For an informative overview of all our Colombia birding tours, see Colombia: Field Guides Tours.

This tour focuses on five hundred kilometers along and above the Cauca Valley, visiting both the Western and Central Andes. It is not only an itinerary rich in endemics (Colombian and to the Choco biogeographic region), but a fun mix of birdy localities. Several international airlines serve the beautiful, modern city of Medellin, from which we will travel by road, departing from Cali.

One ProAves reserve has been set aside for the Chestnut-capped Piha, and not only is that recently described species present but two others, Parker's Antbird and Stiles' Tapaculo, are as well. Other possibilities along the forest trails include Multicolored and Black-and-gold tanagers, Indigo Flowerpiercer, and Red-bellied Grackle.

Returning to Medellin we'll head southwest. Jardin in the Western Andes is a comfortable base from which to visit one of the last remaining homes of the Yellow-eared Parrot, which most resembles a small macaw. Surrounding forests harbor Purplish-mantled Tanager, Tanager Finch, and Munchique Wood-Wren (difficult). Farther south, the university town of Manizales provides easy access to two areas in the Central Andes. A high-altitude national park offers a small chance for Rusty-fronted Parakeet, as well as some treeline and paramo species including Bearded Helmetcrest. At the Rio Blanco reserve we can take our meals watching 50+ hummingbirds of perhaps ten species, and then see how the antpitta feeding project is going, hoping that the endemic Brown-banded is as easy to see as it was on three recent visits. We may have to find Bicolored the old-fashioned way, with patience in the forest. Other notables include Flammulated Treehunter, Dusky Piha, Masked Saltator, and White-capped Tanager. Rusty-faced Parrot is another good possibility.

Two rustic lodges in the Western Andes will be our bases to access the wet montane Choco, where we will seek Gold-ringed Tanager, Black Solitaire, and Fulvous-dotted Treerunner, with a chance for Choco Vireo. Several hours to the south the Otun-Quimbaya reserve has accommodations within minutes of a high density of both the endangered Cauca Guan and the normally scarce Red-ruffed Fruitcrow. We will also look for Crested Ant-Tanager and have another chance for Multicolored Tanager.

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