Colombia - Minca and Tayrona: what to do? (1 Viewer)

[Thibaut]

Hello all,

Wondering if some of you could help me a bit with this. Now that Manizales is sorted (thanks to a few resourceful people who have helped me greatly on here ), I would like to focus on Minca and for February next year. We are staying 3 nights at the Mundo Nuevo Eco Lodge, which is 45 min walk from Minca and 2 nights at Cabañas Tequendama Playa Arrecifes within Tayrona Park. So we have 2.5 full days of activities at Minca and 1 full and 2 half days at Tayrona.

What do you recommend doing if I want to see some cool birds?

Also, if you think my planning and hotels are wrong, let me know but we have 5 nights max for these 2 places. thanks for your time.

 

[THE_FERN]

Get up early. Perhaps hire a guide. Some of the Minca specialities are higher up so you might need a (moto) taxi. Tayrona is often busy with locals and tourists so especially important to be up before they start disturbing things.

Personally I found birding in and Los Flamencos (from Camarones) more interesting: e.g. more endemics. It's a few hours from Santa Marta by bus.

 

[simmojunior]

Hello all,

Wondering if some of you could help me a bit with this. Now that Manizales is sorted (thanks to a few resourceful people who have helped me greatly on here ), I would like to focus on Minca and for February next year. We are staying 3 nights at the Mundo Nuevo Eco Lodge, which is 45 min walk from Minca and 2 nights at Cabañas Tequendama Playa Arrecifes within Tayrona Park. So we have 2.5 full days of activities at Minca and 1 full and 2 half days at Tayrona.

What do you recommend doing if I want to see some cool birds?

Also, if you think my planning and hotels are wrong, let me know but we have 5 nights max for these 2 places. thanks for your time.

I recommend staying at least one, preferably two nights at El Dorado. Loads of endemics up there and a beautiful place. Surprisingly affordable too. One night is enough in Minca. You can arrange transport with Sylvana Travel. Use Breiner Tarazona if you need a guide.

Tayrona is stunning but the birding is pretty rubbish. If birding is the priority, I second the suggestion of Camarones.

I'd suggest 1 night Minca, 2 nights El Dorado, 1 Tayrona and 1 Camarones.

 

[Thibaut]

Thanks for the suggestions. How is El Dorado? Can we walk on our own and discover the place at our own pace or is a guide required? Is it a difficult place to explore?

 

[simmojunior]

Thanks for the suggestions. How is El Dorado? Can we walk on our own and discover the place at our own pace or is a guide required? Is it a difficult place to explore?

It is lovely with amazing views even if the food is rubbish. Yes, there are lots of trails and feeders which you are allowed to walk independently if you stay there. You will need to arrange a 4x4 taxi from Minca to get there. If you want to see all the specialities, you will also need to arrange a very early 4x4 up the mountain. Alternatively you can walk (about 2-3 hours) but you'll be too late for the parakeet!

 

[THE_FERN]

It is lovely with amazing views even if the food is rubbish. Yes, there are lots of trails and feeders which you are allowed to walk independently if you stay there. You will need to arrange a 4x4 taxi from Minca to get there. If you want to see all the specialities, you will also need to arrange a very early 4x4 up the mountain. Alternatively you can walk (about 2-3 hours) but you'll be too late for the parakeet!

Parakeet can be seen at any time of day at various altitudes, and not just at the pool near the top (that's just where some roost). A much cheaper option than a 4x4 is a moto taxi if you're ok with that (arrange at minca).

Also consider calling in at the biological station (further up than the proaves place). Note that eldorado is expensive...

When I was there years ago, you needed to go to the top for the warbler and Santa Marta Bush tyrant but the habitat was fire-damaged. Not sure conditions there now.

 

[simmojunior]

Parakeet can be seen at any time of day at various altitudes, and not just at the pool near the top (that's just where some roost). A much cheaper option than a 4x4 is a moto taxi if you're ok with that (arrange at minca).

Also consider calling in at the biological station (further up than the proaves place). Note that eldorado is expensive...

When I was there years ago, you needed to go to the top for the warbler and Santa Marta Bush tyrant but the habitat was fire-damaged. Not sure conditions there now.

El Dorado is much cheaper than it used to be. Since the fire, the parakeet and bush-tyrant are tricky. The warbler is found relatively easily including just above El Dorado.

 

[Thibaut]

Is the forest fire damage still very noticeable? Was El Dorado reserve affected?
I won't have the energy to go all the way to Camarones so currently trying to figure out how the organisation of going from Aiport to El Dorado to Minca to Tayrona is going to work. I presume the recommendation is to bird watch in the morning and travel in the afternoon.

Where and when would you birdwatch in El Dorado if you only have 1 full day and 1 extra morning?

 

[AveryBartels]

Is the forest fire damage still very noticeable? Was El Dorado reserve affected?
I won't have the energy to go all the way to Camarones so currently trying to figure out how the organisation of going from Aiport to El Dorado to Minca to Tayrona is going to work. I presume the recommendation is to bird watch in the morning and travel in the afternoon.

Where and when would you birdwatch in El Dorado if you only have 1 full day and 1 extra morning?

Best way to do it is to bird the higher elevations along the ridge in the AM (only 6km above El Dorado but 1hr drive due to horrible road), aim to get there around dawn. PM can be spent birding around El Dorado Lodge, along the road and/or trails. Next morning, bird your way down towards Minca, focusing on the on the ~5-10km below the lodge. If you book El Dorado, they can arrange transport with drivers from Sylvana Travels - their drivers tend to know the best places to bird. Luis, in particular is very good and can in effect guide you as well as drive. Othweise, you can contact them directly on facebook Silvana Travels

Another, cheaper alternative, is to stay at one of the basic accommodations on the ridge.

 

[Thibaut]

I presume I will need a driver earlier hours to drive us to the San Lorenzo ridge as well then? Is this something ProAves organises? Who is going to drive us there at 5:30 in the morning? Are there groups going up there?

 

[THE_FERN]

I presume I will need a driver earlier hours to drive us to the San Lorenzo ridge as well then? Is this something ProAves organises? Who is going to drive us there at 5:30 in the morning? Are there groups going up there?

It certainly was something they organise (at high cost) because of the idea that the best way to see the parakeet is to go to the pool at the top and catch it as it leaves its roost.

In contrast, I saw a group of 5 on the road somewhere around the biological station in the afternoon at close quarters. Residents say they are frequent throughout the area.

You certainly will need to be up around dawn (just before) to catch leaf-tossers, the bush-tyrant

 

[njlarsen]

When I visited the Minca area August last year, we hired Breiner Tarazona for a one day outing starting in Minca itself. We saw a lot of lower endemics and ended around the level of El Dorado Lodge. We then ourselves moved to the lodge. I was lucky in getting a seat on a second outing with him (arranged by someone else), starting from the lodge at 4:30 and going to the ridge, where we did see the specialties (including the owl on the way up); I was back at the lodge for lunch.

As I had more time at the lodge, I walked around some more in the area around the Lodge, and found at least one additional endemic myself.

With that very limited time, I would advice on not even going to Tayrona, but use more time at Minca. In Tayrona, I did not see much in the way of special birds, with the exception of a pair of Blue-and-Yellow Macaws that were accustomed to visit one particular restaurant. Finding the real specialties there without a guide, I am not sure how to do that.
Niels

 

[Thibaut]

I have contacted Breiner but he hasn’t come back to me. Maybe it is too early to plan Feb 25. Also and quite frankly I understand considering his circumstances have changed only recently as he has spotted a Santa marta sabrewing.

I will go two days to Tayrona because we have other desires than birdwatching. If I spotted stuff there, it’s bonus. I am concerned of the distances to get to el Dorado. Any idea of the budge to travel to the hotel back and forth from Minca and hiring someone to drive us super early to the San Lorenzo Ridge?

 

[njlarsen]

I have contacted Breiner but he hasn’t come back to me. Maybe it is too early to plan Feb 25. Also and quite frankly I understand considering his circumstances have changed only recently as he has spotted a Santa marta sabrewing.

I will go two days to Tayrona because we have other desires than birdwatching. If I spotted stuff there, it’s bonus. I am concerned of the distances to get to el Dorado. Any idea of the budge to travel to the hotel back and forth from Minca and hiring someone to drive us super early to the San Lorenzo Ridge?

Prizes vary, but one full day with guide, driver, and a capable 4wd cost us about 1 million CoPesos. A regular 4wd SUV would not have been able to handle this road. I do not remember the exchange rate and it probably changed anyway, so this is only giving you a rough idea.

Best contact with anyone in Colombia is through WhatsApp.
Niels

 

[THE_FERN]

(Moto taxis are cheap; I'm sure could be arranged to take from/to el Dorado / ridge. Would likely be quicker than 4x4)

 

[Thibaut]

(Moto taxis are cheap; I'm sure could be arranged to take from/to el Dorado / ridge. Would likely be quicker than 4x4)

Is this also something Silvana Tours does or do you know the name of the company?

I am struggling to understand how it works all these arrangements. When you travel to Colombia do you have all your travel arrangements and pick up times organised before you travel or is it something done the day before kind of thing? I have never relied on taxis or guides for my trip and since driving in Colombia is a big no no, I am discovering a new world of complexity

 

[mjh73]

(Moto taxis are cheap; I'm sure could be arranged to take from/to el Dorado / ridge. Would likely be quicker than 4x4)

Maybe moto taxi means something else, but if you mean those wee tuc-tuc (or even a regular car) those things will not in my experience get you beyond El Dorado.
We were there October '23 with a driver with a Toyota Landcruiser. There was a serious landslide over the road and we had to jump out and let him tackle it 'unloaded'. Even without the landslide to navigate it was, as Niels said, a pretty rough road needing a 4wd.
You would not get a moto taxi over that.

 

[THE_FERN]

Maybe moto taxi means something else, but if you mean those wee tuc-tuc (or even a regular car) those things will not in my experience get you beyond El Dorado.
We were there October '23 with a driver with a Toyota Landcruiser. There was a serious landslide over the road and we had to jump out and let him tackle it 'unloaded'. Even without the landslide to navigate it was, as Niels said, a pretty rough road needing a 4wd.
You would not get a moto taxi over that.

It means a motorcycle. So one motorcycle per passenger but easy to arrange in Minca, probably also in El Dorado. I took one from Santa Marta to Minca (with large suitcase balanced on handlebars), and another to / from the transmitter where I stayed. I forget the 4x4 cost from El Dorado => ridge when I was there but I remember enough to know it was extortionate.

 

[simmojunior]

Is this also something Silvana Tours does or do you know the name of the company?

I am struggling to understand how it works all these arrangements. When you travel to Colombia do you have all your travel arrangements and pick up times organised before you travel or is it something done the day before kind of thing? I have never relied on taxis or guides for my trip and since driving in Colombia is a big no no, I am discovering a new world of complexity

Yes, Silvana can arrange it. You could also probably arrange it all the day before in Minca. We rearranged pick up times with Silvana over WhatsApp. Some basic Spanish is helpful but otherwise it is all pretty simple compared to some countries.

 

[njlarsen]

I will support that in almost everything you do in Colombia, you will need whatsapp. If you go the route of mototaxis (the following is my impressions, I did not use them), there is a large group of them at the bridge in central Minca, and if you need an early pickup one day with one of those, talking with them the previous day would work. If you want to have pickup by them at El Dorado, then you will need a whatsapp number for one of them ahead of time, they are not standing around at the lodge.

With regards to transfer to El Dorado using Silvana, I arranged that using whatsapp the day before.
Niels