2 Day Minca Tour with Bird Watching

I did the sunrise bird watching tour with Gustavo, and it was perfect!! Gustavo was incredibly educated, knowledgeable and passionate, which rubbed off on all of us. He knew all the best spots to watch from, could distinguish between each bird sound (even the really far away ones) and took us to the most beautiful observatory. 100% worth every penny - especially for the Toucans! Thank you Gustavo!!!

My wife and I signed up for the Sierra Nevada Plan, a Minca tour one day, a night at the ecolodge, then a bird-watching tour the next morning. The communication with Jungle Joe's was spectacular on Whatsapp. Or questions and booking had fast, thorough answers. We can't say enough about how knowledgeable and personable our tour guide was. Tony switched between Spanish and English on every presentation, and had a great enthusiasm for every topic. I added at least ten birds to my "lifer" list. The lodge is creative, clean, and the meals were very good. The balconies and common areas have awe-inspiring views of the mountains and Santa Marta. Transportation by motorcycle is available if anyone cannot walk the trail to the lodge, but being reasonably fit will add greatly to your experience. The trail is beautiful and worth the extra time to walk up through the jungle.

There had apparently been a communication problem but our driver arrived on time and the tour guide just accepted that we belonged and we checked in to our room without question. Our guide Tony was knowledgeable and we learned so much from him about coffee culture and cacao growing. He switched back and forth between Spanish and English fluidly. The birding portion was informative, Tony is an ornithologist but really it would be enough just to see all the beautiful birds. It is a bit of a hike back to Jungle Joes but the view is worth the walk and the food was good. The people we met were very friendly and such a diverse crew. Jungle Joe was a pleasure to visit with as was the rest of the staff.

In late November 2024, we participated on two 3-hour birding tours around Minca (on two different days), and on a third day we participated on the organic coffee farm tour. All tours were led by Tony Martín, an excellent ornithologist who shared his expertise & passion for birdwatching and the natural world. The tour of the organic coffee farm was fantastic, and we were able & happy to purchase coffee beans and soap from the small cooperative.

Great trip. Great guides and Joe is wonderful. Learned about coffee and chocolate but mostly saw amazing birds!!

I was able to store my luggage at their office, after my hotel I checked out from decided they didn't want to let me store it there even though I got a confirmation before booking. They bailed me out of that situation. The tour was great. Not too difficult hike to the waterfall. I spent the night at Jungle Joe's. The views there was spectacular. But I didn't know what to expect and I didn't bring any warm clothing. The beds were on an open floor and during the night, it was chilly with the rainfall. No blankets, so be prepared to dress warm to sleep comfortably. The birdwatching tour the next morning was good. Although the birds weren't too active that day, it was still enjoyable. We saw quite a few varieties at a view point cafe up the hill. Overall, it was an enjoyable tour. Definitely recommend spending the night at the lodge.

We went on the 6-9 am birdwatching tour (not the 2-day tour). It was amazing!! The ornithologist, Tony Martin, was fantastic, a true expert, engaging and just the perfect guide. We saw so many incredible birds!!

The tour with the two guides was awesome !! I forgot their names but I would like to give them a huge shout out, they were amazing. The jungle Joe part was bof. The site was really nice but the humidity in there didn’t let me sleep much. There was also no food on site to buy for supper so that was a minus

I booked the 2 day Minca tour with Bird watching through Viator but somehow no-one seemed to know this. The first day we were picked up with another couple in Santa Marta and dropped at the Jungle Joe office in Minca. We joined 4 other people who had only booked the first part of the trip. It was suggested that we leave our overnight backpacks in the office as we were walking past the office again prior to going to the lodge where we were overnighting. We hiked to where the coffee talk was and then to the waterfall where we were able to get wet and enjoy the area - wear your bathing suits! Then we hiked back through town. When I asked about picking up our bags I was told that we would end up back at the office so to leave them. Off we hiked to Jungle Joe's eco-lodge for a very informative, interesting and fun talk on Colombian wildlife, bamboo usage and chocolate making, and a we were served a delicious lunch. As our guide was preparing to leave I asked again about our bags and he asked where we were staying, I said again that we were staying at Jungle Joe's. After speaking to someone at the lodge, a motorcycle was dispatched to pick up our bags, which we had to pay for. The employee asked how I had booked the trip and I said on Viator. We were asked to wait which we happily did on one of the amazing hammocks suspended over the hillside, overlooking the beautiful valley. Eventually, when our bags arrived and the cyclist was paid we were shown to our breathtakingly beautiful room. I inquired about dinner, and was met with a confused look. I said that my booking said that lunch, dinner and breakfast were included. We were then told to come to kitchen area at 6:30 pm. We enjoyed the beautiful views and the swing in our room until supper time. When we arrived in the eating area, we were once again met with confusion and asked if we had booked the "Sierra Nevada plan". I repeated again that we booked the 2 tour through Viator and that it said that dinner was included. Again we were directed to the hammocks where we contentedly waited until our take-out food arrived. It was delicious and after I washed up our dishes, I asked about breakfast and was told it would be served after our bird watching outing in the morning. Thank goodness I asked the guide before he left what time the bird watching started and where we should go, because no information could be found on the booking. We confirmed that we should be at the office in town by 6 a.m. Just as a heads up, if you are someone who uses the bathroom at night, as gorgeous as our room was this would not be for you as you have to go down a steep staircase to get to the bathroom. We met Gustavo at the office when we arrived with another couple from the lodge for our bird watching. He is a birder with decades of experience and a heap of enthusiasm and energy! We saw many migratory and native birds, including some toucans which are notoriously shy and had an incredible morning. We walked up to a woman's home who cares for injured birds and there we were served coffee, hot chocolate and bananas. It was incredible. We sat quietly and just observed and were definitely rewarded for our patience. Whether you are a casual or hard core birder, I highly recommend this morning! We had a delicious breakfast of muesli and fresh fruit with coffee or hot chocolate and Jungle Joe''s with the couple we went birding with. They had booked their stay and the birding trip separately. They asked and were told that checkout was at noon. I went to check where our transportation back to Santa Marta would pick us up and at what time and was shocked to be told "they are waiting for you know at the office; you have to leave now". It was not even 10 a.m. We scuttled back to our room and packed all our stuff quickly but I was annoyed. I had paid for a night at the lodge, why was I being rushed out 2 hours before check out? We brought our items to the reception and I went to hunt down the staff and asked them why there was such a rush to leave and asked why it wasn't clarified in the booking what the timing of any departures were. In the end, I negotiated an 11:15 departure (it takes 15 minutes to get to the office in town from the lodge) and we went to laze on the hammock again. In town, we popped into a cab and were dropped at the hotel. To be clear, I would do this entire 2 days again. It was extremely enjoyable and the Lodge is GORGEOUS but given that no-one seemed to know our booking existed and we were treated like we shouldn't be there, I can't recommend booking through Viator. Book through Jungle Joe directly I guess, and be clear that you would like a meal plan.

+3

Excelent service , magical place un the paradise very good plan always taking care of its guests managing the protocols the best and most complete place in Minca