Colombia Accommodation,
Colombian Caribbean

El Dorado Eco Lodge and Reserve

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Located at 1,800 metres (6,000 feet) above sea level with sensational panoramic views, this simple but clean and comfortable lodge is a birder’s paradise. The lodge is located outside the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park but within the El Dorado Pro Aves Bird Reserve which was set up to protect the habitat of the endangered Santa Marta parakeet.

The lodge was built from locally grown pine and uses sustainable practices where possible. The main building houses the small but cosy dining room, a living area and small library, and there is also an upstairs presentation room and viewing deck. The standard ensuite rooms are a short walk away past a variety of feeders

The new Kogihabs have the best views of the Sierra Nevada and are a 10 minute walk along a forest trail from the main building and restaurant. The Kogihabs are comfortable wooden cabins with electricity, en suite bathrooms with gas heated showers that usually (but not always) have hot water. There are also desks and power outlets in each room for charging camera batteries, etc. It can get quite cold at night, so do bring warm clothes.

Facilities

Restaurant, electricity in the rooms, WiFi (patchy), a living room area, small library, upstairs presentation room and viewing deck, fruit feeders.

Local Wildlife

At the Cuchilla de San Lorenzo ridge Santa Marta endemics such as the very rare Santa Marta parakeet, skulking Santa Marta anpitta and elusive brown-rumped tapaculo amongst others can be found. A huge number of birds can also be seen in the vicinity of the garden at the lodge such as masked trogon, Santa Marta screech owl (quite difficult), groove-billed toucanet, Sierra Nevada brush finches and white-tailed sabrewing. The Central American agouti is often seen feeding at the compost heap in the garden, and at night crab-eating foxes and a kinkajou sometimes visit the bird feeders. There is a feeder in a cecropia tree viewable from the main building balcony where the locally endemic and as yet undescribed Santa Marta night monkey is sometimes spotted. Walking around at night around the lodge grounds can often reveal the endemic Savage's salamander (Bolitoglossa savage) and many tiny bromeliad frogs.

Optional Activities

A range of activities are available here including wildlife and bird watching on the various trails close to the lodge, and to the Cuchilla de San Lorenzo ridge.

John Melton

Area Specialist

If you have any questions regarding our Colombia tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965