Colombia’s Western Cordillera or ‘cordillera occidental’, isolated by the Pacific to the West and the dry Cauca Valley to the East, is one of the highest centers of endemism in the world. On our new tour, we can expect to see an amazing number of unique birds endemic to this range, including Velvet-purple Coronet, Rufous-gaped Hillstar, Toucan Barbet, Five-colored Barbet, Tatama Tapaculo, Tricolored (Chocó) Brushfinch, Glistening-green Tanager, Black-and-gold Tanager and Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer.  

The Montezuma Road is one of the best birding locations in Colombia with more than 500 species recorded. Birding here, surrounded by pristine cloud forest all the way up to 8,500 feet, is an unforgettable experience with mixed-species flocks often containing more than 20 bird species. We’ll also visit numerous feeder stations attracting stunning birds such as Empress Brilliant, Purple-throated Woodstar, Violet-tailed Sylph, and Green Thorntail as well as Red-headed Barbet, Colombian Chachalaca, Toucan Barbet, the amazing Multicolored Tanager, and so many more. Paradise for birdwatchers and photographers!

Along our route from Pereira to Cali, we’ll stay at just three hotels, including four nights at the very comfortable Araucana Lodge. A relaxing afternoon at the lodge, enjoying a cup of Colombian coffee (or a tropical fruit juice, or a beer!) is always an option.

Along with the overwhelming avian diversity here, the assortment of plants, crickets, butterflies, orchids, and frogs is absolutely incredible and we’ll see some wonderful creatures. This tour can be taken back-to-back with our Colombia: Central tour, which debuted successfully in 2024. 

Day 1: You’ll be met on arrival in Pereira and transferred to our hotel where the tour begins this evening. Night in Pereira.

Day 2: This morning we’ll transfer to our countryside lodge, perfectly located at the base of Montezuma peak, arriving in time for lunch. We’ll have the afternoon to bird the gardens and surroundings, and enjoy the lodge feeders which attract such stunning hummingbirds as Empress Brilliant, Rufous-gaped Hillstar and Purple-throated Woodstar.  Night at Montezuma Ecolodge.

Day 3-4: Located in the Western Cordillera, Tatama National Park protects an extensive and almost inaccessible pristine forest. The landscape, dominated by Tatama Peak, is magnificent and the list of endemics and restricted species from this site is phenomenal. We’ll have two entire days to bird the national park along the Montezuma Road. On the upper part of the road, we’ll look for Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer and the attractive Gold-ringed Tanager, known from only a very few places in Colombia’s Western Andes, as well as Toucan Barbet, Rufous Spinetail, Handsome Flycatcher, and Dusky Chlorospingus. Along the lower part of the road we hope to find Broad-billed Motmot, Red-faced Spinetail, Uniform Treehunter, Yellow-breasted Antwren, Zeledon’s Antbird, Chestnut-crowned Gnateater, the recently described Tatama Tapaculo, and the fancy Orange-breasted Fruiteater. Here mixed-species flocks can include Black-chinned Mountain-tanager, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, Flame-faced and Silver-throated Tanagers, and the stunning Chestnut-breasted and Yellow-collared Chlorophonias. Nights at Montezuma Ecolodge.

Day 5: We’ll have a full morning birding along the lowest part of the Montezuma Road, looking for species we may have missed during our previous days here. After lunch, we’ll set off for the Cauca Valley and the city of Buga for a one-night stay. Night in Buga.

Day 6: We’ll have a full morning at Sonso Lagoon, where we’ll scan for waterbirds as well as open-country birds, possibly including a few Horned Screamers (there’s a very isolated population here) as well as Black-bellied and Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, Snail Kite, Limpkin, Wattled Jacana, Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, Striped and Dwarf Cuckoos, Jet Antbird, Bar-crested Antshrike, Pale-breasted Spinetail, Pied Water-Tyrant, the Colombian endemic Apical Flycatcher, and the tiny and cute Slate-headed Tody-Flycatcher. After lunch, we’ll continue onward to the very comfortable and birdy Araucana Lodge, our home for the next four nights. Upon arrival, we’ll spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying the feeders in the lodge gardens. Night at Araucana lodge.

Days 7–9: Three full days are needed to explore the Western Cordillera near Cali, as new birding trails and feeder stations open almost every year around here! We’ll use the best birding lodge in Colombia as our base for exploring the area, visiting different locations each day.

We’ll spend a full morning at the famous Doña Dora Garden on the famous Anchicaya road. No less than 300 species have been seen along this upper part of the road, so expect a wonderful morning! We’ll be looking for White-whiskered Hermit, Green Thorntail and Purple-bibbed Whitetip amongst the many hummingbirds visiting the feeders. The Toucan Barbet is a superstar here, and rarely leaves the garden! Ornate Flycatcher, Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo, Bay Wren, Black-headed Brushfinch, Tricolored (Chocó) Brushfinch, Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager, Rufous-throated Tanager and Black-winged Saltator are just a few of the many species we hope to encounter during our time here.

We’ll also have a full day at much lower elevation, around 100m (350 feet). To reach San Cipriano Natural Reserve, we’ll need to leave our lodge early and then take a memorable half-hour ride on ‘brujitas’ (an artisanal ‘train’ pulled by a motorbike!). But we’ll rewarded by plenty of new birds which are mostly found at these lower elevations: Berlepsch’s Tinamou, Dusky Pigeon, Pallid Dove, Blue-chested Hummingbird and with luck the unique Tooth-billed Hummingbird, Black-breasted Puffbird, Five-colored Barbet, Choco Toucan and Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Chestnut-backed, Stub-tailed and Zeledon’s Antbirds, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant, Tawny-chested, Blue-whiskered and Scarlet-browed Tanagers, and Scarlet-thighed Dacnis are all possible here.

We’ll be sure to visit at least one of the famous feeder stations near Km 18, starring the well-named Multicolored Tanager coming to the fruits! But all tanagers are beautiful, and we should also see Golden-naped, Black-capped, Scrub, Saffron-crowned, Flame-rumped and Golden Tanagers at the feeders, as well as fantastic hummingbirds including Tawny-bellied Hermit, Speckled Hummingbird, Long-tailed Sylph, Greenish Puffleg, White-booted Racket-tail and Western Emerald. We can relax at our lodge, enjoying the garden feeders, but as you will see, time flies when birding the Western cordillera! Nights at Araucana Lodge.

Day 10: We’ll have a final morning to bird around the lovely Araucana Lodge, looking for a few more species we may have missed, or better looks or photos of others. We’ll be back at the lodge by mid-morning to pack up, and after lunch we’ll transfer to the Cali airport where the tour concludes.