The Mid-Magdalena Valley

Explore Colombia’s Mid-Magdalena Valley, where tropical forests and river landscapes offer rewarding birding and a chance to seek regional specialties. The journey also includes two days exploring Bogotá’s savanna and nearby páramo.

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Duration

7 days
Customizable

Region

-Mid-Magdalena Valley
-Eastern Andes

Group size

Max 8 people

Focus

-Birding
-Birding with a camera

WHY THIS TOUR

  • Explore contrasting birding regions
  • Discover the Mid-Magdalena Valley’s tropical forests and Bogotá’s highlands.
  • Visit the Bogotá savanna and nearby páramo.
  • A private, customizable trip
  • Shape the itinerary around your target birds, preferred pace, and travel dates.
  • Bird with knowledgeable local guides
  • Explore each region with guides familiar with its birdlife and birding sites.
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.

See testimonials

ITINERARY

Explore the Bogotá savanna and nearby páramo before descending into the Mid-Magdalena Valley, where tropical dry and humid forests shelter a remarkable diversity of birdlife. From high-Andean landscapes to the Río Claro canyon, this itinerary brings together contrasting ecosystems, scenic reserves, and rewarding birding at a relaxed pace.

Upon arrival at El Dorado International Airport, your guide will meet you and transfer you to your hotel. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner and go over the trip’s key details before the birding begins.

Highlights

  • Airport pickup and transfer to your hotel
  • Overnight in Bogotá, at approximately 2,600 m (8,530 ft)

We’ll visit the Andes Bird Observatory near Guasca, where Andean forest and páramo habitats provide excellent birding. The observatory is known for its hummingbird diversity and offers the opportunity to search for high-Andean specialties, including the elusive Andean Potoo with help from the local guide.

Highlights

  • Birding in Andean forest and páramo
  • Hummingbird diversity at the observatory
  • Search for range-restricted high-Andean species

Species to look for

  • Muisca Antpitta (endemic)
  • Blue-throated Starfrontlet
  • Pale-bellied Tapaculo (near-endemic)
  • Amethyst-throated Sunangel
  • Brown-breasted Parakeet (endemic)
  • Andean Potoo
  • Black-headed Hemispingus

A day of high-altitude birding at one of the Eastern Andes’ distinctive sites.

We’ll begin the day in Chingaza National Park, exploring the páramo and elfin forest near Bogotá. This high-altitude ecosystem, with its frailejones, misty landscapes, and unique biodiversity, is one of the most important natural environments in the region and plays a vital role in regulating water for the surrounding areas. In the afternoon, we’ll visit La Florida Park, an urban wetland where conservation efforts protect valuable habitat for aquatic and marsh birds. The park is also one of the last remaining refuges for the endemic Bogotá Rail in the Bogotá savanna, making it an especially important site for bird conservation and wetland protection.

Highlights

  • Morning birding in páramo and elfin forest
  • Afternoon visit to Bogotá’s La Florida wetlands
  • Two contrasting habitats in one day

Species to look for

  • Muisca Antpitta (endemic)
  • Bogotá Rail (endemic)
  • Spot-flanked Gallinule
  • Bronze-tailed Thornbill (near-endemic)
  • Coppery-bellied Puffleg (near-endemic)
  • Silvery-throated Spinetail (endemic)
  • Black-chested Mountain Tanager
  • Andean Pygmy-owl
  • Rufous-browed Conebill (near-endemic)

A varied day from high-Andean mountain habitat to the wetlands of Bogotá.

We’ll explore Laguna de Tabacal before continuing west into the Magdalena Valley. Birding here is often especially productive, with dozens of species possible in just a few hours across semi-open areas, forest edges, and tropical humid forest transitioning into montane habitats. We’ll make birding stops along the way to the Blue-billed Curassow Reserve.

Highlights

  • Birding around Tabacal Lagoon in semi-open and forest habitats
  • Productive birding across several habitat types
  • Entering the Mid-Magdalena Valley
  • Exploring tropical dry and humid forests
  • Birding stops during the drive to the reserve
  • Overnight at the Blue-billed Curassow Reserve
  • Owling at Blue-billed Curassow Reserve

Species to look for

  • Velvet-fronted Euphonia (endemic)
  • Rosy Thrush-Tanager
  • Red-billed Scythebill
  • Blue-lored Antbird (near-endemic)
  • Rusty-breasted Antpitta
  • Indigo-capped Hummingbird (endemic)
  • Northern Screamer (near-endemic)
  • Stripe-breasted Spinetail
  • Choco, Spectacled and Mottled Owls
  • Speckle-breasted (Colombian) Wren
  • Rufous-naped Greenlet
  • Spectacled Parrotlet

A rewarding day of birding through a changing mix of lowland and montane habitats.

We’ll spend the day exploring a ProAves reserve that protects more than a thousand hectares of the region’s remaining humid tropical forest. Its trails, observation towers, and hummingbird feeders offer varied ways to experience the forest and look for its many birds of interest. Finding some of the reserve’s specialties can take patience and focused effort, especially in the warm, dense forest. This day is best suited to birders who are comfortable spending time scanning and listening in humid tropical forest.

Highlights

  • Birding in a major humid-forest reserve
  • Time to look for the reserve’s signature species
  • Overnight at the reserve
  • Diverse trails for different levels of effort

Species to look for

  • Blue-billed Curassow (endemic and critically endangered)
  • Beautiful Woodpecker (endemic)
  • Sooty Ant-Tanager (endemic)
  • White-mantled Barbet (endemic)
  • Colombian Chachalaca (endemic)
  • Black-billed Flycatcher (near-endemic)
  • Saffron-headed Parrot (near-endemic)
  • Black Antshrike (near-endemic)
  • Blue-and-yellow Macaw
  • Bare-crowned Antbird
  • Barred Puffbird
  • Southern Bentbill (near-endemic)
  • Black-faced Antthrush

A full day immersed in the humid forests of the Mid-Magdalena Valley.

We’ll spend the morning searching for any target species we have not yet seen in the Blue-billed Curassow Reserve. After lunch, we’ll drive toward the Río Claro area, making birding stops along the way. In the afternoon, we’ll explore semi-open habitats and forest fragments, where we can look for a good variety of species before reaching our accommodation.

Highlights

  • Final morning birding at the Blue-billed Curassow Reserve
  • Drive through the Mid-Magdalena Valley
  • Stops at marshes and forest fragments
  • Arrival in the Río Claro area

Species to look for

  • Northern Screamer (near-endemic)
  • Northern White-fringed Antwren
  • Russet-throated Puffbird
  • Black-capped Donacobius
  • White-headed Marsh-Tyrant
  • White-eared Conebill
  • Chestnut-fronted Macaw
  • American Pygmy-kingfisher
  • Bicolored Antbird

A transition from the reserve’s forest trails to the wetlands and woodlands near Río Claro.

We’ll explore the trails in and around Río Claro, a rare karst forest landscape shaped by limestone formations, caves, and the clear river. The reserve’s humid forests support regional specialties as well as birds associated with northern Colombia and Central America. If conditions allow, we’ll also visit a nearby cave used by Oilbirds.

Highlights

  • Birding in karst and tropical humid forest
  • Trails inside and outside the reserve
  • Limestone formations and the Río Claro river
  • Opportunity to visit an Oilbird spot

Species to look for

  • Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant (endemic)
  • Beautiful Woodpecker (endemic)
  • Sooty Ant-Tanager (endemic)
  • White-mantled Barbet (endemic)
  • Magdalena Antbird (near-endemic)
  • Channel-billed (Citron-throated) Toucan
  • Oilbird
  • Gray-cheeked Nunlet
  • Russet-winged Schiffornis
  • Bare-crowned Antbird
  • Scarlet-browed Tanager (near-endemic)
  • Orange-crowned Oriole
  • Velvety Manakin

A rewarding day combining regional bird specialties with Río Claro’s distinctive scenery.

We’ll enjoy a final morning of birding in the Río Claro area, focusing on any remaining targets and making the most of our time in the region. Afterward, we’ll drive to José María Córdova International Airport outside Medellín. Depending on your travel plans, you can connect to a flight to Bogotá or board an international flight.

Highlights

  • Final birding in the Río Claro area
  • Flexible timing for your departure
  • Transfer to José María Córdova International Airport
  • End of the tri
  • Easy to connect with any Andean Birding trip

Species to look for

  • Orange-billed Sparrow
  • Sooty-headed Wren (near-endemic)
  • Yellow-tufted Dacnis (near-endemic)
  • Red-billed Scythebill
  • Large-billed Seed-Finch
  • Striolated Manakin
  • Black-headed Brushfinch
  • Cinereous Becard
  • Golden-headed Manakin
  • Slaty-winged Foliage-gleaner

A final birding session before your onward flight from Medellín.

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.

START PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Continue Your Birding Journey

The Mid-Magdalena Valley trip connects especially well with the Andean Essentials Birding Trip and the Caribbean Coast & Santa Marta Mountains tour. Ask us about combining itineraries to explore more of Colombia’s birding regions.

START PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Map of the trip

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Plan your birding trip

Tell us your goals and target species – we’ll design the perfect itinerary for you.

get your custom ITINERARY
  • Fully customizable itinerary
  • Plan directly with your local birding expert
  • Group size adapted to your travel style

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Rated by international birders

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Key species & highlights

Discover the species, habitats, and experiences that make this tour one of Colombia’s most rewarding birding journeys
  • Brown-breasted Parakeet (endemic)
  • Muisca Antpitta (endemic)
  • Bogotá Rail (endemic)
  • Velvet-fronted Euphonia (endemic)
  • Indigo-capped Hummingbird (endemic)
  • Blue-billed Curassow (endemic)
  • Beautiful Woodpecker (endemic)
  • Sooty Ant-Tanager (endemic)
  • White-mantled Barbet (endemic)
  • Colombian Chachalaca (endemic)
  • Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant (endemic)
  • Andean Potoo
  • Blue-throated Starfrontlet (near-endemic)
  • Pale-bellied Tapaculo (near-endemic)
  • Amethyst-throated Sunangel
  • Rosy Thrush-Tanager
  • Red-billed Scythebill
  • Blue-lored Antbird (near-endemic)
  • Rusty-breasted Antpitta
  • Northern Screamer (near-endemic)
  • Black-billed Flycatcher (near-endemic)
  • Saffron-headed Parrot (near-endemic)
  • Magdalena Antbird (near-endemic)
  • Oilbird
  • Black Antshrike (near-endemic)

  • High-Andean forest
  • Elfin forest and cloud forest
  • Páramo
  • High-Andean wetlands and lagoons
  • Premontane forest
  • Tropical dry forest
  • Tropical humid forest
  • Forest edges and semi-open habitats
  • Lowland forest fragments and wetlands
  • Río Claro’s karst forest, with caves, limestone formations, and river habitat
Rio Claro Reserve, river and limestone geology

Photograph birds in a variety of natural settings as the trip moves from the high Andes into the Magdalena Valley and Río Claro. Forest trails, wetlands, open landscapes, and observation points offer changing perspectives and opportunities to capture both birds and their habitats. Some forest specialties can take patience to find, so time in the field and a flexible pace are valuable.

  • Photograph birds in their natural habitats during guided birding
  • Look for endemic and regional specialties across changing landscapes
  • Enjoy opportunities for both dedicated photographers and birders who like to take photos
  • Some bird feeders will be available to be visited during the trip
Blue-throated Starfrontlet in flight
START PLANNING YOUR TRIP
A Beautiful Woodpecker perched on a vertical tree
Beautiful Woodpecker

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Clear and transparent pricing—here’s what’s included in your tour
  • Professional bilingual birding guide, and local experts.
  • All ground transportation during the tour.
  • Accommodation in carefully selected lodges and hotels.
  • All meals, snacks, and unlimited water during the tour.
  • Entrance fees to reserves and birding sites.
  • Obligatory medical insurance with coverage in Colombia.
  • International flights.
  • Domestic flights (can be included upon request)
  • Personal expenses (laundry, tips, etc.)
  • Optional activities not specified in the itinerary.

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

  • Great trip!

    Johnnier is an excellent tour leader who knows the birds by sight and sounds and compliments the experience by including a local guide with up to date knowledge to maximize the experience. The tour was well organized and I would recommend him unequivocally.
    read more…
    Anthony Shrimpton
    Feb 2026

  • Great trip

    I recently spent 2 weeks with Johnnier, The Andean Birder, in the western and central Andes Mountains. The tour was well planned out for me to photograph many different species of birds. He is well known in the birding community, and I felt very safe having him for my guide. All of the lodging was very comfortable, and the food was good. He is always in contact with other guides, which share the latest sightings. I plan on using him again in other parts of Colombia! I wholly endorse The Andean Birder! You can’t go wrong.
    Wayne Stahnke
    November 2025

  • Amazing trip

    Amazing trip. We spent about a week in Inirida and the Orinoco basin and had over 300 species with plenty of local endemics. Johnnier is a fantastic birder, passionate about nature and the environment in general, and was just as happy as us to spend time looking at trees, orchids, butterflies, ant nests, you name it. I really appreciated his sense of humor and flexibility with whatever was going on. He also hired a local guide from Inirida, who was great, and then we’d have an even more local guide with us each day from the community where we were birding that day. It was great to see how engaged the local communities were and how they’re benefitting from this kind of ecotourism. And bonus, the food in Inirida was excellent. I’d go back tomorrow if I could and really hope to be able to take another trip with Johnnier someday!
    Brett Gleittsman
    March 2026

  • Another good trip

    We joined the Andean Birders for a short version of the Andean Essentials tour, This is my second trip with them, and it did not disappoint. Excellent accommodation choices, great food and the birding experience was nothing short of amazing. Our main expert guide Johnnier got us on over 270 species, with great views, and some quick pivoting when we ran into unfavorable weather conditions. Special shout out to Jaussman Tapasco, local guides at Montezuma Lodge & PN Tatamá, who welcomed us at his bird feeding station to see some skulky understory birds. What a treat and also a really great person!! I will continue to be a repeat customer and already looking forward to the next trip.
    Michelle Louden
    October 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. We can tailor this trip around your birding interests, target species, preferred pace, and travel dates. You can discuss your travel style with the team, who can advise which changes are the best.

This trip is best suited to dedicated birders who are comfortable spending time in warm, humid forests. The trails are generally easy, but temperatures can be high, and finding some target species may require patience, sustained effort, and careful observation.
A lower-effort version is available on request. It visits some different locations and reduces the physical demands of the trip. Beginners with a strong interest in birding are welcome, and we can discuss which version best suits your experience and fitness level.

The trails are generally easy, but the trip can still feel demanding because birding takes place in warm, humid forests, where temperatures can be high. Finding some target species may also involve spending extended periods walking slowly, listening, and watching carefully.
If you prefer a less physically demanding experience, a lower-effort version is available on request. It follows a modified route with some different locations and reduced physical demands.

This trip usually starts in Bogotá. If it’s more convenient for you to begin in Medellín, we can reverse the itinerary to better fit your travel plans. Because the exact start and end airports may depend on your itinerary, confirm your flight plan with the team before booking international travel.

Tell us your preferred dates, group size, birding interests, and any needs that may affect the pace or logistics. We’ll use that information to shape an itinerary around your priorities, taking into account driving times, target species, seasonal weather, and any special requirements.

ASK FOR A CUSTOMIZED ITINERARY

This is a private tour, so you won’t be paired with an open group. We’ll tailor the itinerary to your interests, preferred pace, travel dates, and group size. You can focus on particular bird species or habitats, include extra birding days, or adjust the route to suit your plans.

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