Western & Central Andes of Colombia
Bird photography trip
A private bird photography tour through cloud forests, feeders, hides, and high-Andean landscapes—created for memorable encounters with Colombia’s remarkable birds.
Duration
· 15 days
· Customizable
Region
· Western, Central Andes
· Cauca Valley
Group size
Max 8 people
Focus
· Bird photography
WHY THIS TOUR
Fully customizable experience
Tailored to your birding goals, pace, and interest
Direct expert support
Plan your trip directly with your local guide via email or WhatsApp.
Trusted by birders
Highly rated for guiding quality, organization, and species diversity.
ITINERARY
This private bird photography tour explores the Western and Central Andes of Colombia, from the cloud forests of KM 18 and the wetlands of the Cauca Valley to high-Andean forests and páramo. Carefully selected locations combine specialized feeders and hides with opportunities to photograph birds in their natural habitats. The itinerary follows the route from Cali to Medellín, with time to work on close-up portraits, behavior, and the changing landscapes of the Andes.
Photos: JOHNNIER ARANGO, TOUR LEADER
Upon arrival at Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport, we’ll meet you and transfer you to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you can stay in Cali or continue to the KM 18 area to spend the night closer to the cloud forest.
Highlights
We’ll spend the day at up to two bird photography locations around KM 18, each carefully set up to help you capture high-quality images. The stations offer thoughtfully chosen perches and backgrounds, suitable light, and enough room to move around and find different angles. Depending on where you stayed on Day 0, we’ll travel from Cali or start near the cloud forest
Highlights
Species to look for
This day continues our photography sessions in the KM 18 cloud forest, building on the opportunities from Day 1. We’ll revisit productive setups or explore another nearby station, giving you more time to improve your images, try different compositions, and capture new species or behaviors. The extra time lets us make the most of changing light and bird activity.
Highlights
Species to look for
We’ll follow the historic road through the Anchicayá Valley, where changing elevations reveal cloud forest and Chocó-influenced habitats. The paved road provides access to forest views, roadside birding, and feeder locations. At El Descanso, a family-run restaurant, tanager and hummingbird feeders offer close photographic opportunities. Depending on conditions, we may also work near a moth trap that can attract elusive understory birds.
Highlights
Species to look for
We’ll visit Sonso Lagoon, an important wetland in the Cauca River Valley. Its lagoons, marshes, floodplains, and patches of tropical dry forest create a striking contrast with the mountain forests visited earlier. Water levels and seasonal conditions influence which birds are present, but the open wetland habitats can offer rewarding opportunities to photograph waterbirds and other species in a more open setting.
Highlights
Species to look for
We’ll travel into the highlands around Anaime, where montane forest and groves of Quindío wax palms provide habitat for several Andean parrots. We’ll spend time at strategic sites to photograph birds perched, in flight, and moving through their natural surroundings. We’ll also explore higher sections of the road for additional high-Andean forest birds and landscape perspectives.
Highlights
Species to look for
At El Retorno del Colibrí, we’ll visit feeders and surrounding habitat known for localized species from Tolima. The feeders create opportunities for close hummingbird photography, while the reserve’s gardens and forested surroundings provide additional subjects. After the morning session, we’ll continue toward Tinamú Birding Reserve.
Highlights
Species to look for
Tinamú protects subtropical forest within a landscape of farms and cattle ranches. Comfortable trails, viewpoints, and feeding stations create opportunities to photograph both forest birds and species that use open or modified habitats. We’ll also visit an active lek where Golden-collared Manakins display.
Highlights
Species to look for
Near Manizales, El Color de mis Revés offers specialized feeders with natural perches and carefully chosen photographic setups. We’ll focus on close views of toucans, antpittas, tanagers, and hummingbirds, with time to work on different compositions and lighting. Later, we’ll continue toward the western side of the Central Andes.
Highlights
Species to look for
We’ll explore Río Blanco, a renowned Andean reserve with forest trails, gardens, feeding stations, and natural photographic setups. Antpitta feeders offer opportunities for close views, while hummingbird and tanager feeders provide colorful subjects. We’ll also watch for mixed-species flocks moving through the forest.
Highlights
Species to look for
Hacienda El Bosque protects high-Andean forest and offers several specialized feeding stations for photography. We’ll work at setups for antpittas, mountain-toucans, and hummingbirds, then explore trails and higher-elevation forest. The reserve’s varied habitats and mountain views make this a strong day for both bird portraits and broader landscape images.
Highlights
Species to look for
We’ll ascend through Andean forest into the páramo of Los Nevados National Park, where open grasslands and frailejones shape the high-altitude landscape. The cold, wind, and elevation call for warm layers and a flexible pace. We’ll look for páramo specialists and photograph the scenery, then return to Termales del Ruiz for a hummingbird photography session at the hotel feeders.
Highlights
Species to look for
We’ll have another opportunity to photograph hummingbirds at the Termales del Ruiz feeders and improve images from earlier sessions. Alternatively, if there are high-altitude species or landscapes we still hope to photograph, we can return to the páramo in Los Nevados National Park. In the afternoon, we’ll travel to Jardín, Antioquia, where we’ll spend the night.
Highlights
Species to look for
We’ll begin with a second opportunity to photograph Chestnut Wood-Quail at Mirador El Roble and Yellow-eared Parrots along Ventanas Road. We’ll also visit an antpitta feeder, where we can look for one or two key species, and have a final chance to photograph Andean hummingbirds at feeders. Occasionally, a wild Andean Tiger-Cat visits the feeding area, offering a rare and unpredictable wildlife photography opportunity. In the afternoon, we’ll visit a lek near Jardín to photograph displaying Andean Cock-of-the-rocks.
Highlights
Species to look for
In the morning, we’ll visit a reserve near Jardín to observe and photograph Oilbirds at their colony in a narrow river gorge. Unlike most places where these nocturnal birds are seen only after dark, here they can be observed in daylight, with the light often best around mid-morning. We’ll also check the reserve’s feeders and the nearby river for other birds. After our visit, we’ll drive to Medellín, where the trip ends.
Highlights
Species to look for
Tell us your travel dates, birding interests, and preferred pace. We’ll create a customized itinerary with all the details you need to plan your trip.
Make this photography tour your own
Every photographer has different goals. Use this itinerary as a starting point for designing your ideal trip: add or remove days, adjust how long you spend at each location, and shape the route around the birds, habitats, and photographic opportunities you most want to pursue. Tell us what you’re hoping to photograph, and we’ll help tailor the journey to you.
Map of the trip
Plan your birding trip
Tell us your goals and target species – we’ll design the perfect itinerary for you.
Quick response | Personalized service
Rated by international birders
PHOTOGRAPHIC highlights
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Clear and transparent pricing—here’s what’s included in your tour
PHOTO GALLERY
A glimpse into the landscapes, species, and experiences you can expect
TESTIMONIALS
Rated 5.0 by international birders
Trusted by birders worldwide for guiding quality and species diversity
Frequently Asked Questions
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