Birding Photography Tour in Colombia's Coffee Triangle and Western Andes

Landing in Pereira, you are met by your guide Tristan once luggage is collected, then transferred to Hotel Hacienda San Jose. Check-in allows time to settle and relax before a first meeting covering itinerary highlights and tips for making the most of the journey. Dinner follows, and the colonial hacienda outside Pereira, surrounded by coffee farm immersion, lush gardens and a tranquil pool, serves as a peaceful base for exploring Risaralda's landscape.

After breakfast and hotel check-out, transfer to Otún Quimbaya Flora and Fauna Sanctuary, where a local guide leads forest trails and quiet roads in search of Cauca Guan, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, Multicolored Tanager, Torrent Duck and mixed flocks. Following lunch, continue to Tinamu Birding and Nature Lodge for an afternoon around the feeders and forest trails, focusing on photography as light shifts. Later, transfer to Recinto del Pensamiento, check in at Estelar, relax, and have dinner.

Breakfast precedes a morning of birdwatching at Rio Blanco's antpitta feeding stations, where a local guide leads the search for Bicolored, Chestnut-crowned, Slate-crowned and Brown-banded Antpittas, along with mixed flocks of tanagers, brushfinches and tapaculos. Lunch follows before an afternoon around hummingbird and fruit feeders, watching Long-tailed Sylph, Collared Inca, Bronzy Inca and Tourmaline Sunangel, then cloud forest trails for woodcreepers, Masked Saltator, Rusty-faced Parrot and Andean Motmot. Dinner and a stay at Estelar Recinto del Pensamiento complete the day.

After breakfast and checking out, transfer from Recinto del Pensamiento to Hacienda El Bosque for a morning at a managed feeding station, watching for the elusive Equatorial Antpitta plus Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucan, mountain tanagers and brushfinches. Lunch follows, then transfer to Hotel Termales Del Ruiz for check-in and a short break. The gardens' hummingbird feeders draw Great Sapphirewing, Shining Sunbeam, Golden-breasted Puffleg and Buff-winged Starfrontlet at close range, ideal for observation and photography. Dinner and an overnight stay at Hotel Termales Del Ruiz conclude the day.

After breakfast, head into Los Nevados National Park for páramo birdwatching from Termales del Ruiz, scanning high-altitude roads and open grasslands for the Buffy Helmetcrest, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill and Rufous-fronted Parakeet amid volcanic scenery. Later, trails near the lodge pass through elfin forest and waterfalls, where mountain tanagers, flowerpiercers, brushfinches and the elusive Tawny Antpitta may appear. Unwind afterward in the natural thermal pools, then dine and stay at Hotel Termales Del Ruiz.

After breakfast and hotel check-out, transfer from Hotel Termales Del Ruiz to Hacienda Venecia Coffee Farm Experience. A guided visit covers the plantation and processing areas, explaining how coffee is grown, harvested and transformed, with regional history and farm life shared before a tasting. Following lunch, transfer to Montezuma Rainforest Ecolodge Reserve for check-in and a break. If time allows, a relaxed birding session around the gardens, feeders and nearby forest introduces the Chocó cloud forest, where tanagers, toucans and hummingbirds may be encountered. Dinner precedes the overnight stay at Montezuma Rainforest Ecolodge Reserve.

Beginning with breakfast, the route heads before sunrise into the upper reaches of Tatamá National Park, where Montezuma Road is walked slowly through cool cloud forests in search of Gold-ringed Tanager, Black-and-gold Tanager, tapaculos, flowerpiercers and mountain tanagers. A packed lunch keeps the group in the field, followed by a picnic in nature and continued birding through the upper forest, adapting the route to sightings and mixed flocks. The day closes with dinner and the Montezuma Rainforest Ecolodge Reserve near Manizales, surrounded by Andean views.

Breakfast is included before exploring the mid-elevation cloud forests along the Montezuma Road in Tatamá National Park, where shifting habitats draw Chocó and Andean birdlife; walking at a relaxed pace, look for mixed canopy flocks and regional specialties including Toucan Barbet, Black-chinned Mountain Tanager and Orange-breasted Fruiteater, with a packed lunch keeping the day in the field. Later, lower elevations of Tatamá hold warmer Chocó forests and a distinct bird community, with chances for Club-winged Manakin, Beautiful Jay, Chocó Vireo, tanagers, woodcreepers and flycatchers, guided by recent sightings from the Montezuma Rainforest Ecolodge Reserve near Manizales.

A last morning of birding around Montezuma makes the most of any remaining target species, revisiting productive forest trails near the lodge in the Chocó Andes. After breakfast and hotel check out, the route continues from Montezuma Rainforest Ecolodge Reserve to Pueblo Rico, then on to Araucana Lodge for check in and time to settle in. Lunch and dinner round out the transfer day, with the flexible morning session offering memorable encounters before leaving the region.

An early transfer from Araucana Lodge to La Florida – El Bosque de las Aves leads into dawn birdwatching at the feeders, where hummingbirds, tanagers and flowerpiercers gather in the soft light, with a chance of the resident Chestnut Wood-Quail. After lunch, the afternoon focuses on the elusive Little Tinamou and forest hummingbirds feeding among flowering plants, alongside possible woodcreepers, foliage-gleaners and antpittas. The visit closes with a return transfer to Araucana Lodge.

After breakfast, transfer from Araucana Lodge to Avistamiento de aves Doña Dora, a tropical garden at 1,200 m between the Western Andes and the Pacific. Walk the short, steep trail to a lek where Andean Cock of the Rock males display, watching from a rustic hide. Continue birdwatching at the Doña Dora farmhouse amid hummingbirds, then transfer to San Felipe. With a local guide, visit feeding stations and water mirrors suited to photography. Return to Araucana Lodge for dinner.

After breakfast and checking out of Araucana Lodge, transfer to Bosque de Niebla Birding & Nature for an early morning exploration of La Elvira's cloud forests. A garden lookout and balcony attract hummingbirds and tanagers, while a 360° observation hide and handmade forest hide offer discreet wildlife viewing along 1.5 km of internal trails. Possible observations include Golden Tanager, Red-headed Barbet, Blue-naped Chlorophonia, Orange-bellied Euphonia, Blue-winged Mountain Tanager, Golden-naped Tanager, endemic Colombian Chachalaca, Golden-headed Quetzal and White-necked Jacobin. Continue to Buga, check in at Guadalajara de Buga Hotel near the Basilica del Señor de los Milagros, then enjoy evening backup and image review.

Birdwatching at Laguna de Sonso unfolds in Colombia's largest remaining natural wetland in the Cauca Valley, where a local guide leads exploration of trails and observation points through lagoons, reedbeds and gallery forest. The Ruby-topaz Hummingbird stands out among herons, jacanas, kingfishers, ibises and raptors, with a relaxed pace allowing time for photography. A transfer from Laguna de Sonso to Cali Airport follows, concluding with departure and a drop-off for the flight home.