When thinking of the Amazon, Colombia probably isn’t the first country that comes to mind, unlike Brazil, Peru or Ecuador…but that can be a good thing. Colombia’s portion of the great basin – largely unexplored until the mid-20th century – was protected by the simple fact of its unnavigable rivers that crisscrossed its heart. Largely saved from the rubber boom by this unique characteristic, the Amazon ecoregion of Colombia, which takes up an entire third of the country’s territory, is in largely excellent condition and, consequently, is excellent for birding. Ecosystems here are myriad of terra firme, flooded várzea and abundant white-sand forest, an indicator of the Guiana Shield’s presence via the Araracuara formation, which dates back 1.8 billion years at its most ancient points.

This mixture of ecosystems, and relative easy access from major cities such as Bogota, means that birding in Colombia’s Amazon can be a very richly rewarded experience. Parrots, countless antbirds, cotingas, raptors, manakins, and tanagers all make up what can be a quite fantastic bird list from just one or two sites, such as Mitu – renowned for its variety of habitats; Inirida – known for its sandstone domes and species that only exist in this borderline Orinoco/Amazon juncture, and San Jose del Guaviare which offers excellent terra firme birding and has the advantage of the Serrania de La Lindosa, an Araracuara/Guiana Shield range which is home to all the birds that are associated with the shield. Five days to a week is normally sufficient for a successful birding experience. Leticia, Mocagua and Puerto Nariño cannot be forgotten, on the banks of the Amazon itself and an exciting Amazon experience – riparian species and hungry raptors abound near the famed PNN Amacayacu, which showcases the Colombian Amazon at its best.

The Pacific coast of Colombia – a 1,000 mile playground for pregnant humpbacks and their eventual offspring and a land of impassable wet forest that is a haven for life in general. The forested lowland plains of this relatively narrow strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and the mountains of the Western Andes runs from the equally impressive and humid jungles of the Darien, down to the northwest coast of Ecuador. This forest is hugely diverse.

Amphibians thrive here as do every other type of animal and insect, especially birds. It is one of the wettest places on earth and it rains an average of 250 to 300 days of the year. This is true ‘wet’ or ‘rainforest’ according to Holdridge as there is a thin belt of land, where the Western Andes begin to rise that records over 8,000mm (8m) of rain a year – astonishing. The Pacific is home to two Colombia endemics as most species are shared with Ecuador.

The vast majority of the Pacific Chocó is in very good to pristine state of conservation and settlements are small. As a result of a scarce population, infrastructure is generally poor and most birding takes place along the coast in beachside lodges, shrouded in jungle but with a sea view. Species here abound in the canopy, a mixture of honeycreepers, parrots and toucans, docile puffbirds and many, many more. Most are range restricted and, if clients haven’t birded in Ecuador, much of what is seen on tour will be new. Three to four days in the Pacific will cover most of this zone’s birding highlights.