Colombia's Santa Marta and Caribbean

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (or simply ‘Santa Marta Mountains’) are the highest coastal mountains in the world. Isolated from the Andes, these highlands in Northern Colombia also have an unusually high number of endemic birds — nearly 30 full species and numerous more subspecies that may eventually be granted full species status. Then there are the frogs, toads, salamanders, and lizards! In short, you can expect to see a bevy of species found nowhere else in addition to a generally astonishing level of biodiversity while we explore various altitudinal zones as well as coastal wetlands and the arid scrub of the Guajira Peninsula.

We bookend the tour with visits to mangrove forests, beaches, and coastal flats between Barranquilla and Santa Marta. These wetlands are home to wading birds, gulls, terns, and a few regional specialties. In stark contrast, the arid scrub of Guajira recalls a desert with its abundant cacti. The area’s Los Flamencos Sanctuary is another waterbird hotspot, best known for its large population of namesake flamingos. The heart of the tour is spent at three primary altitudinal zones in the Santa Martas: the foothills, the mid-altitudes, and the highlands. These increasingly wet forests are where the vast majority of the aforementioned endemics live. We can expect to see many of them alongside colourful hummingbirds, trogons, warblers, and toucans. A couple range-restricted monkeys are possible here, too.

Tour Leader Josh Vandermeulen’s first venture to South America was to northern Colombia, and he has returned to this mega-diverse tropical nation many times since, both on his own and with our groups. Join us in 2026, whether it’s your first visit to Colombia or if you’d like to see an entirely new region on a return visit.