January 13 or 14, 2025—January 21, 2026

(Note that starting date depends upon whether you are doing this as an extension of Araucana Lodge or as a stand-alone trip)

This route focuses on the coffee growing region of the western and central Andes, where more than a quarter of the country’s endemics can be found. The central Andean region is dominated by glaciated volcanoes that reach heights of over 5,000 m (16,500 ft), providing an ample gradient in terms of altitude that provide for amazing birding. The area is home to one of Colombia’s largest national parks, as well as several well-managed private reserves with convenient access from major cities. In the northern portion of the western Andes, the best birding is done at the higher elevations and on the Pacific slope, where there is still good forest cover.

On the drive from Araucana lodge (or Cali if you haven’t done the first week), we’ll visit Rio Bravo Reserve and at the Cameguadua Reserve before we begin our ascent to Manizales, our first overnight stop. We’ll spend two days visiting the Rio Blanco Reserve, which is home to more than 450 species and considered to be one of the top five birding sites on the planet.

Our next stop, Hacienda El Bosque, is a working cattle farm, whose owners have been protecting large swaths of forests for decades. We’ll spend two nights at Hotel Termales del Ruiz, at 11,000 feet, where we can relax in its mineral-rich, medicinal hot springs and enjoy scenic views of the central Andes.

We’ll have a whole day to explore Los Nevados National Park, located on the highest part of the Colombian central Andes. We will wind through patches of forest that open up to Paramo, an ecosystem of tropical grasslands above the treeline, toward the picturesque 17,400-foot volcano Nevado del Ruiz.  The scenery in Paramo is magical and surreal. The tour reaches elevations up to 13,000 feet, so it will be cold.  We’ll look for species adapted to high elevations like the endemic Buffy Helmetcrest and the near endemic Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, both of which sometimes forage on the ground.

Our last stop is the Otun-Quimbaya Reserve, a flora and fauna sanctuary located on the west slope of the Central Cordillera, and home to the Wax Palm, the tallest palm in the world and the national tree of Colombia. We’ll listen for the sounds of Howler Monkeys and the endangered, endemic Cauca Guan, once believed to be extinct until rediscovery of a population in 1990.…

Birding, Natural History, and Culture in Oaxaca, Mexico

January 18 – 28, 2026

Mark Pretti is back! For those of you who have traveled with Mark previously, he doesn’t need an introduction, but if you are new to birding with Mark, you’ll get much more than birds. 

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Mark likes to say that of all of the trips he leads, this one is his favorite. Part of that is due to location. Harboring about ten percent of Earth’s biodiversity, Mexico is one of the most biologically rich countries in the world. It begins with the birds. During our journey, we’ll search for species such as dwarf jay, red warbler, bumblebee hummingbird, mountain and citreoline trogons, white-throated magpie jay, ocellated thrasher, Oaxaca sparrow, gray-breasted woodpecker, gray-barred wren, russet-crowned motmot, and spot-breasted oriole. Mark will also introduce you to the various ecosystems we travel through on this natural adventure; tropical deciduous forest, shade-grown coffee plantations, the lush evergreen forests of the Sierra Norte and the Sierra Madre del Sur, mangroves (where we’ll enjoy a boat trip through a gorgeous estuary), beaches, and the arid scrub of the Oaxaca valley make up the varied sites we’ll visit. By the trip’s end, many of the plants in these places will be familiar to you.

Mark and his local co-leader Benito Hernandez will also introduce you to the vibrant culture of this magical place as we travel through the valley of Oaxaca, the bordering sierras, and the lovely Pacific coast. We’ll tour the Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban, visit a master weaver in Teotitlan del Valle, tour the Oaxacan Cultural Museum, and spend an unforgettable day with Seasons of My Heart Cooking School as we tour the Mercado Abastos, enjoy a superb lecture on regional farming, culture and cuisine, and savor a delicious lunch.

In addition to the natural wonders, a major trip highlight will be our unique and superb lodging situations.  All have warm hospitality and terrific views, and some have great birding right outside your front door.  Mark also likes to mention that Oaxaca has the best and most interesting food of any Latin American trip he leads.

For a checklist of trip birds, click here. To read about what birds the group actually saw on Mark’s last trip click here.

Cost: $3750.00 per person, double occupancy; single supplement $600.  …

We offered this trip for the first time last year and it was a great success—so much so that we ended up running two trips. Winter birding in Minnesota can be extremely rewarding with both amazing birds and breathtaking scenery. This six-day itinerary focuses on owls as well as a variety of other species that call the boreal forest and Lake Superior their winter home. Starting in Minneapolis, the tour will target Long-eared, Northern Saw-Whet, and Great Horned Owls, all of which occur in this area but are not found further north. From there we’ll head up to Duluth for the next four nights. The incredible Sax-Zim Bog will be our focus for the next few days; it’s home to loads of our target species, such as Great Grey and Barred Owls, Northern Hawk-Owl, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Boreal Chickadee, Ruffed Grouse, Common Redpoll, and Canada Jay. In addition to this well-known USA birding site, the tour will explore the Duluth/Superior harbor for species such as Iceland and Glaucous Gulls, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, and Long-tailed Duck. This is also the best tour location to find the coveted Snowy Owl to round out our owl targets for this trip. The bog and the lake are not the only birding destinations; we’ll  venture into Superior National Forest in search of both Black-backed and American Three-toed Woodpeckers and, with some luck, Spruce Grouse. After three full days exploring the area, we’ll pack up and leave Duluth to head back to the airport in Minneapolis. Extra birding may be possible on the final day, depending on flight times. This trip is limited to 7 people.

For a detailed trip report from last year’s trip, click here.

Price:
$2,890 per person, sharing 
Single supplement: $410

Questions? Contact GGBA Travel Coordinator Eric Schroeder at travelprogram@goldengatebirdalliance.org.

Ready to register?  Contact Eric first.  He will put you in touch with Birding Ecotours.

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