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

Day 2: We’ll set off early this morning for a two-hour drive to Bosque Guajira near Chingaza National Park, where amongst beautiful Andean scenery we’ll look for the endemic Brown-breasted Parakeet, near endemic Pale-bellied Tapaculo and Rufous-browed Conebill, and a host of high elevation and temperate forest species including Andean Guan, Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Muisca Antpitta, Red-crested Cotinga, Golden-fronted Redstart and Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager. After lunch near the town of Guasca, we'll visit our first hummingbird feeding station. Enjoying a cup of coffee, we expect to see, amongst numerous Sparkling Violetears, a few White-bellied Woodstars, Glowing Pufflegs, Tyrian Metaltails, Longuemare's Sunangel or even the unique and impressive Sword-billed Hummingbird. The endemic Blue-throated Starfrontlet visits the feeders, and Pale-naped Brushfinch is often seen in the garden. After a fun first day filled with birds, we’ll return to Bogota. Night in Bogota.

Day 3: After an early breakfast, we’ll spend a few hours in La Florida Park, a marsh and lake close to the international airport where our targets include a vulnerable Colombian endemic, the Bogota Rail, along with other specialties like Spot-flanked Gallinule and Yellow-hooded Blackbird. We’ll then drive to lower elevation. If time permits, we’ll make a stop at Laguna Tabacal, a popular place where we can find Plain-colored Tanager, Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Sooty-headed Tyrannulet or Chestnut-capped Warbler. But the main attraction on the way to Victoria is the amazing Jardin Encantado, where dozens of feeders attract sometimes hundreds of hummingbirds, among them the endemic Indigo-capped Hummingbird, the widespread Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and White-vented Plumeleteer, and localized Gorgeted Woodstar. After visiting this very unique place, we will spend most of the afternoon driving to Victoria. Night in Victoria.

Day 4: We’ll spend our morning in the forest above Victoria looking for several endemics including Sooty Ant-Tanager, Beautiful Woodpecker, White-mantled Barbet and Colombian Chachalaca. The forest here is home to many birds, and we are sure to encounter a host of common species. Manakins are especially well-represented with the possibility of White-bearded, White-bibbed, Striolated and Golden-headed. We’ll also keep an eye out for the endemic White-footed Tamarin, a primate which is being intensively studied at this site. In the afternoon, we’ll visit a small lake which we’ll explore by canoe and where many wetland species await us including Northern Screamer, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Black-collared Hawk, Rufescent Tiger-Heron and more! Night in Mariquita.

Day 5: We’ll have a full morning birding the dry forest near Laguna del Hato where we hope to see the endemic Velvet-fronted Euphonia, both Jet and White-bellied Antbirds, Northern White-fringed Antwren, Barred and Russet-throated Puffbirds, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Barred Antshrike and possibly White-eared Conebill or Crested Bobwhite. As we will be at low elevation in the dry Magdalena Valley, it will be quite hot by mid-morning but the bird activity always stays very good here. After lunch we’ll make our way to Ibague and then up into the cooler temperatures of Combeima Canyon, where we’ll spend two nights in a pleasant country hotel. Night near Ibague.

Day 6: This morning we’ll be up early for our forty-minute hike to the small and lovely Ukuku Lodge, where we will station ourselves in the lounge to wait for the arrival of the endemic Tolima Dove that often visits the seeded lawn at dawn. (This hike can be done on horseback for those who prefer not to walk.) Hopefully having seen this enigmatic species, we will then stake out some flowers in the garden in the hope of Tolima Blossomcrown. The gardens themselves are very birdy and along with a third endemic – Yellow-headed Brush finch – we also hope to enjoy a good selection of hummers and tanagers at the various feeders. We will have breakfast and lunch here and then make a slow hike back to our hotel, with the possibility of Torrent Duck and Torrent Tyrannulet along the river. Night near Ibague.

Day 7: After our relaxing day, we’ll depart for ‘El Reposo de los Picaflores’ for another breakfast in front of hummingbird and tanager feeders! While enjoying our coffee and arepas (Colombian traditional breakfast) we should see Andean Emerald, Acorn Woodpecker, Southern Emerald-Toucanet or Blue-necked Tanager. If we haven’t seen it at Ukuku, we have another chance for Tolima Blossomcrown here. Then we’ll continue onward to Otun Quimbaya Ecological Reserve, near La Suiza. We’ll probably arrive for lunch, and after a short break at the hotel we’ll have an afternoon of birding at the reserve. Here we’ll look for Collared Trogon, Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, Black-winged Saltator or a group of Colombian Red Howler monkeys. Night near Otun Quimbaya Sanctuary. 

Day 8: We’ll be birding all morning along a beautiful track through good forest at 6,500 feet. The endemic Cauca Guan is reasonably common here, and we also have a chance of seeing the stunning Torrent Duck or the elusive Crested Ant-Tanager. We’ll be on the lookout for the endemic Multicolored Tanager, as well as exciting mixed-species feeding flocks. Another attraction of this site is Red-ruffed Fruitcrow and we hope to obtain great views of this large and impressive cotinga. After a full morning birding at Otun Quimbaya, we’ll have lunch and make our way towards Manizales. Night in a country hotel just outside Manizales.

Day 9: Today we’ll visit the Rio Blanco reserve for a long but bird-filled day. We’ll arrive early and bird around the small lodge, looking for such species as Black-billed Mountain Toucan, Sickle-winged Guan, Green-and-black Fruiteater and Black-collared Jay. About an hour after dawn, we’ll be led by a local guide to special antpitta feeding stations where we hope to enjoy close-up views of the endemic Brown-banded Antpitta and the impressive Chestnut-crowned Antpitta. We also have a good chance of seeing Bicolored and Slate-crowned Antpittas, both of which visit various feeding stations in the forest off and on throughout the year. Much of the remainder of the day will be spent exploring the excellent network of trails. The mixed flocks at this site are often large and varied and we will hope to connect with several species of hemispingus, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Pearled Treerunner and many tanagers. This site is also rich in skulkers, and we’ll be looking for several tapaculos and the elusive Masked Saltator. We’ll take a break for lunch at the lodge and enjoy the spectacular hummingbird show at the feeders and then then continue birding at the reserve all afternoon. Night outside Manizales.

Day 10: Today we’ll have a full morning at Hacienda El Bosque above Manizales where various feeding stations attract great birds such as Andean Guan, White-throated Quail-Dove and Gray-browed Brushfinch. The beautiful Barred Fruiteater is often spotted grabbing worms thrown to the Equatorial Antpitta, and even Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucans come in to fruit! This is also the only place where it is possible to see the charismatic Crescent-faced Antpitta coming in to get some worms, even if like any superstar, its appearance is never guaranteed. After a full morning at this unique location (including breakfast and lunch there) we’ll head toward Nevado del Ruiz National Park, spending part of the afternoon looking for Paramo Tapaculo, White-throated Tyrannulet, Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanager, and Black-backed Bush-Tanager amidst spectacular scenery. The hotel where we are staying tonight has a great pool with thermal waters, so don’t forget your swimsuit to enjoy it! Night at Thermas del Ruiz.

Day 11: We’ll have a full morning to bird the high elevation Nevado del Ruiz National Park (13,000 feet) for a second chance to bird the páramo zone, on the lookout for the endemic and very localized Rufous-fronted Parakeet. Flowering bushes attract a variety of colorful hummingbirds including Viridian Metaltail, Golden-breasted Puffleg and Shining Sunbeam. On occasion, the nomadic Black-thighed Puffleg can be present in some numbers, but at other times it’s absent. Tawny Antpittas are often very tame here and we’ll also search for the dazzling Buffy Helmetcrest. We’ll return to the hotel for lunch where you’ll have a last chance to bathe in the sulphureous waters or to enjoy the feeders attracting some of the high-elevation hummingbirds of the area, as well as Lacrimose Tanager and Masked Flowerpiercer. After lunch we’ll drive on to Pereira to conclude the tour with a great farewell dinner. Night in Pereira.

Day 12: The tour ends this morning with transfer to Pereira airport.

2026 Narrative

This was another very successful trip to Central Colombia! Starting in Bogota, we had a first day in the Eastern cordillera, followed by some time in the Magdalena valley, and then by several days at various elevations and in different habitats in the Central cordillera, ending the tour at 13,500+ feet high in the beautiful paramo of Nevado del Ruiz. It’s hard to pick the best birds of the trip amongst almost 350 wonderful species contacted in only nine days, but some of the best sightings of the tour were the amazing views of a male Rainbow-bearded Thornbill coming to the feeders at Nevados del Ruiz, whose colorful beard nicely capped off the tour; the fantastic show given by Pancho the baited Chestnut-crowned Antpitta at Rio Blanco; the great sighting of a Noble Snipe flushed in the high-elevation paramo; beautiful views of both Crescent-faced Antpitta (coming to the feeders at Hacienda El Bosque) and Hooded Antpitta (seen in the ‘wild’ at Otun Quimbaya); the fantastic and close encounter with a pair of Barred Fruiteaters looking for worms at Hacienda El Bosque; our great sighting of the vulnerable Bogota Rail or the family group of Golden-headed Quetzals showing well at Otun Quimbaya! Besides these very memorable sightings, we also had fantastic views of Crested and Sooty Ant-Tanagers, White-mantled Barbet, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Northern Screamer, Multicolored Tanager, Cauca Guan, Russet-throated Puffbird, White-bellied Antbird, Buffy Helmetcrest, Muisca Antpitta, Red-hooded Tanager and so many more! We also visited several hummingbird feeding stations and saw no less than 42 species of these fascinating birds! Obviously, besides the incredible diversity of birds, we were amazed by the incredible diversity of flowers, orchids, butterflies, etc. Colombia is definitely THE biodiversity country!

We spent our first day in the buffer zone of Chingaza National Park near Bogota. Located to the northeast of the Colombian capital, the park’s 75,000+ hectares protect several glacier lakes and provide more than 80% of Bogota’s potable water. The park also protects extensive and pristine cloud forest and paramo habitat, home to a wonderful bird community!

Leaving the hotel early (and this would be the rule for most of the tour) we drove to the little town of Guasca, arriving there at 06:00 am for a tasty breakfast. That’s also where we met Freddy, the owner of one of the many amazing hummingbirds feeding stations we visit on this tour.

After breakfast we drove to the Bosque Guajira Road, making several stops on the way finding great birds such as Mountain Cacique, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Red-crested Cotinga, Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant, Green-and-back Fruiteater and Golden-fronted Redstart – our first Colombian endemic! We found no less than six Black-billed Mountain-Toucans and were treated to close and prolonged views! We also got a few mixed-species flocks, including Masked and Bluish Flowerpiercers, Black-capped Tyrannulet, Superciliared Hemispingus, Blue-capped Tanager and others. Around mid-morning it started to rain, so we drove to Freddy’s place and enjoyed a cup of coffee and snack under his roof and while watching the numerous hummingbirds coming to his feeders: Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Longuemare’s Sunangel, Mountain Velvetbreast, Tyrian Metaltail, Sword-billed Hummingbird and White-bellied Woodstar.

We could have spent more time watching these feeders, but an ajiaco was waiting for us at the next location, El Zoque. Ajiaco, a famous Colombian specialty, is a chicken stew with potatoes and corn, served with capers and sour cream. And the Ajiaco we had at El Zoque was really delicious! After lunch, we enjoyed the feeders in their garden, attracting Glowing and Coppery-bellied Pufflegs, Buff-tailed Coronet, Shining Sunbeam and numerous Great Sapphirewings, second largest hummingbird in the World! In the garden, we also found Glossy Flowerpiercer, Pale-naped Brush-Finch, had quick looks at a Pale-bellied Tapaculo, while two Muisca Antpittas showed well, coming in the open to get a few worms! Then it was time to drive back to Bogota, to catch the end of the World Cup game between Colombia-Switzerland;  unfortunately Colombia lost.

After a relaxing night at our Bogota hotel, we left early to avoid the traffic jam, and birded La Florida Park. On the main pond, we found 100+ Bare-faced Ibis, 100+ American Coots, Andean Ducks, at least 20 Striated Herons, a few Pied-billed Grebes, and got great views of both Common and Spot-flanked Gallinules. We also enjoyed seeing numerous Yellow-hooded Blackbirds singing on the top of the reeds, a Yellow-backed Oriole, a few tame Brazilian Guinea Pigs and even glimpsed a pair of Silvery-throated Spinetails. This park protects some nice wetlands and reedbeds hosting a small population of Bogota Rail. And we didn’t have to wait very long before one of this endangered species came out at the edge of the reeds, offering a fantastic show!

We then started our drive towards the Magdalena valley, and arrived at Tabacal lake by mid-morning. This is a very birdy spot and time always flies here. As soon as we arrived, we found Blue-necked and Blue-gray Tanagers, Rusty-margined Flycatcher, a pair of Green Honeycreepers, Black-billed Thrushes, a singing male Yellow-bellied Seedeater, a family of Bar-crested Antshrikes, a pair of Streak-headed Woodcreepers, and a small group of noisy Band-backed Wrens just from the parking lot! Along the trails, we also found Golden-faced and Sooty-headed Tyrannulets, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Elaenias, Crimson-backed Tanagers, Common Tody-Flycatchers and a pair of Spectacled Parrotlets. On the lake itself we found a dozen Neotropic Cormorants. It was hard to leave that great place, but we had to make our way to La Victoria. During lunch we found a few birds too, including a Short-tailed Hawk and a dozen Carib Grackles.

We then visited the famous ‘Jardin Encantado’ and its 30+ feeders attracting, according to some estimation, up to 500 hummingbirds some days! We were amazed by the dozens of Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds, Indigo­-capped Hummingbirds and Black-throated Mangos and White-vented Plumeleteers buzzing everywhere! Amongst these very numerous ones, we also spotted a few White-bellied Woodstars and Brown Violetears. We were so amazed by these hummingbirds that we almost didn’t have time to look at the seed feeders attracting Ruddy Ground-Doves, Shiny Cowbirds, Thick-billed Euphonias, Scrub and Gray-headed Tanagers! Before long it was time to leave and drive the rest of the afternoon towards Victoria where we spent the night.

After an early drive we had our breakfast near the little town of La Victoria. And we didn’t have to walk far from our breakfast tables to find a few Collared Araçaris, a singing Mouse-colored Tyrannulet, a pair of Pale-breasted Spinetails, a pair of Great-billed Seed-Finches, a male Gray Seedeater and a large flock of 100+ White-collared Swifts flying close overhead. Together with Arturo Parra, an enthusiastic local birder, we then birded the Bellavista reserve for most of the morning. We quickly found a large flock of Scarlet-fronted Parakeets, a few Blue-headed Parrots and a Swallow Tanager. In the forest, we had great looks at a Rufous Motmot, a pair of Sooty Ant-Tanagers (another Colombian endemic whose vocalization would be the perfect ring tone) but only heard White-bibbed Manakin and just glimpsed Striolated Manakin. We had nice views of Yellow-backed Tanager, Blue and Yellow-tufted Dacnis, and prolonged views of a family of White-mantled Barbet, showing well in the open! We also made a stop at a known Magdalena Antbird territory where a singing bird was hard to see in the dense foliage.

Arturo then took us to La Camelia private reserve where we had good views of a few displaying male White-bearded Manakins, a pair of Boat-billed Flycatchers and our first (Northern) Streaked Flycatcher. We also enjoyed the amazing show of a pair of White-bellied Antbirds coming to the worms thrown by Arturo! Amazing views of a pair of Gray-handed Night-Monkeys roosting with their young baby was a nice bonus!

We then enjoyed a succulent lunch with a great view over the Magdalena valley, followed by a visit to the Charca de Guarinocito, a small lake where we had a peaceful boat ride. During this ride, we got fantastic views on Striated and Cocoi Herons, repeated views on numerous Yellow-chinned Spinetails and Pied Water-Tyrants, Black-capped Donacobius, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Great and Lesser Kiskadees, and also found no less than three species of Kingfisher: Ringed, Amazonian and American Pygmy! Arturo even spotted a distant Bat Falcon on a dead tree. But the super-star of this lake was definitely the beautiful pair of Northern Screamers, offering great views!

After a night in the small town of Mariquita, and a breakfast in one of the local bakeries open 24 hours a day, we spent the whole morning along the Hato road, mostly birding in the shade of some trees along a lovely river. The bird activity was great and we quickly found Dwarf Cuckoo, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Northern White-flanked Antwren, Shining-green Hummingbird, Barred Antshrike, Black-crowned Tityra, Scrub Greenlet, and many more. We also had excellent views of both Russet-throated and Barred Puffbirds, as well as a very cooperative Yellow-headed Caracara! Scanning the open fields, we found Vermilion Flycatcher, Red-breasted Meadowlark, Gray Seedeater, and in dry woodland we enjoyed great looks at Rufous-tailed Jacamar, White-bellied Antbird, Forest and Greenish Elaenias, White-shouldered Tanager, Pale-eye Pygmy-Tyrant, Olivaceous Piculet, Red-rumped Woodpecker, and Jet Antbird. After a wonderful morning’s birding, we went back to the hotel for a shower and check-out. And after our lunch in Mariquita, we drove towards Ibague and Iguaima countryside hotel for two nights.

We spent a full morning at the lovely Ukuku Lodge, getting there after a 1.5 km walk that we started at dawn. The walk was steep at its end, but we were rewarded by an amazing landscape and overwhelmed by the numerous birds found in the garden! 

As soon as we arrived at the lodge, Ani, the owner, oriented us to a feeder where we had excellent view of the very shy and endemic Tolima Dove. The fruit feeders also attracted many birds including Blue-gray, Palm, Saffron-crowned, Bay-headed and Scrub Tanagers, Thick-billed Euphonias, Andean Motmots, Black-billed Thrushes, Buff-throated Saltators and Orange-chinned Parakeets!

At the hummingbird feeders and the numerous flowers in the garden, we saw an amazing total of 16 species of hummingbirds! The most common species visiting the feeders were Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Buff-tailed Coronet, Indigo-capped Hummingbird and Andean Emerald, amongst which we also found White-bellied Woodstar, Collared Inca and Long-tailed Sylph. The species only visiting the flowers included the endemic Tolima Blossomcrown, but also Red-billed Emerald and White-booted Racquet-tail!

By having breakfast and lunch at Ukuku, we were able to spend the whole morning enjoying the lodge, and also found birds not visiting the feeders such as Golden-olive Woodpecker, Lesser Goldfinch, Golden-faced Tyrannulet, Slaty Spinetail, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Yellow-olive Flatbill or Pale-edged Flycatcher. We even had Black-and-chestnut Eagle and White-tailed Hawk soaring high in the sky! After our wonderful morning at Ukuku, one of the highlights of the trip, we walked back to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon. In the evening, we enjoyed a short walk on the hotel grounds, finding Flame-rumped Tanager, a few Common Squirrel-Cuckoos, a flock of Speckle-faced Parrots showing well and a pair of the beautiful and endemic Crested Ant-Tanagers!

Setting off early, we arrived in time for breakfast at ‘El Retorno de los Colibries’, where we enjoyed the traditional Colombian breakfast made of eggs, arepa (sort of pancake made of corn), cheese, coffee and hot chocolate. From our breakfast table, we could scan the feeders, attracting White-vented Plumeleteer, Purple-throated Woodstar, Pale-breasted Thrush, Southern Emerald-Toucanet, Green Jay and the lovely Acorn Woodpecker (here at its southern range limit.) In one corner of the garden, the owner even planted specific plants to attract the very local White-tipped Sicklebill that we saw very well!

Driving the rest of the morning, we arrived at Kumanday Hotel near Otun Quimbaya Sanctuary just in time for lunch! And after an excellent lunch there, we traded our bus for a few SUVs to drive us the rest of the way up to the Otun Quimbaya Sanctuary. Making a few stops in the reserve, we quickly found the sought-after Red-ruffed Fruitcrow! The activity was quiet in the afternoon, but we managed to find our first Collared Trogon, Black-banded Woodcreeper, Plumbeous-crowned Tyrannulet, Three-striped Warbler, and also had great views of the endemic Cauca Guan! Staying in the reserve after sunset, we had great and prolonged views of a Rufescent Screech-Owl, while a distant Common Potoo was singing! Then it was time to drive back to our hotel for a great dinner.

Starting our drive in the dark, we arrived at the end of the road in Otun Quimbaya Sanctuary just after dawn, for our field breakfast. After having a look at the river, spotting a White-capped Dipper and a female Torrent Duck, we then started to walk back down finding Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, Slate-throated Redstart, Spotted Barbtail, Greenish Puffleg, Wattled Guan and more. Now, the most amazing find of the morning was a beautiful Hooded Antpitta, actually seen for a while through the scope! We also had fantastic views of a family group of Multicolored Tanagers in a mixed-species flock. And a pair of Golden-headed Quetzals also showed well!

After another delicious lunch, we birded the Ecoparque near the city of Manizales. There, we found some great birds including the lovely Red-headed Barbet, a pair of Smoky-brown Woodpeckers, the endemic Grayish Piculet, a group of four Red-headed Spinetails and a lovely Montane Woodcreeper. We even saw the secretive Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush! We then headed towards our very comfortable hotel near Manizales where we stayed two nights. 

We had another early start, to spend a full day at the Rio Blanco Reserve protecting about 5,000 ha of Cloud Forest between 2,100 and 3,700 m elevation. After meeting Mateo, the local guide who would help us find some of the birds here, we had our breakfast at the headquarters of the reserve. What a luxury to stand with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate in front of feeders attracting Buff-tailed Coronet, Long-tailed Sylph, Tourmaline Sunangel, Speckled Hummingbird, Collared and Bronzy Incas! This morning we visited two different feeding stations, offering amazing views of both Chestnut-crowned and Brown-banded Antpittas. 

Birding the upper ridge, we found some great mixed-species flocks, including Oleaginous and Black-eared Hemispingus, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Pearled Treerunner, Golden-fronted Redstart, Blue-and-black Tanager, Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager, Capped Conebill, Metallic-green Tanager, Pink-billed Cnemoscopus, Barred Becard and a few Montane Woodcreepers. We also had excellent views of Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher, Cinnamon Flycatcher, a pair of Black-billed Mountain-Toucans, Masked Trogon, Chestnut-bellied Chat-Tyrant and Southern Emerald-Toucanet. We even had (brief) looks at a Masked Saltator! After lunch at the reserve, we birded our way down, finding Strong-billed Woodcreeper, Black-billed Peppershrike and at least five of the beautiful Red-hooded Tanager.

Hacienda El Bosque is one of the exciting new birding sites in Colombia. After serving us a fantastic breakfast, Juan the owner spoke about the history of the place and why he wanted to turn part of the cow farm activity into ecotourism. Then, with the help of Christian, we visited several feeding stations, and were amazed how close the birds came! He was hand-feeding Gray-browed Brushfinches, Grass and Mountain Wrens, Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrants and even a stunning White-browed Spinetail! No less than three species of antpittas came to the feeders, Crescent-faced, Bicolored and Slaty-crowned, and three beautiful Barred Fruiteaters also gave great views. A trio of Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucans also gave a great show, together with Andean and Sickle-winged Guans and White-throated Quail-Dove. We also enjoyed great views of several hummingbird species, such as Sword-billed Hummingbird, Shining Sunbeam, Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Black-thighed Puffleg and Tourmaline Sunangel. 

A full morning is really deserved at this lovely place, as much for the birds as for the hearty Ajiaco we had for lunch! In the afternoon we prospected the high-elevation shrub, finding Andean Tit-Spinetail, a cooperative Tawny Antpitta and a few Plain-colored Seedeaters. But the most surprising sighting of the afternoon was definitely that Noble Snipe, flushed just a few meters from the roadside! We then arrived at our high-elevation hotel, first enjoying the hummingbird feeders attracting a beautiful male Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, then a nice dinner followed by a relaxing bath in the hot-springs.

For our last day, we birded the paramo and elfin forest at high elevation, along the road toward the popular Nevados del Ruiz. After our breakfast at the hotel, we drove to 4,100 m elevation (13,500 feet), where we enjoyed excellent and prolonged views of the most sought-after Buffy Helmetcrest! This is really a unique hummingbird, and we enjoyed repeated views of a male, perching atop bushes in bloom, and showing off his purple and green gorget! We also found a few Pale-naped Brushfinches and Plumbeous Sierra-Finches.

Starting our way down, the clouds were appearing and disappearing, revealing a beautiful landscape of slopes covered with Espeletia. Following our way down, we stopped in some elfin forest patches, finding a few Lacrimose Mountain-Tanagers together with Black-backed Bush-Tanagers. When suddenly an Ocellated Tapaculo answered to the tape and offered scope views even if well hidden in the dense vegetation! We had another great lunch at the popular hot spring of Termas del Ruiz, during which Shining Sunbeam and Viridian Metaltail were visiting the hairy leaves of Espeletia to collect nesting material. After lunch we had a last visit to the feeders, adding Golden-breasted Puffleg to our already long list of hummingbirds, and we even got to hand feed the lovely Sunbeams, Viridian Metaltail and Great Sapphirewing! What a great way to end this fantastic tour! And finally, it was time to head towards Pereira for a last night and farewell dinner.

-       Fabrice Schmitt

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