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