Colombia has more species of birds than any other country - a staggering 1900 species are to be found within the confines of this incredible nation; of which, at least 89 are endemic. Our endemics-laden extension takes us to the Santa Marta Mountains and the Guajira Peninsula on the northern coast of Colombia. The Santa Marta massif is an isolated mountain range and its snow-capped peaks are the highest coastal mountains in the world. It is also one of the most endemic-rich regions of South America, hosting nearly 50 endemic and regional specialities plus numerous endemic subspecies (several of which, upon further taxonomic review, are likely to be elevated to full species status in the future).
Santa Marta & Sierra Nevada Brushfinches, Santa Marta Bush Tyrant, Santa Marta Parakeet, Santa Marta Woodstar, Santa Marta Mountain Tanager, White-tailed Starfrontlet, Hermit Wood Wren, Santa Marta & White-lored Warblers, Yellow-crowned Whitestart, Black-backed Thornbill, Rusty-headed Spinetail, Santa Marta Blossomcrown, Santa Marta Antpitta, Santa Marta Screech Owl, Santa Marta & Brown-rumped Tapaculos, Vermilion Cardinal, Glaucous Tanager, Sapphire-bellied, Buffy & Sapphire-throated Hummingbirds, Red-billed & Coppery Emeralds, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Chestnut Piculet, Rufous-vented & Chestnut-winged Chachalacas, White-tipped Quetzal, Black-fronted Wood Quail, Bronze-brown Cowbird, Turquoise-winged Parrotlet
Rainforest, dry forests, estuary, xerophytic scrub
temperate to cold in highlands (El Dorado), hot and dry in the lowlands (Guajira Peninsula). Rain is likely on some days.
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader and 1 local leader
brisk pace, some demanding walks
good to very comfortable
moderate with some challenging species
270+ (700+ when combined with Northern Andes series)
spectacular Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta range, Caribbean Sea
good
From the several members of the office staff to the actual tour itself, I have nothing but high praise for my Rockjumper experience. This was my first tour with Rockjumper, but I hope it won't be my last. Alison and Sarah were tremendously helpful. Rob Williams is as good a leader as I have ever experienced. He not only knows the birds, but he made sure that we all got to see them, showing patience way beyond what I thought necessary. When one of our participants lost his passport, Rob bent over backwards to help this hapless person, never complaining while doing so. Rob always told us what the plan was for the next day. When Plan A didn't pan out, he had Plan B ready. If something went askew, he handled it with aplomb, always keeping his sense of humour. Did I mention he showed us wonderful birds? Oh, we saw some beautiful ones!
Rob's combination of bird finding skills and tour management expertise made for a great birding trip which was enjoyed by 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.
The Santa Marta Mountains were truly a great place to bird with several endemics to be seen and spectacular mountains views. The lodge was a fantastic place to stay for three nights. Highly recommend this extension tour!!!!
30 Jul 2025 - 04 Aug 2025 (6 days)
USD2,495 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Alexander Alvarado
Tour price (Per person): USD2,495 * GBP2,000 * EUR2,332 * AUD3,842
Single Supplement: USD190 * GBP152 * EUR178 * AUD293
Flight costs: USD90 * GBP72 * EUR84 * AUD139
Flight costs (Linked Tour): USD100 * GBP80 * EUR93 * AUD154
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