Hummingbirds, Monkeys, and Rainbow-colored Birds are all Part of the Magic of Birding in Southern Colombia
If the rolling, rugged road you're bumping along is the one less traveled, and its endpoint is a perfect rainbow – you must be in southern Colombia!
✔︎Trip Tips
Where: Putumayu and Huila Departments (states) in Southern Colombia
When: Dec.- March or July and August
How: With a professional regional birding guide.
What: Birding! Photography! Culture!
Why: Southern Colombia is magical!
Insider tip: Tourism here is developing, roads are rough, amenities basic, but welcomes genuinely warm Ask us about your trip to Colombia
Across Colombia, rainbows bloom in thousands of petals or dart in feathery brilliance across the sky. But my favorite places in this fascinating country are in the southern Putumayo and Huila regions. Although their roads may be among the world's bumpiest and sometimes hair-raising, too, the blooms and feathers are brightest—and the welcome is warmest!
This year, we sent the Grassland Bird Trust on their annual international birding trip for fun and fundraising south and up, high, higher, and highest over those infamous roads into the southern Colombian Andes—or, as I think of it, hummingbird heaven!
Our adventure began in January with two small groups (to keep the experience personal and real), each on a two-week journey, one after the other.
And yes – Colombia is safe!
The range of Colombia’s endemic red-bellied grackle is fractured and small. We found this IUNC Vulnerable Red-listed bird at El Encanto Reserve. Image: ©Larry Blau
Colombia Has Birds and So Much More!!!
With close to 2000 avian species, my cherished hummers are just the beginning, but it couldn't be home to that many species without the necessary habitats to support them.
"Megadiverse" Colombia hosts 10% of the planet's biodiversity in 314 ecosystems, including South America's wettest rainforests, coastal dry forests, Páramo, wetlands, mangroves, grasslands, and more. Colombia is a must if you love birds - and wildlife, nature, culture, good food and friendly people.
Since our trip was only two weeks long, and Colombia is the size of California and Texas combined - we had decisions to make. But for me, they were easy.
“My” Colombia is the towns, families—and birds—of the Huila and Putumayo regions in the southwest. This mountain region was closed to travelers for forty years, but now, with the bad old days nothing more than a memory, it is open and welcoming.
Start in Bogota, Colombia's Capital.
Just outside of Bogota, Colombia’s vibrant capital, Chingaza Natural National Park has elevations to over 13120 ft, (4,000m) This vital ecosystem supplies all of Bogota’s water and is home to rare, endemic, and endangered species. Image: ©️Roberta Kravette
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Our adventure began in Colombia's capital, Bogota, a city full of fun, history, art, and great coffee shops! But our mission is birds, so we headed to Chingaza Natural National Park (elevation 2,600 – 13,190 ft (800 to 4,029m!) to explore the påramo, a unique ecosystem found in only four countries worldwide: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
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Unfortunately, the windy, cold conditions on the day we visited were not conducive to seeing many of its endemic birds. But we did encounter recent evidence of the Park's most famous resident mammal, the Andean bear! And we experienced the vast beauty of the paramo and examined its endangered and protected Espeletia or “frailejones” (fragile ones!). Found only in the påramo’s highest altitudes, these rare plants gather moisture vapor from the clouds in their spongy trunks and furry leaves. The captured water enters back into the ground through the roots, helping to create subterranean pools that feed the rivers and supply Bogota’s water.
It was fascinating to watch this Sword-billed hummingbird navigate with a bill equal to its body and tail length. The Hummingbird Observatory outside of Bogota. Image: ©Larry Blau
On the way back to Bogota, a stop at the Hummingbird Observatory gave us a flittering, brilliant idea of what was to come! With hundreds of hummers humming all around, we could barely tear ourselves away!
Heading South to Putumayo
The following day, we headed south! Our short flight to Porto Asis in the Putumayo Department (state) brought us from the capital's urban cityscape into a different, hard-scrabble world surrounded by some of the most breathtakingly beautiful scenery on the planet. Amazing changes are happening here, fueled by determination, ingenuity, and a little help from friends.
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The owner's family partnered with local craftspeople to build the Kofan Lodge. Their cozy, private cabins with lovely porches and the row of attached motel-style rooms sit along a flower-lined path punctuated with birds and butterflies. Just beyond the last cabin, we suddenly felt as though we were being watched! And we were! A family of tiny Spix's night monkeys with huge eyes peeked out from their “doorway” high in an old tree. When you get there, proceed quietly, and you may catch the curious little primates spying on you, too
And if you are in luck, you’ll meet our dinner companion in the covered outdoor dining area. An adorable (wild) squirrel monkey has taken residence high in the rafters. It kept us gasping and laughing as it raced helter-skelter across the wooden beams, chasing and catching monarch-sized moths on the fly, then serenely munching them like potato chips.
The next morning, after a good night’s sleep and a short drive through the town, we reached the Putumayo River and the boats that would take us to Playa Rica, a village a few wet miles away. Last year, I was honored to be part of the first group of tourists welcomed there!
Porto Asis, A Small Community with a Big Passion for Nature
A musical interlude at Porto Asis with some young musicians, our fabulous guide from Nature Colombia, Roger Ardila (front), the village’s musical instructor (left in yellow), Laura, the heart and soul behind the nature tourism initiative at Porto Asis, the village school teacher, and our group: Alan, me, Roberta (yes, there were two of us!), Shaun, Larry, Liz, and one of the ladies from the community.
The warm early morning sun and the river’s strong but gentle current soon had us drowsy in the low, open canoe-like boat —until an unexpected brief downpour left us awake and huddled together, laughing and wiping rain from our faces. The shower didn’t disturb elegant striated herons along the banks at all!
After about forty minutes on the river, we arrived at... no dock.
The river is low this time of year - about 5ft (1.5m) lower than the bank. Once out of the boat, we had to clamber up "stairs" of mud, roots, and rock cut into the steep, slippery bank. At the bank’s edge stands a huge old tree looking out over the river like a knarled, leafy sentry. Its thick, exposed roots helped to keep us from sliding back down into the river, as did our guide's solid hands and sense of humor. But it's worth it!
A trio of Hoatzin, the only bird left in its ancient dinosaur era family, is a stinky, odd, and fascinating bird! Image: ©️Larry Blau
Building a nature tourism "industry" in this village is a community-wide project—almost everyone is involved. Ladies take turns looking after and preparing meals for visitors in the open community kitchen, the children are eager to help spot and identify the birds, frogs, and toads for you, and the men quickly point out that the rice and vegetables grown for village consumption (and our lunch) are farmed sustainably with methods aimed at protecting the area's biodiversity.
The village’s long-eared free-range cows watched us as we spotted greater and smooth-billed anis, white-eared jacamar, lettered aracari, and scarlet-crowned barbets. A family of long-tailed titi monkeys passing by in the tree-tops stopped and took in the scene. And I was thrilled to find one of my target birds here: The hoatzin, a large, bad-smelling, but strangely beautiful bird with a BIG personality! The day passed quickly, it was time to move on.
Amazon Bird (and Tiny Primates, Miniscule Toads, and Great Lunch)
Every person in this region has a story. Many would make you cry if anyone decided to stop looking toward the future long enough to share their past. The family at Amazon Bird is no exception. This multi-generation, family-owned nature reserve right in the middle of a now busy urban area was once a thriving farm and a coffee plantation. And so were all their neighbors.
Then came Colombia's infamous time of cartels and paramilitaries. The nightmare dragged on for forty years, with the local people caught in the middle. Sons and daughters, fathers and grandfathers died or disappeared—those who remained tried to hold on – or gave up and left.
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Finally, a new government, backed by and working for the people, created the framework for restored and lasting peace. A bright new future was dawning, but it was too late for many farmers in this small town. Exhausted families gave up and sold out to ramshackle development—all except one. They call their reserve Amazon Bird.
Hugh, (Kathy blocked) Cathy, our Amazon Bird host, Terry, (Anna blocked) and Connie at Amazon Bird, a regenerated, biodiverse forest oasis in an urban landscape. Image: ©Katinka Domen
The original landowner, now frail, blind, and immensely proud, survived the turmoil, but not his son or wife. Their daughters and their grown children carry his passion for the land. And they have a new vision. They are restoring the land to the ecologically correct forest it once was, rebuilding its natural biodiversity, including the trees, plants, primates, birds, frogs, and their particular interest, fungi. Their goal is a sustainable future in nature tourism and research. They have already come a long way.
Although trucks and motorcycles roar just feet from their front gate, in the quiet of their regenerating forest, pygmy marmosets (at only 5 inches/ 13cn and 2-5 ounces /85-140 grams, the world's smallest primate) scamper up a tree while green-backed trogons, and black and white-fronted nunbirds call, and chestnut woodpeckers hammer away.
As we walked along the wooden footpath through their wetlands, we listened for birds hiding in lush greenery, and our eyes scanned the marshy grass for lizards and toads so tiny that they become almost invisible on a flower petal or leaf. And all around what we could not see, we heard chirping, calling, croaking, and rustling.
Important Tip! Make time for lunch at Amazon Bird! These sisters are the best-kept culinary secret in Colombia!!
We had to work off the amazing breakfast at Amazon Bird with lots of bird and primate watching - so we would have room to sample their fabulous lunch! Image: ©Katinka Domen
Throughout Colombia, families have created nature reserves like these to protect and foster biodiversity on their land, much of which they use simultaneously for growing table crops, coffee, or animals. They prove that caring for the land's ecological health can work with farming or ranching. The government has dubbed these reserves "Family Projects," and ProColombia, the government's tourism arm, is fully supportive. Full disclosure: ProColombia introduced me to the area.
I love southern Colombia, but something about our final stop, the El Encanto Reserve, keeps calling me back.
El Encanto Reserve, the Rainbow’s End
The beautiful little Flame-faced tanager is one of my favorites to find at the El Encanto Nature Reserve. Image: ©David Havel
It may be the relief of finally arriving after a tooth-jarring, butt-bruising ride on one of the world's most winding, rocky roads, or perhaps it's the sudden sight of hundreds of hummingbirds flitting in their garden or that hot cup of smooth home-grown coffee smilingly placed in your hand, or Angela's special home cooking on plates decorated with edible flowers from the garden, or the colorful pile of warm blankets heaped on your bed to snuggle under in the cool of mountain nights,– but then, I think it's mostly the beaming smiles, the laughter, the sparkling eyes, and the hugs that envelope you the minute you arrive that make even your first visit to El Encanto seem like coming home.
The day begins early here. Michael refreshes the feeders at daybreak, first bananas and other fruits for the myriad of colorful tanagers and orioles that visit, then grains and seeds and grains, and finally, the special hummingbird nectar.
The terrace on the backside of the house is set up as a blind. This is my favorite place to watch the birds. They come in multiples of twos, threes, and more, each more beautiful than the one before. The striking cobalt and yellow-colored thick-billed euphonia, then golden-colored yellow-backed orioles, and brilliant crimson-backed tanagers then turquoise-colored flower piercers all take their turns.
If you are not awake by time the Colombian Chachalacas make their loud and large arrival on the scene, you will be! Image: ©Larry Blau
I love to wake early and settle in behind the screen. Inevitably, a family member spots you, and before you know it, the morning chill is melted by smiled greetings and a steamy cup of freshly brewed coffee or creamy hot chocolate. I could easily sit there all day watching the colorful show, but the hummers are arriving in the front yard. And about an hour's drive up the mountain, different, higher-altitude species and a few rare endemics await discovery. At night, back at the house, full from another beautiful dinner, the black sky beckons with thousands of stars, and an owl calls from his hiding place in the trees.
El Encanto is not to be rushed. Plan to stay at least four days – but be warned, the magic of this place might seep into your soul. You may well be dreaming of your next visit before you reach the main road.
When you go, tell Michael, his sister Angelina, his mom Melida, and his dad Antonio that I said hello—and we'll be back.
On our final morning, tired but happy, we are heading home with memories for a lifetime! Shaun, Roberta, Larry, Melida, Alan and Liz, Angela, our fabulous Nature Colombia guide, Roger - and me, Roberta, at the El Encanto Reserve, one of my favorite places on earth.
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