Most international flights arrive into Bogota and some travelers choose to book their travel to Pereira through Bogota, but note there are direct flights from Miami to Pereira (PEI). The latter is best if you can make it work. Plan your international flights from the US to arrive mid-day or mid- afternoon. We will arrange transport to our hotel, Hotel Movich, where we will enjoy a welcome dinner together. If you arrive earlier in the day you can relax at the hotel until our meeting at 630pm in the hotel lobby for dinner. Night in Pereira.

Rising early, we make our way north about a 2-hour drive, for the wilds of Tatamá National Natural Park. The park was created in 1987, this park and the Montezuma road leading up through it, has had 620 species of birds recorded along it. Birding the lower slopes we’ll hope to connect with birds like Tanager Finch, Lanceolated Monklet, Club- winged Manakin, and hummingbirds like Velvet-purple Coronet, Empress Brilliant and much more. Accommodations are good considering the location, but still a little rustic, though the home-made food here from the hosting family of our lodge is excellent. Night at Montezuma Ecolodge.

The number one eBird hotspot in the most bird species rich country in the world is right here. We’ll have all day to explore this incredible birding area. Building on our sightings from the day prior, this time we’ll ascend higher in the Western Andes to seek specials like Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer, Munchique Wood-Wren, and a host of others. There is a chance too for birds we may or may not have seen the day prior including, Choco Vireo, Gold-ringed Tanager, Black-and-gold Tanager, Crested Ant-Tanager, Black Solitaire, two species of chlorophonias, and much much more. This is an incredible mosaic of cloud forest, rainforest combining elements from the Choco on up to the upper reaches of the highest part of the Western Andes. It will likely be very humid if not wet. Night at Montezuma Ecolodge.

Today we’ll take stock of our sightings to this point and then make a decision as to where we are best to spend our time. We can continue to bird the forests of Tatamá or we may up and leave to bird a wetland site en route to Cali. The grounds of the hotel where we spend the remainder of our trip are good for endemics such as Colombian Chachalaca and Grayish Piculet. Night at La Araucana Ecolodge.

Just 650 feet above sea level neatly tucked away into the Pacific lowlands, San Cipriano is a hot and humid little town of about 1000 residents that is not accessible by road. Nestled snugly into the Choco foothills, it is only accessible via a unique mode of transport called a “Brujita”, a little witch. These are motorcycle-driven flat train carts that use the old railroad to transport cargo and nowadays, birders as well. We’ll make our way there to explore the surrounding rainforest and along the way hope for birds like the endemic Grayish Piculet, and regional specials like Dusky Pigeon, Blue-whiskered Tanager, Baudo Guan, Pacific Flatbill, and seldom-seen species including Five-colored Barbet, and the enigmatic Sapayoa. Night just outside Cali.

Birding an area known as Anchicaya Alto at the edge of Farallones de Cali National Natural Park, we will wind our way down to legendary Doña Dora’s El Descanso. A wonderful hostess, Doña Dora is well-known here and abroad for the many birds and birders she’s hosted. We’ll hope for about 12 hummingbird species, while perhaps enjoying the home-made cheese empanadas. As we learn Doña Dora’s story, we will enjoy the birds and hope for close encounters with Toucan Barbet, and other birds that visit her feeding stations. Along the road to and from El Descanso, we will work hard to find as many other birds as we can here. We’ll hope to encounter Rufous-gaped Hillstar, Purplish-mantled Tanager, Black-headed Brushfinch, among various other possibilities and this super bird-rich road.

Also nearby are several fincas (farms) where we may spend some time at feeding stations and walking the natural areas around them in search of birds like Multicolored Tanager, Chestnut Wood-Quail, and Blue-headed Sapphire. The latter is but one of a great show of hummingbirds that could include, White-booted Racket-tail, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Long-tailed & Violet-tailed Sylph, among more. The photo opps should be great, but our time away from the feeding stations should also net us lots of birds, as we seek Narino Tapaculo, Streak-capped Treehunter, and more. Night just outside Cali.

Depending on timing of flights, we may opt for a little birding around the lodge before transfer to Pereira for our flights home or to our next destination.