The Andes are, by far, Colombia’s most relevant geographical feature. In the southwestern departments of Cauca and Nariño, the Andes divide in three different mountain ranges, known as ‘cordilleras.’ The Cordillera Occidental (western range), spans from the Pacific coast to Cauca Valley, followed to the east by the central range or Cordillera Central, which is bordered by the Cauca Valley to the west and the Magdalena River to the east. Finally, the Cordillera Oriental (eastern range) comprises the northeastern part of the country, running down to the Guajira Peninsula. Highest peaks in the Cordillera Occidental reach more than 4,700 m (15,500 ft.) In the central and eastern Cordilleras, they are even higher, reaching 5,000 metres (16,500 ft.) above sea level. Most of the country’s important cities spread across Colombia’s interior highlands, with Cali on the western range, Medellín, Manizales, Pereira and Armenia on the Central Cordillera and Bogotá, Bucaramanga and Cúcuta on the eastern range.

But there’s more than the Andes in Colombia. The eastern part of the country is covered by the vast savannah of the Llanos, part of the Orinoco River basin, and its southeastern corner by the Amazon forest. These two lowlands cover more than half of Colombia’s territory, although less than 6% of its population lives there. Colombia’s Caribbean coast is well known by its spectacular scenery. Nearly 22% of the country’s population live here, mainly in Cartagena and Barranquilla. This is generally an area of low-lying plains, with some exceptions, like the mountain range of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the north, La Guajira Desert in the northernmost tip of the peninsula, and de densely vegetated mountains at Serranía de Baudó, next to the Panama border, on the Pacific.

Colombia’s animal and plant diversity are mind-boggling. There are 1,957 bird species (following IOC 8.1 species list standards), 623 amphibians, 467 mammals, 518 reptiles, and roughly 3,200 species of fish. About 18% of these animals are endemics. Plants account for staggering 51,220 species with nearly 30% endemics. Colombia boasts the highest number of orchid and bird species on Earth; it has the second highest diversity of plants, amphibians, butterflies and fresh water fish, third highest diversity of reptiles and fourth highest mammal diversity of the planet.

Our tour has been specially designed for birders and naturalists to enjoy watching and photographing Colombia’s natural diversity. We invite you to join us on this Neotropical travel adventure, exploring two spectacular habitats in Colombia: the Andes and the Orinoco Basin, enjoying their fantastic birds and other wildlife.

Andes: Little Tinamou, Cauca and Wattled guans, Chestnut Wood-Quail, Grey-headed and Tolima doves, Buffy Helmetcrest, Purple-backed Thronbill, Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Coopery-bellied Puffleg, Greater Sapphirewing, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Amethys-throated Sunangel, Glowing Puffleg, Tolima Blossomcrown, Shining Sunbeam, Andean Pygmy Owl, Black-billed and Gray-breasted mountain toucans, Crimson-rumped and Emerald Toucanets, Yellow-vented, Bar-bellied and Powerful woodpeckers, Brown-breasted and Golden-plumed parakeets, Rusty-faced Parrot, Many-striped Canastero, White-chinned Thistletail, Silvery throated Spinetail, Ocellated, Matorral and Stile’s tapaculos, Green-and-black and Barred Fruiteater, Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, Smoky Bush-Tyrant, Dusky Piha, Andean Solitaire, Hooded, Moustached, Brown-banded, Bicoloured, Chestnut-crowned, Slate-crowned, Undulated and Chestnut-naped antpittas, Golden-fronted Whitestart, Golden-crowned Redstart, Black-collared Jay, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, Chestnut-breasted Wren, Yellow-headed Brush Finch, Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanager, Multicolored Tanager, Chestnut-crested Cotinga, Rufous-browed Conebill, Paramo Seedeater, Plush-capped Finch, Pale-naped Brush-Finch, Black-headed Hemispingus, Masked Saltator and Yellow-billed Cacique.

Orinoco Basin: Blue-throated Piping Guan, Little Chachalaca, Black-bellied Cuckoo, Hoatzin, Blue-crowned Trogon, Gilded Barbet, White-faced and Green-tailed jacamars, Golden–spangled, Lafresnaye´s and Orinoco piculets, Ringed and Spot-breasted woodpeckers, Black-headed Parrot, Slender-billed Xenops, Dot-backed, Yapacna and Gray antbirds, Blackish-gray and Amazonian antshirkes, Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Citron-bellied Attila, Plain crested Elaenia, Rufous-tailed Flatbill, Varzea Schiffornis, Orinoco Softail, Capuchinbird, Rose-breasted Chat, Bare-necked Fruitcrow, Amazonian Umbrellabird ,Pompadour and Spangled cotingas, White-naped Seedeater, Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch, Red-shouldered Tanager and Velvet-fronted Grackle.