Colombia, having the highest number of bird species in the world, is a must-visit destination for bird photographers seeking stunning, rare, and breathtaking avian subjects. While birders have been going to this country for a while, bird photographers are just starting to discover it and its absolutely stunning!
Our Photo Tour is honed for Bird Photography, not just seeing birds. Join us on this exciting bird photography tour where we have selected every field trip, every lodge, every location to maximize your photographic opportunities. We don’t want to just check off birds. No, we want to photograph them in beautiful settings and capture their behaviors, their colors and all of their gorgeous fanfare in our images! On this bird photography tour, you will not only encounter beautiful and unique species of birds but also have clean backgrounds, short walks, and a thoughtful mix of hides/perches. Prepare your cards and get ready for photographing a dizzying array of tanagers, antpittas, hummingbirds, fruiteaters, toucans and so many more.
Multi-flash Photography for Hummingbirds in Flight
High-speed flash photography is one of Steve’s specialties and we could not go to Colombia without bringing our kit! Throughout our trip, we will be at locations that allow this type of photography and we will provide a high-speed flash system for you to use to photograph hummingbirds in flight. Our state-of-the-art equipment will enable you to truly freeze the action and capture breathtaking images that are impossible to achieve without specialized tools. Prepare to be amazed by the stunning hummingbird photographs you’ll take home!
Covering All the Hot Spots for Bird Photography in Colombia
We start our photo tour in the Andes highlands, dipping our toes in at a birding spot in the eastern mountain slopes near Bogota to photograph species such as the Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Glowing Puffleg, and White-bellied Woodstar over immaculate gardens.
From here, we take a short flight and our route drops into Cali and the Valle del Cauca region, with a famous cloud forest lodge, La Araucana, as our home base for the Km18 circuit. While our lodge itself offers ample opportunity for photography itself, we will take field trips to three exceptional bird photography locations with established fruit and nectar stations that bring the birds in to wonderful perches with clean backgrounds.
At one location, we will focus on birds such as the Multicolored Tanager, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, White-booted Racket-tail hummingbird. At another location you will enjoy filtered light and quiet blinds from which to photograph Chestnut Wood-Quail and Andean Emerald, and additional opportunities for the Multicolored Tanager among others.
Heading westward, we will visit the Andean slope at a highland location with a very active lek of Andean Cock-of-the-rock. As light builds, fruiting perches bring in Toucan Barbet, Velvet-purple Coronet and more.From here we head towards Manizales. We will make a special stop in a valley area known for its warm spark of Ruby-topaz Hummingbird and clean views of Rufous-tailed Hummingbird.
As we enter into Colombia’s coffee region, we will visit a local reserve where we can photograph Bar-crested Antshrike, Golden-collared Manakin, and Blue-lored Antbird.
From here, we go up in altitude to a protected natural area. Here, we will be in specially designed forest hides to photograph the Bicolored Antpitta, Chestnut-crowned Antpitta, and hopefully the Golden-headed Quetzal framed by moss.
Slightly higher in altitude, we will visit a hacienda that delivers a photographer’s double act—Equatorial Antpitta and Crescent-faced Antpitta— as well as the Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan that comes in to dedicated perches.
Our next location is a field trip to a glamping site, set up with gorgeous perches for Black-billed Mountain-Toucan and other birds including the Long-tailed Sylph and Collared Inca.
From there, we enter the high Andes and stay at a hot springs lodge: elevated decks and excellent bird photography situation. A few of the unique species here include the Great Sapphirewing, Golden-breasted Puffleg, and Rainbow-bearded Thornbill. Next, we will find ourselves out on the páramo in a high lake area Buffy Helmetcrest among sculptural frailejones, fine lines of Many-striped Canastero, and—the luckiest—an Andean Condor tracing the ridge. We then go onward to Manizales. Jardin provides a fitting finale to our trip. At a national park in a colorful mountain town, the Andean Cock-of-the-rock lek erupts in color at close distances. Nearby, we visit a forest reserve that provides rare daylight encounters with Oilbirds and lively river scenes featuring Torrent Ducks. Flocks of Red-bellied Grackles, with their unique endemic charm, wrap up out adventure.
Special Field Trips and Situations Designed for Nature Photographers
To really experience Colombia, it’s essential to explore its diverse elevations and habitats. We have locked in the hot spots featuring tried-and-true lodges that are subject-rich and cater to working with photographers! Additionally, each lodge stay includes at least one field trip for even more remarkable photographic opportunities.
We’ll shoot from the paramo and high elevation Andean hills to lower elevation habitats in forested areas. You’ll shoot from bird blinds designed for photographers and enjoy a diversity of species and gorgeous backgrounds. You’ll get to capture action using our custom high-speed flash equipment and enjoy being in the midst of amazing wildlife. This trip is packed with unique opportunities designed specifically for nature photographers!
Join Us for an Amazing Adventure
Our Columbia bird photo tour promises not only to enhance your photography skills but also to provide a personalized adventure throughout this magnificent country. Immerse yourself in diverse ecosystems, stunning scenery, and rich wildlife as you develop your photography in an inspiring environment.
Two photography instructors
Our tour is designed for photographers of all skill levels. You’ll have two instructors, Steve and Nicole, by your side throughout, to advise as you capture images of a lifetime.
Nature Lover’s Trip: While we cannot offer a discount on this trip due to our need to keep the group size small, this is a terrific trip for the non-photographer who loves spending time with wildlife. We actually have a number of non-photographers who love nature join our trips because we are not only fun but also spend time with wildlife, watching and enjoying the behaviors and activity.
Fitness Level: Easy/Moderate. You will be photographing from blinds in special reserves as well as locations around our lodges. The walking trails are flat and you can go at your own pace.
