Colombia (final episode). Down from the mountains

Sunrise in the Sierra Nevada

It is not without reason that the Sierra Nevada mountains south of Santa Marta are a popular destination among serious bird watchers. They are home to more than 20 endemic species, birds that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. We have no endemics in the Netherlands. The closest thing to a true endemic is the ‘double-laced Barnevelder’ a rather famous laying-hen, but I don’t see many birding trips heading that way. In Colombia that is a different matter altogether and especially in Santa Marta they were quick to pick up on the fact that birding is big business. They have devised a simple and effective system to put their region in the spotlight. The local tourist office randomly chose 20 birds, added ‘Santa Marta’ to their names and that was it. We fall for it, too and at sunrise we are frantically searching for the Santa Marta wren, the Santa Marta Warbler, the Santa Marta woodstar en the Santa Marta screech owl. The dense foliage only allows brief glimpses of a head or part of a tail, but whenever the guide enthusiastically shouts “Santa Marta”, we realise we are witnessing a special moment.

Santa Marta Woodstar

The last evening in paradise. We are gathered on the balcony of the lodge and gazing in awe at the pastel shades of the sunset. Another moment of magic. 

When the sun has set completely we are visited by a nocturnal forest dweller, attracted by the bananas that have been put out for him. It is a Kinkajou or honey bear, living in the rainforest from Mexico to Brazil. Well, not in Brazil for much longer, of course. There, the little bear clings desperately to the last couple of treetops that have not been discovered yet by the Bolsonaro regime. But we still get a good view.

Then it is time to leave for our final destination: Cartagena. Again a city with a Spanish colonial history, like so many towns and villages in this country. We come down from the mountains and drive west along the coast. Of course we stop again to look for shorebirds, but we are told not to wander too far from our bus. This part of Colombia is very poor and as a result it is not one of the safest places. We are offered an excellent boat trip on the Cienaga marshes, yielding quite a few species that were still missing form our list.

Brown Pelican

Magnificent Frigatebird

To make the approaching transition to the Netherlands a little easier, the travel agency has scheduled a visit to a solid traffic jam near the city of Barranquilla. We take our time to fully appreciate this. For hours we enjoy an endless row of cars against the smoky background of a vast industrial area. A delightful experience.

Cartagena turns out to be a beautiful city, especially the old part where we are staying. We take a walk along the narrow streets and on the massive city walls. Suddenly a uniformed police-officer comes our way. Hastily we reach for our passports and start explaining that we are legal tourists from ‘Olanda’ and that we have smuggled in next to nothing. However, he only wants a picture of him and us to show his family. We will miss this friendly attitude. We have thoroughly enjoyed Colombia: its multitude of birds, its stunning scenery and its beautiful people. We even enjoyed our group tour. Group tour? This was never a group tour; this was a birding trip with friends.