el dorado bird reserve

We did a second 4 night stay at El Dorado. We loved our room - had a balcony this time - great view of forest down to the ocean in the distance. Enjoyed sitting out there at sunset - even if it did start to get a little cool. We had arranged fairly expensive 4x4 transport up there from Minca, either through El Dorado or Hotel Minca - have forgotten which. Lodge management was in transition so we understand at the time. The woman managing the lodge when we were there was in her final days. It was a lot for her to take care of once the lodge became full. Too much for one person. Nevertheless things were fine for us. We're independent and didn't require much. We walked long distances each day on the reserve paths or up the rocky road to the mountain top. Great weather, beautiful views, great walks.Saw many fewer birds this time, probably because we didn't hire a guide. Really enjoyed the food this time too - great soups and other fresh food prepared simply. This is definitely the nicest of the ProAves reserves.

Had a good 3-day stay at El Dorado in February. The lodge has a great setting with wonderful views of Santa Marta and the ocean and the many feeders attract scores of fabulous hummingbirds. The lodge staff prepares excellent meals with fresh ingredients and the sincere and helpful manager there, Jose, went out of his way to repay us for difficulties that were not his fault, no electricity for 20 hours one day, and our room not being ready when we arrived. I would give it a 5 star rating except the walls of the rooms (which are separate from the lodge) are paper thin and one can hear everything that is going on in the next room. Luckily all of us were birders so it was early to bed and early to rise for everyone. Our guide, Lorenzo Mora, was independently hired and we really enjoyed him. He knew where to find the birds but was also an interesting person and very pleasant to spend 3 days with. Yes, the road to El Dorado is terrible but it is not frightening, just rough and bumpy.

This is so worth the adventure and 1.5 hour motorbike ride to the top! When we booked a room at the bird reserve we thought we'd be able to hire a 4x4 from Minca. Unless you are with a group tour or pre-arrange this with El Dorado, motorbikes it is! The 'road' is rather dodgy and bumpy and washed out in parts--and, the motorbike drivers didn't have extra helmets. For $80,000 pesos (one way for two) they put our packs on the front of their bikes and took us. Coming down you have to wear your pack, so, that was an unexpected adventure and made for some tight quad muscles!The accommodations are stunning--you wake up in the clouds! The hummingbird feeders are so alive and buzzing--you'll see 50 hummers at a time. Amazing.We walked the trail out to the mirador (lookout) and didn't need a guide. Lots of wattled guans en route.The lodge itself has several Colombian bird books on hand, beer for purchase and Blue Cerulean Warbler Coffee for sale. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate are available all day long.The hotel is so private--you really don't see anyone until dinner...and then the chatter begins about how many bird species were seen before breakfast!Dinner was a real letdown. A cold lump of mashed potatoes, limp broccoli and a flat, lukewarm slice of fish cake. Breakfast was also cold--eggs and white toast. That was the only disappointment, but, we didn't come for fine dining--it was the birds and view. At night you can see Bocagrande and all of Cartagena lit up. You'll pass by coffee pickers en route. It's a really unique opportunity to be in the clouds with so many brilliant birds at all angles. The activity around the feeders alone is a marvel.Take some snacks with you and you'll be fine. And at night, check out the moth show on the windows of the main building. Come morning all the birds will be picking them off the windows.If you are travelling without a guide or group, none of the staff speak English!For $160 US, it's a unique sleep and bird nirvana. Go. And book a room with a balcony so you can watch the canopy action!

El Dorado is heavenly, you are literally in the clouds. The numerous species of hummingbirds is absolutely amazing. The accommodations are fantastic, food excellent. The ride up is an adventure but don't let that discourage you from the trip. It's an experience of a lifetime. Our guide was Loreno Battista and we are still in touch to this day. Your food is included if you book through Eco Tours based in Bogota.If you love photography and birding this is the place to be. Our visit was too short I would definitely recommend minimal five days.

This is the flagship reserve of ProAves. It is on a very rough road and requires 4x4 to get there. Staff is very friendly, food was good and ample. There is a bar with cold beer soft drinks along with a limited assortment of rum etc. Hummingbird feeders are all over and well utilized. On our last morning there we just hung around the gardens and spotted endemic 6 species of birds in about 2 hours. Not bad for just chilling out. The road to the top where the Santa Marta parakeet is, is really bad. Took us an hour and 30 minutes to go 4.7 miles from the main building to the spot where we parked for the birds.

wonderful place to see so many different and colourful birds in natural enviroment. creatures we take for granted but wow when you witness this place, changes your outlook.

A good place to be and to stay. Nice climate beautiful birds. This is worth a visit especially for bird and nature lovers

Nice comfortable rooms and beds in a very quiet setting. Lots of good birding on the grounds as well as the road up to Cerro Kennedy. The food is excellent as well and well-prepared by the caring staff.

Our stay at El Dorado was not long enough. The accommodations were excellent with a fantastic view from the Balcony of our room. We took an all inclusive with meals provided, guide for birdwatching and a vehicle for transportation. The birds are breath taking and our guide Lorenzo was fantastic. Gus is also a guide and equally qualified, both were so enthusiastic and helpful in helping identify the birds, Room was clean and so comfortable, meals were great and flexible to our schedules. I will return to El Dorado in the future for a longer stay. Be prepared for a slow bumpy ride up to El Dorado from Minca but it is totally worth every penny. Thanks to all for making our stay so wonderful. You should plan on at least two days. Mainly for people interested in birds or birdwatching and photography.

Fantastic ecolodge and conservation reserve! ProAves has done an amazing job balancing the conservation of endangered species, protection of sacred sites for indigenous peoples (check out the "lake" that is sacred to the Kogi Indians as the source of all the "seed" of the world!) and the comfort of visitors. This reserve is a photographer's dream - snow-capped mountain view on one side of the reserve with stunning sunsets and a fantastic view of the beach resort of Santa Marta far below from your balcony. The birding is a little tough without a guide, but richly rewarding with one. Food is excellent and the rooms are beautiful in pine with private bathrooms. The rooms could use some insulation as it gets very cool at night.

Located in the midst of a lush sub-tropical rain forest in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the El Dorado Reserve offers a unique experience: bird watching (quetzals, toucans, condors, among other species), hiking and beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. The personnel is highly trained and the installations charming. Congratulations to Pro Aves, a Colombian bird conservation society, for preserving such a spectacular environment. La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is among the most beautiful natural attractions of Colombia.

Although this reserve is a haul to get to, it is a lovely, well run facility. The rooms are clean, very comfortable and have hot water! - the food is very good and the people running the facility really nice! We were there when it was not migratory season, but we still saw many endemic birds of the area, including the Santa Marta Screech Owl, the Emerald Green Toucanet, and the little Santa Marta Woodstar hummingbird. The gardens around the main building are filled with hundreds of humming birds and they are mesmerizing! You must have a 4x4 vehicle to get up the road to the lodge, but the trip is beautiful! By the way they also have Wifi in the main building.You can book on your own via email, the rates and more info. are available at the website: http://www.ecoturs.org/?lang=en&page=howtobook It took a bit of poking around the web to find the info we needed. This site is nearer Cartagena than some, and we were based in Cartagena. I imagine the birding is even better during migration time, and it is a good conservancy to support!

I stayed at this ProAves lodge for 5 nights in January and didn't want to leave! It was the finale to my superb independent birdwatching trip to Colombia. The accommodation is excellent, fabulous food and views and loads of birds. Santa Marta Screech Owl had a day roost one metre from my balcony. Sam and Lizzy showed me the Night Monkeys yet to be described and took me on a night walk to look at small frogs and tarantulas. The trails are excellent and the morning trip to the ridge produced nearly all the endemic species. Allow plenty of time to enjoy this excellent lodge.

Im not exactly a bird watcher but this was really nice, love hummingbirds and especially in the morning during feeding time its suppose to be hundreds of them, we where there a bit after mid day and still did see alot of them and really relaxing and nice

Es un lugar fantástico con mucha variedad de aves, desde pequeñas hasta las mas grandes. Un paseo entre tenido de varias horas. Llevar agua !