Colombia has a vast expanse of Amazonian rainforest habitat, and it is best accessed via the town of Mitu. The town itself is a fabulous base to work from, with comfortable hotel accommodations in town (even air-conditioning!) and some of the most enjoyable local guides anywhere. The birding sites are easy to access and the birds are plentiful, with many near endemics, white sand specialists, terra firme specialists and many scarce species readily seen. With a total of 3 days to immerse ourselves in this prime birding area, we have more than enough time to visit all of the important birding areas.
Plum-throated, Spangled & Pompadour Cotingas, Guianan Cock-of-the-rock, Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlet, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Fiery Topaz, Pavonine Quetzal, Brown-banded, Bronzy & Paradise Jacamars, Black-bellied Thorntail, Rufous-throated & White-chinned Sapphires, Green-tailed Goldenthroat, Crested Eagle, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, White-chinned Woodcreeper, Rufous-tailed Xenops, Spot-backed Antwren, Imerri Warbling Antbird, Cinnamon Neopipo, Pale-bellied Mourner, Collared Gnatwren and Red-billed Ground Cuckoo (rare - more sightings are known from Mitu than anywhere else in the world), Tawny-tufted Toucanet, Orinoco Piculet, Bar-bellied Woodcreeper, Blackish-grey & Pearly Antshrike, 10 species of Antwren including Cherrie’s & Yellow-throated, Black Bushbird, 17 species of Antbirds including Black-chinned, Black-headed, Grey-bellied, White-plumed & Chestnut-crested, Saffron-crested Tyrant-Manakin, Black, Yellow-crested & Western Striped Manakins, Brown-headed Greenlet, Azure-naped Jay, White-bellied Dacnis, White-naped Seedeater, Plumbeous Euphonia.
white sand forest and terra firme forest
warm and humid
8 with 1 Rockjumper Leader
Our Mega tours are very fast-paced birding adventures designed for the dedicated lister and serious birder. The focus of the tour is to see as many of the endemics and area specials as possible in our given time. In order to cover the necessary route to maximise the species list we tend to spend a single night at most sites and travel large distances. There is very little down time aside from that spent driving from one site to the next. These tours are not suitable for dedicated or avid photographers; inexperienced or new birders; as well as anyone with serious mobility or health challenges.
comfortable hotel
medium with some tricky species
250+
average to good
Two great tours led by Tuomas, who is an outstanding birder and great tour leader. Local guides were also very good, so we all saw virtually all of our hit list birds. Thanks to all.
Thank you so much for a wonderful experience on my Remote Colombia Tour. Forrest remains among one of the best guides I have ever travelled with. His knowledge of the areas within Colombia is astounding, he clearly knows his birds and their respective calls, he knows the off-track spots to seek out the more difficult species and the local people he interacts with clearly respect and value their relationship with him. Witnessing the interaction of these relationships makes for such a more enjoyable overall experience. Forrest as a guide brings a strong combination of spotting birds, knowing the bird calls and getting people on the bird. Equally important, he interacts with each and everyone of his participants and just displays such a passion for birds, wildlife and the local culture.
First of all, Forrest Rowland's profound knowledge of the full range of bird identification traits, songs and calls, habitat preferences and behavioural detail was indispensable to our ability to view, hear, and understand what we were looking for/at. Even more so, his knowledge and ability to effectively convey such information in a timely and readily comprehensible manner was an essential component of our ability to get on birds effectively. Plus his expertise and experience did not stop with the bird life. Secondly, he was an amazing leader in keeping a diverse group of participants focused on tasks at hand and committed to an inclusive "team" dynamic, not an easy feat! His very personable and easy going style kept everyone engaged and appreciating contributions from the whole group... and no one ever appeared isolated. Lastly, and also crucial to an effective journey of this type, Forrest was always on top of tour logistics and management, which are extremely complex and sometimes change with little notice (e.g. flights being cancelled). ln part this was due to his own experience travelling within Colombia, building upon the wonderful network of supporting "staff/contributors", and he was always able to easily provide next step details, rationales, and alternatives to the group.
Dušan was an amazing guide. His acute hearing and anticipation of where the birds would be was extraordinary. He had a well balanced sensibility in regards to our limits and possibilities and was always exercising his desire that everyone in the group was able to see each bird we encountered as best as the circumstances permitted. His passion for birding was very apparent and sincere. Dušan's communication and updates as things changed benefited the whole group.
I was thrilled when Forrest Rowland agreed to run another Colombia Mega, as I really wanted to join a tour led by him – he has such extensive experience of this country and its birds. Even with that expectation, the trip exceeded my wildest dreams. Forrest’s grasp of Colombia’s birds, herps, plants, geography and history sets the scene for a magnificent experience. His humour and personality ensure one enjoys every minute.
Tour Leader: Stephan Lorenz
Tour Leader: Lev Frid
Colombia - Highlights (ECU replacement) 2024 - January 2024
Colombia - Northern Andes: Central Andes 2023 - October 2023
Colombia - Northern Andes: Medellin & surrounds 2023 - October 2023
Colombia - Northern Andes: Bogota & surrounds 2023 - October 2023
Colombia - Northern Andes: Santa Marta 2023 - September 2023
Colombia - Santa Marta Extension I 2023 - August 2023
Colombia - Highlights 2023 - August 2023
Colombia - Santa Marta Extension II 2022 - December 2022
Colombia - Northern Andes: Western & Central Andes 2022 - November 2022
Colombia - Northern Andes: Medellin & Magdalena Valley 2022 - November 2022
Colombia - Northern Andes: Bogota & surrounds 2022 - November 2022
Colombia - Highlights 2022 - September 2022
Colombia - Mega Birding Tour II 2021 - November 2021
Colombia - Mega Birding Tour I 2020 - January 2020
Colombia - Highlights 2019 - November 2019
Colombia - Santa Marta Extension 2019 - November 2019
Colombia - Perijá & Santa Marta Endemics (SGT) 2019 - October 2019
Colombia - Mega Birding Tour 2019 - February 2019