Colombia: The Chocó

The Chocó area of Western Colombia and Ecuador encompasses the Pacific slope of both the Colombian West Andes and the Central Andes. Most of the habitat is characterized by wet forest, and with up to 630 inches of rain per year in places, mostly April-June and October-December, it is perhaps the wettest place on earth.

It is as well one of the world’s richest lowland biotas, with exceptional endemism in a wide range of taxa including plants, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies and, of course, birds. For example, 10% of 80-90,000 plant species recorded in the Neotropics have been found in the Chocó, and 25% of these are endemic to this narrow strip of land. The Chocó also supports the largest number of restricted-range bird species of any area in the Americas, and more than 60 of these are endemic.

We’ll bird at various elevations on the western slope of the Colombian Cordillera Occidental, from the brilliant white sand beaches near Bahía Solano to the montane tropical forest of the Las Tángaras ProAves Reserve and, at about 9000 feet, the temperate forest at La Eme. We expect to find spectacular birds at every elevation.

We’ll visit several hummingbird feeding stations (many of them in our lodge gardens), with great views of as many as 30 of the 40 species possible during the tour. In addition to the Chocó area, we’ll explore the dry Cauca valley looking for species restricted to that habitat, and the temperate forests near the colonial town of Jardín, looking for the vulnerable Yellow-eared Parrot and visiting a feeding station which attracts both Chestnut-naped and Chami Antpittas!

This tour can be taken in conjunction with the popular Colombia: The Santa Marta Mountains tour.