with a splash of red. 

Continued stay at Juan Solito Lodge.

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Colombia's greatest floodplain system, the Orinoquia comprises gallery forests, wetlands, dry tropical sclerophyll, and shrubland. Home to a dizzying diversity of species, on this taxonomic journey into the heart of Eastern Plains wildlife, you may well see giant anteaters, capybara, caimans, howler monkeys, many species of ibis, jabiru stork, little owls, & thick-kneed curlews. 

Read more
Image 3

Day 6 : Orinoquia Wetlands (Los Llanos)

​Throughout this 4-day riverine safari, you’ll wander through gallery forests, wetlands, dry tropical sclerophyll, and shrubland. Home to a dizzying diversity of species, on this taxonomic journey into the heart of Eastern Plains wildlife, you may well see giant anteaters, capybara, caimans, howler monkeys, many species of ibis, jabiru stork, little owls, & thick-kneed curlews. 

Being the natural lair of the jaguar, there is a slight chance you may spot the big cat with the hardest bite of all.

Ovenight again at the lodge.

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Los Llanos is a immense tropical grassland leading off the slopes the Eastern Andes. Being tropical savannah, these plains flood for half the year and bake dry the other half. Although flat and desolate on the surface, Los Llanos conceals a mutlitude of wildlife, semi-aquatic and otherwise. One of 5 mega regions of Colombia, the oriental plains of the Orinoco watershed plays host to a vibrant gaucho culture of plainsmen who are experts in the saddle.   

Read more
Image 3

Day 7 : Orinoquia Wetlands (Los Llanos)

Continue to explore a plethora of natural habitats on this your final full day on the Eastern Plains.

Overnight one last time at this lodge. 

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Image 3

Day 8 : Hato La Aurora - Yopal - Bogotá

On our final morning on the Eastern Plains, we go in search of wildlife we missed, and that which we’d like to see a second time.

Regretfully, we must leave for the airport at Yopal, and a short flight back to the capital for a change in scenery and altitude.

Overnight at Hotel

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Image 3

Day 9 : Bogotá - La Florida Wetland - Laguna Tabacal - Jardín Encantado - Honda

Not far from the capital lies the Florida Wetland, Laguna Tabacal (Tabacal Lake) and Jardin Encantado (the enchanted garden). Nestled in green hills at an elevation of 5,000ft, La Florida is part of the Magdalena Valley ecology, arguably one of Colombia’s hummingbird hotspots. Here and the laguna, we’ll feast our eyes on a whole host of aquatic life.

After lunch, it’s time to discover why the enchanted garden is so named. There we’ll see multiple varieties of hummingbird darting around, including velvet-fronted euphonia, indigo-capped, billed emerald, lazuline sabrewing, ruby topaz, white bellied woodstar, rufous- tailed, & gorgeted woodstar to name a colourful few. 

En route to our day’s destination in Honda, we’ll cross the sublime Magdalena River, Colombia’s longest and greatest. So as to miss as little action as possible, we’ll be stopping at waypoints on the road to Honda to track birds. 

Overnight at Hotel.

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

An important frame of reference for serious ornithologists, el jardín encantado truly is an enchanted garden. Attracting 25 species of hummingbird, this Mecca for birders, environmentalists and nature lovers alike, has a perfect location on the banks of the rio Cañas 1,500m above sea level. With an ambient annual temperature of 22 degrees celsius, and only 52km from Bogotá, this paradise for exotic birds is unmissable.  

La Florida Park is located near the Bogota International Airport. From here, there is an opportunity to view the Spot- Flanked Gallinule, Silvery-Throated Spine tail and the Noble Snipe.

Read more
Image 3

Day 10 : Honda - Bellavista - Tinamú

Ascending the Andean foothills again, this time we head to Bellavista, which means pretty view.

A morning’s birding in the dry forest would be incomplete without an afternoon’s birding in the humid forest of La Victoria. Bella Vista reserve, lying in the crosshairs of the wondrous Magdalena Valley, has grown in reputation among hardcore birders for easy spotting of key species. Here expect to find white-mantled barbet, beautiful woodpecker and sooty ant- tanager. Look no further for iconic amphibians, such as the velvet-fronted, and the endemic yellow-striped poison frog.

We end the day at the lovely Tinamú Nature Reserve, within which lies our accommodation for the next four nights

Overnight at the Tinamú Lodge.

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Honda dates from the Spanish colonial period. With a pretty situation set among emerald hills either side of the Magdalena River, Honda is a great place to derive a true taste of the old Iberian-inspired culture of rural Colombia. Its low-slung dwelling ooze olde world charm. Its 19th century Navarro bridge was the first iron bridge in all South America. Nestled within a ring of emerald-coloured hills in the Magdelana region, Honda is not only a town worth seeing, it also serves one of Colombia most distinctive ecological regions. 

Read more
Image 3

Day 11 : Tinamú - Rio Blanco - Tinamú

From our base at Tinamú, we venture on a 90-min drive to the bioreserve at Rio Blanco. There we shall attend to a number of antpitta feeding stations. Once we have tried spotting chestnut-crowned, brown-banded, bicoloured, and slate-crowned antpittas, we’ll hit the trails for the very real chance to see chance to see a resplendent array of avians: ocellated tapaculo, dusky piha, grass-green tanager, golden-plumed parakeet, rufous-crowned tody-flycatcher, black-billed mountain-toucan, black-collared jay, lyre-tailed nightjar, and white-throated screech-owl. 

Back to Tinamú at the end of our birding day. Overnight at the lodge. All meals included.    

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Rio Blanco has the privilege of being a 3,600Ha biologically-rich nature reserve high in the Andes. Weaving a pattern throughout the reserve are trails and crystal-blue streams. This reserve is probably best known as a magnet for birdlife and those who follow it. A fabulous pageantry of feathered spectacles include Bronzy and Collared Inca, Buff-tailed Coronet, Mountain Velvet-breast, White-bellied Woodstar, Speckled Hummingbird, and Long-tailed Sylph. In total there are 362 species. Within that number, 13 endemics in the reserve.

Read more
Image 3

Day 12 : Tinamú - Hacienda el Bosque - Termales del Ruiz - Tinamú

Near Colombia’s premier Los Nevados National Park, the situation couldn’t be any better. Hacienda el Bosque is a legend in its own right in birding circles, and rightly so. Here, you’ll see antpitta feeders that have been going strong for years, attracting crescent-faced and equatorials. Moreover, El Bosque is the place for the fabulous grey-breasted mountain toucan.

In the afternoon we visit Termales del Ruiz, another diversity hotspot, where we will encounter, among a plethora of other birds, rainbow-bearded thornbill and the delightful buffy helmetcrest. 

There’s also the likelihood in this elfin forest of spotting sedge wren, tanagers, canasteros, pufflegs, thornbills and the beautiful sapphire wing hummingbird.

At the end of this stellar day of birding, we return to our lodge.     

Overnight at lodge

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Termales del Ruiz has 'hot' written all over it. It is both a mineral hotspring and a birding hotspot in the Páramo region of the lower Andes. A mineral hot spring situated in Los Nevados National Park, the thermal baths offer natural habitat for remarkable species,  including , Golden-breasted Puffleg, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Sparkling Violetear, Buff-winged Starfrontlet, , Tyrian Metaltail, Viridian Metaltail, Great Sapphirewing, Collared Inca, Black-thighed Puffleg, Mountain Velvetbreast, Tourmaline Sunangel and Shining Sunbeam.

Read more
Image 3

Day 13 : Tinamú - Valle de Cocora - Tinamú

To date we’ve guided you through different habitats in search of birdlife, and this is no different. Today, we’re going to take you in a jeep through stands of Colombia’s national tree - and the world’s tallest palm - the wax palm. This regal countryside is the lair of blue-headed parrot, yellow-eared parrot, and the golden-plumed parakeet, all of whom you have a good chance to see.  

After lunch at a traditional Colombian cantina, the afternoon is spent either at the Boquia Nature Reserve, or the Toche trail and coffee tour, time-permitting.

Late in the day we return to the lodge for a final night there. 

Overnight at lodge.

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Tinamú birding nature reserve and foundation is the culmination of a vision that started 40 years ago when the land on what is now the reserve was a plantation of coffee and banana. With its 260 species of bird and other animals, Tinamú now ranks as a superb example of what nature can do when you give her a chance. Situated at 1300m above sea level with an year-round ambient temperature of 25 celsius, this private reserve with attractive lodgings had been purpose-built for the study of bird behaviour. 

Read more
Image 3

Day 14 : Tinamú Lodge - Otun Quimbaya - Pereira - Bogotá

Our final full day sees us leave for the Otun Quimbaya reserve. This cloud forest is home to the seldom-spotted mountain tapir, as well as other mammalians, including the tayra, the western mountain coati, and the rarely-seen giant rodent, the pacarana.

After lunch, we bid farewell to Colombia’s bountiful wildlife and fly back to Bogotá for a final night, featuring a celebratory dinner at the hotel. 

Overnight at hotel.

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Image 3

Day 15 : Departure

Transfer to the international airport for your homebound flight. Or alternatively, extend your stay in Colombia and see more of this fabulous country.

Contact us for extension ideas.

Meal plan: Breakfast

Extensions

Active Colombia (1-14 days)

Hiking, diving, horseriding and more

Coffee & Cuisine of Colombia (2-7 days)

Stay on a coffee farm, experience Caribbean cooking and fine dining

Luxury Colombia

Eco-retreats in the rainforest, converted coffee farms and more

Colombia's Cities (1-5 days)

Discover Medellin's statues, Bogota's street art and Cartagena's charms

Colombia's Beaches (1-7 days)

Remote beaches along the Caribbean and Pacific coast

Tayrona Extension (3 days)

Explore the beauty of Tayrona National Park

Colombian Odyssey (18 days)

An epic journey through Colombia

Black & White Carnival (16 days)

Get carried away at Carnaval de Negros y Blancos

Culture & Birds of Colombia (15 days)

A gentle intro to Colombia's birds and historical sights

Birds & Mammals of Colombia (15 days)

See Why This is Earth’s Second-most Megadiverse Country

Classic Colombia (14 days)

Discover the history, charms and rhythms of Colombia

Colombia Adrenaline Rush (8 days)

Rafting, rappelling and paragliding in Santander

Amazon Adventure (7 days)

Venture into the heart of the Amazon

Lost City Trek (7 days)

The most intrepid trek of all

Caribbean Chillout (6 days)

Idyllic beaches, water sports and great seafood

Reviews

Thanks for making my trip possible and so successful in such a short time. I loved every single second and the trek to the Lost City is amazing. Would do it again in this precise moment. And Colombia was a pleasant surprise, the country is incredible and really safe against the common stereotypes. It is a place I would be happy to live in, with the good weather, the colours and on particular the music. The food was incredible and freshly cooked. I am normally a fussy eater but I had every single meal almost cleaning the plate every time! Really enjoyed the fresh fruit supplied during the breaks.
The package was excellent considering the very short notice. I was impressed by the efficiency and the great communication.

Lisa Zardoni , Lost City Trek, Colombia

David and Rahul, what a great company you run! My tailormade trip to Colombia was just perfect! Your advice and guidance in advance of the trip was excellent. I loved the accommodation in Bogota and Cartagena; quaint and traditional. And the staff were incredibly friendly, welcoming and helpful. Your agent, Russell, was very attentive, and the drivers allocated to transport me were punctual, friendly and helpful! I cannot fault a thing. Thanks so much for planning such smooth-running trip for me. And, naturally, Colombia was the big star; can`t wait to visit again!

Stuart Robinson , Tailormade Colombia

I would recommend Travel The Unknown`s Colombian Odyssey tour for anyone who wants a fairly comprehensive tour of the highlights of Colombia. I would definitely advise an add on to Cartagena, if you haven`t already visited. Colombia is a wonderful place to take a holiday whether you have been to Latin America many times before or even if it is your first trip. Travel The Unknown have definitely chosen the best places to stay and we were very well looked after. If you want a completely tailormade trip, I`m quite sure that the experience would be equally excellent. It`s good to find a smaller company where you get a more personal service and which goes to off beat places or off beat areas of well known but far away places.

Julie Crank , Colombian Odyssey, Colombia

There have been so many highlights on our 15-day trip to Colombia: the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquira, Colonial towns of Villa de Leyva and Cartagena, learning about the coffee culture, the wonderfully crazy Carnaval de Negros Y Blancos at Pasto to name a few. The guides were friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to introduce us to the local culture, making this one of the most memorable trips I've ever taken.

Albert Chau , Festivals of Colombia, Colombia

We have just returned from a three week trip to Colombia organised on a private basis by Travel the Unknown. This followed our tours with them to both Eastern and Western Turkey in 2015 and to Iran in 2014. We view all three trips as great successes, wherein everything that was promised, was delivered. We will be planning further trips with them.

James & Margaret Stewart , Tailormade Colombia

The Lost City trip was amazing. Would recommend this trip to anyone who has a sense of adventure and not afraid to leave their comfort zone. Machu Picchu is nothing like this and the sense of achievement you get when you reach the Lost City is truely outstanding. I am now looking for a similar adventure in another part of the world.

Daniel Bean , Lost City Trek, Colombia

Seamless, worry-free travel in a far flung corner of the world. It was the best way to make sure we used our travel time seeing the country, interacting with the people, and tasting the food. I`ve already spent enough time, in queues, on buses, or just generally lost to appreciate a well planned trip.

Sean and Bonnee Gregg , Tailormade Colombia

This was a great adventure. Be prepared to get hot and wet but the rewards are worth it. Beautiful scenery and we learnt a lot about the history of Colombia and the local region from our guide. Would recommend Colombia to any travellers. Thanks to Travel the Unknown for organising trip, we had no issues which allowed us to appreciate the country even more. This was one of the best treks I have done. Very enjoyable and some amazing scenery.

Terry Cooper , Lost City Trek, Colombia

Thanks so much for a wonderful trip. The whole trip was fantastic. Our guides throughout were knowledgeable, enthusiastic and friendly. The Humming Bird walk in Manizales was probably the highlight but it`s not easy to choose. We will definitely travel with Travel the Unknown again.

Shaun Matthews , Tailormade Colombia

An amazing and comprehensive tour of Colombia. This is a beautiful county, go now before it gets too touristy!

Gillian Lowe , Tailormade Colombia

Travel the Unknown organised a brilliant three-location private trip to Colombia, including Bogotá Gold Museum, coffee-country and colonial and Republican Cartagena. Practical arrangements for transport, hotels and guides worked well. It was a delightful tour.

Tony Cram , Tailormade Colombia
More reviews