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Colombia - Multicoloured Tanager Tour

Tour Code: COL02

An 11-day tour exploring the exceptional birdlife of Colombia's central and western Andes and Cauca Valley

11 days from £2895(inc flights) Land Only Price: £2295 SRS: £295


This 11-day birding tour, which can be easily combined with our Santa Marta Endemics tour, begins with an exploration of Cali for Cauca Valley specialties, before driving up to the fabled ‘KM18’ for Multicoloured Tanager plus a host of colourful Tangara tanagers. We next travel north to Montezuma to some of the most beautiful cloudforest in Colombia. A suite of endemics is present here, including Munchique Wood-wren, Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer, Gold-ringed Tanager and Black-and-gold Tanager. Other tanagers keep us royally entertained, including jaw-droppers such as Purplish-mantled, Glistening-green, and Grass-green. Otún Quimbaya is next on the itinerary, with Cauca Guan and Red-ruffed Fruitcrow. Via Manizales we ascend the slopes of 5,429-metre-high Nevado del Ruiz for the stunning endemic Buffy Helmetcrest. Finally, we enjoy the energetic flocks and antpitta feeding stations of the Rio Blanco Reserve.

  • Cauca Valley specials in Cali, including Greyish Piculet & Bar-crested Antshrike
  • Exquisite food & hospitality at Finca La Lolita, plus Multicoloured Tanager nearby!
  • Wonderful Montezuma cloudforest & mind-blowing birding
  • Gold-ringed & Black and Gold Tanager amongst many target endemics
  • Stunning endemic Buffy Helmetcrest on high slopes of Nevado del Ruiz
  • Red-ruffed Fruitcrow & Cauca Guan at Otún Quimbaya
  • Antpitta feedings stations at Rio Blanco – photograph Slate-crowned amongst others

Food

All meals are included.

Accommodation

A mixture of birding lodges and small hotels.

Multicoloured Tanager (Daniel Orozco)

Multicoloured Tanager (Daniel Orozco)

Outline Itinerary Download

Day 1 Fly Cali, via Bogota

Day 2 Cali & Finca La Lolita

Day 3 Queremal road

Day 4 KM 18 and San Lorenzo Forest; overnight Buga

Day 5/6 Montezuma

Day 7 Otum Quimbaya

Day 8 Nevado del Ruiz from Manizales

Day 9 Rio Blanco Reserve from Manizales

Day 10 Pereira/Bogota

Day 11 Arrive London

Colombia, with almost 1,900 recorded species at the last count, including around 80 endemics, is the undisputed number one country on the planet for bird diversity. Unfortunately, for most of the 90’s and ‘noughties’, civil unrest had made visiting remote areas within the country distinctly unadvisable. Whilst ecotourism flourished in neighbouring Panama, Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil and Peru, Colombia remained in the doldrums, waiting patiently for the chance to reveal its wonderful landscapes, birds and people to the world once more. Happily, Colombia has changed dramatically in the past few years and birders worldwide are now flocking to this beautiful country in search of its many avian jewels. Colombia’s topography is both diverse and breath-taking, with snow-capped mountains, cloud-filled valleys, savannas and rainforests augmented with a magnificent birdlife ranging from tiny hummingbirds to toucans, fruitcrows and an incredible array of colorful tanagers. This tour concentrates on endemics as well as the trademark hummingbirds, antpittas and tanagers which are always a feature of birding tours in the subtropical Andes.
Buffy Helmetcrest (Christian Cederroth) - CopyBuffy HelmetcrestGolden TanagerOlinguitoGold-ringed TanagerLandscape in Nevado del Ruiz, ColombiaMulticoloured Tanager (Daniel Orozco)Purplish-mantled TanagerRed-ruffed Fruitcrow Colombia shutterstock_359801060Bicoloured Antpitta by Christine MillerBlue-winged Mountain Tanager by Christine MillerBrown-banded Antpitta by Christine MillerCrimson-rumped Toucanet by Christine MillerGolden Tanager by Christine MillerGuira Tanager by Christine MillerLemon-browed Flycatchers Roosting by Christine MillerLong-tailed Sylph by Christine MillerMasked Flowerpiercer by Christine MillerMulti-colored Tanager by Christine MillerRed-Headed Barbet by Christine MillerWhite-necked Jacobin by Christine MillerWhite-tailed Hillstar by Christine Miller
W.L.
Jan 18
Ferney and Andrea were outstanding bird guides and made a fantastic team. No efforts were spared to find birds for us. Well planned tour with good choice of diverse habitats.
N.B.
Nov 17
Andrea was an exemplary trip leader. Highly organised and attentive; a very good birder; and with excellent skills in dealing with people. It was a great tour and a good group: everyone keen, engaged and working hard to find stuff.
M.W.
Nov 17
The tour leaders were very helpful and the tanagers were fantastic. I had a thoroughly enjoyable holiday with lots of new birds. I can't think of anything that would improve it.
J.G.
Jan 2017
Everything went to plan. Allwas exactly as Andy (Tucker) described it. Colombia is beautiful, friendly, hospitable and untouched by foreign tourists.
J.W.
Jan 2017
A very enjoyable tour with superb birds, a good itinerary which worked well with no real problems, good guides, and excellent company in the participants. The group gelled well, very important to making a successful and enjoyable trip. Scenery was fantastic, especially the trip up to Nevado del Ruiz.
E.S.
Jan 2017
The guide was excellent and his conscientiousness and knowledge were exemplary. Certainly we saw a wide variety of birds which were a delight to behold in their display of stunning colours. Once again, the guide was excellent here in trying to ensure that each member of the party was able to enjoy as many of the birds which we saw, as possible. It was he who made the holiday for me, the success which it was.
M.W.
Jan 2017
Alejandro was a first rate leader who was very knowledgeable about the birds, plants and cultural aspects of Colombia. It was wonderful to see the various species of Antpittas so closely and the array of feeders at Alejandria was amazing.
D.S.
Jan 2017
This, our latest trip with Naturetrek was, I felt, perfectly balanced between trail birding and photographing birds round the variuos feeding stations. Alejandro was a brilliant leader with a wide range of knowledge who looked after us perfectly.
T.G.
Feb 2017
The group which I was a part of was very good/ All made sure we saw all the birds together. The leader was superb. His knowledge was excellent in finding birds.
J & J C.
Oct 2016
Exciting!? And so it was! From the snow-capped mountians with wispy volcanic plumes to Finca Lolita - a marvellous abode overlooking Cali. The owners so welcoming. Absolutley loads of birds. Enjoyed the "road trip" feel of this tour.
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DeparturesAvailableCost

Sun 18th November 2018 - Wed 28th November 2018

2

£2895

more details

Flights: Flights are included in the tour costMore info

Regional Departures: Regional Departures are limited. Call 01962 733051 for detailsMore info

Land only cost: £2295 More info

Room sharing options: More info

Tue 8th January 2019 - Fri 18th January 2019

YES

£2895

more details

Flights: Flights are included in the tour costMore info

Regional Departures: Regional Departures are limited. Call 01962 733051 for detailsMore info

Land only cost: £2295 More info

Room sharing options: More info

Wed 30th January 2019 - Sat 9th February 2019

6

£2895

more details

Flights: Flights are included in the tour costMore info

Regional Departures: Regional Departures are limited. Call 01962 733051 for detailsMore info

Land only cost: £2295 More info

Room sharing options: More info

Tue 19th February 2019 - Fri 1st March 2019

YES

£2895

more details

Flights: Flights are included in the tour costMore info

Regional Departures: Regional Departures are limited. Call 01962 733051 for detailsMore info

Land only cost: £2295 More info

Room sharing options: More info

Sun 24th February 2019 - Wed 6th March 2019

YES

£2895

more details

Flights: Flights are included in the tour costMore info

Regional Departures: Regional Departures are limited. Call 01962 733051 for detailsMore info

Land only cost: £2295 More info

Room sharing options: More info

Visiting: Colombia

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Tour Reviews

Ferney and Andrea were outstanding bird guides and made a fantastic team. No efforts were spared to find birds for us. Well planned tour with good choice of diverse habitats.
W.L., Jan 18