Colombia: Santa Marta
Enedmics Birding Tour
BIRDS BY BIJS
They're Not Gonna Watch Themselves!
Colombia: Santa Marta Endemics & Caribbean Birding Tour
Embark on an extraordinary tour in the enchanting Santa Marta and La Guajira region, where a hotbed of endemic and birding bliss awaits. Our journey commences amidst the breathtaking biodiversity of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta home to the highest density of endemic bird species in South America. Here we’ll look for the 24 endemics including White-tailed Starfrontlet, Santa Marta Parakeet and Black-cheeked Mountain Tanager.
Traverse the lush landscapes of Minca, a hidden gem nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where a menagerie of birdlife adds even more color to the vibrant green landscapes. Tayrona National Park beckons with its coastal wonders, providing a unique backdrop for spotting both terrestrial and marine avian species like the endemic Blue-billed Curassow.
Venture into the coastal realms of Camarones and Los Flamencos Reserve, where arid desert and dry forest woodlands host a spectacular lineup of colorful and endemic birds like Vermilion Cardinal and Orinocan Saltator. Here, we’ll also search the salt pan lagoons for colorful aquatic birds like the Scarlet Ibis and American Flamingo.
Join us on this immersive birding adventure, as we unveil the stunning birds that grace Santa Marta’s and La Guajira’s ecological tapestry!
All images © BIRDS BY BIJS
Santa Marta & Caribbean Tour Map
TOUR INFO
Dates:
Feb 20 – 27, 2027 (8 days 7 nights)
Price: $4,275 per person/double occupancy
Single supplement: $375
TRIP OVERVIEW
Type: Bird Watching & Wildlife Viewing
Length: 7 days / 6 nights
Starting city: Barranquilla, Colombia
Ending city: Riohacha, Colombia
Pace: easy to moderate
Physical difficulty: easy
Focus: Birding, Ecology, & Bird & Wildlife Photography
Max group size: 8 + 1 leader + local guide(s)
This tour is an incredible introduction to the birds of Colombia and will provide chances to see nearly all the Santa Marta Endemics. Marked by easy birding, epic endemics, and a stunning range of habitats makes this an excellent tour. The entire region has historically been very safe, even when the same wasn’t true for much of the country. This tour is so much fun, and features an incredible lineup of Colombia’s birds focusing on the stunning endemics of the region.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrivals & Transfer to Barranquilla
Airport Arrivals and Transfer to proximal hotel in Barranquilla. Opening dinner and meet and greet.
D & ON: Barranquilla Hotel
Day 2: Arrivals & Transfer to Mountain House Lodge
Transfer today from Barranquilla to Mountain House, nestled in the picturesque Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. This endemic-laden landscape is completely separate from the Andes Mountains, yet it boasts the tallest peaks.
Sitting at 6,233’, Mountain House Lodge features excellent birding nestled in the heart of the Santa Marta, a haven where birders can soak up this incredible location! On arrival, we’ll settle in and enjoy dinner and the tour opening.
D & ON: Mountain House Lodge
Day 3: San Lorenzo Ridge & ProAves Road
We’ll rise to the splendor of the Sierra Nevada, load into the 4×4’s and head up to San Lorenzo Ridge. We’ll arrive for first light and have breakfast at the top. This uniquely located ridge is the easiest place to spot endemic and near-endemic birds of Santa Marta.
Targets include White-tailed Starfrontlet, Santa Marta Woodstar, Black-cheeked Mountain Tanager, Santa Marta Parakeet, Santa Marta Antpitta, Sierra Nevada Antpitta, Streak-capped & Rusty-headed Spinetail, Brown-rumped & Santa Marta Tapaculo, Santa Marta Warbler, Sierra Brushfinch, Santa Marta Brushfinch, Yellow-crowned Redstart, Santa Marta Bush-Tyrant, Santa Marta Wren, Hermit-Wood Wren, Black-backed Thornbill, White-tipped Quetzal, Rusty-headed Antpitta
Other birds of interest include Red-billed Parrot, Scarlet-fronted Parakeet, White-throated Tyrannulet, Black-hooded Thrush, and Flammulated Treehunter and White-rumped Hawk, Black-and-chestnut Eagle, Black-and-White Hawk Eagle.
We’ll have lunch and then continue birding the road above or below the lodge, depending on what we’re looking for. Targets may include, Golden-winged Sparrow, Santa Marta Antbird and Santa Marta Foliage-gleaner.
After birding the road, we can return to the lodge to soak in the views of the landscapes, or snap pics from the hummingbird feeders. With luck Black-fronted Wood-Quail and Slaty-backed Nighingale-Thrush will be coming to the compost pile.
We’ll have dinner and go over the day’s checklist. Either before or after dinner we’ll look around the lodge for the Santa Marta Screech Owl.
B, L, D & ON Mountain House Lodge
Day 4: Minca Road Birding & Tayrona National Park Aug 26
Today we’ll say goodbye to the upper slopes of the Santa Marta and head downslope to the Minca area. We’ll bird along the road for new birds. Candidates include Scaled Piculet, Whooping Motmot, Black-backed Antshrike, Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant, Yellow-olive Flatbill, Golden-faced Tyrannulet, Golden-fronted Greenlet, Bicolored Wren, Rufous-and-White Wren and Rosy Thrush-Tanager.
After lunch, we’ll continue on to Tayrona National Park to our beach side ecolodge. We’ll do some birding, and then head back to the hotel. We’ll unwind a little bit, have dinner, and go over tomorrow’s plan!
B El Dorado Lodge, L En Route D, ON Tayrona NNP
Day 5: Tayrona National Park & Camarones
We’ll spend the morning looking for new birds, with the best-case scenario spotting the Blue-billed Currasow. Other birds we’ll keep our eyes out for are Lance-tailed Manakin, White-chinned Sapphire, Crested Guan, One-colored Becard, Crane Hawk, White-necked Puffbird, White-bellied Antbirds, Buff-breasted Wren, Streaked Flycatcher, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Crimson-backed Tanager, Black-crowned Antshrike, and Southern Bentbill.
In addition to the birds, we’ll also keep a lookout for the endemic Yellow-striped Poison Dart Frog, the critically endangered Cotton-headed Tamarin, and White-fronted Capuchin.
After a full morning of birding, we’ll transfer to Los Camarones, and we’ll make our drive Northeast to the dry scrub region of “La Guajira” for lunch. A dramatically different climate with a host of different species!
In the afternoon, we’ll head to the Los Flamencos Reserve to look for Vermilion Cardinal, Chestnut-winged Chachalaca, Ruby Topaz, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, & Caribbean Hornero.
We’ll settle in for dinner and go over today’s observations.
B Tayrona L Los Camarones D & ON Hostal Mar Azul
Day 6: Camarones & Los Flamencos Reserve
In the morning, we’ll bird the dry woodlands and desert around the Los Flamencos reserve. This exciting region hosts a whole assortment of unique and beautiful species like Orinocan Saltator, White-whiskered Spinetail and the stunning Vermilion Cardinal. Other targets here include Tocuyo Sparrow, Buffy Hummingbird, Pileated Finch, Scaled Dove, Slender-billed Tyrannulet, Red-billed Emerald, Red-billed Scythebill, Glaucous Tanager, and Chestnut Piculet.
We’ll have a delicious lunch with cold beverages and head over to the salt pan lagoons which host a variety of aquatic and forest birds. First and foremost we’ll keep our eyes peeled for the stunning Scarlet Ibis often interspersed with the abundant White Ibis. Other birds include Double-striped Thicknee, Black Skimmer, Roseate Spoonbill. Russet-throated Puffbird, Wilson’s Plover, Collared Plover, Bare-eyed Pigeon, Blue-crowned Parakeet, Northern White-fringed Antwren, Northern Scrub-Flycatcher, Olive-Gray Saltator and a mix of shorebirds, gulls, and terns. With luck we’ll pick out an American Flamingo or two!
We’ll head back for dinner and relaxing.
B, L, D & ON Hostal Mar Azul
Day 7: Transfer to Riohacha
Final day of the tour or the first day of the Western and Central Andes Tour. We’ll depart Los Camarones around 9AM and head to Riohacaha Airport for a late morning flight. Those who will be continuing onto the Andes Tours, will take a domestic flight from Riohacha to MDE. Those not continuing will catch flights to their next destination.
B: Camarones Transfer: Riohacha Airport
Tour includes:
- All airport transfers
- Private transportation throughout the tour
- Accommodation at well regarded birding lodges and hotels (private bathrooms, Wi-Fi where available)
- Professional bilingual bird guide equipped with spotting scope, playback speaker, and laser pointer
- Professional tour leader for groups of more than 4 participants
- All park entrance fees and permits
- Three delicious meals per day featuring local cuisine (as indicated: B, L, D)
- Safe drinking water throughout the tour and beverages at meals
Not included on tour:
- Optional tips to the tour leader or guide(s)
Tips for luggage porters if you require their services - International Flights, airport departure tax
- Snacks or additional drinks apart from those included
- Alcoholic beverages
- Travel Insurance (Highly recommended)
- Excursions not included in the tour itinerary
- Extras in hotels such as laundry service, minibar, room service, telephone calls, and personal items
- Medical fees or other items or services not specifically mentioned as being included
Questions
Trip Reports
Sept 2025 – Written Trip Report – eBird Trip Report
Feb 2026 – Written Trip Report – eBird Trip Report