Georgie’s Wanderlust

Minca is the perfect place for bird watchers. Colombia has over 1900 species of birds, the most out of any country in the world!

In Minca alone there are approximately 360 species of birds, so you’re very likely to see a few of them! There are toucans, hummingbirds, tanagers, motmots, parakeets and parrots, just to name a few.

During my time in Minca I stayed at Jungle Joe’s Eco Hostel, and Casa Loma Minca. Both are fantastic hostels tucked high up in the jungle with gorgeous views.

Jungle Joe’s Eco Hostel runs one of the best bird watching tours in town. It costs 50,000 Colombian Pesos. They leave everyday at 6am and get back to town just after 9am. Jungle Joe’s Eco Hostel is a fifteen minute walk from the town centre. The town centre is where the tour leaves from. So make sure you book in advance and arrive to their office at 6am, and not stay up at the hostel.

They provide binoculars for everyone, and a passionate biologist will lead you through the town and up into the jungle. We saw so many birds along the way, the guide has absolute hawk eyes for spotting them. I had my canon dslr with 100-400mm lens, perfect for capturing all of the birds.

There is a house at the top of the hill that the tour stops at to have a locally grown coffee for 5,000 pesos. Lots of birds are in this area and make for a great stop.

I have been using the Merlin ID app for a while now and it is the best I have found for identifying birds by song and photo! My guide for the bird watching tour in Minca also uses Merlin, and I have in Canada, Peru and Ecuador also.

Thanks for reading and I hope you get the chance to see all of the birds in Minca! It is a really special place tucked in from the Caribbean coast of Colombia. If you liked this post you might be interested to read about my time in the Tatacoa Desert in central Colombia!