From Santa Marta to Perija

After your arrival at Cartagena de las Indias International Airport, your guide and driver will give you a warm welcome, followed by a preparatory briefing about the upcoming trip. Depending on the time of arrival, a visit to the colonial quarter of the citadel is possible for those who wish to do so. This will be an excellent time to get to know your guide and to start discussing different aspects of the history of this rich and endearing country.

Dinner and overnight stay in a colonial hotel located in the historic streets of Cartagena's old town.

Early breakfast followed by an immediate transfer to our first viewing site: the Palermo Wetlands, which offer excellent opportunities to observe a wide range of aquatic species. We will use the telescope at the various observation points, focusing particularly on the Northern Screamer, one of the site's flagship species. In the afternoon, we'll return to Barranquilla for a visit to the Guillermo Pineres Botanical Garden and then to the University of the North, where we will look for our first species of coastal dry scrub forest.

Optional dinner and overnight in a standard hotel in Barranquilla

After an early breakfast we will head north across the mouth of the Magdalena River. After a 40 minute drive, we will arrive at the entrance of the Salamanca National Park. A short visit to these lacustrine ecosystems consisting of lakes, swamps and mangroves will allow us to make our first observations. Our main target will be the Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird, an endemic hummingbird with taxonomic ambiguity. We will take the road towards the Guajira peninsula in the north. A few stops are scheduled along the beaches and scrubland areas. There is no shortage of aquatic ecosystems along the route and we will try to observe as many local species as possible. We will also look for some species specific to the semi-dry forest and grazing areas.

Dinner and overnight in Riohacha.

The arid landscapes of northern La Guajira are home to a wide variety of species that are also found in Venezuela. In the xerophytic vegetation south of the driest desert in Colombia, we will look for several new species. The Los Flamencos National Park and in particular the Pericos and Camarones areas will be our playgrounds today. We will walk in the middle of Wayuu Indian territory, amongst beaches, coastal lagoons and scrub forest. We will then head back to Santa Marta and its semi-arid coastal ecosystems. Our day will end near the rainforests.

Dinner and overnight in Riohacha.

After an early breakfast we will spend the day in the area of Las Gaviotas, for further bird watching. These coastal lowland forests contain a number of bird species that we will not see anywhere else. Manakins, Tyrants, Flycatchers, Raptors and others. In the afternoon, we will complete our observations and take a break on the white Caribbean beaches. At the end of the day, we will drive to Santa Marta, then climb the western foothills of the Santa Marta massif. Several stops are planned along the way. Arrival in the village of Minca, where we will enjoy a well-deserved rest.

Dinner and overnight stay in a charming hotel in Minca.

Early in the morning we will cross the small village of Minca on our way to Poza Azul. Along the dirt road up to the mythical Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, we will have the opportunity to observe our first endemic species of the area. In the vicinity of our hotel we will also take the time to explore several trails on the hillside for further observations. A photographic session on the balcony of our hotel is also planned: toucans, thrushes, tanagers, hummingbirds... there will be plenty to do. The warm and humid temperatures of the area will be an excellent opportunity to go for a swim at the end of the afternoon. For the more intrepid, we will have the opportunity to search for nocturnal species near the lodge.

Dinner and overnight in a rustic hotel in Minca.

This morning we will swap our bus for 4WD vehicles, which are essential to climb the secondary road and reach the El Dorado Lodge, where we will stay the next few nights. Depending on the weather and the state of the roads, it will take us about 3 hours to drive only 30 km. Due to its isolation, climate and altitude, the Santa Marta mountain range offers one of the highest densities of endemic species in the world. More than nineteen species of birds restricted to this massif can be observed there. We will try to observe the majority of them during the next few days.

This area of subtropical perennial forest (high and low) is the only easily accessible one in the Cordillera. The two large altitudinal fringes are now protected, thus ensuring the stability of the populations of species endemic to Santa Marta. The El Dorado Lodge, located in the heart of this reserve, offers a breathtaking view. After settling into our cabins, if it is early enough, we will be able to observe the rare Black-fronted Wood-Quail and the endemic Santa Marta Brush-finch on the various artificial feeding grounds around the Lodge.

Dinner and overnight at El Dorado Lodge.

Early departure to the San Lorenzo ridge, on the heights of the reserve, where we will continue to check for new endemic and isolated species. We will look for the Santa Marta Conure in particular. We return to the lodge for lunch and continue our survey and exploration of the lower part, covering all the elevations accessible by road. We will also spend a lot of time exploring the area around the Lodge where many endemic species are present. Just before dinner we will go out to look for the Santa Marta Screech-Owl and other nocturnals.

Dinner and overnight at El Dorado Lodge.

This morning we will go slightly higher up in the reserve to accompany one of the park rangers to the feeding area of one of the most difficult and rare species of the area: the Santa Marta Grasshopper, of course still an endemic. Depending on the time of year, these shy undergrowth birds can be observed and even photographed quite easily. We will spend the rest of the day exploring the area around the lodge, looking for species missing from our list. There will be opportunities to walk the various forest trails, the main dirt road or to improve your photographic records around the watering and feeding areas attracting hummingbirds, guans, organ grouse, tanagers, brushfinches, thrushes and many more.

Dinner and overnight at El Dorado Lodge.

Today we will take advantage of this last morning to complete the observations, either in El Dorado area or in the Minca sector, depending on our shortcomings of the previous days. After lunch, transfer to Santa Marta to continue our route towards the southern foothills of the Santa Marta mountain range to the town of Valledupar. Despite the remoteness of this site and the long drive, several stops will be incorporated into the route to break up the journey. Arrival in the late afternoon in the capital of Vallenato, one of the most representative music styles of Colombia. If time permits, we will make some additional observations in the hotel garden.

Optional dinner and overnight stay in a country hotel on the outskirts of the city.

After an early departure from our accommodation, we will head to the semi-dry vegetation areas of El Besote to finalise our observations of lowland species. Although some of the species present here are similar to the northern areas of Santa Marta, they are more easily observed and photographed due to the isolation and low number of visitors that these sites of interest receive. Lunch along the river at Las Dantas before continuing our climb towards the Perija mountain range. This mountain range recently opened to scientific exploration and tourism and is a treasure trove of endemism. A few stops along the way to our new lodge (2620m) will allow us to increase our list of endemics.

Dinner and overnight stay in the heart of the Perija mountain range.

Long considered an inaccessible area, the heights of this isolated geographical massif are full of naturalist and ornithological surprises. Early morning departure to the high areas of the Perijá mountain range. We will explore in particular the vegetation of paramos and alto-andine forests. The steepness of this part of the Andes (the northernmost) gives it a table-top-like character. Straddling Colombia and Venezuela, this massif, which reaches a height of 3,650 metres, is a very important orographic relief, especially in the eastern foothills. This humid climate and the equally abrupt succession of vegetation generate a large number of habitats, which have allowed a rather particular but marked adaptation of the species. Many birds, common elsewhere, have a particular plumage here, as if they were on their way to speciation.

Dinner and overnight at the same accommodation.

This morning we can rest around our lodge and take advantage of the watering holes and feeders for a photographic session. We will also be able to return to the high areas of the Cordillera to complete our observations of species or to do some photography. The fauna here is just as diverse: spectacled bear, capuchin monkey, agouti, howler monkey, but also amphibians and of course reptiles. The flora, an essential element of the ecology of these isolated biotopes, is just as endemic as its avifauna, the great biological dispersers.

Dinner and overnight at the same accommodation.

This morning we will descend to the lower areas of the Cordillera. A large number of stops will be made along the way to complete our observations in different ecosystems, coffee and cocoa plantations. We will take some time in the Minaure area. The time allocated to these observations will depend on the flight schedule. Transfer to Barranquilla airport to finalize our list with some species we might have missed. Arrive late afternoon in Barranquilla for your international flight.