The Southwestern Andes Birding Trail of Colombia is probably the most diverse with nearly 1,400 bird species between the departments of Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño.
In this region, you have contact with the Western Andes mountain range, the Choco Region, and the Pacific ocean.
The most relevant birding hotspots of this route are the Choco Forest and the Andean Cloud forests of the western cordillera.
The diversity of this route is explained because it covers many different habitats such as paramos, wetlands, Andean cloud forests, tropical rainforest, coastal areas, dry forest and very nice bird-lodges and farms dedicated to bird photography.
The Southwestern Andes Birding Trail
The National Audubon Society of the United States was involved in the design of this route along with the government of Colombia and Calidris NGO to help the country reach its goal of becoming the world’s top birding destination.
The training of stakeholders linked to the birding offer in the region was the main activity, including local guides, owners of lodges, farms and nature reserves, and community-based tourism associations.
Among the places to be visited are included national parks, civil society nature reserves, and private reserves.
Birding Spots of The Southwestern Andes Birding Trail
You should know that in the past, this region was not a safe place. Nowadays, birding tourism and related stakeholders are becoming:
“active drivers in conservation, economic development, and peace-building”
For that reason, there are still some destinations with difficult access, and poor hotel infrastructure, especially towards the Pacific region in Valle del Cauca and Nariño.
Itinerary
The following itinerary is just an example of the route you can take. However, if you want to see more options, visit the itinerary designed by us.
Remember that you can customize your trip with us. Don’t miss the opportunity to add other activities such as whale watching; a city tour in Cali, the city of salsa music; an urban birding day also in Cali; a stop in the beautiful city of Popayan in the department of Cauca; or visit the paramos and volcanic lakes of Nariño, among many other activities, either alone or with your family.
Given the wide offer of destinations on this route, here are the main stops in each department. If you want to know more about each destination, I recommend you to visit the entries we prepared for you about them.
You can also visit our Youtube channel ColombiaFrank, where you will find first hand information about many of these destinations.
Valle del Cauca
Key Birding Sites Along the Trail
The Southwestern Andes birding trail traverses some of Colombia’s most productive cloud forests, from the Pacific slope of the Western Cordillera through the inter-Andean valleys to the highlands of Nariño and Cauca. This route passes through habitat for over 60 Chocó-endemic species alongside Andean specialties, producing species lists that challenge any birding trail on the continent.
The Upper Anchicayá sector near Cali provides accessible Pacific-slope birding with reliable encounters for Chocó Toucan, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, and multiple antpitta species at dedicated feeding stations. The San Antonio Forest at Km 18 combines excellent cloud forest birding with easy access from Colombia’s third-largest city.
Further south, the Nariño highlands around Galeras Sanctuary and the Río Ñambí Reserve harbor high-altitude endemics and Pacific-slope species at the southern extreme of their ranges. The La Planada Nature Reserve protects some of the least-disturbed cloud forest remaining in the Western Andes.
What to Expect
A thorough birding of the Southwestern Andes trail requires 7-10 days, covering elevations from 200 meters on the Pacific slope to over 3,500 meters in the highlands. Daily species counts of 80-120 are achievable with experienced guides, and trip totals of 400+ species are realistic. The trail passes through birding lodges ranging from comfortable eco-resorts to rustic forest cabins, most offering hummingbird feeders and antpitta feeding stations.
The best months are December through March and June through August when trail conditions are driest. However, birding is productive year-round, with migratory species adding diversity from October through March. Proper birding equipment and rain gear are essential regardless of season.
Sara Colmenares holds a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in Ecology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and a Master’s degree in Botany from the same institution. Her doctoral research focused on palm ecology in the Atlantic Forest, supported by the Rufford Foundation conservation grant.
A published researcher in the Brazilian Journal of Plant Physiology and a member of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC), Sara has presented her work at international conferences across Latin America and beyond. She was awarded the COLCIENCIAS “Virginia Gutiérrez de Pineda” fellowship, one of Colombia’s most competitive academic distinctions for young researchers.
Sara founded the Sula nature tourism brand in 2018, applying her scientific expertise to develop birding and wildlife experiences across Colombia’s six natural regions. Her fieldwork took her from the cloud forests of the Andes to the Amazon basin, the Pacific coast, and the plains of the Orinoquía. She combined deep ecological knowledge with firsthand experience to create content that is both scientifically accurate and practically useful for nature travelers.
She holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the National University of Colombia, where she also taught plant ecophysiology. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and English.