Colombia holds more recorded bird species than any other country on Earth — a consequence of its position straddling the Andes, Amazon, & Caribbean lowlands within one nation. This extended trip is built to make the most of that diversity, with a particular focus on hummingbirds.
For the current trip list, see our Colombia wildlife photography holidays; you can also explore more South America wildlife photography trips.
Booted Racket-tail, Long-tailed Sylph, & Sparkling Violetear are among the headline hummingbird species, photographed at feeders & flowering shrubs across several distinct Andean regions. David Miles guides the trip, drawing on years of working Colombia’s varied birding circuits.
What makes it work is the sheer range of elevation & habitat covered across sixteen nights — cloud forest, páramo, & mid-elevation valleys each hold their own distinct hummingbird community, & moving between them is what makes such a long species list realistic.
Our Colombia Photography Holiday
We run one small-group trip to Colombia, guided by David Miles:
6th – 23rd Sep 2027 — Ultimate Birds of Colombia
16 nights | from £9,999 | Medium — Balanced Days with Moderate Activity
An extended itinerary moving through several distinct Andean regions, built around a genuinely long hummingbird species list including Booted Racket-tail, Long-tailed Sylph, & Sparkling Violetear, alongside toucans, tanagers, & antpittas.
More info on Ultimate Birds of Colombia
Want to know more before booking? Get in touch & we’ll talk you through the regions covered, the accommodation, & what sixteen nights of dedicated birding actually involves.
What You’ll Photograph in Colombia
Hummingbirds of the Andes
Over one hundred & sixty hummingbird species have been recorded in Colombia alone, more than any other country, & this trip’s varied elevation range is built specifically to sample as much of that variety as realistically possible in one visit.
Colombia’s hummingbird diversity is genuinely exceptional, & this trip is built around three standout species: Booted Racket-tail, with its distinctive racket-shaped tail feathers, Long-tailed Sylph, trailing an iridescent tail far longer than its body, & Sparkling Violetear, common but genuinely stunning in good light. See more in our Hummingbirds photo archive.
Feeder setups at several lodges bring dozens of hummingbirds into range simultaneously, giving genuinely rapid-fire photography opportunities that reward fast reflexes & a good grasp of flash technique.
Toucans, Tanagers & Antpittas
A single feeder set-up can attract a dozen different tanager species over the course of a morning, each a different, often startlingly bright combination of colour.
Beyond hummingbirds, the trip’s varied elevation range brings a huge supporting cast into view, from mountain toucans working the cloud forest canopy to a rainbow of tanager species & the notoriously secretive antpittas, several of which have become remarkably approachable at a handful of specialist feeding stations.
Antpittas in particular are a genuine highlight for experienced birders, given how difficult the family is to see well almost anywhere else in their range.
A Country Built on Bird Diversity
Few countries anywhere let you photograph high-Andean páramo specialists in the morning & lowland tropical species the very same afternoon, & that compressed variety is central to what makes this itinerary genuinely unique.
Colombia’s position at the meeting point of the Andes, Amazon basin, & Caribbean coast gives it a genuinely unmatched range of habitats within a single country, & the birding infrastructure built up over the last two decades has made much of that diversity newly accessible to visiting photographers.
Moving between the cloud forest, páramo grassland, & mid-elevation valleys across the trip gives a real sense of just how much changes species-wise over a relatively short distance.
Why Sixteen Nights Rather Than a Shorter Trip
Trying to compress this many distinct habitats into a shorter window would inevitably mean cutting one or more regions from the itinerary entirely, sacrificing exactly the variety that makes Colombia stand out from other bird photography destinations.
Colombia’s bird diversity is spread across genuinely distinct regions, each requiring its own travel time & each holding species found nowhere else in the country. A shorter trip would mean picking one or two regions & missing the rest, whereas this extended itinerary is built specifically to cover several distinct hummingbird & birding hotspots in sequence.
The extended timeframe also allows realistic time at each specialist feeding station, since several of the antpitta & rarer hummingbird species require patience & repeat visits rather than a single attempt.
When to Visit Colombia
Timing matters considerably given just how many separate regions this itinerary covers.
Our current departure runs in September, during a relatively dry window across much of the Andean region that keeps trails accessible & feeder activity consistent across the trip’s various stops.
Planning Your Trip to Colombia
A telephoto lens in the 300mm to 500mm range covers most subjects well, though a shorter lens with good close-focus capability is genuinely useful for hummingbird feeder photography at close range. A flash setup, if you’re comfortable using one, considerably improves hummingbird images given how fast their wings move.
Elevation changes throughout the trip mean packing for both cool cloud forest mornings & warmer valley afternoons, so layered clothing works better than a single set of gear. Rain gear is worth having on hand regardless of season, given how quickly weather can change in mountainous terrain.
Bogotá is the usual arrival point, with internal flights & road transfers connecting the various regions visited across the sixteen-night itinerary.
Working with Local Reserve Networks
Much of Colombia’s recent birding renaissance has been driven by local landowners & communities converting former farmland into private bird reserves, often centred on a single antpitta or hummingbird feeding station built up over years of habituation work. David works directly with several of these reserves, many of which are only accessible through established local relationships.
Visiting these reserves as a photographer directly supports the communities responsible for protecting habitat that would otherwise be at genuine risk of further clearance.
A Trip for Serious Bird Photographers
Given the length & the pace of moving between regions, this trip suits photographers who are specifically drawn to building a long, varied species list rather than those looking for a single-subject trip. David paces the itinerary to balance travel days with genuinely productive time at each stop.
A Trip That Suits Every Experience Level
Feeder-based hummingbird photography is genuinely accessible even to photographers newer to bird photography, while the antpitta stations & wider birding circuit reward those with more experience & a longer wish list. David tailors pacing & target species discussions to whoever is in the group.
What to Pack Beyond the Camera Bag
A dedicated flash & diffuser, if you already use one, is worth bringing given how much of the hummingbird photography benefits from fill light to freeze wing motion. A rain cover for the camera is essential given the trip’s cloud forest stops, where showers can arrive with little warning.
Comfortable, broken-in walking shoes suited to variable terrain matter more than technical hiking boots, since most days combine short walks with considerable time settled at a feeder or antpitta station.
Join Us in Colombia
A record-breaking species list, extraordinary hummingbird diversity, & a genuine conservation story behind every reserve visited — few destinations anywhere reward a serious bird photographer quite like this one.
Few countries anywhere in the world offer this concentration of bird diversity within a single accessible itinerary.
David’s years of experience across Colombia’s varied birding circuits is what turns an ambitious sixteen-night trip into a genuinely productive one.
Get in touch if you’d like to know more, or head straight to the Colombia destination page to see current availability.
Plan your Colombia photography holiday
Explore our Colombia wildlife photography holidays, compare more South America wildlife photography trips, & meet the NaturesLens photography guides who lead our small-group trips.
