Enquire
Itineraries  /  Cock of the Rock Route
CO09 · Colombia · Birding

Cock of the Rock Route

Rio Claro · Montezuma · Jardin
Duration
10 Days · 9 Nights
The route
Rio Claro · Montezuma · Jardin
Style
Leks and rainforest across the western Andes
Best season
December – March · best
Image — add in editor
What you're tracking

What you'll see

Oilbird
In the reserve cave.
Antbirds
On the forest trails.
White-mantled barbet
A regional endemic.
Magdalena tapaculo
In the understorey.
Day by day

The journey, one day at a time

01Arrive Río Claro Nature Reserve

Arrive Río Claro Nature Reserve

The journey begins.

Arrive in Río Claro Nature Reserve, met and transferred to your accommodation. Río Claro's clear river over white marble, ringed by rainforest, is one of Colombia's loveliest reserves.

02Río Claro Nature Reserve

Río Claro Nature Reserve

A full day in the field.

Trails for antbirds and tanagers, then the marble river. Rainforest birding and the oilbird cave.

03Río Claro Nature Reserve → Montezuma (Tatamá NP)

To Montezuma (Tatamá NP)

On to the next.

Transfer to Montezuma (Tatamá NP). Bird the Montezuma road through the Chocó cloud forest. Tanager flocks and endemics along the slope.

04Montezuma (Tatamá NP)

Montezuma (Tatamá NP)

A full day in the field.

Tanager flocks and endemics along the slope. A full day of cloud-forest birding and photography. Montezuma's climb through the Chocó cloud forest is one of the most bird-rich routes anywhere on earth.

05Montezuma (Tatamá NP)

Montezuma (Tatamá NP)

A full day in the field.

A full day of cloud-forest birding and photography. Hummingbirds and Chocó specialities on the road.

06Montezuma (Tatamá NP) → Jardín

To Jardín

On to the next.

Transfer to Jardín. The cock-of-the-rock lek and the tanager feeders. Andean birding around the coffee town.

07Jardín

Jardín

A full day in the field.

Andean birding around the coffee town. A full day of feeders, leks and reserves. Jardín pairs a cock-of-the-rock lek and dazzling feeders with one of the country's loveliest towns.

08Jardín

Jardín

A full day in the field.

A full day of feeders, leks and reserves. Hummingbirds and tanagers from a charming base.

09Jardín

Jardín

A full day in the field.

Hummingbirds and tanagers from a charming base.

10Depart Jardín

Departure

The journey ends.

A final morning in Jardín — a last outing or a slow start as time allows — before the transfer onward and the journey home.

When to travel

The season changes what you see.

December – March

Peak season

Drier months — the best trails and birding.

July – August

Good season

A second drier window.

Destinations

Where this journey goes

Wildlife you may see
Birds

Make it yours.

Add nights, swap a park, extend to the coast — this route is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Tell us how you travel and we'll route the rest.

Field notes, now and then.

Where to go · When to go · Wildlife in season

A few times a year, never more. Unsubscribe anytime. See our Privacy Policy.