Birding in the Colombian Andes - Araucana Lodge: Choco Endemics Bonanza

Colombia is the most biodiverse country in the world for birds, and this Chocó Endemics Bonanza Tour is designed to showcase some of its very best habitats in just eight unforgettable days. Centered around the Araucana Lodge near Cali, the tour explores a remarkable variety of ecosystems—from Andean cloud forests and Pacific lowland rainforests to wetlands and dry forests—each hosting a unique and spectacular bird community..

The journey begins in the famous KM 18 and San Antonio Cloud Forest, a historic birding area first studied in detail over a century ago by Frank Chapman of the American Museum of Natural History. These forests are renowned for their mixed-species flocks, where dazzling tanagers such as Multicolored, Purplish-mantled, Golden-naped, and Scrub Tanager move alongside Scaled Fruiteater, Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia, and both Golden-headed and Crested Quetzals. Private hummingbird feeders along the route offer close views and superb photographic opportunities of species like Long-tailed Sylph, Booted Racket-tail, and White-necked Jacobin.

The tour then expands into dramatically different habitats. A visit to Sonso Lagoon, one of the last remaining wetlands in the Cauca Valley, introduces a rich assemblage of waterbirds including spoonbills, ibises, herons, jacanas, and raptors. From there, the adventure continues into the heart of the Chocó Bioregion at San Cipriano, reached by the famous “brujitas” rail carts. This lush, rain-soaked forest is home to an extraordinary concentration of Chocó endemics such as Toucan Barbet, Five-colored Barbet, Black-tipped Cotinga, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, and a wide diversity of antbirds, manakins, and flycatchers.

One of the highlights of the tour is birding the Upper Anchicaya Valley within Farallones National Park, considered one of the most biodiverse national parks on the planet. Following the historic Old Buenaventura Road, the area offers an astonishing variety of species that famously inspired Steve Hilty to write the first Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Targets here include Crested Ant-Tanager, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, White-whiskered Puffbird, Green Thorntail, Empress Brilliant, and raptors soaring above the forested slopes. The experience is crowned with a visit to an active Andean Cock-of-the-rock lek, one of South America’s most iconic wildlife spectacles.

Additional habitats such as the Atuncela Dry Forest add further diversity, with localized endemics and a striking contrast to the surrounding rainforests. Throughout the tour, guests enjoy comfortable accommodations at the purpose-built Araucana Lodge, professional bilingual bird guides, excellent food, and well-paced days designed to maximize both species diversity and overall enjoyment.

This tour is ideal for dedicated birders and nature photographers seeking an immersive experience in one of the richest birding regions on Earth—combining history, biodiversity, comfort, and unforgettable wildlife encounters in western Colombia.