Join an unforgettable 11-day bird photography expedition across Colombia’s Western and Central Andes, specially designed for opportunities to photograph over 50 target species, from tiny cloud-forest hummingbirds to spectacular tanagers, toucans and antpittas. Travelling through a striking range of elevations, from the humid foothill forests of the Western Andes to the high-altitude páramo of Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados, this tour maximises opportunities to photograph many of Colombia’s most sought-after endemic and near-endemic species in exceptional natural settings.
The itinerary has been carefully crafted to combine productive bird photography sessions with dramatic habitat diversity. Mist-draped cloud forests, flowering forest edges, high Andean páramo, coffee-region foothills, and the dry tropical valleys of the Cauca all support distinct bird communities and an extraordinary concentration of avian biodiversity.
Beyond hummingbirds such as the endemic Buffy Helmetcrest and the striking Velvet-purple Coronet, participants can expect superb photographic opportunities with tanagers, toucans, antpittas and barbets, as well as numerous Colombian endemics including the Red-bellied Grackle, Crested Ant-Tanager, Black-and-Gold Tanager and Multicoloured Tanager. With changing elevations throughout the journey, each day introduces new habitats, fresh species assemblages, and entirely different photographic conditions, making this one of the most rewarding Bird-Photo-Tour experiences in the Neotropics.
Photographic Highlights: Acorn Woodpecker, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Andean Motmot, Andean Tit-Spinetail, Barred Fruiteater, Bay-headed Tanager, Bicoloured Antpitta, Black-and-Gold Tanager, Blue-capped Tanager, Blue-necked Tanager, Buffy Helmetcrest, Canada Warbler, Chestnut-breasted Chlorphonia, Choco Brushfinch, Club-winged Manakin, Columbian Chachalaca, Crescent-faced Antpitta, Crested Ant Tanager, Crowned Woodnymph, Flame-rumped Tanager, Glistening Green Tanager, Great Antshrike, Great Sapphirewing, Green Honeycreeper, Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan, Greyish Piculet, Hooded Mountain Tanager, Long-billed Starthroat, Long-tailed Sylph, Masked Trogon, Multicoloured Tanager, Oilbird, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Rainbow Bearded Thornbill, Red-bellied Grackle, Red-headed Barbet, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, Ruby-topaz Hummingbird, Rufous-throated Tanager, Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager, Scrub Tanager, Shining Sunbeam, Southern Emerald Toucanet, Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Toucan Barbet, Tourmaline Sunangel, Velvet-purple Coronet, Violet-tailed Sylph, Yellow-bellied Chat Tyrant, Yellow-eared Parrot.
(i) Guiding Fees (ii) Ground Transportation (iii) Domestic Flights (iv) Accommodation (v) Meals (vi) Entrance Fees (vii) Hide Fees.
(i) International Flights (ii) VISA Fees (iii) Travel Insurance (iv) Tips for Local Guide (v) Items of a Personal Nature.
Pricing is based on 2-4 participants. Solo travellers, i.e. tours with 1-PAX only, are subject to an additional Single Participant Surcharge.
Days 1-2 Suroeste Subregion, Antioquia Department [1N, 1D, 3S]: Pickup from José María Córdova International Airport Medellín, and drive 4 hours to Jardín [Overnight: Suroeste Subregion]. Photographic Bird Targets: Oilbird, Red-bellied Grackle (endemic), Crested Ant-Tanager (endemic), Black-chested Jay, Torrent Duck, Southern Emerald Toucanet, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock.
Days 2-3 Western Risaralda Subregion, Risaralda Department [1N, 1D, 3S]: Drive approximately 2 hours (42 km) via San Antonio del Chamí to Mistrató in the Western Andes Range [Overnight: Western Risaralda Subregion]. Photographic Bird Targets: Black-and-Gold Tanager (endemic), Violet-tailed Sylph, Velvet-purple Coronet, Club-winged Manakin, Andean Motmot, Crowned Woodnymph.
Days 3-4 Centro Sur Subregion, Caldas Department [1N, 1D, 3S]: Drive 2 hours to Chinchiná [Overnight: Centro Sur Subregion]. Photographic Bird Targets: Blue-necked Tanager, Andean Motmot, Crimson-backed Toucanet, Bay-headed Tanager, Torrent Duck, Turquoise Dacnis (endemic).
Days 4-7 Centro Sur Subregion, Caldas Department [3N, 2D, 5S]: Drive 1 hour to Manizales, with a half-day excursion to Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados (1 hour away) before the final transfer [Overnight: Centro Sur Subregion]. Photographic Bird Targets: Crescent-faced Antpitta, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Barred Fruiteater, Buffy Helmetcrest (endemic), Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Black-billed Mountain Toucan, Bicolored Antpitta, Ocellated Tapaculo.
Days 7-8 Área Metropolitana de Armenia Subregion, Quindío Department [1N, 0D, 1S]: Drive 3 hours to Armenia, with an early-morning session at a private reserve near Finlandia the next day [Overnight: Área Metropolitana de Armenia Subregion]. Photographic Bird Targets: Red-ruffed Fruitcrow.
Days 8-10 Sur Subregion, Valle del Cauca Department [2N, 1D, 3S]: Drive 5 hours to Km 18, with a half-day excursion (approximately 30-45 minutes each way, ~13 km) further down the Cali to Buenaventura road to Dagua [Overnight: Sur Subregion]. Photographic Bird Targets: Multicoloured Tanager (endemic), Chestnut Wood-Quail (endemic), Little Tinamou, Toucan Barbet, Glistening-green Tanager, Spot-crowned Barbet, Green Thorntail.
Day 10 Depart Colombia. Transfer to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport, Cali, Valle del Cauca Department for international departures [END].
[Key: N: Night / D: Full Day / S: Session / Half-Day]
Nick has been living in Asia for over 15-years and in this time has conducted over 125 bird photography trips across the whole of the Asian continent ranging from Kazakhstan in the west, through India and China to Japan in the east, and from the Kamchatka coastline in the north to as far south as Indonesia. In China alone Nick has photographed to portrait-quality standard over 1,200 of China's bird species taking him to all of China's provinces as well as most of those nations bordering China. These bird photography trips have ranged in length from a few days to many months, including a three-month bird photography expedition to China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region, becoming quite possibly the most travelled foreigner in this region over the past decade. Nick has also conducted a four-month bird photography trek across the Himalayas, ranging from the Indian States of Ladakh and Kashmir in the west, into the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, then onto the Indian States of West Bengal and Sikkim, ending in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in the eastern Himalayas. Nick has had his images published across numerous media channels including the BBC and Chinese state-owned media outlets, various bird magazines and journals including the Oriental Bird Club's BirdingASIA. He has his own website on the Birds of China at www.BirdingInChina.com and his book 'Portraits of the Birds of China' is due for publication in 2025. Furthermore, Nick has presented films on photographing birds both in Asia and Europe, has his bird images published across many social media platforms within and outside Asia, and has led a number of bird photography lectures and walks, particularly targeted at children.
Consequently, Nick has accumulated significant experience of photographing birds within the Asian continent and this expertise has formed the backdrop to setting up Bird-Photo-Tours Asia, trips designed by bird photographers for bird photographers.
(i) The guesthouses are all in close proximity to the bird photography locations (ii) Walking is at a light pace (iii) There is no requirement to hike nor climb. (iv) None of the locations are at altitude (v) There is no camping.
