Minca used to be an off-the-beaten-path budget backpacker destination. It’s still budget-friendly, but the secret has definitely gotten out. I didn’t actually spend much time in Minca, so I don’t have too much to say about the city itself and surrounding waterfalls (which tend to be the biggest draw). I did meet a lot of people covered in bites and pretty much everyone said they came from the black flies at Minca (I got a few during my El Saltillo hike too). 

The best birding in Minca is technically further up in elevation in the Santa Marta Mountains at the ProAves Lodge of El Dorado. It’s a birder’s paradise and where I spent most of my time. I’ll talk about my python adventure in Minca, the birding lodge, how to get there, and more below.

Where to Stay in Minca

I only had time to spend one night in Minca, but the Sol de Minca hotel was one of the best places we stayed. Be warned — there are a lot of stairs. I think I counted about 80 steps from the lobby/restaurant area to our room. One of the employees brought up our bags for us.  Sol de Minca is walking distance to the city center via an internal trail. 

It also has its own walking trail around the property, where we saw a boa constrictor! Fortunately, another guest had warned us about it the night before so we were more or less expecting it. Which is honestly the best way to see some like that — not as a surprise. 

The food was absolutely phenomenal. Perhaps even the best during my whole month-long stay. We wished we could’ve stayed longer. We decided not to do anything the next morning and just relax. Birding around the complex was great, too!

Getting to the Santa Marta Airport

When it was time to leave, we scheduled a taxi through our hotel for about $30. Had I been on my own, I would’ve taken a bus to Santa Marta and then another to the airport. The cost would’ve been less than $5. There’s a lot of detailed information out there you can find about how to do this.

Birding in Minca

Most Common Birds:

Swallow Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Thick-billed Euphonia
Crested Oropendola

All birds:

El Dorado Lodge in the Santa Marta Mountains

ProAves is a bird conservation organization that has several birding lodges throughout Colombia. If you only stay in one during your trip, El Dorado would be a tough one to beat. I hope to stay in more during my next visit. 

I booked my stay with them directly through their website for $130/night. I was with my mom here so got to splurge a bit and stay in one of their beautiful Kogihabs. 

As of January 2024, their rates increased quite a lot. The Kogihabs are now $180/night and even a bed in a shared dorm is $60/night. 

When we visited, the kitchen was temporarily relocated to the Welcome Lodge and a tuk tuk type vehicle that usually brings people up and down was out for maintenance so we had more walking than usually. It is relatively steep, but it’s beautiful and you get to look for birds and other “nightlife.”

I was also able to schedule a guided hike and split the cost with another couple. It was definitely helpful to have somebody help identify birds and not rely entirely on Merlin as I had been for the previous few days. If you’re planning on doing this, let them know ahead of time.

The food was excellent, but not included and on the pricey side. At checkout, we paid $150 for lunch, dinner, and breakfast x2 for two people and $50 towards the guide, not including tips. This averages out to about $17 a meal. Pretty typical by US standards, but much more expensive than what you’ll usually pay in Colombia. Make any dietary restrictions known ahead of time.

From Tayrona, we took public transportation to Santa Marta. The Lodge gave me contact information for a private driver to bring us up the mountain from there. It was $75 each way. It was the same price regardless of if we started/ended in Santa Marta or Minca. I asked multiple times if anybody else was traveling that day so we could split the cost and they always told me no. 

A few minutes after we arrived, another couple showed up, brought by the same company. That was frustrating. On the way down, we shared the vehicle with them. I paid half and the couple was going to pay the other half, which I thought I had made clear to the driver. However, I later learned the couple was told they needed to pay the full amount. They were seasoned travelers and spoke some Spanish so were able to negotiate their way out of it, but still a disappointing experience.

During my research, I did come across people who walked up the mountain. If you travel light enough and are fit enough, more power to you.

The last 5 or so kilometers on the road to the lodge are ROUGH. If you plan on renting a car. You 100% need 4×4 and high clearance. You could make it up in a normal car to that point and then walk from there if you have the ability/time to negotiate that with someone in Minca. Again, if you packed light, it may be possible to find a mototaxi in Minca that would bring you up.

Obviously if you make the choice to visit here, the only activity you’ll be doing is birding. There are several trails on the property, plus there are feeders at the Welcome Lodge. During dinner, they set out a feeder for a nocturnal monkey! It’s aptly named the Colombian Night Monkey, Aotus lemurinus.

Here are the birds I was most excited about seeing:

Golden-breasted Fruiteater
Santa Marta Brushfinch
Santa Marta Woodstar
Southern Emerald Toucanet
White-tipped Quetzal

The most frequently spotted:

Crowned Woodnymph
Band-tailed Guan
White-sided Flowerpiercer
Blue-naped Chlorophonia
Lesser Violetear

The full list:

In all I saw 50 species and added 33 to my life list in 2 days. The best birding in Minca is really up in the Santa Marta mountains. They are a birder’s paradise and a great place to see a lot of endemics. It’s not the easiest place to get to, but it’s certainly worth it!

Planning on visiting Tayrona National Park too? Check out my comprehensive guide to visiting the area.