Today we arrive in the south-western city of Cali (elevation 1,018 m), which lies in the valley of the Cauca River close to the mountain range known as Farallones de Cali. The third largest city in Colombia, Cali was founded in 1536 and played an important role in Colombian independence in the early 1800s. We will transfer from Cali to our accommodation at San Felipe.

Accommodation: San Felipe lodge (en suite rooms).

Meals: D.

San Felipe is one of the best places in Colombia for endemic Multicoloured Tanager as well as Ruddy Quail-dove, Little Tinamou, and Saffron-crowned, Black-capped and Golden Tanager. We will also look for more elusive bird species such as Southern Emerald Toucanet, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Green or Inca Jay, Blue-necked Tanager, Blue-naped Chlorophonia, and Golden-olive Woodpecker. Our lodge grounds are home to endemic species such as Parker’s Antbird, Apical Flycatcher, Bar-crested Antshrike and Greyish Piculet, and the more widespread Acorn and Red-crowned Woodpecker, Shiny Cowbird and Streaked Saltator. During our stay at San Felipe, we will also visit La Florida, where we will have a chance to see a range of hummingbirds and other birds attracted to feeder stations. Some of the hummingbirds we may encounter here are Brown Violetear, Booted Racket-Tail, Long-billed Starthroat, Andean Emerald, Purple-Throated Woodstar, Steely-vented Hummingbird, Long-tailed Sylph. Other bird species include the endemic Colombian Chachalaca and Chestnut Wood-quail, as well as Saffron-crowned, Flame-rumped, Golden and Golden-naped Tanagers, White-naped Brushfinch, Andean Motmot, and Red-headed Barbet.

Accommodation: San Felipe lodge (en suite rooms).

Meals: B, L, D.

We will spend the morning birding in Araucana, where we have a chance of a wide range of hummingbirds and tanagers, as well as some curiosities like the endemic Colombian Chachalaca, the striking Squirrel Cuckoo, and the chunky Rufous-browed Peppershrike. After lunch, we drive north. Our first stop for the day is an area of Ramsar-listed marshes and lakes on the Cauca River not far from the old city of Guadalajara de Buga. The wetlands combined with dry forest offer a great opportunity for a wide variety of birds. Here we have a high probability of waterbirds such as Black-bellied, White-faced and Fulvous Whistling-ducks, Wattled Jacana, Glossy and Bare-faced Ibis, Cocoi Heron and Amazon and Ringed Kingfisher. Among the trees, we will look for the tiny near-endemic Spectacled Parrotlet, Blue-headed Parrot, Lineated Woodpecker, Dwarf Cuckoo, Greyish Piculet. We will also check the trees for roosting Common Nighthawk and Common Potoo. If luck is on our side, we may also spot Horned Screamer, Snail Kite, and the world’s largest rodent, the Capybara. We arrive at Buga in the late afternoon. Founded in the 16th century, Buga is one of the oldest cities in Colombia and is a Pueblo Patrimonio (Heritage Town). At the centre of the city are many 17th and 18th century Spanish Colonial buildings including the Basilica of Our Lord of the Miracles, which attracts Christian pilgrims from around the world. We have the afternoon to relax.

Accommodation: Guadalajara de Buga hotel (en suite rooms).

Meals: B, L, D.

Our destination for the night is Pereira in the World Heritage Area of the Coffee Cultural Landscape, and we will have an opportunity to visit a coffee plantation and also try a variety of tropical fruits, another speciality of the area.

Accommodation: Pereira hotel (en suite rooms).

Meals: B, L, D.

From Pereira, we head to Filandia (‘Daughter of the Andes’), a picturesque colonial town in the heart of coffee country. After lunch, we travel to Manizales, the bustling capital of Caldas. The city boasts an aerial passenger tramway and the Herveo Tower, a wooden lattice tower that was once part of a regional network for transporting coffee across difficult terrain. Our destination for tonight is on the eastern outskirts of Manizales, close to the foothills of the spectacular volcano Nevado del Ruiz.

Accommodation: Manizales hotel (en suite rooms).

Meals: B, L, D.

Today we will spend time in Rio Blanco, targeting several species of elusive antpittas. The species found in this area are the endemic Brown-banded Antpitta, near-endemic Bicolored Antpitta, chunky Chestnut-crowned Antpitta and shy and diminutive Slate-crowned Antpitta. If we are in luck, we might also be treated to a close encounter with a Green-and-black Fruiteater fossicking for worms. Also present in this area are White-capped Tanager, Black-billed Mountain-toucan, Plushcap, Powerful Woodpecker, Golden-plumed Parakeets, and Rufous-crowned Tody Flycatcher. Feeders in the hotel grounds attract Blue-capped Tanager, Slaty Brushfinch, Buff-breasted Mountain Tanager and Blue-winged Mountain Tanager, and a range of hummingbirds including White-bellied Woodstar, Long-tailed Sylph, Bronzy Inca, Collared Inca, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, and Speckle Hummingbird.

Accommodation: Manizales hotel (en suite rooms).

Meals: B, L, D.

As we climb higher in the Andes and acclimate to the altitude, we will spend the morning at a dairy farm that is turning to conservation. Here we have an excellent chance of Crescent-faced Antpitta a boldly marked but furtive species of the cloud forest, as well as Equatorial Antpitta, Barred Fruiteater, Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan, Golden-crowned Redstart, Rufous-breasted Chat-tyrant and Purple-backed Thornbill. This afternoon, we settle in at our accommodation.

Accommodation: Termales hotel (en suite).

Meals: B, L, D

After an early breakfast, we visit the scenic Los Nevados National Park dominated by the dramatic snow-topped Nevado del Ruiz. The landscape here is spectacular, and we will explore the paramo, the high-altitude grasslands with dense stands of Frailejón or Espeletia, a succulent that can grow up to 7m tall. We will keep an eye out for montane species such as Andean Tit-spinetail, Plumbeous Sierra Finch, White-chinned Thistletail, Many-striped Canastero, endemic Rufous-fronted Parakeet, Tawny Antpitta, and the amazing endemic Buffy Helmetcrest, the male of which sports a mohawk and an iridescent purple beard. In the afternoon, we will return to Manizales and stake out the hotel feeders for Lacrimose, and Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanagers, and a host of hummingbirds such as Great Sapphirewing, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Mountain Velvetbreast, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Tyrian and Viridian Metaltails, Black-thighed Puffleg, and Shining Sunbeam.

Accommodation: Manizales hotel (en suite rooms).

Meals: B, L, D.

Depending on the time of our flight, we might have time to check out the hotel feeders again before departure. Today we fly to Bogotá, the sprawling capital of Colombia, where we will stay overnight. Flight details to be advised.

Accommodation: Bogotá hotel (en suite rooms).

Meals: B, L, D.

We will head towards the beautiful Chingaza, a 58.000-hectare national park named by pre-Columbian Chibchas as the ‘middle of the width". We will stop at Bosque Guajira, a buffer zone for the protected area. This an important area for plants such as the Frailejón, and endemic and near-endemic birds like the threatened Brown-breasted Parakeet, Glowing and Coppery-bellied Pufflegs, Silvery-throated Spinetail, Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Bronze-tailed Thornbill, Golden-fronted Redstart, Pale-breasted Tapaculo, Sedge Wren, Rufous-browed Conebill, and Muisca Antpitta. Also found here are Amethyst-throated Sunangel, Great Sapphirewing, Black-billed Mountain Toucan, White-chinned Thistletail, and the stately Black-chested Buzzard-eagle. This area is also an important refuge for Spectacled or Andean Bear, the only representative of its family in South America. After spending the morning at Bosque Guajira we head to lunch and then a visit to the hummingbird observatory, a private, friendly spot buzzing with flying jewels. Here we will look for species we might have missed this morning such as the astonishing Sword-billed Hummingbird, Green-tailed Trainbearer, and White bellied Woodstar. This evening, we will prepare for our next adventure in Colombia – the Llanos safari.

Accommodation: Bogotá hotel (en suite rooms).

Meals: B, L, D.

This morning we fly from Bogotà to Yopal, a 30 minute flight that takes us from the densely forested mountains to the expansive plains of the Llanos. The Llanos is a vast tropical grassland ocupying northeastern Colombia and western Venezuela. During the rainy season, the Llanos floods, creating a landscape of wetlands that are home to an enormous diversity of plants and animals. Flight details to be advised. From Yopal, we head off on our only long drive tour, which will be punctuated by stops to rest and to enjoy the scenery. After a snack we will head to the Ariporo river where we will cross by boat. We arrive at our lodge for a late lunch and then begin to explore this amazing location. The property around the lodge can turn up Llanos endemics Pale-headed Jacamar and White-bearded Flycatcher, along with Sharp-tailed Ibis, the spectacular Sunbittern, Scarlet Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill, Orinoco Goose, Nacunda Nighthawk, Great Horned Owl, as well as Spectacled Caiman, Anaconda, Capybara, Giant Otter, South American Tapir, and Giant Anteater. The prohibition of hunting on the ranch means that Jaguar and Puma are also possible.

Accommodation: Lodge in the Llanos (en suite rooms).

Meals: B, L, D.

While the lodge is our principal location in the Llanos, we will spend a full day around the main property of the ranch. Here we visit an area known to be home to a few pairs of the shy and difficult to find Crestless Curassows, and where Jaguar has been spotted. To enhance our chances, we will liaise with locals to find out where the curassows and big cats have been seen most recently. Depending on our luck, we will then drop into Grandma's garden where the feeders attract species like Masked Cardinal, Troupial, Oriole Blackbird, Saffron Finch, the charming Spectacled Parrotlet, Pale-eyed Thrush, Glittering-throated Emerald and Little Woodpecker. On our last night at the lodge, our hosts will cook us a special Llanos-style dinner of wild boar, play the harp, sing the local llanero music and tell us about their culture.

Accommodation: Lodge in the Llanos (en suite).

Meals: B, L, D.

We will spend our last morning in the llanos on the river, watching birds and wildlife and enjoying the ambience of this special place. We will then return to Yopal for our flight back to Bogotá and dinner to celebrate our time in this extraordinarily bird-rich country. Flight details to be advised.

Accommodation: Bogotá (en suite).

Meals: B, L, D.

Depart from Bogotá. Please book your outbound flights for later in the day.

Accommodation: none.

Meals: B.