Birders are a greedy bunch: When I left Colombia 2 yeas ago, instead of thinking about how many birds I saw, I was counting the birds I had missed. It was then I knew that I would be back to Colombia again for more. Being the birdiest nation in the world, there won't be a shortage of new birds for me to see for sure. What bothered me most was that I was yet to visit the birdiest part of Colombia, the Amazonas. I must confess that I was subconsciously avoiding birding in Amazon knowing how uncomfortable birding in tropical rarinforest can be; remote location (only accessible by plane), scorching heat, extreme humidity, torrential rain and gazillions of biting insects. However, I felt this time I was ready to take on all the harsh elements of Amazonian jungle.
As soon as our decision was made to bird Colombia, I immediately contacted our trusted Colombian bird guide, Edwin Acevedo of Native Birding. Edwin and I worked day and night to come up with what I call a perfect birding itinerary! Once the route was determined, I took care of booking for accommodations, and domestic flights while Edwin helped us arrange local transportation and guides. This is what I love about working with Edwin: we work together as a team. Most birders using one of the western bird tour companies just go on one-size-fits-all pre-packaged tours and pay the exorbitant amount of money for convenience. Well, certainly that is not how I travel and am so glad that we found Edwin to meet our needs. Without further adieu, let's begin our 4th Colombian birding adventure!!!
November 22, 2024plans are made to be broken.
Aerophobia (fancy word for fear of flying) was no longer my worst enemy ever since I had discovered a cure (well, sort of). Lucky for me, there was a perfect flight out of New York to Bogotá that can accommodate my *special* need: the flight was leaving at 11:15pm and arriving Bogotá at 5am. My plan of action was to pop a pill 30 minutes before boarding, fall asleep before take-off, wake up after touch-down, then start my day in Bogotá just in time for glorious morning birding. Earlier that day, we received a notice from Avianca that our flight was leaving 30 minutes later at 11:45pm. Not a big deal. Then came another email for 12:30am departure, then another one for 1:40am. Agh... In the end, our plane didn't leave New York until 2:40am. I sure learned it the hard way that Friday night flight was a bad idea. The saving grace of massively delayed departure was that I did fall asleep before take-off and slept through until just before touch-down. Well, nothing could make me feel better about missing highly anticipated morning birding in Bogotá 😭.
November 23, 2024hello boys! i'm baack!!!
As soon as we walked out of the gate, we saw Edwin waiting for us. Boy, were we happy to see him. After withdrawing some cash from the ATM at the airport (always better to get local currency from an ATM in the destination country), we took a shuttle bus to pick up our rental truck at Localiza. To our surprise, it was a quick and easy affair picking up our car. We rented a truck for 4 days for about $100 a day until we leave for Amazonia. Noel was happy to be the designated driver since he was the only one who can drive stick shift.
All businesses taken care of, we had one thing left to do, go birding!!! Well, not so fast, I was absolutely famished at that point so on our way to Laguna El Tabacal Ecological Park, we stopped at a lovely roadside Colombian eatery/bakery, Antojito's del Vino, for a quick bite. The pastries there were absolutely to die for. As if their heavenly pastries weren't enough to satisfy us, the restaurant had a nice hummingbird feeder which kept us fully entertained during our short visit.
Antojito's del Vino eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203378800
We didn't get to Laguna el Tabacal until about 2:30pm. After paying the entrance fee (9,000 pesos per person), we were finally back in Colombia birding! It felt so good that even common birds like Rusty-margined Flycatchers looked exquisite. Sadly our first day of birding came to an abrupt end when it started to rain hard about an hour into birding. The rain was sort of a blessing though as we were in desperate need of some rest.
Laguna el Tabacal
Laguna Tabacal
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Peewee
Scrub Tanager
Safron Finch
Striated Heron
We drove for about 2.5 hours to reach our hotel, Hotel Habitel Prime, in Bogotá. Just a word of caution that many highways around Bogotá charge tolls so be sure to carry some local currency in your pocket if you drive. I paid about $7 in tolls for our round-trip to Laguna Tabacal (14,000 pesos x 2 ways). Hotel Habitel was one of the cleanest hotels I had stayed for a mere $65 a night. I learned an interesting fact that Colombians pay a whopping 19% value-added tax while foreigners like us are exempt from the tax. It is usually the other way around (visitors pay a lot and locals pay nothing) but I guess we had nothing to complain... 3 of us enjoyed a lovely meal at the hotel before calling it a day. Needless to say, I slept like a baby that night 😴.
Day 1 total species: 18, lifer 0
November 24, 2024cutest bird guide ever!!!
My alarm went off at 3am as intended (yes, really). It was too early for a proper breakfast at the hotel but thankfully they had some pastries and coffee out in the lobby for ridiculously early risers such as ourselves.
The reason for such an early start (even for birder standard) was that we were scheduled to meet a local guide at 7am in the town of Guayabetal about 3 hours away. Early start luckily avoided the horrific Bogotá traffic which we experienced the prior day. We evaded the traffic but there was no way to avoid hefty Bogotá toll though 😅. We arrived early at Guayabetal at 6:30am. While waiting for the local guide to pick us up in his 4x4, we kept ourselves busy birding the town.
Guayabetal eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203440469
In less than 15 minutes, our local guide, Ariel Herrera, drove down to pick us up. Who would have guessed this unassuming reserved soft-spoken individual is considered a local conservation hero. He is the protector of not just any Antpitta but one extraordinary Antpitta species only known to inhabit this small region, fittingly called Cundinamarca (name of the region) Antpitta. Thanks to the hard work of Ariel and his family in conjunction with the local (Foundacion Camaná) and international (American Birding Conservancy) conservation groups, The Reserva Natural Refugio Tororoi was created in 2022 to protect the highly endangered Cundinamarca Antpittas. You can read more about Ariel and the Antpitta here. As a part of effort to fund the project, Ariel started working on habituating Antpittas to boost ecotourism which brought us here.
Our amazing day at the refuge started with hummingbird viewing at the feeders followed by delicious breakfast made by Ariel's wife. At the table, this cutest little girl sat next to me introducing herself as our bird guide for the day because her brother, Jason, already had another client (all in very good English). I said to myself how cute she wants to play pretend to be a bird guide. Then she started pointing at hummingbirds naming each one of them. OMG, this girl knew her stuff! What impressed me most about Shaira was her English proficiency. She told me that she learned it all by herself using Dua Lingo app. Oh wow. It took me years and years of schooling to learn English and this 11 years old did it in 2 years all by herself.
Refugio del Tororoi
Lesser Violetear
Bronzy Inca
Collared Inca
Speckled Hummingbird
Long-tailed Sylph
Long-tailed Sylph Female
Refugio del Totoroi Hummingbird Feeders eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203484179
After lunch, Ariel summoned us to say Antpittas were ready. With anticipation, we followed Ariel and Shaira to the Antpitta feeding area located in the back. In a few minutes, this plump long-legged bird hopped into our view. Ooooh 😍😍😍. Everytime we see an Antpitta, our hearts skip a beat and this time was no exception. We watched Antpittas until they disappeared into the dark forest.
It was a big yes from me when Shaira asked me if I wanted to bird the trail around the house. Shaira and I really hit it off from the get-go and I had a truly great time birding with her. I do have to mention that it was nice to see that Ariel always accompanied Shaira and assisted her in a subtle fatherly way. Seeing the super rare Cundinamarca Antpitta absolutely sent me over the moon but the best part of visiting the reserve was meeting the fabulous Herreria family.
Refuge del Totoroi eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203484179
After the delicious lunch, we bid adieu to the Herrerias and the Antpittas and started our drive to Rancho Camaná, a must-stop ecolodge/reserve for birders visiting the Villavicencio area. The lodge is situated in a small affluent town of Restrepo, home to many of the oil rich families. I was surprised to learn that Colombia ranks 3rd in oil production in South America and the wealth was brought to this area due to its proximity to Llanos Orientales (Eastern Llanos), the mecca for Colombia oil production. It was a sadly contrasting sight that all the upscale private homes surrounding Rancho Camaná had vast front lawn with no tree while Rancho Camaná stood alone on 5 acres of lush dense secondary growth forest.
Though small, we thoroughly enjoyed birding the reserve for the rest of the afternoon until the darkness surrounded us.
Rancho Camaná
Rancho Camaná
Oriole Blackbird
Speckled Chachalaca
Ruddy Ground Dove
Saffron Finches
Violaceous Jay
Green Ibis
Gray-cowled Wood-Rail
Day 2 total species: 40, lifer 6 (Brown-breasted Parakeet, Cundinamarca Antpitta, Glittering-throated Emerald, Long-tailed Tapaculo, Longuemare's Sunangel, Ochre-breasted Brushfinch)
November 25, 2024martha saves the world
I was up before my alarm went off at 4:30am, anxious to bird the reserve. A little before dawn, I was already exploring the reserve ground, soon after I was joined by Noel and Edwin. It was fascinating to me how many birds we could see in such confined area as Rancho Camaná.
Pale-vented Pigeon
Speckled Chachalaca
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Scaled Piculet
Spectacled Thrush
Black-crested Antshrike
Black-crested Antshrike Female
Rufous-and-white Wren
Pale-breasted Thrush
Saffron Finch
Ruddy Ground Dove
Oriole Blackbird
Violaceous Jay
Blue-gray Tanager
Summer Tanager
Gray-cowled Wood-Rail
Russet-backed Oropendola
Yellow-tufted Woodpecker
We birded without a pause until breakfast. That was when the owner, Martha, gave us an interesting presentation on Rancho Camaná history. Before Rancho Camaná, Martha was a civil engineer for an oil company and her late husband was a veterinarian. When her husband retired, she decided to transform her property into a heaven for wildlife. Before long, Martha realized that she could do a lot more than protecting just her own property. She then proceeded to create a nature conservation organization, Fundación Camaná, to protect habitat for the region. The main focus of the Fundación is to get local community involved in ecotourism focusing on sustainable resource management. The very proof of Fundación's concept, in fact, is what the Herreiras had done with the Antpittas. Ariel, then a farmer, took an educational program given by Fundación Camaná and decided to transform his farm into an internationally renowned ecotourism hub. Our next destination south also is a part of her foundation's work. Hats off to you, Martha 👏!!!
After the presentation, she had a delightful surprise for us. She took us to the darkest part of the forest and pointed to a tree. OMG, night monkeys😲🐵!!! We took a break from birding and enjoyed our secret meeting with this fascinating night creature.
We had only a few hours left at Camaná. We explored as much as we could until it was time for us to say good-bye to Martha and the company. Rancho Camaná certainly was everything I had expected plus much more. Thank you, Martha, for being the protector of our beloved Colombian feathered friends.
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Versicolored Emerald
Silver-beaked Tanager
Palm Tanager
Lettered Aracari
Blue-gray Tanager
Summer Tanager
Lineated Woodpecker
Squirrel Cuckoo
Oriole Blackbird
Pale-breasted Thrush
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Crested Oropendola
Rancho Camaná eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203583660
We made a last birding stop in the Restrepo area called Ruta Altos del Caney recommended by Martha and this short stop turned out to be a birdy one.
Ruta Altos del Caney
Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
Summer Tanager
Cinnamon Becard
Thick-billed Euphonia
Red-eyed Vireo
White-capped Dipper
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Whistling Heron
Eastern Meadowlark
Noel the Birder
Ruta Altos del Caney eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203633730
It was time to being our loooong drive south to the town of Masetas where one of our milestone birding achievements awaits 😲. We haven't eaten since the breakfast and my stomach was screaming! We stopped at lovely Parador Restaurante La Talanquera in Guamal for lunch. Unfortunately there was no hummingbird feeders but some feral dogs and a pet cat kept us entertained. This delicious meal with fresh smoothies for 3 costed us about $23 in total. Too good to be true but believe it.
When we arrived at the charming El Botalón del Abuelo ecolodge in Masetas, it was already past 5pm. We quickly settled in our cabin and dashed out to bird the surrounding area. Despite the late hour, the area was surprisingly birdy but inevitably we soon ran out of daylight. After finding out that the restaurant at the hotel was closed, Edwin ordered a delivery from a restaurant in nearby town which took over an hour to arrive. Thankfully, the food was decent and super affordable ($12/52,000 pesos for 3!). Our cabin was sparkling clean and comfortable but I found it a bit odd to have an air conditioning unit in the room but no hot shower 🤔. Would have been nice the other way round but we managed. Since we had a very early start tomorrow, we asked to take care of the bill then. I was again pleasantly surprised to learn that our cabin cost less than $35/148,500 pesos a night. What a bargain!
El Botalón del Abuelo eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203634061
Day 3 total species: 51, lifer 2 (Lettered Aracari, Versicolored Emerald)
November 26, 2024a half-woman and half-bird monster!!!
My alarm went off at 3:15am as intended. A local man on a motor bike met us at the hotel at 4am and we followed him on a rough dirt road for about an hour. Clearly influenced by my favorite NetFlix TV series Narcos, I was daydreaming myself to be the undercover agent being lead to a secret meeting location with a drug kingpin, only thing missing was a blindfold 🤣. Finally, we stopped at a small humble residence in an unnamed village. Inside the house, instead of men with machine guns, a local family of 5 plus a puppy were waiting for us with smiles and delicious breakfast. The man introduced himself as Franklin and was our local bird guide for the day.
After the breakfast, we got back on our truck with Franklin and drove for some more. It was almost 6am when we reached our final destination. Since Franklin did not speak any English, we learned from Edwin that Franklin is a farmer who owns the land adjacent to the northern tip of Parque Nacional Natural Serranía de La Macarena we were birding today. The major obstacle to birding this part of the park is access. Currently the only accessible road runs through Franklin's land. That's how Martha's Foundacion Camaná came into play. They provided Franklin training and support and in return Franklin provides access, maintenance and protection (of habitat and wildlife). So what is it that's so special about this area? Obviously it involves a bird, a very special one indeed... I can guarantee that this bird is in any birder's top 10 must-see-before-you-die list. There is a pair of Harpy Eagles, arguably the largest Eagle species in the world, nesting in the area and Franklin is there to ensure that the birds are not disturbed while providing supervised access for a fee. The proceed will benefit Franklin, the Foundation, the birds and the habitat. I learned that the word 'harpy' means a half-woman, half-bird creature in Greek Mythology and you will know how the name came about when you see the bird. It is absolutely a magnificent beast of a bird.
We walked down the steep ravine for about 30 minutes. When we got to a well camouflaged blind built by Franklin, we sat there and waited while Franklin searched for the bird. Within 10 minutes, Franklin locates the 6-month-old fledgling. Although it was a young eagle, it sure took my breath away, such a majestic, imposing, dazzling creature. Unable to feed herself just yet, she was just hanging around by the nest waiting for one of the parents to return with a kill. Usually eagle chicks are fed once every few days so the chances of us seeing the parents were not good but we were in seventh heaven watching this magnificent beast of a bird.
The concept of time disappeared with the presence of the great one. It had been almost 2.5 hours since we set our first sight on the eagle and it was time to leave her domain. We spent the rest of the morning birding the area but the forest was quiet by then and also I found it difficult to switch the gear to "regular" birding while I was still under the spell of eagle sighting.
Parque Nacional Natural Serranía de La Macarena eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203726373
When we got back to the trailhead around 1pm, I saw 2 of his daughters on a motor bike waiting for us with our lunch. After our delicious field lunch, we made our way back to Franklin's house. We thanked his family for the amazing experience and settle the bill. It was certainly not cheap ($275/1,150,000 pesos) but knowing that the money would benefit the eagles and their habitat, it was money well spent.
It was almost 2 o'clock and we still had a long drive back to Villavicencio. We birded a little before reaching the main highway. The only regret I had at that point was I wish I had more time to explore this bird rich region.
Finca Agro Turistica El Lagunero eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203705619
We had a really long day and it was especially tough for our designated driver. Noel desperately needed caffeine so we stopped at a roadside grocery store in San Juan de Arama for a cup of coffee and Edwin immediately spotted a pair of Carib Grackles. You really can bird anywhere in Colombia!
San Juan de Arama eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203704605
When we got closer to Villavicencio, we passed 2 newly built toll gates both of which were forcibly closed by local protesters. I can understand why the locals were angry about the highway tolls though. Even for me coming from America where everything cost a lot more, the highway tolls definitely felt to be on a high side compared to other goods and services. We fought off crazy Villavicencio city traffic to reach Hotel del Llano located in city's northern part. The hotel was a bit outdated yet lovely with a Olympic-sized swimming pool. Too bad we didn't have time for a quick dip 🏊♀️. After the nice dinner at the hotel, we got back to the room and literally passed out on the bed.
Day 4 total species: 27, lifer 1 (Harpy Eagle)
November 27, 2024feeling starstruck at the airport...
We were again screwed by the airline, this time by our domestic carrier, Satena Air. Our flight was originally scheduled to leave Villavicencio at 2pm which should have given us all morning to bird Bosque Bavaria. A few days ago, Satena moved flight time up 2 hours which meant we lost 2 precious hours of birding 😠. Knowing we had less time, we birded Bosque Bavaria at warp speed but persistent drizzle and occasional downpour made the difficult situation worse. However tough the condition was, Bavaria was quite birdy and we did score some nice species. At 8:40am, Edwin and I signaled each other that it was time to head out. When we got to the entrance gate, there was a man wearing an official looking "Bosque Bavaria" T-Shirt asking for an entrance fee of $5/20,000 pesos per person. I somehow suspected him of bluffing as I had read in numerous trip reports that the entrance to the park was free. I guess we would never find out. I paid the man 60,000 pesos and left the park.
Bosque Bavaria eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203752433
We begun our drive to Localiza to return the truck, inconveniently located quite a distance away from the airport 😕. We got to the exact location indicated by Google Map and all we saw was a shopping center with a parking lot. We circled around the block for a few times while Edwin was trying to get in touch with someone from Localiza. There was no sign or anything anywhere so we decided to just drive into the parking lot and ask. The parking attendant told us that Localiza car return was to the right! A sign would have been very helpful!!! Relieved and angry, we returned the truck in a hurry and grab a cab outside. There was a slight problem though. All taxis in Villavicencio were tiny (smaller than Mini Cooper) and we didn't think all our luggage would fit in the tiny little thing. Noel came up with an ingenious idea; we put all our bags on the front passenger seat and 3 of us sat in the back. Uncomfortable sure, but it worked 👍!
Even after the rental-car debacle, we managed to get to the airport by 10am. After checking-in, we realized that we hadn't eaten anything so decided to grab some pastries and coffee (that's all they had at the airport). At the table, someone came around to talk to Edwin but my back was turned and I was too busy gobbling up my breakfast. After a few seconds, I looked back to face the stranger and my jaw dropped 😮. OH MY GOD, he was none other than "the" Diego Calderón, my birding idol!!! I immediately introduced myself as his "biggest fan" and we chatted a little. He was as nice as I had seen him in numerous YouTube videos about Colombia birding.
Without a doubt, Diego is the most famous birder in Colombia. You cannot talk about Colombia birding without mentioning his name. There is an excellent documentary about birding northern Colombia featuring Diego created by ProColombia, a government agency promoting tourism. I highly recommend you check out the video. You don't need to be a birder to enjoy this film.
So much for the earlier departure (and taking away my birding time), our plane, didn't leave until 1:15pm. You can understand my anger and frustration. Then Edwin pointed out that I wouldn't have met Diego if not for the schedule change. Edwin always has a point so thank you, Satena, for making us come unnecessarily early to the airport 😂. When I saw my plane, I immediately felt queasy in my stomach: the plane had 2 propellers instead of jet engines 😱.
To my surprise, the plane ride was fairly smooth though it took much longer (1 hour and 20 minutes) than I had expected. From the air, I could tell right away when we entered the Amazon region. The landscape was so lush and green.
The airport in Mitú was very small but the security was extremely tight. I reckon the high security was the remnant of Mitú's bloody history between the FARC guerrillas and Colombian government. When we were waiting on line to pay for the mandatory tourism fee ($10/40,000 pesos for person), we were told to step aside and Edwin had to produce his tourism license. In the end, it took us about 30 minutes to get out of the airport (waaaay longer than it took us to get through immigration at the Bogotá Airport).
Edwin had told me about Mototaxis (or Tuk Tuks) we would be taking in Mitú before the trip so I knew about them. What I didn't know was how much fun it was to ride in one of those things! We took a Tuk Tuk from the airport to our hotel and it was a real blast!
It was almost 3pm when we got to Hotel Brasilia Vaupés, our base for the next 7 nights. Hotel Brasilia Vaupés was an adorable family-run hotel. Our room was spanking clean, cozy and comfortable with an air conditioning unit (albeit no hot shower). We unpack our stuff quickly and was ready for our first birding adventure in Colombian Amazon!
We took a Tuk Tuk for about 10 minutes to the area near Mitú Cachivera indigenous Community and our lifer-thon (euphoric periods consisting of seeing a ton of new birds) had officially begun! When Edwin mentioned a Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher was nearby, we knew this one was going to be another heartthrob. When it hopped onto a branch into our view, it completely stole our hearts. I was absolutely loving birding in Amazon.
Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Green Kingfisher
Capped Heron
Striated Heron
Blue-black Grassquit
Wattled Jacana
Smooth-billed Anis
Red-bellied Macaw
Silver-beaked Tanager
Vaupés River
Mitú Cachivera eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203812644
Unbeknownst to us, there was a nice surprise waiting for us at the hotel. At the dinner table, I saw a tiny thing run across the floor in the corner of your eyes. OMG, that tiny thing was a kitten! The owner's son told us that the kitten's name is Raul (or Raulito as they affectionately called him) and was a neighbor's cat but spent a lot of time at the hotel.
Day 5 total species: 44, lifer 3 (Many-banded Aracari, White-chinned Jacamar, Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher)
November 28, 2024birding by tuk tuk
We begun our day with a nice *late* breakfast at the hotel at 5:30am. Well, if it was totally up to me, I would be eating breakfast at 4am but I reminded myself that the hotel stuff had to get up early to prepare breakfast at such ungodly hours. Thankfully, the area we were birding today was a short ride away by Tuk Tuk. We were dropped off in front of a beautiful covered bridge leading to Urania Community (one of many indigenous communities around Mitú) around 6:30ish. Now let the birding begin.
I was pleasantly surprised that indigenous residents greeted us with warm 'Buenos días' as we passed by them. The morning birding at Urania went by in a blur. You know what that meant! The birding at Urania was AMAZING.
Red-bellied Macaw
Ocellated Woodcreeper
Mealy Amazon
Southern Lapwing
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Yellow-browed Sparrow
Kawall's Amazon
Piratic Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Green-backed Trogon
Gray-crowned Flatbill
Amazonian Antshrike
Elegant Woodcreeper
Striolated Manakin
Yellow-browed Antbird
Yellow-browed Sparrow
Black Caracara
Lettered Aracari
Cerro Urania eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203879766
After paying the leader of the community 60,000 pesos($15) for the use of their trail, we got picked up by the same Tuk Tuk driver as this morning (Edwin must have arranged it) at noon to go to the town for lunch. Restaurante Gourmet Los Paisas was jam-packed and I could see why: The food was excellent and the price was right. We each had a huge combination platter (a soup, an entrée and a drink) and all that food for 57,000 pesos/$14 total. After lunch, Edwin said we were going back to the hotel for a little siesta. Oh no 😱, there was no nap in birding 😟!!! I loved everything about Amazonian birding except for this mid-day downtime. It is true that it rained every day sometime between 12pm and 2pm, some days a downpour, other days a little drizzle; however, it was an absolute torture for me to do nothing for nearly 2 hours 😭. After staring at the ceiling for hours, I was more than ready to start afternoon birding at 2:30pm.
We arrived at the same location as this morning at 3pm though we were birding more open areas along the road outside of the Urania Community. The area was just as birdy as this morning but with a different set of birds.
Black Caracara
Bronzy Jacamar
Sulphury Flycatcher
Red-bellied Macaws
Scarlet Macaw
Channel-billed Toucan
Chestnut-bellied Seedeater
Smooth-billed Ani
Gray-crowned Flatbill
Carretera Mitú a Urania eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203910290
Happy and exhausted, we came back to our hotel around 6pm. We invited a very special guest in our room tonight. Raulito and us played for a bit until he was too tired to keep his eyes open.
As usual, the dinner at Hotel Brasilia was lovely. Happy to report, my first full day in the Amazon was beyond what I had expected.
Day 6 total species: 55, lifer 14 (Amazonian Antshrike, Black-eared Fairy, Bronzy Jacamar, Coraya Wren, Gray-crowned Flatbill, Kawall's Amazon, Large-billed Seed-Finch, Maroon-tailed Parakeet, Ocellated Woodcreeper, Striped Woodcreeper, Sulphury Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Antbird, Yellow-green Grosbeak, Yellow-margined Flatbill)
November 29, 2024paranormal sighting at ceima cachivera!?
Today we left the hotel at 5:30am with packed breakfast (courtesy of Hotel Brasilia). We rode on Tuk Tuk for about 30 minutes to reach the Ceima Cachivera Community. Not only is this area known to be one of the best birding spots but also is the place to see one extraordinary bird species. By the bridge near the entrance, we waited for our nature/trail guide, Sergio, from the community. To visit many of the indigenous communities around Mitú, it is mandatory to have a person from the community accompany us. We followed Sergio for about 20 minutes and arrived at a clearing by some huge rock formation. We all sat down and enjoyed our breakfast (rather quickly, I might add). I just love having breakfast/lunch on a field. Like I always say, food tastes better when birding 😉. Edwin told us that Sergio would be looking for the "mystery" bird while we went on our own to look for other birds. To our surprise, the forest at Ceima Cachivera was eerily quiet. We did manage to find an irresistibly handsome Blue-crowned Manakin and had spent quite some time trying (unsuccessfully) to photograph him.
On our way back to Sergio, Edwin spots our mystery bird. We all stopped silently staring at this unearthly creature in awe. We had seen his close relative, Andean Cock-of-the-rock (another otherworldly species), but this was our first encounter with even more outlandish Guianan Cock-of-the-rock.
When we caught up with Sergio, he too had another Cock-of-the-rock in sight. After spending more time with this extraterrestrial visitor, we followed Sergio into the heart of the enormous rock formation. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a space ship inside it but instead Sergio showed us a Cock-of-the-rock nest on the rock.
The rest of the morning, unfortunately, was quite uneventful as far as birds were concerned. At one point, Sergio chopped a giant pod from a tree, cut it in half and gestured us to eat what was inside. The inside of the mysterious fruit contained 2 distinct substances: white cotton like material and orange succulent fruit like element. Naturally, Noel grabbed the orange part to eat it. Lucky that both Segio and Edwin stopped him just before Noel put it in his mouth. They say that the orange part is mildly poisonous and the white part is the edible part. Now we know what we can eat if we were lost in jungle 😉 We saw a few tanagers here and there but overall, the forest was oddly quiet. It was almost noon and was time to say good-bye to Sergio and Ceima Cachivera. We paid Sergio the guide fee (100,000pesos/$25) and the usual entrance fee (60,000pesos/$15) and thanked him for the wonderful time at Ceima Cachivera.
Ceima Cachivera eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203977843
We took Tuk Tuk back to the hotel for lunch and my dreaded rest time 😩 After lovely lunch, we all took a nice cold shower and Noel and Edwin took a nap while I researched on my upcoming birding venue.
It was the longest 2 hours I had waited and I was so happy when we left the hotel at 2:30pm to go back to the area near Ceima Cachivera. This area was more of an open pasture surrounded by farms, teeming with birds. When Merin App heard a Wing-barred Piprites, I really wanted to find it but it was getting too late and we had to get to the meeting place with our driver. I would love to come back here one day.
Finca La Caucanit
Green-backed Trogon
Bronzy Jacamar
Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet
White-throated Toucan
Scarlet Macaw
Black Caracara
Cruce Cachivera eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204011983
Edwin always has a surprise for us and today was no exception. We made a little detour to another open area on the opposite side. It was past 5pm and I thought it was getting too dark to see birds. Edwin then spotted a stunning Burrowing Owl staring right back at us. We have seen Burrowing Owls a few times in the past but seeing them always brings me unexplainable excitement and joy. What a way to end our Ceima Cachivera adventure.
Cruce Cachivera eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204012271
Day 7 total species: 40, lifer 6 (Azure-naped Jay, Black-throated Antbird, Blue-capped Manakin, Guianan Cock-of-the-rock, Swallow-winged Puffbird, Yellow-billed Jacamar
November 30, 2024magic at guacamaya
We left the hotel at 5:30am with a packed breakfast again (yay) to bird the famed Guacamaya Trail. After a short Tuk Tuk ride, we arrived at the trailhead and the area was already brimming with bird songs. It was just a spectacular morning of birding. To put it in perspective, we saw 6 different bird species which name started with ant*** (antbird, antwren, antshrike). Now that is an epic birding in my book 🏆.
We were so preoccupied with birding that we didn't even realize that it was after 9am. Time for a quick 5-minute breakfast break then we went right back to birding. Guacamaya continued to bless us with multitudes of fabulous sightings. We didn't (or couldn't) leave the trail until 1:40pm which meant we birded for 7 hours and 40 minutes straight. Like clockwork, the drizzle started around 1pm which soon turned into steady rain (told you it rains everyday between 12pm and 2pm) and it was time to say good-bye to this magical forest. Absolutely a phenomenal birding day in Amazon!
Breakfast by the Stream
Breakfast (Birder Style)
Moth
White-flanked Antwren
Fulvous-crested Tanager
Screaming Piha
Yellow-browed Antbird
Spotted Puffbird
Senda Cerro Guacamaya eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204092464
When we got back to our hotel at 2pm, we were beyond exhausted. We all took a quick shower before our 2:30pm lunch, followed by short rest time (even I needed a little downtime that day 😅). At 3:30pm, a Tuk Tuk picked us up for more birding. On our way to Urania, Edwin asked the driver to stop and wait. We were still in the town of Mitú and the place certainly wasn't suited for birding. We figured Edwin needed to run a quick errand at a store. Then he signaled us to follow him and we walked down to the pretty icky area under the bridge. Pretty puzzled, I watched Edwin started to call a bird. Within a minute, a stunning Blackish-gray Antshrike burst into our view 😍. Edwin always had a nice surprise up his sleeve and we are certainly grateful for that.
Mitú (1.262, -70.23) eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204130075
We had about an hour and a half to bird the open road leading to the Urania Community before dark. You may not see an antbird here but roadside birding here always brought us new and interesting species and this time was no exception. There was a little hiccup at the end though. We were supposed to be picked up but the Tuk Tuk driver didn't show up. Because there was no cell reception where we were, we had to walk for about 30 minutes to call the driver to pick us up. Edwin was pretty unhappy about the incident but we were just happy to be outside walking around. You know how we all get as foreign tourists: a mundane activity like walking becomes joyful. Needless to say, our dinner back at the hotel tasted extra special after our legendary birding day.
Mitúseño (puente) eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204130197
Day 8 total species: 46, lifer 10 (Blackish-gray Antshrike, Blue-tailed Emerald,
Fulvous-crested Tanager, Green Oropendola, Imeri Warbling-Antbird, Rusty-fronted Tody-Flycatcher, Spotted Puffbird, Spot-backed Antwren, Spot-winged Antbird, White-eyed Tody-Tyrant)
December 1, 2024enter omar
Edwin told us that we would be accompanied by a local bird guide from today on. No, Edwin was not abandoning us, driven away by my psychotic desire to bird all the time 🤣. Team Edwin was welcoming a new addition, Omar, to the team. As mentioned, most of the indigenous communities require a local person to accompany visitors to enter their property so we had to have a local person with us. In Mitú, there really is one local bird guide everyone hires but he turned out to be unavailable at the last minutes. Luckily, Edwin had someone from the indigenous community who actually works for him and boy were we glad that the original guide (Miguel) was unavailable. Our guy, Omar, was not only a lovely young man but also an excellent bird guide. The only caveat was that he did not speak any English but his big smile and delightful personality more than made up for it.
After our delicious breakfast at 5:30am, we pickup packed lunch and met with Omar and the driver (Omar's cousin) to go to the boat launch nearby. We hired a motorboat to take us across Vaupés River (200,000pesos/$50 round trip) to Santa Marta Community.
As soon as we got off the boat, we spot a group of Orange-cheeked Parrots feeding on a fruiting tree by the community center. No way we would let opportunities like that slip away, we immediately rush to the location to get a closer look. While we were watching/taking photographs of the parrots, a drunken man came out of the building and told us to leave the community center area immediately. Both Edwin and Omar pleaded nicely with the man that we were just taking photos of the birds and have no intention of disturbing anyone but he wasn't having any of it. Well, you cannot negotiate with a drunk. So our photo session with the gorgeous parrots was cut short but there were plenty to see on the trail.
Just like yesterday morning, the trail was inundated with bird sounds. We were finding one bird after another and I barely had the time to breathe! Omar was brilliant at recognizing birds by ear especially the hard-to-see ones like antbirds. We birded non-stop (except for the 15 minutes lunch break) until 11am and it went in a flash. During that time, I was in a dreamlike state (a.k.a. birders high) where birds just kept coming. When I saw the motorboat we came in, my heart sand. Birding at the Santa Marta community was absolutely magical and you don't know how much I wanted to stay there longer...
White-bearded Manakin
Kawall's Amazons
Plumbeous Kite
Green-backed Trogon
Common Scale-backed Antbird
White-cheeked Antbird
Brown-banded Puffbird
Chestnut Woodpecker
Black Caracara
White-winged Swallow
Omar Noel Jun
Boat
Santa Marta Community eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204190447
After lunch and a long rest👎 at the hotel, we geared up at 2:30pm to leave the hotel on a Tuk Tuk to another birding hotspot, Cruce Bocatoma, about 30 minutes away. Unfortunately, the midday rain dragged on well into late afternoon. Understandably, it was quiet and we saw almost no sign of bird activities. Then suddenly we all heard a eerie loud ringing sound. Edwin and Omar knew exactly who the source of the sound was, a Black-headed Antbird. Usually, Antbirds are just very heard to see even if it's right in front of you. Well, not this guy. He was a handsome curious devil staring right back at us from his perch. Odd things happen in rainforest.
We walked up the hill for an hour in the rain When we reached the clearing near the top, the rain started to let up and Edwin spotted a gorgeous Spangled Cotinga perched pretty on top of a tree at least 100 yards away from us. It was a quiet afternoon overall but I was still super happy and excited to explorer the new area.
Cruce Bocatoma eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204242629
Day 9 total species: 51, lifer 9 (Banded Antbird, Black-bellied Thorntail, Black-chinned Antbird, Black-headed Antbird, Brown-banded Puffbird, Cherrie's Antwren, Opal-rumped Tanager, White-cheeked Antbird. Yellow-throated Flycatcher)
December 2, 2024road to el dorado
As usual, we hopped on our Tuk Tuk with packed breakfast at 5:30am to head to Mitú Cachivera Community Trail. This trail runs parallel to the fabulous Guacayama Trail we had taken 2 days ago. Considering how phenomenal the Guacayama Trail was, my expectations was sky high. Fast forward 6 hours, how was it? Well, Mitú Cachivera knocked it out of the park! Don't even try to compare Mitú Cachivera with anywhere else. We saw the most number of species (67) and lifers (15) during this visit. Of course, my magical morning birding was made possible by 2 of the bestest bird guides in Mitú 😉. They had to drag me out to meet our driver outside of the rainforest at 11:30am.
Cherrie's Antwren
Moustached Antwren
Yellow-browed Sparrow
Silver-beaker Tanager
Bronzy Jacamar
White-browed Purpletuft
Brown-headed Greenlet
Blakish Nightjar
Black Manakin
Grayish Mourner
Spotted Puffbird
Waved Woodpecker
Amethyst Woodstar
Yellow-crowned Manakin
Amazonian Antshrike
Spot-backed Antbird
Paradise Tanager
Mitú Cachivera eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204298010
After lunch and a way too long nap, I got exciting news that we were going back to Mitú Cachivera again. The forest was still pretty birdy and, interestingly, birds I saw in the afternoon was quite different from my morning sightings.
Lettered Aracari
Amazonian Umbrellabird
White-banded Swallow
Gray-breasted Martin
Turquoise Tanager
Amethyst Woodstar
Plain-brown Woodcreeper
White-throated Toucan
There was a monumental surprise waiting for me almost at the end of my exploration. We ventured further into the deep rainforest, where the sunlight barely reached the ground. When we walked around the bend, we saw a flurry of bird activity near the ground. Omar and Edwin quickly sprung into action investigating every bird they got their eyes on. I was standing in the middle of it trying to catch a sight of birds pointed out by Omar and Edwin. Then I felt a sharp pain on my leg followed by another one, then another. Immediately I looked down at my leg and saw tiny ants crawling up on my leg. As I frantically swatted them off, a light bulb went off in my head 💡. OMG, we were standing in the middle of an enormous ant swarm!!! For birders, finding an ant swarm is equivalent to finding gold. After days of searching, we finally hit the jackpot!!! The ant swarm was literally the size of my apartment in Brooklyn (quite possibly larger) 😲! Then I heard Omar yell White-plumed! You mean "THE" White-plumed Antbird, my Amazonian grail bird!!!??? At this point, my heart was beating out of my chest. Antbirds are always one of the hardest birds to see but this one brought skulky to another level. Omar patiently worked with me to point the bird as it moved in the thick dark understory of the forest. After working with Omar for a while, I finally caught a white lump resembling an orchid in my binoculars. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was actually looking at a bird. It was facing straight at me which made the bird's plume look more like a flower than a bird. Luckily, the bird turned its body sideways revealing one of the most beautiful avian forms known to men. The bird truly was like the finest piece of art.
At the dinner table at Hotel Brasilia, I could not stop talking about how amazing birding was and how BEAUTIFUL Whilte-plumed Antbird was!!!
Mitú Cachivera eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204330274
Day 10 total species: 67, lifer 15 (Amazonian Grosbeak, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Amethyst Woodstar, Black Manakin, Blackish Nightjar, Brown-headed Greenlet, Collared Gnatwren, Dot-backed Antbird, Gray-bellied Antbird, Moustached Antwren, Plumbeous Euphonia, Spot-backed Antbird, Waved Woodpecker,
White-plumed Antbird, Yellow-crowned Manakin)
December 3, 2024clash with a jungle serpent
How many people can honestly say they are happy to be woken up at 3:15am. Well, I was ecstatic to be up at 3:15am this morning. Today was our last full day at Mitú and we were going further into the Amazon jungle. Originally, we were supposed to travel with another local guide (Miguel) on a 4x4 but that all fell apart when Miguel went MIA. Our ever-so-resourceful Edwin quickly revised a plan to have 2 Tuk Tuks and Omar instead. Since I love riding on Tuk Tuk and birding with Omar, that was a much welcome change. 2 Tuk Tuks picked us up at 4am at the hotel and off we went on a long Tuk Tuk ride to the world unknown. Thanks to our highly skilled Tuk Tuk drivers, we reached our first destination much earlier than we had anticipated. At 5:30am, we stopped at a bridge by Caño Kucura River. I immediately spot a myriad of jaw-droppingly gorgeous Fiery Topaz buzzing around. We all stood on the bridge savoring the heavenly views of Topaz for a while.
Caño Kucura eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204381764
After our brief rendezvous with Topaz, we drove for about 20 minutes to bird the legendary Pueblo Nuevo trail. I gobbled up our breakfast so not to waste my precious birding time. It was then the time to venture into the dark mythical forest of Pueblo Nuevo. To our dismay, the area was not as busy as we had expected though we saw some hard to see species here and there. There was a minor scare though. If Noel hadn't spotted it, one of us could have been in Tuk Tuk heading back to the only clinic in Mitú. Just less than a foot away from us was an angry green snake coiled in the middle of our trail rattling his tail at us. The snake wasn't moving so we had to wait for a few minutes til it quietly slithered away.
Amazonian Elaenia
Amazonian Trogon
Crimson-crested Woodpecker
White-crowned Manakin
Pavonine Quetzal
Gray-fronted Dove
Snake
Bright-rumped Attila
Smooth-billed Ani
Roadside Hawk
Pueblo Nuevo eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204381842
On our way to Finca La Maye where we would be having lunch, it was a nice bonus to spot a juvenile Gray-lined Hawk (lifer!) perched high up on a tree. After the delicious lunch made with freshly caught local fish, everyone took a nap except for me 😊. I was happy to bird around the Finca's vast property.
Gray-lined Hawk
Finca La Maye
Greater Yellow-headed Vulture
Fork-tailed Palm Swift
Chestnut-bellied Seedeater
Swallow-winged Puffbird
Rufous-browed Peppershrike
Finca La Maye Lunch
Finca La Maye eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204393051
We left Finca La Maye around 2:30pm to check out another jungle trail called Camino Mitú about 20 minutes drive away. The trail was quiet but we managed to find such remarkable lifers as Black-headed Parrots and an Amazonian Scrub-Flycatcher.
Camino Mitú eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204410761
We drove for another 20 minutes to do some open roadside birding. It was already past 4:30pm so we sadly had very little sunlight left. 15 minutes into it, Omar cried out "Point-tailed Palmcreeper"!!! I had never heard of the species nor the family, palmcreeper, so I knew this was going to be a good sighting. Miraculously, the bird perched on a power line right above us. I later learned that Point-tailed Palmcreeper is monotypic, meaning it is the only member of the genus Berlepschia (Palmcreeper). What a way to end our mini-excursion to the southwest region!
Unnamed Road in Queramiki (1.221, -70.198) eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204411358
It was after 6pm when we got back to Hotel Brasilia. Last order of business was to settle up with our industrious and dependable Tuk Tuk drivers. They met us at 4am and dropped us off after 6pm. Now that's a long day of work. Our total bill (2 drivers, 2 Tuk Tuks for 14 hours) was only 450,000 pesos ($105) 😮. One thing I could not quite figure out during my stay at Mitú was how Tuk Tuk drivers price the ride. In any case, labor cost was very inexpensive in Mitú. I suspect that was partly because everything was arranged by Edwin who is Colombian so we did not get charged "foreigner" fee. It was our last dinner of the trip, team Edwin (Edwin, Omar, Noel and I) celebrated our amazing time with great food and local beer 🍻.
Day 11 total species: 53, lifer 7 (Amazonian Elaenia, Amazonian Scrub-Flycatcher, Amazonian Trogon, Black-headed Parrot, Fiery Topaz, Pavonine Quetzal, Point-tailed Palmcreeper)
December 4, 2024expedia suuuuucks
I could not believe today was our last day in Mitú and Colombia 😭. We, again, lost 3.5 precious birding hours due to yet another domestic flight schedule change 😠. Initially we were scheduled to leave Mitú at 4pm but the flight was moved up to 12:30pm. From what I heard from others, flight change is a common occurrence for Satena Air. With much reduced birding time available to me, I was jumping for joy when Edwin told us that we were leaving at 5am instead of usual 5:30am. Every minute counts! The news that we were going back to Urania got me even more excited because I knew what bird Edwin had his eyes on.
As soon as we got off the Tok Tok, we stumbled upon one of our holy grail birds 😲! Ever-so-elusive Sunbittern was foraging only a few feet away from our Tuk Tuk until we unknowingly scared it by walking towards it. Mitú really was full of surprises!!! About an hour into our hike in Urania, we spot a couple of dazzling Red-fan Parrots flew in and perched high up in the palm tree. Yep, they were the reason Edwin took us here. Oh what a sight it was! We enjoyed the company of Red-fan Parrots as well as other superb birds of Urania until it was time for us to say good-bye.
Sunbittern
Urania Community Center
Brown-chested Martin
Short-crested Flycatcher
Red-bellied Macaws
Red-fan Parrot
Kawall's Amazon
Swallow Tanager
Plumbeous Kite
Versicolored Emerald
Tropical Kingbird
Urania eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204447526
I was sad thinking that we were going back to the hotel to go to the airport. My face lit up when Edwin asked the driver to stop at the outskirts of Mitú town. We walked for a few minutes to get to a tiny patch of forest by Vaupes River. Inside the forest, a drop-dead gorgeous Yellow-crowned Manakin was staring right at us at eye level. I soon found out that this was Omar's *secret* spot to get cozy with otherwise extremely tough to see Yellow-crowned Manakin.
Mitú eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204456918
As if the sky was telling us it was time to go, it started to pour. We took a refuge in someone's porch taking our final team photos...
We got back to the hotel at 10am and just needed to take care of the bills before leaving for the airport (which was less than 5 minutes away by Tok Tok). Today was our last day so I had to make sure that we had just the right amount of cash in local currency. Luckily the hotel stay was already prepaid through Expedia so I just needed to pay for the food. At checkout, the hotel owner, Monica, told us that we hadn't paid for the rooms. I, of course, told Monica that I had paid and showed her the receipt. Monica said that she never had any business with Expedia. Edwin had done business with this hotel for years so he was absolutely certain that she was telling the truth and I too believed her. The hotel didn't take credit so we had to take a Tok Tok to the nearest ATM and withdraw cash. Since the maximum amount per transaction for the ATM was 300,000 pesos ($70), we had to make several transactions and pay a fee of about $5 per transaction. By the time we got to the airport, I was absolutely exhausted and fuming! I contacted the Expedia while waiting at the airport and requested a refund. Thank heavens, we got a jet-engine plane this time back to Bogotá.
We arrived at Bogotá just after 2pm. We took a cab to the nearest shopping mall to have lunch and buy souvenirs. The shopping mall in Bogotá had the same look and similar stores (Abercrombie & Fitch, H & M etc) as any shopping malls in the U.S. It was almost unreal how different 2 places (Bogotá vs Mitú) were even though they exist in the same country, only an hour away by plane. We got back to the airport by 6pm and tearfully said good-bye to Edwin as he was catching a plane back to his home in Medelin. Our plane was leaving at midnight so we still had many hours to kill. We passed the time looking at bird lists and photographs and before we knew it, it was time to board the plane.
Day 12 total species: 33, lifer 4 (Brown-chested Martin, Green-tailed Goldenthroat, Red-fan Parrot, Sunbittern)
December 5, 2024detained at airport!!!???
It was after midnight when we were called to board the plane. I gave my boarding pass to get on the plane and the agent signaled me to step aside and wait. I figured it was some quick security check so I told Noel to go ahead and board the plane. Total of 6 passengers (4 males, 2 females) were set aside and an airport security agent rounded us up and gave some instructions to all of us in Spanish. I asked her 'English por favor' and was told 'No'. Well, if I didn't understand a word she was saying, how could I proceed!? Fortunately, one very kind Colombian from the group told me that he could translate for me. This security check must have taken at least 5 minutes for each passenger. They put some chemical on our hands, questioned us and checked our belongings thoroughly. I was told to wait at the end of the line. By the time my turn came around, it was almost 10 minutes to departure. Thank god for the kind stranger, he stayed with me to translate and assured me that the plane won't leave without us. I was so relieved when I was finally given an OK to board the plane. One thing that struck me was that the security check didn't exactly feel random: I was the only Asian female and another lady was the only Muslim female (she was wearing the hijab) out of easily over 100 passengers. Could have been ethnic-profiling but I guess I would never find out.
We got back to cold and wet New York. I found my life-saver and we all took the air train together. Not only was he nice (well I already knew that 😉) but also had very interesting life stories. He was visiting his brother living in Albany and was starting a venture capital business in the US. The most interesting tidbit was that his wife was an Olympic squash player (ranked as high as 16th in the world). How many people you met whose spouse was an Olympian, ha? I could not thank him enough for helping me out and wished all the luck. We exchanged information and told him to contact us if he ever needs anything.
Colombia birding again well exceeded my expectations. It was absolutely spectacular and none of it was possible without Edwin. Huge thank you to you, Edwin 🙏!!! I've met so many amazing people and visited fascinating places. Already looking forward to our *5th* time!!!
Colombia eBird Trip Report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/293612
Total species: 258, lifer: 77
Updateexpedia saga
Just wanted to update you with this never ending Expedia fiasco. I had spoken to Expedia rep 4 times since I had left Mitú, each time with different outcome. I had been asked numerous times to email them a receipt from the hotel which I did every time. First rep said that he would issue a refund once they get in touch with the hotel and confirm my payment. Second one said that they could not reach the hotel and they just have to keep trying. The third one (the worst) said that they had been trying but couldn't reach the hotel so I should just dispute it with my credit company (remind you my payment was made over 6 months ago so that probably wasn't realistic). I told her to call the owner, Monica, listed on my receipt. She said Expedia is allowed only to use the phone number they have on file. Well, it's clear that the phone number is not in service since they had been trying for weeks with no answer 😡. So how does one get a refund if Expedia can only use a phone number no longer in service to confirm the payment!!!??? I was pulling my hair in agony and the 4th time after speaking with another idiot representative, I insisted to speak with a supervisor. The rep told me that a supervisor will tell me the same thing; no refund until Expedia reaches the hotel using the non-existent number! I politely told her that I still need to speak with the supervisor. Once I was transferred to the supervisor, the issue was resolved in 5 minutes and I was issued a refund on the spot. I just could not understand the stupidity of all the phone reps I had spoken with. Well, one thing I had learned was not to use online booking service for a hotel in remote areas in foreign country.
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