This taranatula was about 12-15 cm across and was walking calmly across the road. It's only the second one I've seen, the first being much larger!
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| Corinna Daggerwing (Marpesia corinna) |
Showing posts with label santander. Show all posts
Showing posts with label santander. Show all posts
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
Tarantulas etc
There are so many colourful and interesting animals in Colombia but many of them are small. Here are a few, mostly from a patch of mountain forest just east of Bucaramanga on the road to the quiet town of Tona. If anyone can help with identifications of these, I'd be very pleased.
This taranatula was about 12-15 cm across and was walking calmly across the road. It's only the second one I've seen, the first being much larger!
These velvet ants (Mutillidae) are very common in some places. They look like very large colourful ants but are wingless wasps. Apparently some species at least have very painful stings. I know they have very tough bodies.
Very large millipedes are also common. This was perhaps 15 cm long.
I have no doubt Colombia has a huge variety of dragonflies. This one posed long enough to get some reasonable shots.
Some of the grasshoppers here have fantastic patterns. These ones seem abundant in this area.
This very large bumble bee caught my eye.
Butterflies are much more common and varied than I'm used to in Britain. With few guides to help, it's hard to know what species are present.
This fat beetle? grub, about 12cm long was crawling across a path in the upper parts of Chicamocha canyon. I'm sure it'll grow into something impressive!
This taranatula was about 12-15 cm across and was walking calmly across the road. It's only the second one I've seen, the first being much larger!
Monday, 13 May 2013
Mesa de los santos
The Mesa de los Santos is a popular place to go during the weekend for people from Bucaramanga. The mesa is a flatter area at about 1500m up and it is fairly dry which gives it a pleasantly cooler climate. It only takes about an hour to get there, and the drive from the main road to Bogotá is curvy and steep but in good condition. It can get busy at times when everyone returns to the city on a bank holiday Monday, but normally it´s not too crowded.
The Mesa overlooks the Chicamocha canyon and houses one end of the cable car that crosses the canyon from Panachi, the tourist centre on the main Bogotá road. The area is fast developing as a place for holiday homes, and property prices are high, but there are still many small farms, mostly of cattle and chickens.
Tucked away just off the main road is the Hacienda el Roble (Roble means Oak Tree in Spanish). This was once a large cattle and chicken farm, but was converted in the 1970´s to coffee and now prides itself on high quality shade-grown organic speciality production. People might not think of Santander when they think of Colombian coffee - we are far from the Coffee Region - but there is plenty grown.
We took a 2 hour tour which was interesting and they explained how they can maintain quality in a sustainable way. They use 3 levels of shading for the coffee bushes- using trees such as Chachafruto (Erythrina edulis), a legume, fixing nitrogen in the soil as well as having edible fruit like very large french beans. The lowest shade level is of bananas or platanos (plantains). These three shade levels create a good range of habitats for the birds on the hacienda. In addition there are several small lakes proving homes for some aquatic species and we also saw several Ospreys overhead.
As an organic producer, they are not using insecticides and pesticides which is more bird friendly and they are proud to proclaim they have recorded around 122 species. It´s not a spectacular total for Colombia but not bad for a commercial farm. They have got a Smithsonian Migratory Bird Centre certification for their coffee as a result. They've also got Rainforest Alliance and several other certifications and this helps them sell to Japan, USA and the UK, including I believe to Waitrose supermarket. You can read more about the benefits of shade-grown coffee here.
Being specialized organic coffee, it fetches a premium price and the vast majority goes for export. Much of Colombian coffee goes for export. Sadly most Colombians are stuck with low-quality varieties most of which are imported!
There is also a beautiful hotel on the Hacienda with many flowers and plenty of birds visiting the fruit feeders. The place is tranquil and you can relax whist enjoying the birdsong including the Yellow-legged Thrush (Turdus flavipes)- which looks a little like a British blackbird with a similar song too. We were told they were thinking of constructing a butterfly house to show off some of the around 100 species they have on the hacienda. The hotel looks like a great place to stay if you can afford it!
On the northern edge of the Mesa is the salto del mico, a picturesque secluded waterfall surrounded by woodland. The owner makes a small charge for entry, the path is precipitous and probably very slippery when wet, but it was worth the short walk. Best to go a little after a rainy period when the falls have a good flow.
The Mesa overlooks the Chicamocha canyon and houses one end of the cable car that crosses the canyon from Panachi, the tourist centre on the main Bogotá road. The area is fast developing as a place for holiday homes, and property prices are high, but there are still many small farms, mostly of cattle and chickens.
Tucked away just off the main road is the Hacienda el Roble (Roble means Oak Tree in Spanish). This was once a large cattle and chicken farm, but was converted in the 1970´s to coffee and now prides itself on high quality shade-grown organic speciality production. People might not think of Santander when they think of Colombian coffee - we are far from the Coffee Region - but there is plenty grown.
We took a 2 hour tour which was interesting and they explained how they can maintain quality in a sustainable way. They use 3 levels of shading for the coffee bushes- using trees such as Chachafruto (Erythrina edulis), a legume, fixing nitrogen in the soil as well as having edible fruit like very large french beans. The lowest shade level is of bananas or platanos (plantains). These three shade levels create a good range of habitats for the birds on the hacienda. In addition there are several small lakes proving homes for some aquatic species and we also saw several Ospreys overhead.
As an organic producer, they are not using insecticides and pesticides which is more bird friendly and they are proud to proclaim they have recorded around 122 species. It´s not a spectacular total for Colombia but not bad for a commercial farm. They have got a Smithsonian Migratory Bird Centre certification for their coffee as a result. They've also got Rainforest Alliance and several other certifications and this helps them sell to Japan, USA and the UK, including I believe to Waitrose supermarket. You can read more about the benefits of shade-grown coffee here.
Being specialized organic coffee, it fetches a premium price and the vast majority goes for export. Much of Colombian coffee goes for export. Sadly most Colombians are stuck with low-quality varieties most of which are imported!
On the northern edge of the Mesa is the salto del mico, a picturesque secluded waterfall surrounded by woodland. The owner makes a small charge for entry, the path is precipitous and probably very slippery when wet, but it was worth the short walk. Best to go a little after a rainy period when the falls have a good flow.
Monday, 7 January 2013
Summer in the mountains
The end of December until the beginning of March is supposed to be summer here in Santander. That means it should be a little hotter and drier although global warming has had a very real impact on the climate patterns in Colombia in recent years and it is less predictable than in the past.
As it was a clear day which promised to be hot, we set off driving up the road to the east, route 66, which climbs the eastern cordillera and leads to Cucuta and the Venezuelan border. Being a Sunday there were almost no heavy vehicles (mulas) which make the road tediously slow during the week. There are major improvement works going on in the lower sections to make this road into a dual carriageway. At least some sections should be open in 2013.
After about 50km of climbing (after starting at 1000m above sea level) we reached Picacho, at around 3200m, where the road levels out onto a plateau on which sits the small town of Berlin, known for its tasty potatoes and 'spring' onions. The air was very fresh and the temperature about 10 C, but the sun was bright and strong. Here there are a number of very large radio towers.
Unlike the previous times we've been up, the sky was very clear and almost cloudless. Visibility must have been over 80 km and to the west I could see way past Bucaramanga to the Serrania de Yariguíes ridges beyond. In the other direction the view was just as impressive.
A short distance from the toll booths at Picacho is the start of a Camino Real, an ancient track which leads down the slopes to Bucaramanga. We walked just a short distance down the track through steep mountain pastures with small trees and bushes. At this altitude all the birdlife is different to that of the city below and I immediately saw many species that were new to me.
Golden-fronted Whitestart (Myioborus ornatus)
Black Flowerpiercer (Diglossa humeralis) were fairly obvious stealing nectar from the numerous flowers. The subspecies that occurs here in the Eastern Andes are hard to distinguish from the Glossy Flowerpiercer.
White-throated Tyrannulet (Mecocerculus leucophrys) seem common and I think also the less common Sulphur-bellied Tyrannulet (Mecocerculus minor) occur here, though I wasn't sure of my ID on that.
Many of the birds came very close and I got good views of this Pearled Treerunner (Maragarornis sqamiger). I also added two new hummingbirds, the impressively large Shining Sunbeam (Aglaeactis cupripennis) and Tyrian Metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina). These mountain hummers perch more often than their lowland cousins to save energy, which helps with the ID's!
Skulking in the bushes were Pale-naped Brush-finch (Atlapetes pallidinucha) and perching on top were Brown-backed Chat-tyrant (Ochthoeca fumicolor). No doubt there were quite a few other birds which are new to me up there, but it can be a challenge to identify them at first.
The mountain flowers are really beautiful, though I have no idea of the names!
We finished off the trip with a lunch of a nice fried trout, a speciality in the mountains, at a roadside restaurant.
As it was a clear day which promised to be hot, we set off driving up the road to the east, route 66, which climbs the eastern cordillera and leads to Cucuta and the Venezuelan border. Being a Sunday there were almost no heavy vehicles (mulas) which make the road tediously slow during the week. There are major improvement works going on in the lower sections to make this road into a dual carriageway. At least some sections should be open in 2013.
After about 50km of climbing (after starting at 1000m above sea level) we reached Picacho, at around 3200m, where the road levels out onto a plateau on which sits the small town of Berlin, known for its tasty potatoes and 'spring' onions. The air was very fresh and the temperature about 10 C, but the sun was bright and strong. Here there are a number of very large radio towers.
Unlike the previous times we've been up, the sky was very clear and almost cloudless. Visibility must have been over 80 km and to the west I could see way past Bucaramanga to the Serrania de Yariguíes ridges beyond. In the other direction the view was just as impressive.
Skulking in the bushes were Pale-naped Brush-finch (Atlapetes pallidinucha) and perching on top were Brown-backed Chat-tyrant (Ochthoeca fumicolor). No doubt there were quite a few other birds which are new to me up there, but it can be a challenge to identify them at first.
The mountain flowers are really beautiful, though I have no idea of the names!
We finished off the trip with a lunch of a nice fried trout, a speciality in the mountains, at a roadside restaurant.
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Reinita Cielo Azul
We took a trip to the excellent Proaves Reserva Reinita Cielo Azul near San Vincente de Chucuri in Santander. The drive from Bucaramanga to San Vincente (3 hours) is long and tiring but the scenery is very interesting. On the way we saw some kind of stoat or weasel (probably a Long-tailed Weasel) and what I think was a Grey Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) also crossing the road.
Proaves is a Colombian NGO dedicated to the study and conservation of birds. They set up this reserve to help protect the migrant Cerulean Warbler (Reinita Cielo Azul, Setophaga cerulea) a bird of the Andes which breeds in Eastern North America. The reserves visitor's centre is a 5km drive up a very rough, and in parts very steep, track from San Vincente, but it was worth the drive.
The vistor's centre is surrounded by coffee, cocao and banana plantations and has many feeders, including numerous hummingbird and fruit feeders. They attract orioles & lots of tanagers including this Lemon-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus icteronotus).
Although I didn't see any of the real rarities of the reserve, I did see two new species here including Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater) and Green Hermit (Phaethornis guy). The hummingbird feeders attract many Indigo-capped, Rufous-tailed, Black-throated Mango and White-necked Jacobins all of which are frequent on our balcony feeder at home. They also get Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinae) like this one below.
There are many Andean Emerald (Amazilia franciae) which seem to be very common in parts of Santander, but I've never seen one at our home feeder.
There was also this superb little lizard posing on the Proaves sign.
The walk up from the visitors centre to the forest reserve follows the old Lenguerke trail which leads to Zapatoca. It takes about 45 minutes to reach the reserve with not so much to see as it is mostly open grazing. I did notice these Cattle Tyrants (Machetornis rixosa). They're common but I've not seen them doing this before!
The reserve is thickly forested and, except for the birds, it is very quiet. There reserve is inside the Yariguíes National Park. It seems to be alive with the buzzing of hummingbirds. Elena and I were both delighted to see a Black Inca (Coeligena prunellei) at very close quarters. This vulnerable but distinctive hummer is endemic to Colombia and restricted to the Eastern Andes (and Yariguíes). We were told that a few years ago they were not often seen, but now, with feeders placed at lower part of the reserve, they are seen quite frequently here.
I'm not used to neotropical birding in such a place and without knowing many of the bird calls, it is tough to identify species I've not seen before. I did manage to add distinctive Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas) and Ornate Flycatcher (Myiotriccus ornatus) to my list. There were many other probables / possibles too, but I don't like to add things to my list until I can be sure I can ID them correctly myself.
In the forest are many butterflies, grasshoppers and this dragonfly/large damselfly.
Sadly we had all to little time in the reserve and we had to go before dusk at 5.30 pm. On our way out, Carlos, one of the guides from San Vincente, kindly showed us a nearby location for the endangered endemic Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia castaneiventris). Apparently there are only 3 or so around this area, and as they are much easier to see in the morning, we'll have to return another day for this one.
Proaves is a Colombian NGO dedicated to the study and conservation of birds. They set up this reserve to help protect the migrant Cerulean Warbler (Reinita Cielo Azul, Setophaga cerulea) a bird of the Andes which breeds in Eastern North America. The reserves visitor's centre is a 5km drive up a very rough, and in parts very steep, track from San Vincente, but it was worth the drive.
The vistor's centre is surrounded by coffee, cocao and banana plantations and has many feeders, including numerous hummingbird and fruit feeders. They attract orioles & lots of tanagers including this Lemon-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus icteronotus).
Although I didn't see any of the real rarities of the reserve, I did see two new species here including Yellow-backed Oriole (Icterus chrysater) and Green Hermit (Phaethornis guy). The hummingbird feeders attract many Indigo-capped, Rufous-tailed, Black-throated Mango and White-necked Jacobins all of which are frequent on our balcony feeder at home. They also get Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinae) like this one below.
There are many Andean Emerald (Amazilia franciae) which seem to be very common in parts of Santander, but I've never seen one at our home feeder.
There was also this superb little lizard posing on the Proaves sign.
The walk up from the visitors centre to the forest reserve follows the old Lenguerke trail which leads to Zapatoca. It takes about 45 minutes to reach the reserve with not so much to see as it is mostly open grazing. I did notice these Cattle Tyrants (Machetornis rixosa). They're common but I've not seen them doing this before!
The reserve is thickly forested and, except for the birds, it is very quiet. There reserve is inside the Yariguíes National Park. It seems to be alive with the buzzing of hummingbirds. Elena and I were both delighted to see a Black Inca (Coeligena prunellei) at very close quarters. This vulnerable but distinctive hummer is endemic to Colombia and restricted to the Eastern Andes (and Yariguíes). We were told that a few years ago they were not often seen, but now, with feeders placed at lower part of the reserve, they are seen quite frequently here.
I'm not used to neotropical birding in such a place and without knowing many of the bird calls, it is tough to identify species I've not seen before. I did manage to add distinctive Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas) and Ornate Flycatcher (Myiotriccus ornatus) to my list. There were many other probables / possibles too, but I don't like to add things to my list until I can be sure I can ID them correctly myself.
In the forest are many butterflies, grasshoppers and this dragonfly/large damselfly.
Sadly we had all to little time in the reserve and we had to go before dusk at 5.30 pm. On our way out, Carlos, one of the guides from San Vincente, kindly showed us a nearby location for the endangered endemic Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia castaneiventris). Apparently there are only 3 or so around this area, and as they are much easier to see in the morning, we'll have to return another day for this one.
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Cerro la Judía
The mountains just to the east of of Floridablanca rise steeply up to about 2500m and are known as the Cerro La Judía. There are some areas of intact forest higher up and some fantastic waterfalls. You can walk up about 7km or drive the rough road which starts near "Limoncito" bus stop.
The birdwatching is excellent. Insects and spiders are also abundant and eye-catching. No doubt there are many hard to see mammals up there in the forest, but the slopes are very steep!
Some parts of the area have some level of protection via a "Regional natural park" designation but there are some ideas to develop an "Ecopark" here (Ecoparque Cerro del Santísimo), something like Panachi. I'm not sure I like the proposed idea of a cable-car and any associated tourism development.
There is a lot else to see such as Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Black and White Seedeater, Yellow-bellied Siskin and many colorful tanagers including at least Blue and Grey, Palm, Scrub, Crimson-backed, Lemon-rumped, Bay-headed, Golden, Golden-naped, Black-capped and Blue-necked. No doubt there are quite a few more tanagers there I haven't seen yet.
More trips soon....
The birdwatching is excellent. Insects and spiders are also abundant and eye-catching. No doubt there are many hard to see mammals up there in the forest, but the slopes are very steep!
Some parts of the area have some level of protection via a "Regional natural park" designation but there are some ideas to develop an "Ecopark" here (Ecoparque Cerro del Santísimo), something like Panachi. I'm not sure I like the proposed idea of a cable-car and any associated tourism development.
Yellow-faced Grassquit (Tiaris olivaceus).
There is a lot else to see such as Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Black and White Seedeater, Yellow-bellied Siskin and many colorful tanagers including at least Blue and Grey, Palm, Scrub, Crimson-backed, Lemon-rumped, Bay-headed, Golden, Golden-naped, Black-capped and Blue-necked. No doubt there are quite a few more tanagers there I haven't seen yet.
More trips soon....
Thursday, 20 September 2012
San Vincente Lenguerke trail.
I wanted to visit the Reinita Azul (Cerulean Warbler) reserve of ProAves near San Vincente de Chucuri in Santander as it is not so far from Bucaramanga. We set out early one Saturday morning. San Vincente is a town very close to the Serranía de los Yariguíes national park. The Serranía is an isolated part of the Eastern Andes and contains some fantastic wildlife.
It took more than 2 hours to reach San Vincente by car from Bucaramanga. Once off the main road, there is 48km of narrow and twisty gravel roads. Some of this route will be diverted once the nearby large dam "HidroSogamoso" floods the valley in the next year or two. There are lots of construction works going on at the moment. The countryside along the road looks rich and very green, and it will be a big shame to lose that land to a large lake.
San Vincente is a fairly large town and quite hot as it is only around 600m ASL. It is the cocoa capital of Colombia, an accolade which once meant it was wealthy, but in recent years cocoa prices have dropped dramatically.
There are a number of petroglyphs and other archaeological remains around the town. These were left by the Yariguí people who were slowly exterminated after European colonization.
The Lenguerke trail between Zapatoca and SanVincente has recently been restored as part of Proyecto YARÉ which is run through the Conservation Leadership Programme. The project is aimed at conservation of the Serranía de los Yariguíes.
The old trail starts at the "top" of San Vincente and climbs steeply. For the first few km it is drivable by 4wd and motorbikes as far as the school at La Germania. Then the trail leaves the road and becomes very narrow but the rocks used to construct it mean it is not slippery.
The trail passes through many shade Cocoa plantations
Further up the trail passes the ProAves reserve and continues up over the ridge of the Yariguíes. In total is supposed to take 2 days. We thought (incorrectly as it turned out) we could get from San Vincente to the ProAves reserve in an hour or two, but after only a short distance but climbing 600m in hot conditions we called it a day. Getting down was much easier! No doubt it is best to set out early when it's cooler. We'll try driving up to the reserve next time as it is an arduous walk to get there via the trail.
I didn't see that many birds on the way up in the cocoa plantations, though Blue-necked and Bay-headed Tanagers were plentiful. Near to Finca Oré was a georgeous Yellow-tufted Dacnis (Dacnis egregia). I love colourful birds like these as they are a very easy to identify when you first see them. Google this bird and you'll see what I mean! Again I was too slow with the camera, but will get a photo next time. I also picked up Black-winged Saltator (Saltator atripennis) and Band-backed Wren (Campylorhynchus zonatus) and there were several species of hummer and flycatcher that I didn't identify. No doubt there are lots of other gems waiting further up the trail.
It took more than 2 hours to reach San Vincente by car from Bucaramanga. Once off the main road, there is 48km of narrow and twisty gravel roads. Some of this route will be diverted once the nearby large dam "HidroSogamoso" floods the valley in the next year or two. There are lots of construction works going on at the moment. The countryside along the road looks rich and very green, and it will be a big shame to lose that land to a large lake.
San Vincente de Chucuri
San Vincente is a fairly large town and quite hot as it is only around 600m ASL. It is the cocoa capital of Colombia, an accolade which once meant it was wealthy, but in recent years cocoa prices have dropped dramatically.
Petroglyph in San Vincente
There are a number of petroglyphs and other archaeological remains around the town. These were left by the Yariguí people who were slowly exterminated after European colonization.
The Lenguerke trail between Zapatoca and SanVincente has recently been restored as part of Proyecto YARÉ which is run through the Conservation Leadership Programme. The project is aimed at conservation of the Serranía de los Yariguíes.
Lenguerke Trail Sign in San Vincente
The old trail starts at the "top" of San Vincente and climbs steeply. For the first few km it is drivable by 4wd and motorbikes as far as the school at La Germania. Then the trail leaves the road and becomes very narrow but the rocks used to construct it mean it is not slippery.
Lenguerke trail at La Germania
The trail passes through many shade Cocoa plantations
Cocoa
Further up the trail passes the ProAves reserve and continues up over the ridge of the Yariguíes. In total is supposed to take 2 days. We thought (incorrectly as it turned out) we could get from San Vincente to the ProAves reserve in an hour or two, but after only a short distance but climbing 600m in hot conditions we called it a day. Getting down was much easier! No doubt it is best to set out early when it's cooler. We'll try driving up to the reserve next time as it is an arduous walk to get there via the trail.
I didn't see that many birds on the way up in the cocoa plantations, though Blue-necked and Bay-headed Tanagers were plentiful. Near to Finca Oré was a georgeous Yellow-tufted Dacnis (Dacnis egregia). I love colourful birds like these as they are a very easy to identify when you first see them. Google this bird and you'll see what I mean! Again I was too slow with the camera, but will get a photo next time. I also picked up Black-winged Saltator (Saltator atripennis) and Band-backed Wren (Campylorhynchus zonatus) and there were several species of hummer and flycatcher that I didn't identify. No doubt there are lots of other gems waiting further up the trail.
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
Underground Zapatoca
It was yet another holiday in Colombia on Monday and we decided to go back to Zaptoca. It's a small town sitting at about 1500 m between the River Sogamoso and the mountains and national park of the Serrania de los Yariguies. It's only 30km sw of Bucaramanga, but the journey takes nearly two hours even without traffic. Most of the road is paved; good in some places, not so good in others. From Bucaramanga and Girón you have to cross the Sogamoso canyon by descending 500m to the bridge via 15 or so hairpin bends, and then climb even more on the other side!
The town is pleasantly warm, with typical colonial architecture, such as the Museo Cosmos in the Casa de Ejercicios which has a good restaurant apparently.
The tunnels are challenging in places, and to see some parts you need to be reasonably fit, agile and not to mention thin! It was warm inside, but muddy and very slippery in places. We got very dirty and collected a few bumps and bruises, especially during the 50m or so crawling on hands and knees. A hard hat would have been a big advantage.
After a big steak lunch in El Rancho, a local restaurant with a great view, we finished off our trip by taking a quick visit to the Pozo Ahogado, a popular swimming hole on the other side of town. This is where the 28km Sendero de Lengerke path from Zapatoca to San Vincente starts. We plan to do this walk another time.
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
Sólo los dioses
This Sunday we went for another walk, this time with a group of about 20 others, organized via Facebook, or “Face” as they call it here. We took a bus on the main road from Bucaramanga towards Bogotá and stopped about half-way between Piedacuesta and Aratoca just north of the Chicamocha National Park in Santander. Leaving the main road there we walked along a gravel road up and over a ridge and down into the valley of the Rio Umpalá. Umpalá means place of the gods (sólo van los dioses) in the local Guane language.
As we left at around 9.30, this first section of the walk was hot, and on a dirt road through a dry scrub landscape fairly typical in the area of Chicamocha canyon. We climbed up and over a ridge. Although the views were good, there was not so much wildlife to see except, sadly, a dead armadillo; I've yet to see one alive. There were also good views of white-collared swifts zooming around close to the ground. These are large, fast birds with great aerobatic skills as they catch insects on the wing and often forming impressive flocks.
Near the top was this slightly strange looking cactus, at least from this angle! Some of these cactus have small red fruits which I thought I'd taste. The fruit had no large spines, but does, I discovered afterwards have lots of very small spines which are painful once they get into your hands. It tasted sweet & tasty, but I won't do that again! Later, one of the walkers gave us a fruit of another type of larger cactus, which had no spines. Although some people were eating the skin, we peeled it, and the grey, seed-filled pulp had a pleasant taste and texture something like a watermelon.
The Umpalá valley was an oasis of green and the small fast-flowing river was turbulent and cool, having come from the mountains above about 3000m. On our way into the valley we could see a large waterfall on the other side which would be well worth a visit although it looks very difficult to get there.
At the river, the swim was very refreshing, the air cooler by the river and we ate our lunch sitting on a rock cooling our feet. Whilst we were eating someone noticed a Basilisk Lizard on a rock. They managed to coax it into the water where it lived up to its name of Jesus lizard by running across the river. This was an impressive feat given the fast flow. It's great to be watching wildlife I only ever saw on television in the UK.
At the river, the swim was very refreshing, the air cooler by the river and we ate our lunch sitting on a rock cooling our feet. Whilst we were eating someone noticed a Basilisk Lizard on a rock. They managed to coax it into the water where it lived up to its name of Jesus lizard by running across the river. This was an impressive feat given the fast flow. It's great to be watching wildlife I only ever saw on television in the UK.
There are many small farms in the valley growing a variety of crops, including tobacco, plantains and cocoa as well as keeping plenty of goats. However, the village of Umpalá is very small, with just a tiny church and a few colonial style houses several of which were abandoned. It wasn't deserted however and the local shop served very welcome cold beer. They put on some music and some of the walkers started dancing, as Colombians are apt to do at any time.
The rest of the walk was along the river through small fields with a narrow, and sometimes muddy track crossed by many irrigation ditches and pipes. There were many more birds to see, though we ran out of time, and my only new bird I could identify was a Pearl Kite (Gampsonyx swainsonii), a tiny white-breasted falcon-like raptor. There was also another Highland Motmot, but I had no time to get a photo.
Around 4pm we arrived back at the main road from Bogotá to Bucaramanga at a place called Mensuli where there is a restaurant, campestre and a swimming hole. To get to the bus, we had to cross the river twice, first by a rickety wire & wooden suspension bridge, and then by a log with bamboo hand-holds. A local woman crossed confidently carrying large bags, so we thought we couldn't show any fear.
It was a good day's walk, and I'd recommend the Umpalá valley if you enjoy seclusion. As the first part of the walk was a little hot & less interesting, it might have been better just to go out and back from Mensuli. Walking in a group has many advantages; the security, the chance to get to know different people and not least, the chance to discover new routes which are hard to find in Colombia with few marked paths. With Facebook & the internet gaining all the time here, I get the feeling more walking clubs are getting “organised” that way, if ever that were possible in Colombia ;-)
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