2 September 2016

Southern Colombia (Mountain Tapir and Caquetà Titi Monkey)

Hi,

this is my first post here, I am a birder who is interested in – but not very knowledgable about – mammals. I was lucky enough to spend over two months in the field in southern Colombia this year (mostly Putumayo, Narino, and Cauca departments, large parts of which are now safe after years of being out of bounds). Two mammal sightings that I figured would be of interest to the mammal watching community concerned Mountain Tapir at Puracé National Park, and Caquetà Titi Monkey in the region of Piamonte, Cauca.

The Termales de San Juan area of Puracé National Park probably offers some of the best chances to see Mountain Tapir anywhere. While you probably still need quite a bit of luck to see one, they are seen regularly enough there to have a realistic shot at one. We saw one back in January on the short trail that leads to the Termales de San Juan, but an even better spot might be the roadside pool (well signposted) about 2 km before the Termales de San Juan ranger station. Tapirs are regularly seen there, especially at dawn and dusk. The nearest large city is Popayan, about two hours away, with plenty of accomondation, but an even better option would be to base yourself in the village of Puracé, about 25 km away, where cheap and comfortable accomodation can be had at the Jardin del Condor hostal. Birding is excellent as well.

The recently described and critically endangered Caquetà Titi Monkey is easy to see around the hamlet of Miraflores (Piamonte, Cauca) at the foot of the Churumbelos mountain range, but having local guides is essential here as this is an area that had a heavy guerrilla presence until 1-2 years ago, and still has a lot of coca production. Having a local with you to vouch for you and keep you away from potential trouble spots or dangerous situations is a must. Fortunately two young local park rangers are keenly interested in birds and other wildlife and can be contacted to guide you. I can send contact info to anyone who is interested.

I don’t really have much more specific mammal info on southern Colombia – we saw a wide variety of primates that would also be found in Ecuador – but I am sure it is a fantastic destination for many more species, especially for those with a pioneering spirit!

Cheers

Ottavio

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8 Comments

  • 2 September 2016
    Venkat Sankar

    Ottavio,

    Have you seen Black-headed Spider Monkey (Ateles fusciceps) or Brown Spider Monkey (Ateles hybridus) in Colombia?

    Thanks!

    • 4 September 2016
      geomalia

      Playa de Oro in Ecuador is a good site for Brown-headed Spider Monkey, and a quick search on cloudbirders.com shows that Brown Spider Monkey is sometimes seen at El Paujil Reserve in Colombia.

      – Ben

  • 19 November 2017
    Robin Smith

    Hi Ottavio,

    Great write-up – thanks.

    I’m keen to get down to try for the Caqueta Titi. Could you send me the contacts for the local guides please.

    Many thanks,
    Rob

  • 7 April 2018
    Tobi

    Hi Ottavio

    Thanks for writing about new interesting destinations!
    I am thinking about going to Colombia in November and would be very interested in looking for the Caqueta Titi. Do you know how far it is to travel there from Bogota? Can you please send me the contact details of the local guides?

    Cheers
    Tobi

  • 28 January 2019
    Lagothrix

    Hi Ottavio,

    Thanks for sharing your experience.
    Could you please share the contact for the local guides? I’ll go to that specific place (Piamonte) soon and it’ll be great to have some information about, previous to the trip.

    Thanks in advance.
    Lag

  • 18 February 2020
    Hans

    Hi Ottavio

    Sounds interesting! Could you send me the contact information please? Thank you.

    Kind regards
    Hans

  • 20 June 2021
    Rob

    Hello Ottavio,

    By the roadside pool for Mountain Tapir, do you mean towards the west. The place which is names ‘Bebedero de las Dantas’ on google maps? Thanks!

    I am also interested in the local contacts at Miraflores Piamonte if you could send those:)

    All the best, Rob

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