Tour Information
Note: The information presented here is an abbreviated version of our formal General Information for Tours to Colombia. Its purpose is solely to give readers a sense of what might be involved if they took this tour. Although we do our best to make sure what follows here is completely accurate, it should not be used as a replacement for the formal document which will be sent to all tour registrants, and whose contents supersedes any information contained here.
ENTERING COLOMBIA: US citizens must present a passport valid at the time of entry and with at least one blank page for an entry stamp. No visa is required for US citizens visiting Colombia for 60 days or less. Visitors from other countries may need a visa; please contact your nearest Colombian embassy or consulate for further information.
COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can review the U.S. Department of State Country Specific Travel Information at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Colombia.html, and the CIA World Factbook background notes on Colombia at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/co.html.
Safety: After years of instability, Colombia is once again becoming a safe destination for sensible international travelers. The Colombian government has made significant progress in strengthening its democratic institutions, promoting respect for human rights and the rule of law, intensifying counter-narcotics efforts, fostering socioeconomic development, addressing immediate humanitarian needs, and ending the threats to democracy posed by narcotics trafficking and terrorism. Security has improved massively and violence has decreased markedly in most areas, and there is no significant terrorist threat in the areas we will visit. However petty crimes such as pickpocketing are common in major cities including airports, so be careful.
PACE OF TOUR: The aim of this trip is to enjoy Colombia’s incredible biodiversity, at the most relaxed pace possible. Of course, as any birding tour, expect early starts and sometimes long drives, but we will also enjoy quiet and prolonged time at feeders and most of the walk are easy!
The pace of our tour will be set to the rhythm of the tropical birds, which means we’ll be out in the field as soon as the sun rises. Most of our days will begin between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m., however there will be some mornings when we start at 04:30 so that we reach areas in time for a field breakfast and dawn birding. Some breakfasts will be taken in the field, others will be eaten at our hotels and lodges. On some days we will take a picnic lunch in the field and on others we will stop at roadside restaurants.
Participants should be able to walk at a slow to moderate pace for four or five hours at a time; we may walk in the sun on some roads, though most of our trails will be in the shade. Most of our walking is along roads, and there’s generally no major change in altitude. When we’re in the mountains, we always try to walk downhill. Our vehicle will almost always follow the group at a distance, and so it’s possible to return to the vehicle for a rest if necessary.
The toughest trail will be at Las Tangaras reserve, where we may walk 4 km along a narrow up-and-down trail to reach some interesting forest (people who don’t want to hike this trail can stay at the comfortable lodge).
Sturdy shoes or boots are necessary and a walking stick may be helpful at times.
Be aware that on most days you will not be able to return to the lodge on your own should you become tired. On some days however, it will be possible to stay behind and bird the lodge grounds; there is time for a siesta on those days.
Because the forests of the Colombian Andes are highly fragmented and only a few scattered sites remain accessible, there will be a few long drives between birding localities. We usually drive 3-4 hours between two birding sites, but the drive could be as long as 6 hours from Medellin to Las Tangaras. Traffic in Colombia can also be very hazardous, and at any moment traffic jams, roadworks or demonstrations can delay our movements. We will spend most of our time in mountain areas, and people can be subject to motion sickness on these mountain roads. The long drives will be broken up by restroom breaks and lunch stops.
The group will typically return to our lodgings around 5:00 p.m., with dinner generally starting around 6:30. On most days there will be a break of at least one hour between getting back and meeting up for dinner. The leader will call a list of the birds recorded during the day either just before or just after dinner.
HEALTH: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all travelers be up to date on routine vaccinations. These include measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot.
They further recommend that most travelers have protection against Hepatitis A and Typhoid. Please contact your doctor well in advance of your tour’s departure as some medications must be initiated weeks before the period of possible exposure.
The most current information about travelers’ health recommendations for Colombia can be found on the CDC’s Travel Health website at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/colombia.
Malaria: A very small part of the tour is conducted in areas where there is a low risk of malaria; the remainder is at altitudes where it does not occur. Your tour guides will not be taking anti-malarial drugs. Please consult your physician.
Dengue Fever and Chikungunya: Dengue Fever and Chikungunya virus also occur in parts of Colombia and seems to be becoming more common in many parts of South America. There is no inoculation available for dengue, so no protection can be made in advance of travel. This disease is transmitted by diurnal mosquitoes mostly in heavily populated areas. It is important therefore cover up and use repellent wherever mosquitoes might be encountered.
Yellow Fever: At the time of writing, no proof of vaccination is required to enter Colombia unless traveling from a country with a risk of YFV transmission; however the CDC recommends a Yellow Fever vaccination for visitors to certain areas where there is a risk of transmission at altitudes below 2300m.
Note that the CDC and World Health Organization are said to be on the verge of announcing that a single Yellow Fever vaccination sometime during your life is enough to confer immunity. Please check the CDC’s Travel Health website and consult your physician.
Altitude: Altitude is not a major concern on this tour. The highest point we will be birding is La Eme ProAves reserve at 9,800 feet elevation (3,000 m). We will stay at that elevation just one or two hours before dropping down to lower elevation. So far, no clients have ever had a serious problem with altitude sickness at that location.
Smoking: Smoking or vaping is prohibited in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. If you are sharing a room with a nonsmoker, please do not smoke in the room. If you smoke in the field, do so well away and downwind from the group. If any location where the group is gathered has a stricter policy than the WINGS policy, that stricter policy will prevail.
Miscellaneous: Bottled water is readily available throughout the areas visited. Drinking water is provided at reserves, in the van when we are on the road, and with meals.
There are few issues with insects on this tour. Chiggers are present off the roads in Santa Marta, but are not a real problem. There are a few mosquitoes in some areas. Bring a good insect repellent for mosquitoes and other insects that we will occasionally encounter.
CLIMATE: The Chocó is one of the wettest places on Earth, so you need to be prepared for some tropical rains. Along the coast, it will be hot (expect 85-90°F) and humid. In the Cauca valley, it will be as hot (80-90°F) but dry. Our lodges at Las Tangaras, Montezuma and El Queremal are at middle elevation (all between 4,000 and 5,000 feet elevation), with pleasant daytime temperature and cooler nights. Temperatures can be cold when we will be birding at higher elevation, like at La Eme at 9,800 feet elevation, – a fleece, scarf and gloves are recommended here and might also be useful at other high elevation sites such as the upper part of the road above Jardin.
ACCOMMODATION: All of our lodges have electricity and all but the ones on the coast have hot water. In Medellin, we stay in a comfortable modern hotel. In El Valle and Jardin we use comfortable countryside hotels. The Las Tangaras lodge, administrated by the Colombian NGO Pro Aves, has simple rooms wiht hot water, wifi in the dining area, and wonderful hummingbird and tanager feeders! Outside of the cities, many of our accommodations are in very birdy settings, and some exciting birding can be had right from the balconies. Some of the hotels we visit on this tour have swimming pools, so guests may wish to come suitably prepared.
FOOD: Colombian cuisine is very diverse and varies depending on the different regions of Colombia. In some areas you will find specialties like roasted ants or guinea pigs while in other areas Colombians wouldn’t even touch those dishes.
Colombia is not a paradise for vegetarians as the Colombian diet includes a lot of meat. In the coastal areas you will find a good variety of fish, and seafood often prepared with a sauce made out of coconut milk. The offer of fresh fruit is overwhelming and many of the varieties you have probably never heard of before.
In general breakfast is quite important in Colombia and consists of fruit juice, coffee or hot chocolate, fruit, eggs and bread.
WINGS tours are all-inclusive and no refunds can be issued for any tour meals participants choose to skip.
Drinks: Bottled water or a soft drink or a beer is provided at lunch and dinner, as is coffee or tea. Bottled water is provided for day us in the vehicle.
Food Allergies/Requirements: We cannot guarantee that all food allergies can be accommodated at every destination. Participants with significant food allergies or special dietary requirements should bring appropriate foods with them for those times when their needs cannot be met. Announced meal times are always approximate depending on how the day unfolds. Participants who need to eat according to a fixed schedule should bring supplemental food. Please contact the WINGS office if you have any questions.
TRANSPORTATION: Travel will mostly be by minibus, with 4wd jeeps used in a few localities such as in the Las Tangaras area and above Jardin. In some areas, van travel will alternate with jeep rides to the higher elevations.
Note that jeep rides can be rough and cramped for short distances. Participants must be willing to take their turn to ride in any seat in tour vehicles.
We will fly from Medellin to Bahia Solano, and return, by small plane allowing only 10 kg per person for luggage. As you don’t need all your heavy clothes to bird the warm lowlands, you will be able to leave some of your equipment at the hotel in Medellin where we will stay on our way back from the coast. It might be very useful to bring a light bag with you to split your equipment, between what you take with you to Bahia Solano and what you leave in Medellin. It is possible to bring more than 10 kg of equipment on the Bahia Solano flight, but you will be responsible for covering your own excess baggage charges.
Updated: 27 September 2023