Jaguar, Puma, Tapir & Birds: From Los LLanos to the Andes of Colombia

Reception at the airport in Bogota, the Andean capital, and transfer to your hotel. Journey time approx. 30 minutes.

Transport from Hotel Casa Deco to Bogota airport, approx. 30m. Domestic flight to Yopal (The maximum weight allowed is 15kg per piece of luggage, any excess will incur an additional cost to be paid directly at the airport). Depart Yopal by 4×4 for the Hato La Aurora reserve, crossing the department of Casanare, in the heart of the Llanos. Arriving at the Juan Solito ecolodge welcomes you to its charming facilities, built with local materials in keeping with the architecture of the region. Through the various activities on offer, you can discover the surrounding incredible wildlife: primates, variety of birds, pumas and others mammals that populates these magnificent landscapes.

After breakfast, Jeep safari in the reserve to get to know the Hato la Aurora, an hour and a half from the hotel. We observe wildlife such as the mighty Jaguar, Capybaras, White-tailed Deer, Alligators, Cattle, Wild Horses, a large number of birds such as Herons, Plovers, Owls, Ibises and a variety of other countless species that inhabit these lands. For lunch, we enjoy meat with a variety of side dishes and many other delicacies. Return to the lodge in the late afternoon. If the sun has already set, meet the nocturnal fauna and, sky permitting, enjoy some stargazing. Dinner at the hotel and, if we still have some strength left, we can enjoy an explanation and demonstration of the llanera harp, poems, traditional folk songs.

For this day, we can choose one of the following two options:

1. Horseback riding in the reserve, where we discover the many species of birds and Howler Monkeys that live in these forests.

2. A boat tour of the reserve to admire the beauty of the surrounding landscape. We can fish on the river and enjoy the sunset at the end of the day.

Transport: according to the selected routes

You’ll arrive at the first Hato in the Nature Reserve, where you’ll spend the next two nights. Settle in and visit the house: you’ll meet the family, the workers and learn about the local history. Typical lunch at the Hato and free time to relax in the hammocks in the shade of the tall trees lining the river. In the afternoon, you’ll embark on a safari tour by 4×4 (summer) or tractor (winter), through the Reserve’s immense savannahs. Admire the unique landscape and ecosystem of the Llanos Orientales, and observe whole families of capybaras, numerous herons and multicolored egrets and many other local mammals, reptiles and birds. Enjoy the famous Llanos sunset.

A day dedicated to the search for local wildlife. We get up at dawn to enjoy the sunrise and the birdsong that accompanies it. We can observe the animals around the house in these early hours. After breakfast, we set off for a canoe trip on the river that runs through the Nature Reserve. We can admire the animals along the water’s edge, such as Capybaras, Crocodiles and a wide variety of Birds. In the afternoon, we head further into the Reserve on a tractor safari. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot Anaconda, Deer, Anteater, Fox and Puma. Arriving at the magnificent Garcero de Altamira, a key breeding ground for Herons and Egrets circling the water mirrors at sunset.

We rise at dawn to admire the sunrise, and take a short walk through the savannah and woods to observe the local wildlife and the magnificent llaneros landscape. Breakfast and free time to rest and enjoy our last moments in the Reserve. Transfer from the Reserve to Yopal. Before our departure for the airport, a little free time to browse the craft stores and discover the town. NOTE: Program subject to change according to conditions. Domestic flight to Pereira. Maximum baggage weight is 23kg, any excess will incur an additional cost to be paid directly at the airport. Our guide will be waiting for us at Pereira airport to take us to the Otun Quimbaya Flora and Fauna Sanctuary, where we’ll spend the night.

Visit to the Otún Quimbaya reserve (2000 m, cold, rainy climate). A local guide accompanies us to discover the verdant surroundings garden and forest. Some of the most representative species are Crab-eating Fox, Tayra, Torrent Duck, Cauca Guan and Red-ruffed Fruitcrow.

Transport to Cabaña El Cedral, the trip takes around 40m, but we’ll be making plenty of stops along the way to try and spot some of the region’s many bird species. Venturing into these territories is also a fantastic opportunity to catch a glimpse of the region’s emblematic animal, the Andean Tapir!

Early in the morning, we set off from El Cedral towards the Montezuma Rainforest Ecolodge. Our transport takes its time to add new bird species to our checklist. Before lunch (free on the way), we look for some of the following species:

Arrival to Montezuma Rainforest Ecolodge, in the afternoon offers us the chance to enjoy hummingbird garden. At the gateway to Tatama Natural Park, home to over 550 species of birds, 450 species of orchids and 700 species of butterflies. The lodge is located at the entrance to the park, 13 km from the summit, making it the perfect base for exploring the park.

This is one of the Andean region’s most biodiverse sites near the Pacific Ocean. In Montezuma, birdwatchers, butterfly enthusiasts and orchid lovers find an ideal place to explore the incredible abundance of life in a natural ecosystem of virgin rainforest located in one of the planet’s major biodiversity hotspots and one of Colombia’s great natural treasures: Tatamá. The park covers 51,900 hectares of primary Western Andean tropical and subtropical forest, temperate cloud forest and páramo habitat, and is a source of water for rivers in all directions. It is home to over 550 bird species, 450 orchid species and 700 butterfly species. Enjoy the 1st FULL-DAY of activity (4WD, local guide, picnic)

We will walk the same path as the previous day, only this time we will focus on those bird species that were left over from the first day. We will be in the field all day, the food will be picnic style. Enjoy the 2nd FULL-DAY of activity. Program the schedules according to your check-list.

Some special birds:
Gold-ringed Tanager, Collared Inca, Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer, Golden-fronted Redstart, Dusky Starfrontlet, Club-winged Manakin, Velvet-purple Coronet, Purplish-mantled Tanager, Chamí Antpitta, Munchique Wood-wren.

This morning’s birding activity will depend on the flight schedule. Please note that you must be in the waiting room 2 hours before for domestic flights and 3 hours before for international flights.