Coffee Region: Cultural & Nature Tour

Rio Blanco is one of the best birding sites in Colombia; In particular it is a mecca for lovers of skulking species. Rio Blanco was the first birding location in Colombia to develop feeders for birds especially for antpittas.

It is located three kilometers northeast of Manizales (2150 m to 3700 m). It is an area of Cloud Forest with high biodiversity and protects numerous endangered species. There are 362 species of bird here, including 13 of Colombia's endemics.

We will walk in to the reserve and begin with the local warden taking us to a feeding area where we can get close views of the once almost impossible Brown-banded Antpitta. The Chestnut-crowned Antpitta are a little easier to see as the day unfolds. We also have good chances for Bicoloured and the charismatic Slaty-crowned Antpitta.

Other species that we will look for include Streak-headed Antbird, the rare Masked- saltator, Green-and-black Fruiteater, Ash-colored Tapaculo, Ocellated Tapaculo and Grey-browed Brush-finch. Further searching should reveal Black-collared Jay, Streaked Xenops, Yellow-billed Cacique, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Bar-bellied and Crimson-Mantled Woodpecker, Slaty brush-finch, Chestnut-capped Brush-finch and Lachrymose Mountain-tanager.

About 30 minutes far from Manizales, the capital city of the Caldas department is located one of the oldest Coffee farms in the region, famous for its high-quality Coffee, its big size and its ecological practices. we going to spend a full day there learning about the whole coffee process in order to understand why the Colombian Coffe is as famous as it has been for centuries. 

First, with a craft cup of coffee, we will give you general introduction to the world of coffee in a cozy Coffee Lounge. You will learn about the origin and history of coffee, the worldwide distribution, the different coffee varieties and qualities, as well as about the aromas and properties of coffee and the Coffee Cultural Landscape (World Heritage Site by UNESCO).

After the perfect cup and full of energy, the interactive tour continues with a walk through the plantation to learn more about the growing and harvesting. After you picked your own beans, you will visit the wet mill to learn about the coffee processing and marketing. As roasting is both a science and art - the difference between perfectly roasted coffee and a rejected batch can be a matter of seconds. You will have the chance to taste and see the beans with different grades of roasting to experience the different aromas, as the roasting brings out the aroma and flavor that is locked inside the green coffee beans. We may squeeze in a bit of birding in during the coffee tour.

Overnight Manizales

Paramo del Ruiz is a protected area situated below the Ruiz Volcano between 2800 m and 4000 m. It is a combination of paddocks, elfin forest, patches of bamboo and Paramos.

The elfin forest and paramos of this massive park are home to endemic species including the rare and endemic Rufous-fronted Parakeet, the near-endemics Black-thighed Puffleg, Viridian Metaltail, Golden-breasted Puffleg and Golden-fronted Redstart. We will look for these specialties along with Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Paramo Tapaculo, while small roving flocks may include, Sedge wren, Plain-coloured Seedeater, Paramo Seedeater, Golden-crowned Tanager, White-browed Spinetail, Brown-backed Chat-tyrant, and White-chinned Thistletail. One of the highlights of this stunted mountain side is the delightful endemic Buffy Helmetcrest, and we will look for this amazing bird in flowering bushes. Also here should be the vocal and often showy Tawny Antpitta, alongside Stout-billed Cinclodes, Andean Tit-spinetail, Crowned Chat-tyrant, and Many-striped Canastero.

We also will visit hummingbird feeders for some high elevation goodies such as Buff-wing Starfrontlet, Shining Sunbeam, the impressive Great Sapphirewing, and even better looks of Black-thighed Puffleg, Golden-breasted Puffleg and Rainbow-bearded Thornbill.

Overnight Manizales

Hacienda el Bosque traditional hacienda located 30 minutes from Manizales. It has  an  altitude  gradient  from 2,800  to  3,900  altitude (9514 to 12790 feet) and contains varied ecosystems such as pastures for livestock and dairy production and large extensions of high Andean  and  Paramo  forests  protected  for  more than 40 years. The place contains a number of feeder stations for hummingbirds and tanagers where Collared Inca, White-bellied Woodstar, Mountain Velvetbreast, Sparkling Violetear, Lesser Violetear, Tourmaline Sunangel, Tyrian Metaltail, Buff-Winged Starfrontlet and the sought-after Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan can be found, however the main attraction are the feeders of one of the most enigmatic antpitta species: the Crescent-faced Antpitta besides the Central-Andes member of the Rufous Antpitta complex, the Equatorial Antpitta.

Overnight Termales del Ruiz Hotel 

Tinamou Reserve is a charming reserve loaded with bird feeders and nice trails, located in San Peregrino village at 30 minutes from the city, in a dry forest of 15 ha. at 1.225 m.a.s.l.  We will look for several endemics such as Grayish Piculet, Colombian Chachalaca and Parker's Antbird. Other specialties include Gray-headed Dove, Moustached Puffbird, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Andean Motmot, Blue-lored Antbird, Jet Antbird, Speckle-breasted Wren, Guira Tanager and Golden-rumped Euphonia.

At the feeders we can see near-endemics Western Emerald and Scrub Tanager, beside commoner species as Green Honeycreeper, Blue-necked Tanager, Long-billed Starthroat, Steely-vented Hummingbird, Andean Emerald, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Green Hermit, White-vented Plumeleteer, Black-throated Mango, Lesser, Brown and Sparkling Violetears.