COLOMBIA
Colombia Workshop
Apr ,
Dec
11 day Tour
RECOMMENDED GEAR
- Telephoto lens 500 mm or longer
- Minimum 2 camera bodies
- Wide angle lens
- Macro lens
- A medium zoom lens like 70-200 mm or 100 – 500mm
- Sturdy tripod
- Flash + better beamer
- Rain covers for the camera
- Diffuser
- Release cable
Workshop Itinerary
Day 1 : Arrive in Rio Negro (MDE)
Day 2 : Transfer – Cock-of-the-rock lek – Hotel in Jardin
After breakfast, we will make our way to Jardin. With normal traffic, it can take about 3 hours of driving. However, they have been working on fixing the roads and that can easily add a couple of more hours.
We will make it in time though, to present the most amazing Andean-cock-of-the Rock lek. It is just a couple of minutes from downtown in Jardin and a short walk. The lek is basically in a private home’s backyard, so they have gotten very used to people which makes it easy to get close and good photos! Here we can also see Andean Motmot and some tanagers coming to the banana feeders. However, the star of the place will be the Cock of the Rock.
Day 3 : Cock-of-the-rock Lek – La Bambusa- Hotel in Jardin
In the morning we will go back to the Cock-of-the-rock lek, the light and activity could be different in the morning. In the afternoon we will visit a private property, La Bambusa, a private home whose owner has some great banana feeders. Some of the possibilities here include Red-bellied Grackle (endemic), Blue-necked Tanager, Crimson-backed Tanager, Bay-headed Tanger, Green Jay, and Black-chested Jay, among other species.
Day 4 : La Bambusa- Hotel in Manizales
We will go back to La Bambusa, to try our luck with the species we missed the morning before. We will enjoy breakfast here and depart at around 10 am. On this day the drive is long, and again there might be some road construction along the way. We will make it to Manizales in the afternoon.
Day 5 : El Color de mis Reves – Hotel in Manizales
On this day, we will visit El Color de mis Reves. A beautiful place up the mountains with amazing species coming to the feeders! To make it there we will leave before 6 am and grab a cup of coffee on the way. We will go in our vehicle until a certain location where we will change to a Totoya Land Cruiser and our guide for the day will be our driver. It is quite an adventure to make it to the place, the drive takes about 40 minutes thru a bumpy road with beautiful scenery. Once we arrive we will have breakfast and the show will start.
Possible birds: Black-billed Mountain Toucan, Andean Guan, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Lachrymose Mountain-Tanager, Slaty Brushfinch, Gray-browed Brushfinch, Bicolored Antpitta, Collared Inca, Shining Sunbeam, Long-tailed Sylph, Buff-tailed Coronet among many other species. At this place you can always get unexpended birds as well, so let’s bring our good vibes! We will spend the full day here, departing at around 4 pm.
Day 6 : Hacienda El Bosque – Termales Del Ruiz Hotel (3500 mt)
This day will be spent on a beautiful dairy farm in the Central Andes. The owners have protected large swaths of forests and paramo ecosystems for decades and the bird activity is amazing! Our targets on this wonderful property are Crescent-Faced Antpitta, Equatorial Antpitta, Gray-Breasted Mountain Toucan, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Collared Inca, Tourmaline Sunangel, Buff-Winged Starfrontlet, Mountain Velvetbreast, Masked Flowerpiercer, Sparkling Violetear, Sword-Billed Hummingbird and more! A local guide will be with us for the day.
We will have breakfast and lunch here and in the afternoon we will go to our beautiful hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 7 : Full day Termales Del Ruiz and nearby areas – Termales del Ruiz Hotel
We will spend the full day at Termales del Ruiz and nearby areas, the hotel has very productive feeders where Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Lachrymose Mountain-Tanager, Pale-napped Brushfinch, Great Sapphirewing, Shining Sunbeam, the elusive Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, and many other species are possible.
Depending on the bird activity at the hotel we may go to the Los Nevados National Park in search of the endemic Buffy Helmetcrest.
Day 8 : Feeders in the morning and drive to Cali – Hotel in Cali
We will have breakfast and start our way to Cali. We can spend some time at the feeders in our hotel for the last time before we start our journey to Cali. We will have lunch on the way, make different stops for coffee and stretch our legs as the drive will be long today. We will make it to our hotel in the evening.
Day 9 : La Florida – Hotel in Cali
Today we will spend the morning around the famous El 18, located on an 1800-meter (5,900-foot) pass 18 kilometers (11 miles) northwest of Cali along the road that connects Cali with the port city of Buenaventura. The photo opportunities are outstanding here: Chestnut Wood-Quail, the spectacular Multicolored Tanager (Endemic), Flame-rumped, Golden, Saffron-crowned, and Golden-naped tanagers, as well as Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager, visit the feeders at this place. Green Jay, Colombian Chachalaca, Acorn Woodpecker, and Crimson-rumped Toucanet are also possibilities on this day.
Day 10 : San Felipe – Hotel in Cali
We will visit another great location in Km 18, San Felipe feeders, where we can also photograph Saffron-crowned, and Golden-naped tanagers as well as Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager, Andean Motmot, and Red-headed Barbet. Besides they have recently started feeding Scaled Antpitta and Little Tinamou.
Day 11 : Departure day from Cali – CLO
You will be able to enjoy breakfast at the hotel. We will organize your transfer to the airport and confirm the time.
INCLUSIONS
- Lodging as specified.
- Meals as specified
- Private transfers to and from hotels on the first and last days
- Land transportation during the tour
- Professional driver/photo/nature guide and private transportation in spacious tour bus.
- Guide and Photography Skipper services
- Entrance fees for all described activities.
- Taxes on all services listed above.
Dates and Costs
Dec 4- Dec 14, 2024 (7 Seats available)
April 25 – May 5, 2025 (5 spaces available)
Sept 22 – Oct 2, 2025
Cost : $4900
EXCLUSIONS
- Non-mealtime snacks or meals not included.
- Non-mealtime soft drinks and bottled water.
- Visa fees
- International/personal airfare
- Insurance
- Phone calls
- Laundry
- Tips/Gratuity
- Cost of hospitalization and evacuation, if necessary
FAQ's
Our photo tour pages have detailed itineraries, costs, species lists, policies, terms & conditions. You should read them carefully, and then contact us via our Contact form or email us at info@tropicalphototours.com
A ‘non-refundable’ deposit of USD 1000 of the Tour fee as a booking amount to reserve your spot.
• The remaining balance is due in full 90 days before the start of the tour. If you would like to pay the remaining balance in installments, please let us know.
• All figures in USD per person
• Failure to make payments within this timeline could result in tour cancellation.
• A deposit is your commitment to joining the workshop. These deposits don’t typically sit in an account, they are used to cover initial expenses for the workshop like hotel reservations, park permits/fees, and guided tour deposits. Due to these expenses, deposits are non-refundable and tour payment made is subject to a cancellation fee.
More than 60 days before the start of the tour: Refund of workshop payment (not including deposit), less $100 convenience fee.
60 – 45 days before the start of the tour: Refund of 50% of workshop payment (not including deposit), less $199 convenience fee.
Less than 45 days before the start of the tour: No refunds will be given, and all payments will be forfeited. Full payment is required no later than 45 days prior to departure. If full payment is not received by this date you will be notified by email. If you do not respond within 3 business days, your spot will be forfeited and offered to participants on the waiting list.
Please note: The date of written (email) communication of intent to cancel is the date considered for the calculation of the cancellation fees. CANCELLED WORKSHOPS: If we are forced to cancel a workshop for any reason, your entire payment will be transferred to another comparable workshop within one calendar year
Since all lodges and hotels bill for double rooms, we are associated with single supplement charges, we will have to book you a single room at the supplement price mentioned for each tour. Alternatively, we can also find a perfect roommate for you based on your gender, age, and interests. If a roommate is not available, a single supplement will be charged.