Birding in Minca

Colombia has 1,934 bird species. After finding out the area around Santa Marta was one of the best birding spots in the world, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a birding detour on our way to Tayrona National Park. 

A preliminary internet search of birding in the area will suggest that the best place to visit is El Dorado Bird Reserve, which is a 2.5 hour drive from Santa Marta. You can only visit the reserve if you have a reservation to stay at the lodge. A room at El Dorado will set you back approximately $300 USD per night for 2 people and includes meals. However, you have to pay extra for tours and even more for an English-speaking guide. One-way transport to the lodge is $80 USD.

After contemplating the pros and cons of eventually returning to Australia in a cargo ship so that we could afford a one-day birding experience at the El Dorado Reserve, we decided to find a more economical way to bird in the area. This is how we came across Minca. It’s a small town of only 1000 permanent inhabitants that only became readily accessible to tourists after the FARC rebels left a couple of years ago. 

On our second day we joined Jungle Joe’s 3-hour tour (6am to 9am, $10 USD). Nikkon binoculars were included. We were surprised when the first 1.5 hours constituted walking through the centre of town, looking at birds who had found a home on a balcony, roof, fruit tree etc. We had both imagined that a birding tour in Minca would involve delving deep into the surrounding jungle looking for elusive birds.

The guide explained that it’s easier to find birds in town due to the abundance of fruit, which turned out to be true. We did see macaws trying to destroy someone’s washing and a woodpecker. Hummingbirds are virtually everywhere in Minca. 

The second part of the tour involved moving to the periphery of the town. Here we saw the Keel-billed Toucan and Collared Araçari from the side of the road. Other tour groups appeared to be conforming to a similar itinerary, but in reverse order. We decided not to book any more birding tours as we suspected they would be pretty similar.

The following morning we visited Pozo Azúl waterfall, which is a 45min self-guided walk out of town. On the way we managed to see monkeys, squirrels and many birds including mockingbirds, weavers, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, a jacamar and other species that we were unable to identify at the time. 

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Birding tours can easily be organised when you reach Minca, for the following day. There were 16 people on our birding tour. Of course, it’s possible to walk around the outskirts of town by yourself looking for birds, although there’s only a couple of roads in and out of Minca. Birding is best in wide open spaces where you are level with the trees, so it can be difficult to bird watch from the road. We didn’t attempt walking around by ourselves as we weren’t sure if it was safe. It’s also worth noting that the internet signal drops out fairly rapidly once you’re out of town. 

Minca is an interesting town that reminded us of Ubud in Bali. It offers alternative pastimes such as Kambo Frog Medicine and breathing classes, for those who are so inclined. We are not extreme birders by any means, so Minca was a pleasant and sufficient experience for us. However, if you’re a serious birder who has come to Colombia specifically to bird with your birding checklist, you should consider visiting a dedicated birding reserve such as El Dorado, which has excellent reviews on TripAdvisor. 

How to get to Minca?

We paid 80,000 COP to reach Minca from Santa Marta Airport by taxi. The cost from Santa Marta should be around 40,000 COP ($18 USD). If you’re on a strict budget you can catch a collectivo from Santa Marta on the corner of Calle 11 and Carrera 11, outside the markets, for 8,000 COP per person. Collectivos leave every 30 minutes or so.