Explore two of Colombia’s finest wildlife destinations on this dedicated wildlife tour. Travelling during the dry season in a small group, we go in search of jaguars and some of South America’s most enigmatic other mammals, birds and reptiles.
This exciting 2-base tour is the perfect introduction to the Los Llanos, one of South America’s greatest yet least visited wildlife hotspots. This tour goes in search of the many fantastic mammals, birds and reptiles of this region, with a particular focus on looking for jaguars.
Vast swathes of tropical grasslands, a labyrinth of rivers bordered by gallery forests, and seasonal pools make up the Llanos, attracting an exuberant mix of wildlife. With only a handful of lodges, the wildlife experience is refreshingly quiet and intimate.
Our tour begins at a small wildlife reserve and lodge situated just outside Villavicencio, a transitional habitat where the vast plains of the Llanos meet with the northernmost extent of the mighty Andes. This region’s tropical grasslands support many giant anteaters that we hope to enjoy fabulous encounters with. In patches of forest, there are three species of monkey we hope to find, and ponds where hoatzins, scarlet ibis and roseate spoonbill can be enjoyed.
Travelling deeper into the interior of Llanos, we then enjoy a 6-night stay at a charming family-run lodge and ranch. Our base at the Hato La Aurora Ranch provides a typical Llanos experience, where we have a huge swathe of land to explore on daily safari drives, wildlife walks and boat trips. We have five full days to enjoy the wildlife of this region, giving us an excellent opportunity to find some of the more elusive mammals.
With the experience and knowledge of our local guide, we focus much of our time exploring known jaguar territories. Although wildlife can never be guaranteed, on this dedicated tour we do all we can to increase our chances of locating this spectacular big cat, and if we're lucky, our sightings are likely to be just us and the jaguar.
There's plenty more on offer here too; other sightings we hope for include southern tamandua, white-tailed deer, giant otter, scarlet macaw, wire-tailed manakin and green anaconda.
During our time here, we also venture out at night, which opens up another world of wildlife possibilities and the potential for more cat sightings.
Typical Itinerary
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Day 1:
Depart UK
Depart the UK on an overnight flight to
Bogotá.
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Day 2:
Transfer to Villavicencio
After arrival in Bogotá, we set off for the journey to Villavicencio. We break up the journey with stops and arrive at our guest house in time for lunch and a rest.
In addition to enjoying the birdlife in the gardens, in the late afternoon we visit some local wetlands where scarlet ibis, roseate spoonbill and hoatzin may be found. Just before dusk, we look for the endemic Brumback's night monkey at their day roost.
Accommodation: Rancho Camana, 2-nights
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Day 3:
Wildlife watching around Villavicencio
Today, we have our first full day to explore with a morning excursion to nearby forest reserves, where a wealth of birdlife including great potoo and lettered aracari may be observed, in addition to Colombian squirrel monkeys and ornate titi monkeys.
In the afternoon we focus our time on the open pastures looking for giant anteaters.
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Day 4:
Transfer to Hato La Aurora
This morning we can enjoy a final visit to some nearby forest where we hope to find further birdlife which may include many-banded aracari, Amazonian motmot and white-chinned jacamar. We then set off for the long journey of approximately eight hours to the Hato La Aurora, making birding stops along the way. We arrive in time for dinner.
Accommodation: Juan Solito Ecolodge, 6-nights
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Days 5-9
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Exploration of Hato La Aurora, searching for jaguar
Over the next five days, we explore the Hato La Aurora ranch, taking in each of its habitats - open grassland, seasonal wetlands and gallery forest - and travelling along the Ariporo River to find a wide variety of mammal and bird life.
Our primary target species is the charismatic and elusive jaguar. This majestic water-loving big cat has a special allure, being so beautifully marked, mysterious and powerful. What's special about Hato La Aurora is that through the assistance of the cat conservation organisation, Panthera; the ranch has been studying and conserving its jaguars for over 15 years. Over this time, the population has increased, and with the knowledge of a local guide, we can focus our excursions on the best areas for sightings.
Although sightings aren't as frequent or close as those in the northern Pantanal, here we can enjoy the thrill of searching for jaguars on our own, away from any crowds through a mixture of safaris, night drives, gentle walks and boat trips.
Whilst we search for the big cats, we also hope to encounter an excellent range of other mammals, from the abundant capybara and white-tailed deer to the shyer southern tamandua, giant anteater, black agouti, red howler monkey and giant otter. There may also be opportunities to view the outstanding birdlife, which includes plentiful waterbirds such as horned screamers, and forest species like the wire-tailed manakin.
Other highlights include excellent opportunities to find the world’s largest snake, the green anaconda, alongside the rare Orinoco crocodile and green iguanas.
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Day 10:
Transfer to Yopal, fly to Bogota and the UK
Depending on the flight schedule, we may have time this morning for a final wildlife walk close to the lodge. After breakfast, we set off for our 4-hour transfer to Yopal Airport with a packed lunch. We then take a domestic flight from Yopal to Bogota, where we connect with our onward flight back to the UK.
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Day 11:
Arrive UK
Please note: Depending on weather conditions, the exact itinerary may vary, ensuring that we make the most of the preferable weather for boat trips.
