All of our main outings are at either national parks or family-owned private reserves. We’ll get to meet the folks who conserve these areas, and I can’t wait for you to hear their stories and see their passion for the natural world around them. It’s contagious. 

Tinamú Birding Reserve: Also our first lodge, this reserve boasts secondary growth foothill forest with nearly 40 acres to explore. Expect to see endemics like Grayish Piculet, Colombian Chachalaca, and Parker’s Antbird, along with specialties such as Andean Motmot and Blue-lored Antbird.

Rio Blanco Reserve: Renowned for its high biodiversity, this cloud forest reserve near Manizales is home to 362 bird species, including 13 endemics. We’ll have the chance to see several antpitta species up close, as well as a variety of tanagers, motmots, and hummingbirds.

Hacienda el Bosque: Just outside Manizales, this traditional hacienda features high Andean forest and paramo habitats. We’ll look for the enigmatic Crescent-faced Antpitta, along with hummingbirds and the striking Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan.

Los Nevados National Park: This stunning park at elevations up to 13,000 feet is home to unique high-altitude species. Highlights include the endemic Buffy Helmetcrest, Rufous-fronted Parakeet, and various tanagers and tapaculos. The park also offers breathtaking views of the active Nevado del Ruiz volcano.

Bosques de la Chec: A newer reserve catering to birders, featuring a variety of hummingbirds and montane forest species. We’ll look for the Sword-billed Hummingbird, Rusty-faced Parrot, and potentially spot the Black-and-chestnut Eagle.

Each location offers unique opportunities to see a diverse range of bird species in beautiful, varied habitats, making this tour a birdwatcher’s dream.

Previous eBird Trip Reports

• 2022 Hillstar trip report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/71530
• 2023 trip report (includes Cali area): https://ebird.org/tripreport/107868 
• 2024 Hillstar trip report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/202026 

I like to browse trip reports with “Show all details” toggled on to view the many photographs that are among the checklists.

iNaturalist

Curious about other forms of wildlife? You can check out this area on iNaturalist and use the filters to sort through mammals, herps, plants, and more in the area.

Birds are our focus, but you never know what else we’ll come across!

Media

• The Birders: A Melodic Journey through Northern Colombia is a beautiful documentary film on Colombian bird diversity. Watch it on Youtube. 
• Also, the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to The Birders blends music of many cultures within Colombia with localized birdsong. Check it out on Spotify. 

Activity level 

We’ll have light to moderate hikes totaling a couple miles or less each throughout the entire tour. Some areas, like known antpitta locations, may have short stretches of muddy and steep paths. Sturdy shoes will help.

The sun is up from roughly 6-6 daily…ah, to be close to the equator! So, our days won’t start too early or end very late. We don’t have much night birding planned, but may end up doing a few short outings after dark depending on recent reports and how tired we are. 

Elevation of our route

Our accommodations start at about 2200 m (7200 ft) at Recinto del Pensamiento and end up at 3500 m (11500 ft) at Termales Del Ruiz. We’ll be adjusting to the increased elevation gradually each day. Lots and lots of hydration is key, and we’ll keep plenty of water on hand at all times. Either bringing a reusable bottle or keeping ahold of a single plastic bottle throughout the tour is helpful. 

Weather expectations

From my perspective as a heat-intolerant person, this is a super comfortable tour, with temperatures at the beginning in the high 50s to upper 70s and ending up with lows close to freezing and highs in the 50s as we get into the páramo (alpine tundra near and above the tree line). Of course, there’s always a chance of rain and we’ll experience some of the ethereal mistiness of the cloud forest. 

Personally, I’m packing layers of short and long sleeves, a light down jacket, and a rain jacket that will double as a windbreaker. For our first several days, I’ll expect to start with a jacket and end up in short sleeves. I’m also going to bring a neck gaiter – they’re such a great thing to have on hand in these types of places – and probably a knit hat. Some folks bring gloves if they get cold fingers easily. 

The coldest outing of our tour will be toward the end when we’re searching for Buffy Helmetcrest in Los Nevados National Park…the brisk weather is all part of the experience there! Plus, as we feel like we’re on top of the world, we’ll sip on hot and sugary coca tea in the small visitors center. Used medicinally for hundreds of years across Andean cultures, it will warm us up and curb any signs of altitude sickness.

Food

We’ll have choices – either a few prepared options or a full menu – for every meal on our tour. If you have any food restrictions you haven’t let us know about, just reply to this email. Expect some great soups, arepas, and a range of meat, fish, and vegetarian options. Beer and wine are included with meals and additional alcoholic drinks are available for purchase in most places. 

Accommodations

Hotel Tinamú, our hotel for nights 1-3: https://tinamubirding.com/en/

I’m so excited to spend three wonderful nights at Hotel Tinamú, part of Tinamú Nature Reserve. We’ll soak up our time on is ecological island amongst coffee plantations that serves as a bird and wildlife haven — so much so that 500 species of birds have been recorded here. The rooms are great, the food is phenomenal, and we’ll all be friends with the staff before we leave. 

Termales Del Ruiz, our lodge for nights 4-6: https://termalesdelruiz.com/

I daydream about this place all the time. Talk about a picturesque location in the cloud forest! The rooms are cozy, the restaurant is great, and best of all, this hotel is surrounded by natural hot springs and a spectacular feeder setup. We’ll make sure to leave lots of time to enjoy both and the area immediately around the lodge. It will be hard to leave when our tour concludes. 

Packing

Most of our outings will be for about half of the day and we won’t ever be too far from our van or accommodations. You may want to bring a daypack or small camera back with you; it’s generally helpful to have something to throw a few snacks and personal items in for daily outings, even if it stays in the van while we’re birding.

Bring your binoculars and camera gear. No need to bring a spotting scope; we’ve got those covered. 

Miscellaneous packing recommendations: bugs won’t be that bad on this tour, but still bring the bug repellant of your choice; a spill-proof travel mug is always excellent to have; bring a swimsuit if you want to enjoy the hot springs at Termales Del Ruiz!; a headlamp. And don’t forget sunscreen!

Most people pack in a carry-on bag and additional backpack for tours like these, and keeping things compact helps when we’re switching accommodations (although that will only happen once on this tour). 

Mollee

I’m Mollee Brown, and I’m delighted to return to the Coffee Triangle to relish all its incredible biodiversity with you. If we haven’t met yet, you can check out my bio on the Hillstar website: https://www.hillstarnature.com/mollee-brown 

Yesennia
My co-guide is Yesennia Tapasco who guides extensively all over Colombia and whose family runs Montezuma Ecolodge west of our tour route. You can read all about Yesennia and her family in a recent cover article for Birding Magazine: https://www.aba.org/pdfviewer/birding-2023-apr/?auto_viewer=true#page=24&zoom=auto&pagemode=none