One Lodge Stay...On this tour we will be based out of the beautiful and very comfortable Araucana Lodge. This hidden gem is located a short drive away from the city of Cali and offers spacious rooms with spectacular views and active feeders that provide amazing photography opportunities.
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Incredible Diversity...Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It is the home to nearly 1900 bird species, nearly 20% of the world's total! On this short tour we will explore this very safe region of Colombia in the Western Andes in search of tanagers, toucans, trogans, antbirds and more!
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Tour Information
Dates: January 8-14, 2025
Leader: Gavin McKinnon + local guides
Cost: $4195 CAD | $3200 USD
The tour fee above its based on double occupancy and includes all ground transportation, accommodation, all meals and professional guiding services.
Deposit and Cancellation Information: $800 CAD | $600 USD
The deposit for this tour becomes non-refundable 150 days prior to the starting date of the tour. The remaining balance is due by October 1, 2024. For cancellations between 60-90 days prior to departure a 50% refund will be issued. If a cancellation is made 59 days or less prior to departure, no refund will be issued.
Group Size: 6-10 participants
This small group size and high guide to participant ratio ensures that everyone will have an enjoyable experience on this tour.
This tour can be combined with Colombia: Central Andes and Colombia: Santa Marta
Leader: Gavin McKinnon + local guides
Cost: $4195 CAD | $3200 USD
The tour fee above its based on double occupancy and includes all ground transportation, accommodation, all meals and professional guiding services.
Deposit and Cancellation Information: $800 CAD | $600 USD
The deposit for this tour becomes non-refundable 150 days prior to the starting date of the tour. The remaining balance is due by October 1, 2024. For cancellations between 60-90 days prior to departure a 50% refund will be issued. If a cancellation is made 59 days or less prior to departure, no refund will be issued.
Group Size: 6-10 participants
This small group size and high guide to participant ratio ensures that everyone will have an enjoyable experience on this tour.
This tour can be combined with Colombia: Central Andes and Colombia: Santa Marta
Itinerary
January 8: Arrive in Cali
After arriving in Cali, you will be transferred to Araucana Lodge, located approximately 1h 30m from the airport. Depending on the arrival time of your inbound flight there may be opportunities to bird and explore the lodge grounds.
January 9: KM 18 - La Florida Birding
We will spend this morning birding at KM 18, a 1800m pass that connects Cali to the port of Buenaventura. We will spend the morning here searching for endemic species such as Colombian Chachalaca, Chestnut Wood-Quail, and Grayish Piculet. We will spend some time at busy feeder stations where eye-catching hummingbirds such as White-necked Jacobin, Long-tailed Sylph, Crowned Woodnymph, and White-booted Racket-tail are frequent visitors. Red-headed Barbets and Crison-rumped Toucanets visit fruit feeders here as well as a wide array of tanagers such as Golden-naped Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Golden Tanager and the endemic Multicolored Tanager.
January 10: Sonso Lagoon
To reach the Sonso Lagoon we will need to depart from the lodge early as it is nearly a 2 hour drive to reach the lagoon, one of the only remaining wetlands in the Cauca Valley. Species we are likely to encounter include, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Limpkin, Wattled Jacana, Striated Heron, Cocoi Heron, Bare-faced Ibis and Snail Kite. If we are lucky, we may also encounter a Horned Screamer or Blackish Rail. In the forests surrounding the lagoons and marshes we hope to connect with species such as the endemic Apical Flycatcher and Grayish Piculet. Other potential species include Ruby-topaz Hummingbird, Thick-billed Euphonia, Yellow Oriole, Spectacled Parrotlet and Jet Antbird.
January 11: Atuncela and Araucana Lodge
In the morning we will visit the dry-forest of Atuncela. At this location we hope so see species such as Striped Cuckoo, Bar-chested Antshrike, and Ultramarine Grosbeak. The afternoon will be relaxed today than the other days on this tour as we explore the grounds of our base, Araucana Lodge. We will spend time looking for species such as Parker's Antbird, Smoky-brown Woodpecker, Scaled Antpitta and Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant.
January 12: San Cipriano
We will depart early again this morning as it is a 1h 30m drive to Zaragosa, our entry point to the San Cipriano reserve. As there is no road access to the reserve we will need to travel by brujita, a railway cart powered by motorcycles. This location boasts many lowland Choco endemics such as, Berlespech's Tinamou, Dusky Pigeon, Tooth-billed Hummingbird, Choco Toucan, Rose-faced and Saffron-headed Parrots, Thicket Tinamou, Black-capped Cotinga, Pacific Flatbill and White-ringed Flycatcher that we are not likely to see elsewhere on the tour. In addition to these near-endemics, Antbirds such as Chestnut-backed, Stub-tailed, Zeledon's, Bicolored and Spotted are found regularly in San Cipriano.
January 13: Upper Anchicaya - Doña Doras - Cock-of-the-rock lek
The upper Anchicaya valley is one of Colombia's most famous birding locations, known for its species diversity and abundance of Choco endemics. We will spend the morning birding the upper portion of this road where we hope to see species such as Violet-tailed Sylph, Empress Brilliant, Moustached Puffbird, Toucan Barbet, Club-winged Manakin, Black Solitaire, Yellow-collared Chlorophonia, Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager and Glistening-green Tanager. Colombian edmemics such as Grayish Piculet and Crested Ant-Tanager can also be found here. In the afternoon we will visit an Andean Cock-of-the-rock lek where we will see the mating display of this eccentric species.
January 14: Depart Cali - Continue to Central Andes
We will spend part of the morning birding at Araucana Lodge before departing for Cali for flights home or to continue on to the Colombia: Central Andes tour.
January 8: Arrive in Cali
After arriving in Cali, you will be transferred to Araucana Lodge, located approximately 1h 30m from the airport. Depending on the arrival time of your inbound flight there may be opportunities to bird and explore the lodge grounds.
January 9: KM 18 - La Florida Birding
We will spend this morning birding at KM 18, a 1800m pass that connects Cali to the port of Buenaventura. We will spend the morning here searching for endemic species such as Colombian Chachalaca, Chestnut Wood-Quail, and Grayish Piculet. We will spend some time at busy feeder stations where eye-catching hummingbirds such as White-necked Jacobin, Long-tailed Sylph, Crowned Woodnymph, and White-booted Racket-tail are frequent visitors. Red-headed Barbets and Crison-rumped Toucanets visit fruit feeders here as well as a wide array of tanagers such as Golden-naped Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Golden Tanager and the endemic Multicolored Tanager.
January 10: Sonso Lagoon
To reach the Sonso Lagoon we will need to depart from the lodge early as it is nearly a 2 hour drive to reach the lagoon, one of the only remaining wetlands in the Cauca Valley. Species we are likely to encounter include, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Limpkin, Wattled Jacana, Striated Heron, Cocoi Heron, Bare-faced Ibis and Snail Kite. If we are lucky, we may also encounter a Horned Screamer or Blackish Rail. In the forests surrounding the lagoons and marshes we hope to connect with species such as the endemic Apical Flycatcher and Grayish Piculet. Other potential species include Ruby-topaz Hummingbird, Thick-billed Euphonia, Yellow Oriole, Spectacled Parrotlet and Jet Antbird.
January 11: Atuncela and Araucana Lodge
In the morning we will visit the dry-forest of Atuncela. At this location we hope so see species such as Striped Cuckoo, Bar-chested Antshrike, and Ultramarine Grosbeak. The afternoon will be relaxed today than the other days on this tour as we explore the grounds of our base, Araucana Lodge. We will spend time looking for species such as Parker's Antbird, Smoky-brown Woodpecker, Scaled Antpitta and Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant.
January 12: San Cipriano
We will depart early again this morning as it is a 1h 30m drive to Zaragosa, our entry point to the San Cipriano reserve. As there is no road access to the reserve we will need to travel by brujita, a railway cart powered by motorcycles. This location boasts many lowland Choco endemics such as, Berlespech's Tinamou, Dusky Pigeon, Tooth-billed Hummingbird, Choco Toucan, Rose-faced and Saffron-headed Parrots, Thicket Tinamou, Black-capped Cotinga, Pacific Flatbill and White-ringed Flycatcher that we are not likely to see elsewhere on the tour. In addition to these near-endemics, Antbirds such as Chestnut-backed, Stub-tailed, Zeledon's, Bicolored and Spotted are found regularly in San Cipriano.
January 13: Upper Anchicaya - Doña Doras - Cock-of-the-rock lek
The upper Anchicaya valley is one of Colombia's most famous birding locations, known for its species diversity and abundance of Choco endemics. We will spend the morning birding the upper portion of this road where we hope to see species such as Violet-tailed Sylph, Empress Brilliant, Moustached Puffbird, Toucan Barbet, Club-winged Manakin, Black Solitaire, Yellow-collared Chlorophonia, Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager and Glistening-green Tanager. Colombian edmemics such as Grayish Piculet and Crested Ant-Tanager can also be found here. In the afternoon we will visit an Andean Cock-of-the-rock lek where we will see the mating display of this eccentric species.
January 14: Depart Cali - Continue to Central Andes
We will spend part of the morning birding at Araucana Lodge before departing for Cali for flights home or to continue on to the Colombia: Central Andes tour.