Arrive in Bogota

Upon arrival in Bogota (2,600 masl / 8,530 ft), an NPE representative will meet you, greet you, and transfer you to your hotel.

After check-in (around 12:30 pm), we will have a briefing in the hotel roof pool area to review the finer tour details. In the afternoon, visit Catacion Publica, a boutique coffee science and tasting experience in Usaquen. Afterward, a walking tour of Usaquen. Welcome dinner at Club Colombia or Andres D.C, a typical Colombian restaurant.

Overnight at BOG Hotel (D).

Explore Bogota City

After breakfast, we will explore Bogota on a city tour and visit Bogota’s Gold Museum.

In the afternoon, Head up to Cerro Monserrate via funicular railway or cable car with panoramic views of the city for lunch at San Isidro restaurant. Descend from Monserrate for La Candelaria walking tours through Bogota’s Spanish colonial sector – historical buildings, plazas, and museums abound in the center. Visits will be made to the Botero Museum and the central Plaza de Bolivar. Back to the hotel to freshen up before heading to Andres D.C., for a memorable dinner.

Overnight at BOG Hotel (B, L, D).

Flight to Yopal, wildlife watching, and sunset over the Llanos

Today we will depart from the hotel early in the morning for a scheduled flight to the city of Yopal.

Upon arrival in Yopal, we will be transferred (5hr) onto the 16,000-hectare reserve and Hato La Aurora cattle ranch in the Llanos of Casanare department. A short stop or two will be made for wildlife watching, and a drinks and pit stop will be made in Paz de Ariporo.

We will stop for a typical ‘a la Llanera’ lunch at the Hato residency of Juan Solito.

After lunch, we will have time to rest before heading out for some late afternoon birding, returning to Juan Solito via boat. Capybaras, Anacondas, and riparian birdlife are all possible to spot in the area.

Optional trip to the lake to view the legendary sunset over the Llanos. Short introductory talk about the Hato.

Overnight at Juan Solito Lodge (B, L, D). 

Sunrise over the Llanos and wildlife viewing

On this day, we can go for a walk to see the stunning sunrise over the Llanos or bird around the lodge to see local endemics before breakfast.

After breakfast, we will go on a fantastic Safari all morning to witness Llanos wildlife, including the typical bird species of the Llanos. Giant Anteater, critically endangered Orinoco Crocodile (one of the rarest reptiles on Earth), Spectacled Cayman, Scarlet Ibis, Orinoco Goose, and Roseate Spoonbill, amongst many others.

4x4s will do this safari. Snacks and drinks at the lake before heading back to the lodge for lunch. The various elements of Llano’s ranch life will be explained during this journey around the Hato.

In the afternoon, we can relax with some nearby birding or an optional outing to the wetland to look for Ananconda and other riparian wildlife. 

Return and do a night-time safari looking for Crab-eating Foxes.

After dinner, folklore, songs, musical instruments, and stories will all be shared with the guests before bed.

Overnight at Juan Solito Lodge (B, L, D).

Fishing, Jaguar Corridor presentation and Flight to Bogota

Morning birding around the various trails that encircle the house and that lie next to the Airport River or an optional horse ride around the area local to the lodge. We will have the option for some fishing and to catch our own lunch!

In the afternoon, before heading to the cars, a presentation will be made by Don Jorge Barragan regarding Fundacion Jaguar’s work with Panthera, which is part of Panthera’s larger regional project, the ‘Jaguar Corridor,’ which reaches the southern states of the US down to northern Argentina.

Afterward, transfer to Yopal for a scheduled flight to Bogota.

Overnight at BOG Hotel (B, L).

Santa Marta, Coffee Haciendas, and drive to El Dorado Reserve

In the morning, transfer to El Dorado airport for a scheduled flight to Santa Marta. Upon arrival, Transfer to a coffee hacienda in Minca (1hr 30mins) in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains.

The coffee process from seed to cup will be shown during the tour at this hacienda which dates back to the late 19th century and employs unique British-inspired hydraulic engineering methods to move large quantities of coffee around the plant.

In the afternoon, we will enjoy lunch at the farm. After leaving the farm, the 4×4’s will take the group up to El Dorado Reserve, stopping at Palo Alto farm for a quick leg stretch and looking around the beautiful garden there, potentially spotting Santa Marta Blossomcrown (endemic). Check-in. Afterward, we will do some birding in El Dorado Reserve.

Overnight at El Dorado Lodge (B, L, D)

Cuchilla de San Lorenzo

Morning drives up to the Cuchilla de San Lorenzo to observe most of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta’s astonishing 21 endemic species. Options will be available to walk the road down the ridge or stay at El Dorado, enjoying the various feeders where birds abound. Lunch at El Dorado Lodge.

Afternoon birding around El Dorado Lodge. Evening wildlife watching next to the lodge to look for Kinkajou and Lemurine Night-Monkey. Dinner at the lodge.

Overnight at El Dorado Lodge (B, L, D).

AM: Optional Birding. Evening at leisure at the seaside

Optional pre-breakfast birding at El Dorado Lodge and leisurely breakfast. Transfer to Maloka Barlovento for check-in.

Lunch at the hotel. Afternoon and evening at leisure at the hotel with a private beach.

Overnight at Maloka Barlovento (B, L, D).

Optional birding at PNN Tayrona and Kogi Local Village

After breakfast, we will have an optional morning birding around the hotel and the surrounding jungle.

Return to the hotel for an early lunch. Leave the hotel for transfer to the local Kogi village ‘TBC’ to learn about the Kogi way of life, their customs, why they consider themselves our ‘Big Brother’, and how they interact with ‘Mother Earth. Return to hotel for dinner.

Overnight at Maloka Barlovento (B, L, D)

The Caribbean Coast and Cartagena

7:30am transfer to Cartagena (5hrs). Check-in at the hotel and lunch in the walled city.

Arrive at the hotel and check-in. Lunch at the hotel. Dinner is on your own to explore the city and discover many of its beautiful corners.

Overnight at Casa San Agustin (B, L).

Cartagena

Cartagena City Tour (9 am)  – Barrio Manga, Saint Philip Castle, The Vaults, and various battalions.

After lunch in the old town, enjoy a free afternoon to photograph the city, shop, or just soak up the Caribbean atmosphere. Say goodbye to your Colombia expedition friends tonight during a festive farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight at Casa San Agustin (B, L, D).

Fly Home

Morning at leisure in the Walled City. Depending on flight times, transfer to CTG airport for the flight to the US. (B)

Fly to Leticia. Transfer to the hotel for check-in. PM: Transfer to Tanimboca Nature Reserve for wildlife watching.

As we arrive in Leticia, the capital of Colombia’s nearly third-of-the-country-sized Amazon area, we’ll be welcomed by the transportation that will take you to the hotel to check in and leave your belongings. After that, we’ll travel to the exclusive Tanimboca Reserve, which is situated alongside one of the two roads that depart from Leticia and enter the jungle. We’ll start looking for wildlife that is typical of the Amazon region here in the reserve, which has a wide variety of species and groupings. Considering the time of day, we’ll be on the lookout for the final bird activity before returning to Leticia and Parque Santander to see the extremely well-known but never less amazing natural phenomenon of thousands of parrots gathering in the park’s trees as dusk falls. After dinner, we’ll return to the hotel to get ready for an early start the following day.

Overnight at the Waira Suites Hotel – Standard room (B, D)

Discover the Marasha Nature Reserve

We’ll go today on a private launch to the outstanding Marasha reserve for a full morning of birding and wildlife viewing. Here, among many other Amazon specialties, we’ll be on the watch for the common White-throated Toucan, Gilded Barbet, majestic Scarlet Macaw, and vibrant Lettered Aracari. We’ll also be hunting for other primates up in the canopy, including the mysterious and unusual-looking Bald Uakari, the small Pygmy Marmoset, and the Common Squirrel Monkey. Other noteworthy targets include the magnificent (and enormous) Fiery Topaz Hummingbird, the uncommon and strong Harpy Eagle, the Brown-banded, Chestnut-capped, and Collared Puffbird, and the Zig-zag Heron.

Overnight at Calanoa Amazonas – Standard Hut (B, L, D)

Wildlife watching and meeting with the local Tikuna indigenous group

The day will start with a brief boat voyage to the Amacayacu River, which serves as the wonderful national park of the same name in Colombia. The name “Amacayacu,” which translates to “country of the hammocks,” was undoubtedly given to the river because of its constant bends and twists, which make any travel along it highly time-consuming. Yet, in terms of the natural environment that it protects, this national park is among the most significant and typical of the Colombian Amazon. Although it only covers 293,500 hectares, Colombia’s Amazonian national parks are nonetheless enormous and home to some fantastic species.

Overnight at Calanoa Amazonas – Standard hut (B, L, D)

Morning birding at Calanoa Nature Reserve and fly back to the U.S.

The 40 hectares of primary woodland that make up this reserve will be explored this morning. As Calanoa has been around for a while and backs up to PNN Amacayacu, wildlife watching is a must while visiting. We can spend the entire morning birding the trails if we get up at five in the morning, then come back for brunch. Following breakfast, take a stroll through the forest to reach the Matamata River, a stunning location teeming with aquatic birds. Here, we can hear the infamous Cinereous Tinamou whistling as well as the shrieking and piercing chirps of several parrot and tanager species.