COLOMBIA - MITU & UNEXPLORED AMAZONIA
Day 0 ARRIVAL IN BOGOTA - 6th August 2023
Today is purely an arrival day in Bogotá, Colombia and no activities are planned. Night in Bogotá.
DAYS 1 - 6 BOGOTA – FLY TO MITU
Following a short flight to Mitu we will transfer to our accommodation situated deep within Colombian Amazonia where we will stay for 6 nights. We have 5 full days to fully explore this wonderful area with easy access t0 white-sand, varzea and terra firme forests.The avifauna is an amazing mix of Guianan Shield specialities and more widespread Amazonian species, so it's possible to rack up an impressive list approaching 300 species over these next 5 days!
.There's a mind-blowing variety of species possible here including White-throated, Cinereous, Variegated & Grey-legged Tinamous, Sungrebe, Black and Red-throated Caracaras, grey-bellied Hawk, Collared and Lined Forest-Falcons, Dark-billed Cuckoo, Sapphire-rumped, Dusky-billed and Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlets, Scarlet Macaw, Festive Amazon, Black-headed, Orange-cheeked & Red-Fan Parrots, Cobalt-winged & Maroon-tailed Parakeet, Fiery Topaz, Great-billed, Streak-throated, Straight-billed and Black-throated Hermits, Black-bellied Thorntail, Fiery-tailed Awlbill (rare), Green-tailed Goldenthroat, White-chinned Sapphire, Gould's Jewelfront, Red-necked, Yellow-throated, Scaly-breasted, Yellow-tufted and Chestnut Woodpeckers, Lemon-throated Barbet, Pavonine Quetzal, Amazonian Trogon, Yellow-billed, Paradise & Bronzy Jacamars, Rusty-breasted Nunlet, White-chested, Chestnut-capped, Brown-banded & Spotted Puffbirds, Ivory-billed, Lettered & Many-banded Aracaris, Tawny-tufted Toucanet, Orinoco Piculet, Black-collared Swallow, Rufous-capped & Striated Antthrushes, Thrush-like and Spotted Antpittas, Dusky-throated, Undulated, Fasciated, Plain-winged, Mouse-coloured, Amazonian, Spot-winged, Blackish-grey and Pearly Antshrikes, Black Bushbird, Ash-winged, Spot-backed, Pygmy, Moustached, Yellow-throated & Cherries Antwrens, Rufous-backed Stipplethroat, Banded, Bicoloured, Imeri Warbling, Black-headed, Spot-backed, White-plumed, Yellow-browed, Sooty, Grey-bellied, Scale-backed, Spot-winged, Dot-backed and Chestnut-crested Antbirds, Reddish-winged Bare-eye, Chestnut-winged Hookbill, Eastern Woodhaunter, Cinnamon Neopipo, Short-billed Leaftosser, Spot-throated, Ocellated, Amazonian Barred, Bar-bellied & White-chinned Woodcreepers, Curve-billed Scythebill, Slender-billed Xenops, Rufous-rumped, Olive-backed, Chestnut-winged and Cinnamon-rumped Foliage-gleaners, Purple-breasted, Purple-throated and Pompadour Cotingas, Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Coraya Wren, Rufous-tailed and Ochre-lored Flatbills, Rufous-crowned Elaenia, Crowned Slaty, Fuscous (duidae), Grey-capped and Sulphury Flycatchers, Rusty-fronted & Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatchers, Double-banded Pygmy-tyrant, Saffron-crested Tyrant-Manakin, Cinnamon Manakin-Tyrant, White-eyed Tody-Tyrant, White-lored and Slender-footed Tyrannulets, Amazonian Inezia, Brown-winged Schiffornis, Amazonian Black Tyrant, Hauxwell's Thrush, Greyish Mourner, Chestnut-belted Gnateater, Citron-bellied Attila, Cinnamon-crested Spadebill, Rio Negro Gnatcatcher, Citron-bellied Attila, White-rumped Sirystes, Brown-headed Greenlet, Azure-naped Jay, White-crowned, Golden-headed, Yellow-crowned & Black Manakins, Collared Gnatwren, Olive & Green Oropendolas, Short-billed Honeycreeper, Opal-rumped, Magpie, Masked, Paradise, Fulvous-crested, green-and-gold, Red-shouldered and Yellow-bellied Tanagers, Dotted Tanager, White-bellied Dacnis, Rufous-bellied, White-vented and Plumbeous Euphonias andeven the rare White-naped Seedeater amongst many, many others. Plus if we've had some rain and can find an antswarm we are keeping our fingers crossed for the rare Red-billed Ground-Cuckoo to appear! Nights in Mitú..
Day 7 MITU - FLY TO BOGOTA
Depending on flight times, we may well have a final morning’s birding in this magnificent area before taking the short flight back to Bogotá later in the day. Nigh in Bogotá.
Day 8 FLORIDA WETLANDS -
FLY TO PITALITO - SAN AGUSTIN
In the morning we will visit La Florida wetland, a marsh and lake close to the international airport, searching for three endemics - Bogotá Rail, Apolinar’s Wren and Silvery-throated Spinetail. Other specialities could include Spot-flanked Gallinule, Noble Snipe, Subtropical Doradito and Rufous-browed Conebill. Following this we will fly to Pitalito and spend most of the afternoon driving to our base for the night near San Agustin.
Days 9 - 11 SAN AGUSTIN - EL ENCANTO NATURE RESERVE - DRYMOPHILA NATURE RESERVE
These next few days are relatively flexible depending on what we want to see but key targets at El Encanto Nature Reserve include Tolima Dove, Tolima Blossomcrown, Indigo-capped Hummingbird, Gorgeted Woodstar, Ruby Topaz Hummingbird, Golden-eared Tanager, Dusky-headed Brush-Finch and Velvet-fronted Euphonia.
The following day will be spent at Drymophila Nature Reserve for species such as Violet-fronted Brilliant, Huila Parakeet, Western Fire-eye, East Andean Antbird, Magdalena and White-crowned Tapaculos, Hooded Antpitta, Schwartz's Antthrush, Ash-browed Spinetail, Black-chested Fruiteater, White-bellied Antpitta, Yellow-throated Spadebill & Red-bellied Grackle.
DAYS 12 - 13 PITALITO - MOCOA - VEREDA CAMPUCANA
Leaving Pitalito we will drive to Mocoa looking for Short-billed Chlorospingus, Wire-crested Thorntail, Barred Antthrush and Coppery-chested Jacamar amongst others. Our ultimate destination is Vereda Campucana for Black Tinamou, Western Striolated-Puffbird, Black-streaked Puffbird, Short-tailed Antthrush, Red-capped Cardinal, Orange-eared Tanager, Blue-fronted Lancebill, Green-backed Hillstar, Chestnut-tipped Toucanet, Chestnut Woodpecker, Russet Antshrike, Grey Antbird, Black-faced Antthrush, Ocellated Woodcreeper, White-crowned Manakin, Ecuadorian Cacique and Deep-blue Flowerpiercer. Night in Suma Wasi Mocoa.
DAYS 14 - 15 EL ESCONDITE NR – PUERTO ASIS
An early start will see us heading to El Escondite Nature Reserve where we will look for species on the drive such as Golden-collared Toucanet, Yellow-billed Nunbird, Curve-billed Scythebill, Orange-fronted Plushcrown, Spectacled Prickletail, Orange-eyed Flycatcher and Plum-throated Cotinga. Once at the Reserve we will bird along the famous Playa Rica Trail, which holds White-chinned Jacamar, Brown Nunlet, Rufous-headed Woodpecker, Slate-colored Antbird, Plumbeous Antbird, White-shouldered Antbird, Hairy-crested Antbird, Ochre-striped Antpitta, Ecuadorian Cacique, Black-billed Seed-Finch and Caqueta Seedeater. Night in Kofan Lodge, Puerto Asis.
DAYS 16 - 18 KOFAN LODGE TRAILS - TRAMPOLIN LAS AVES ROAD - COCHA LAGOON
We have a busy few days beginning along the lodge trails before heading out along the Trampolin las Aves Road and then we will have most of the next day to explore Filo de Hambre and Cocha Lagoon. Amongst a mouth-watering list of potential species we hope to see Gray-chinned Hermit, Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Green-backed Hillstar, Maroon-tailed Parakeet, Bronze-green Euphonia, White-rimmed Brushfinch, Yellow-throated Tanager, Fawn-breasted Tanager, Blue-browed Tanager and Deep-blue Flowerpiercer. Our nights will be spent at Suma Wasi Mocoa and La Cocha.
DAY 19 LA COCHA LAGOON - PASTO
There will be a lot of travelling today as we cross several different habitat zones but there are some great birds to catch up with today: Yellow-billed Pintail, Andean Lapwing, Noble Snipe, Andean Gull, Cinereous Harrier, Subtropical Doradito, Cinereous Conebill, Spectacled Redstart and Pale-naped Brushfinch amongst others. Night in Pasto.
DAY 20 PASTO – FLY TO BOGOTA
There should be a few hours before our flight to Bogotá in which to find a few new species for our list such as Tufted Tit-tyrant, Rufous-chested Tanager and Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant. Night in Bogotá.
Day 21 END OF TOUR – 27th August 2023
Transfer to airport for our international flights home.
