Inírida

We will meet with our guide at Bogotá airport for our flight to the Amazon. After a two-hour flight, we arrive in the city of Inírida and transfer immediately to our small city hotel, which will be our headquarters for the next six days. Then, we will head out for our forest taste of the Amazon at Yapacana Reserve near the city. This first birding outing will take us to Amazonian white-sand forests. These forests, so unique to the region, grow on very poor soil and are extremely fragile ecosystems. They are also home to many specialty species: we will look for antbirds, antwrens, and antshrikes, particularly the Yapacana Antbird, a stealthy bird with a very restricted range. 

Overnight in a charming hotel in Inírida.

Close to our hotel is the richest network of trails in the area. Preserved and managed by the Curipaco Indigenous community, Sabanitas is home to an impressive list of species and a mixture of all the region’s important habitats: grassy savannahs, white-sand forests, and riparian vegetation. But most observers come here drawn by the curious call of the rare and unpredictable Capuchinbird. This area has an isolated population of this surreal species, far from its typical range. A multitude of other rare and localized Amazonian species also occupy this ecosystem. The open areas are ideal for observing flycatchers and cotingas and the passage of large groups of macaws and parakeets. After this long birding day, we will return to our hotel in Inírida.

A 90-minute motorboat ride will take us down to the impressive anthracite rock formations of the Cerros de Mavecure, three hills of striking beauty considered sacred by the Indigenous people living in the area. Depending on the group’s physical condition and the climate, we will walk around these ancient tepuis, which form part of the Guiana Shield. From a birding perspective, the most intriguing aspect of this area is the mixture of species from the Amazon basin and the Guiana Shield ecoregion. Mavecure is a point of convergence for these species. We’ll stop at several viewpoints along the river and return to our hotel in Inírida at the end of the day. 

Today, we will cross the Inírida River by dugout canoe to the opposite bank and explore several trails. We’ll spend the morning walking these pleasant forest trails, searching for new species, and exploring large patches of varzea forests. We will focus on the Paujil Trail, where several rare species of birds and mammals can be found. We’ll return to Inírida at midday, avoiding the hottest part of the day, where we’ll have lunch and rest for a few hours. In the afternoon, we’ll visit the Inírida River, where we will scour the banks for kingfishers, antbirds, herons, spinetails, raptors, and many other species. We’ll return to Inírida at dusk, trying to spot some nocturnal species on the way. 

This morning’s excursion will take us to the varzea and flooded primary forests of Matraca. Birding this network of trails will allow us to search for many especially beautiful species: jacamars, nunbirds, woodpeckers, and manakins. In 2017, a possible new species of antshrike, provisionally named Inírida Antshrike, was discovered in this primary forest area, pending genetic analysis and further study. Naturally, we will search for this mysterious and fascinating bird in these gallery forests. After a picnic lunch, we will explore the lower banks of the Inírida River to try to add to our lists of waterbirds until nightfall for our final owling session. Last night in Inírida.

We will use our final few morning hours to explore the Yapacana area once again. This reserve takes its name from the Yapacana Antbird, which is only found around this reserve in Colombia and a few places in the north of Brazil. This will be our last birding session before our return flight to Bogota.

Possible Extensions: Choco - 5 days / 4 nights.