Trip Report: Cauca Valley — A Compact Run Through the Western Andes

A compact four-day run from February 5 to 8, 2025 with a couple from the UK who had three weeks total in Colombia and wanted the Cauca Valley as a focused mid-trip module — not a leisurely tour. We delivered exactly that: dense targets, short transfers, early starts.

The route

• Km 18 & San Antonio cloud forest — half-day, easy targets.
• Anchicayá road (lower) — Chocó endemics, full day.
• Doña Dora's — lunch stop turned three-hour photography session.
• Sonso Lagoon & valley floor — wetland and dry scrub, half-day before transfer.

Headline species

• Chlorochrysa nitidissima — Multicolored Tanager at San Antonio, a pair working a Cecropia.
• Bangsia melanochlamys — Black-and-gold Tanager at Anchicayá, two birds, prolonged scope views.
• Pittasoma rufopileatum — Rufous-crowned Antpitta heard and briefly seen on the Anchicayá trail.
• Andigena laminirostris — Plate-billed Mountain Toucan at Km 18.
• Heliodoxa imperatrix — Empress Brilliant at Doña Dora's feeders.
• Tigrisoma fasciatum — Fasciated Tiger-Heron along the Anchicayá river.

A moment worth recording

The Black-and-gold Tanager sequence at Anchicayá was the kind of encounter you cannot script. Two birds came in mid-morning, worked a flowering tree at eye level for nearly 20 minutes, ignored us completely. Our guests put their cameras down for the last five minutes — which is, in the long run, the right instinct.

Practical notes

Anchicayá's lower road has been in better condition since the late-2024 maintenance work. The river crossings are passable in a standard 4×4 and we did not need to swap vehicles. Heavy rain still closes the road periodically — always build a buffer day if this site is critical to your list.

The Cauca Valley short trip pairs naturally with either the Coffee Region or Bogotá modules. If you want to extend it to a full week, the tour catalogue has both combinations laid out.