
Juan Ortiz
I'm the Co-Founder at The Colombian Project where we design and deliver unique and stunning experiences here in Colombia, whether that be an opportunity to make some new friends with the locals in the Amazon, to a full-service trekking expedition, to a national archaeological expert giving a private seminar, we always take our time with the small details, whilst at the same time, and even more importantly, give back where possible. We always try to establish strong relationships built on respect, trust and reciprocal benefits with the communities that we interact with.
We do a lot of tailor made travel and our clients are insightful and normally very discerning travellers. We really relish being given specific and unique requests by these clients, and I think the way we deal with these requests makes us stand out from the rest. It's great fun employing our niche-specific expertise to give people an amazing and profound journey here in Colombia, no matter what their interests are.
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"I started off as a trekker (and still trek all the time), which quickly split into avid birdwatching and wildlife watching. Photography has also become a strong passion. However, after meeting with so many diverse cultures in Colombia, I've become highly interested in providing true cultural experiences and interchange. I also love history so a bit of an all-rounder!"
How did you get involved in travel?
"I've always loved to travel and spent time travelling in Europe and also all around South America. I'm from London and of Colombian descent. When I first came to Colombia in 1999 and had the first glimpse of this wonderful country I knew that I had to come back. I spent a number of months travelling around South America before returning to Colombia in 2008 and it was here, whilst trekking through Colombia's paramos, where I saw a beautiful and unknown world, did I realise that this (and experiences like this) needed to be showcased in Colombia. From that first seed of thought I delved into the travel industry and after 5 years set up The Colombian Project with the great help of our other co-founder Brian Murphy. We haven't looked back since!"
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"Like anyone who's travelled a bit I have quite a few! One that sticks out is when I went to Guaviare in Colombia a few years ago on an investigation trip. The place was unlike anything I had ever seen before with rock formations that are older than the Andes, tracts of jungle and vast savannas, it blew my mind. What really hit me was a trek that we did through this array of ecosystems, sights and sounds to a little-known place where we found ancient rock art, with paintings that have now been declared to be among some of the oldest archaeological finds in Latin America. Real Indiana Jones stuff. "
Featured trips & expertise

Cartagena, Flower Festival, and the Colombian Amazon - 11 Days
Colombia's heritage extends from the shores of the Caribbean to the rainforests of the Amazon. This unique 11-day itinerary hinges on an event which takes place in Medellín every August: the Batalla de Flores, or "Festival of the Flowers," is one of the biggest spectacles in the entire country. So set aside some time at the end of summer and prepare for an excursion that you won't soon forget.

Trekking in Colombia's Zona Cafetera - 6 Days
In this itinerary, you'll embark on a high-altitude 4-day trek into Los Nevados National Park. You'll visit a working coffee farm and enjoy the unique scenery of the Páramo Eco-system here. While many travelers only see the Cocora Valley and Salento on a quick day trip, you'll get to know Colombia's Zona Cafetera from an in-depth perspective over the course of your 6 days in the region.

Colombia's Cities & Zona Cafetera Trek - 15 Days
This itinerary starts and ends in two of Colombia's most exciting cities, Bogotá and Medellín. In between, you'll visit a working coffee farm and set off on a four-day trek through the Central Andes in Los Nevados National Park. After your trek, relax in the thermal pools outside of Manizales, with the still-active Nevado del Ruiz volcano as a backdrop. Then it's off to Medellín, a dynamic place to finish your trip.

Ancient and Modern Cultures in Colombia - 12 Days
With this itinerary, you'll see the best of Colombia in 12 days. Begin on the Caribbean coast with a visit to Tayrona National Park, where you'll snorkel and hike to your heart's content. From there, hop a flight to the Coffee Region for mountain biking, birdwatching in sub-Andean forests, and a tour of a working coffee farm. End your journey in colonial Popayán and Tierradentro, an archeological site famous for its underground burial chambers.

Colombia's Urban Cities & Zona Cafetera Trek - 11 Days
This itinerary starts and ends in two of Colombia's most exciting cities, the capital of Bogotá and the "city of the eternal spring," Medellín. In between, you'll embark on a high-altitude trek into Los Nevados National Park. In Bogotá, you'll get to know the food scene of the city before heading to the Coffee Region. You'll visit a working coffee farm and set off on a four-day trek through the central Andes. After your trek, you'll relax in the thermal pools outside of Manizales, with the still-active Nevado del Ruiz volcano as a backdrop. Then it's off to Medellín, where you'll get to know this dynamic city as you ride its Metrocable network of gondolas.

Colombia Nature and Culture Tour - 10 Days
This all-encompassing itinerary combines Colombia's popular attractions with some roads less traveled. You'll begin your journey in the "city of the eternal spring," Medellín, and visit El Peñon de Guatape, a landmark granite rock jutting hundreds of feet out of the ground. If you're a caffeine lover, get ready to visit Colombia's mountainous Coffee Region. You'll embark from this area and hike, mountain bike, and birdwatch through the adjacent sub-Andean forests. Next it's off to the indigenous archeological site of Tierradentro, with its ancient underground burial chambers. Learn about the civilization who built them, then end your stay in the southern colonial town of Popayán.
Recent trip reviews for Juan
all the arrangements were well planned and pe... · Colombia - Nov 4 - Nov 17, 2019
all the arrangements were well planned and perfectly executed
our guides in all the cities were excellent and went out of their way to accommodate our needs and wishes
all in all it was a great trip
i would recommend Kimkim and Yuliana without reservation
Had a wonderful time on our 13 day Columbia t... · Colombia - Nov 4 - Nov 17, 2019
Had a wonderful time on our 13 day Columbia tour . Yuliana who coordinated everything was wonderful .
All our guides - Viviana in Bogota, Claudio in Amazon, Jaime in Medellin & Roberto in Cartagena were excellent & very informative.
Nafisa
Colombia’s Top 5 Bird-Watching Destinations · Colombia - Sep 4 - Sep 8, 2019
We enjoyed the trip and our guide Anderson was very good and pleasant. Many thanks for arranging.

Hello Claudia, great to hear you had a nice trip. It's our pleasure! Birding in Colombia is a passion we like to share with the world, thanks so much for confiding in us to make this happen for you.
All the best,
Juan
2-week Colombia wildlife photo trip- July 2019 · Colombia - Jun 13 - Jun 28, 2019
Fabio and John were both great and easy to travel with.

Thanks for the feedback Richard, it was great to have you hear and look forward to seeing your photos!
All the best,
Juan
Birding Tour of Coastal Colombia - 6 Days · Colombia - Feb 18 - Feb 24, 2019
The trip was well-planned but had a couple of glitches. We did not receive the packet of materials including daily schedule until 2 days before the trip. It probably should have been sent earlier. Also we were scheduled to leave the hotel in Santa Marta several hours before out flight. Since it was a domestic flight and the airport is only 25 minutes from the hotel, that was too early. Fortunately our birding guide was able to call the office and have it changed so we arrived only 90... read more

Hi Tom,
Many thanks for the feedback, we truly appreciate it. We've gone through the various points and will be investigating to see what happened with the document send, transfer time and hotel selection in Santa Marta. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and I hope that these issues did not impact greatly on the overall enjoyment of your trip.
Do let me know if there is anything else to add.
All the best,
Juan
Great Itineraries for Two Weeks in Colombia · Colombia - Aug 18 - Sep 1, 2018
Hi Juan, Sorry I have not been able to write a review before but I came back to a great pile of work with a deadline and I don’t like to miss deadlines and then I have been in hospital for an operation on my leg. Anyway now I have some time to devote to some feedback for you. The tour was great we only have few pointers to help with improvement :
1) I think it would help all travellers to have their internal flights, times, flight numbers and booking references would be really useful. We... read more
Colombia’s Top 5 Bird-Watching Destinations · Colombia - Aug 19 - Aug 23, 2018
We had a busy visit to Colombia and just time for a day's birding from Medellin. We were put in touch with Juan Ortiz who was great. He made some great suggestions but told us frankly what was going to work with our flights, and what no. In the end we went birding in two parks above Medellin with Ivan Lau. It was a great day, we saw 50 different species of bird and Ivan was incredibly knowledgeable and patient.
What especially impressed me is that Juan and Ivan offered us more... read more

Hi Stephen,
Thanks so much for confiding in us for your birding trip! It was our absolute pleasure to have taken you birding around Medellin, maybe next time you'll come for longer to see some more of Colombia's spectacular birds. I'm glad that we could have added in another site as making the most of your time is what it's all about. If you need anything at all regarding the lists, birds , sites etc then just let us know!
All the best,
Juan
Colombia Birding Tour Excluding Santa Marta · Colombia - Jul 15 - Jul 30, 2018
The trip was fabulous. the guide (Alejandro Pinto) was superb. He has excellent knowledge of the local birds and was happy and helpful throughout despite being ill. The most memorable part was staying in Tatama. An excellent place. Good food and great hospitality.

Hello Mike, great to hear from you and thanks for taking the time to write . Alejandro is certainly one of the best birding guides in Colombia and made all the difference during this trip. Tatama is a GEM, truly wonderful! It was great to have been able to share some of the trip with what was a fantastic group visiting some great locations and seeing some great birds. Adding to my life list was also an added bonus! :-)
All the best on your future birding adventures Mike, I hope that we can keep in touch. Juan
Group departure - Birdwatching in Colombia's Andean Ranges & Magdalena Valley - 16 Days · Colombia - Jul 14 - Jul 30, 2018
The Colombian Project’s Eastern, Central, and Western Andean Ranges and Valleys 16-day tour exceeded my expectations! We visited a variety of birding areas, so the tour was a great introduction and sampling of the birds and birding in Colombia. Our bird guide, Alejandro, was energetic, enthusiastic, and located many hard to find birds.
I enjoyed dining at a variety of establishments, many of which included local fare, and staying in a variety of accommodation types, all of which were... read more

Hi Karen!
Thanks so much for your kind words, it makes us VERY happy to know that you had a great time birding here in Colombia - it was also fantastic to share a portion of the trip with you all, we saw some great species and places along the way. All the best on your future travels and do let us know if you'd like to clear up some more Colombian endemics in the future, we are here to help!!
All the best,
Juan
Colombia Birding Tour Excluding Santa Marta · Colombia - Jul 15 - Jul 30, 2018
Overall a great experience with very sociable and helpful guide, Aljandro really knows his birds.
I would have preferred to see more owls, nightjars and raptors but the forrest birds made for a superb trip.
Tx again KimKim

Colin! It was great to meet you and spend some time with you birding around Colombia. I've taken on board your comments, they're very important to us and we'll see how we can adjust our itinerary (I also haven't forgotten your comment regarding an additional day at Rio Blanco) to be more inclusive with these groups of species you've mentioned. Can't wait to see the photos, all the best and good birding!!
Juan
Planning Your Trip to Colombia · Colombia - Jun 16 - Jun 20, 2018
I had a great time in Colombia. Angel was a remarkable guide who was able to cater to our group in an expert way. Each driver was skilled and they were fun to talk with. The Sierra Nevada in Santa Marta was beautiful and all of the hotels that Juan recommended were great.

Hi Staci,
We're VERY happy to know that you had a great time in Colombia - Angel is certainly a great guy (and guide) and the Sierra Nevada is one of our favourite places, a truly unique place on this planet - it was a pleasure to be able to share it with you and help you plan your adventure. Until the next time!! Best, Juan
Trip to Colombia · Colombia - May 17 - May 24, 2018
Dear KimKim,
Please update the rating scale. Only having five stars from poor to great does not allow me to rate how I genuinely want to. And my words do not provide justice to my overall experience in planning and booking my trip with the services I received from my local specialist.
In the past few years, I faced many tragedies. The first one was dealing with my oldest brother's suicide. Then I encountered looking after my grandfather for six years and witnessing him die with his... read more

Dejour,
Thank you for your deeply felt letter I am at the same time humbled (and I speak for both myself and our team) to have been part of a journey that has given you joy during a period of heartache. I am glad and proud that your experience in this country, one that itself is going through a period of change and reconciliation, has provided part of the therapy that you were looking for. It was our absolute pleasure and anything you need here or whatever just let us know. Take care of yourself and keep discovering. J
Colombia Andes, Amazon & Caribbean · Colombia - Aug 14 - Aug 25, 2017
The quality of the tours was amazing. Everywhere we went, we had dedicated drivers. The only thing I would change is the hotel in Cartagena. It felt a little run down and dirty. Otherwise, everything else was perfect! My favorite stay was in La Jorara.
Juan & his team made themselves available 24 hours a day, even when we had a flight delay.

Hi Maria,
Thanks so much for taking the time to write this! We're so happy that it all worked out as you wanted and we've taken on board your comments on the hotel in Cartagena - we'll be feeding that back to them to see what can be done. I'll also let La Jorara know the good news! In the meantime it makes us very happy to know that your Colombia adventure was everything you wanted , it was a pleasure being able to put this together for you and Michael, please send him my regards.
Until the next time!
All the best
Juan