A Trip to Colombia

Inspiration

Dear reader, This is our dream trip for all those lovers of animals and adventures around the world.

We hope it encourages you to come visit our country, The Tingua Hidden Journeys team.

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For a nature lover, traveling to Colombia was the greatest dream. When I finally made it happen, I set aside 50 days for a magical trip, with enough time to absorb it all. Although I did not expect to arrive and see hundreds of animals pass in front of me (as they did in my dreams), together with my travel advisors we created an itinerary to visit the diversity of landscapes and ecosystems that create a megadiverse and unique country, where surely I could spot some of these animals with my binoculars.

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The first challenge of this adventure was to get used to the altitude, for which I spent a few days in Bogotรก, sharing with my advisers, learning about the contrasts of this city, from its bustling center full of history, to the connection of the city to the Eastern mountains. Hearing everyone I knew speak with such emotion about their country made me very excited.

On the fourth day, we got up early to the Chingaza Natural Park, where we would camp for one night in the company of local guides. We saw many whitetailed deer, and although my dream was to get to see the Andean bear, this time I was not so lucky.

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I returned to Bogotรก for one night and the next day I flew to the coffee city of Manizales. We would be in the area for five days, spending the night in different places every other day. First, in the mountains, where, thanks to the experience of the bird watching guides in the area, I was able to see the Buffy Helmetcrest, a hummingbird that only exists in the Colombian mountains. Afterwards, I slept next to a canyon where the majestic Andean condors occasionally passed by and I was lucky enough to get a quick sighting of these birds. Finally, I went to a coffee farm where I learned more about the Colombian coffee culture under the stealthy eye of the Andean Motmots.

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My next stop was Medellín, the second city in Colombia.

As always, I took a couple of days to get to know the city and its people, before being transported to a town called Jardín, where I was especially interested in seeing the cock-of-the-rock. Jardín surprised me, not only because of the natural places that I was able to visit, but because of its architecture, its people and its food.

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I said goodbye to that friendly town to return to MedellĂ­n and take a charter to the Colombian Pacific.

It was whale season, the time when humpback whales come to these latitudes to reproduce, one of the moments I most looked forward to on the trip. In addition to the whales making fascinating jumps, I was able to be part of the release of sea turtles, spot many frogs and, although I did not see it, share the space of the golden poison frog, a unique species of these jungles that is in danger of extinction.

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So far the trip had been magical. It had already included mountains, jungles and beaches, but I had a great obsession with visiting both oceans, because one of the things that makes Colombia such a special place is having coasts on the Pacific and the Atlantic.

I flew to Santa Marta, making a rest stop in Bogotรก, and from there I went to Tayrona National Park where I camped for a couple of days. I dreamed of seeing a Cotton-top Tamarin, but there are very few left and, although I saw many animals, I did not see this one or the American Crocodile announced by the signs that prohibited entry to certain places in the park.

From Tayrona I was transported to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, another of those geographical accidents that only exist in this country. I went up to Minca and continued to marvel at the number of birds and insects, like a large blue butterfly that I wanted to suppose, it was the endemic Morpho of these mountains.

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After a couple of days, I continued my way North, where I would meet local guides of indigenous cultures from Colombia, to visit the Los Flamencos fauna and flora sanctuary, enjoy the company of these pink giants and listen to the magnificent Vermilion Cardinal. Then I stayed in La Guajira for a few more days to learn about the Wayuu indigenous culture and share with them. When I remember the days in the desert it seems to me that it was a dream.

My journey could have ended here, and I would be satisfied. But what followed exceeded my expectations.

Given my keen interest in seeing animals, my advisers suggested that I take a “Eastern plains safari�.

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I had no idea what this was, and when I arrived at Yopal and learned that I had two more hours of travel by land, I felt exhausted and thought that perhaps it had been a mistake to include this part of the trip.

I quickly realized that this was not the case. The landscape that welcomed me was totally different from all the ones I had known so far. I was greeted by a wide plain that stretched to the horizon, and the days in the place where I was staying were passed between trips to see hundreds of mammals, such as the giant anteater and capibaras, learn about the traditions of the plains and eat some delicious preparations.

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Those days were restorative, and they gave me enough energy for two days in which I would take planes, jeeps and boats that would eventually take me to the jungles of Caquetรก, where I would meet local guides to try to see, among many species, the gigantic Harpy Eagle. Another one of my dreams was that in those days a Caquetรก Titi would sneak in, but I knew it was a difficult and increasingly rare sighting.

The deforestation of the Amazon for the planting of crops and livestock has destroyed the habitat of many species that only exist here, but as we discussed with the guide, sustainable tourism is shown as an opportunity to change the course of this story.

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What seemed like an adventure that would last forever, was nearing its end. It was time to head to my last destination. I returned to Bogotรก and took a flight to Leticia, where I would stay at an ecolodge to enjoy a rest in the jungle, in the company of manatees and sloth bears, my favorites among all the animals that I saw or heard in those magical days. under the stars in the Amazon.

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Traveling to Colombia was much more than I expected. Although my main interest was seeing animals, it was the landscapes, the food and the people that I remember most fondly.

I was transported by land, sea and air and although it was sometimes difficult to get to the places I wanted to see, what I found in each destination made it worth all the effort. I stayed in luxurious and humble places, I shared with locals in places where I was the only foreigner, and with foreigners who shared my fascination with the place where we were.

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And the most surprising thing is that even after spending the longest vacation of my life there, I dream of going back.

Discover the objects that were inspired by this itinerary on our page, https://www.hiddenjourneys.co/souvenirs

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