Juan Ortiz

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

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 minutes in advance.

Our birding guide, Breiner, was excellent. He is only 20 year old, but is able to recognize birds almost instantly by sight or sound, even when the birds are mostly obscured by foliage or flying high in the sky.

The accommodations at Eldorado lodge were fine and the food was good.

We did not like the hotel in Santa Marta, Casa del Farol. It was conveniently located very close to the center of town and restaurants, but the water for the shower was not even luke warm; the shower heads were broken; and their advertisement of an afternoon happy hour was not correct. They did not even have sodas to purchase.

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

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 have never done a tour before where we haven’t had those in advance of the trip.
2) It would be great if travellers attention could be drawn to last minute hotel changes. Our hotels in both Villa de Leyva and Medellin were changed and yes you did let us know but only in the small print in the tour schedule and contacts document it wasn’t on the trip plan. And some of the guides were not aware of the changes.
3) It would be good if the guides/ drivers knew where the hotel was we had 4 instances where the guides didn’t know. It all worked out in the end but it would have been easier for them all round if they had had better information or admitted they didn’t know and got more information.

Casa platypus in Bogotá was a really nice hotel,rooms were small and a little noisy but a great location and really pleasant. The guide in Bogotá and Villa de Leyva, German was very knowledgeable and good company.

The tour to Zipaquirá was excellent and the tour around Villa de Leyva was very good and had extra things added in.

The hotel in Villa de Leyva, Plazuela de San Augustin was excellent. Lovely room, great location and excellent breakfast.

The Hotel in Salento, the Salento Real was in a great location and was very pleasant with an excellent breakfast buffet. The driver from the airport, Alex was very good if a little confused as to where we were going.
The coffee tour in Salento / cocoa valley was excellent and far exceeded our expectations. Hilary was an excellent guide and made the experience both fun and interesting.
Dawhyni was an excellent guide for our walk in the coccora valley, he was very knowledgable about birds and animals and the surroundings and the walk was really lovely. He gave us excellent restaurant recommendations too.
The Hacinda Venezia was really beautiful and a wonderful place to stay. The guide to the PNN, Milton was again very knowledgable and a fantastic guide. The tour was amazing and a real highlight of the holiday.
The Hotel in Medellin was really very nice and in a really good location. The staff were very helpful although very worried about you going anywhere on your own. We were really dubious about the two tours we were doing in Medellin but they both turned out to be great. Thank you so much for your advice. Carlos Palau was quite a character and the guide who took us on the innovations tour, whose name escapes me right now, was really enthusiastic and knowledgable about architecture and social improvement.
Villa Maria in Tayrona was againa beautiful hotel with amazing food and really friendly staff. The walking trails within the hotel once you found them were really nice if a little tricky to follow and the food here was absolutely excellent.
We loved the walk with the guide Jaruen to Pueblito. He was really knowledgable about birds and history and knew some lovely secret beaches.
Hotel Alfiz in Cartegna was delightful and in an excellent location. The tour of Cartegna was really good the guide had very good historical knowledge.

Thank you very much for organising the tour and making all the suggestions that you did
Regards
Carol lewis

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

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 experiences than we had the time or energy for, all including in the price. They are real enthusiasts. And I learned a lot about the culture and history of Venezuela and Colombia during the day.

Very happy,
Stephen and Mary

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.

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

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 clean and comfortable. Although there were a couple of long rides in between destinations, the large and comfortable van with big windows allowed for great viewing of the beautiful landscapes along the way.
I’m an avid birder and traveler, and this is one of my top experiences thus far - thanks to the Colombian Project’s planning, experience, and personnel!

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

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.

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

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 battle with cancer. After that, I lost the relationship with my mother and two youngest brothers. And finally, I endured a breakup with my ex-partner.

Traveling has become therapy for me. Each time that I have gone outside of the United States, I flew with others who knew how to communicate fluently in Spanish. And going to Columbia by myself and barely knowing and able to speak Spanish, I knew was going to be a challenge.

On May 11, 2018, I contacted KimKim to plan a trip to Medellín, Columbia. My travel dates were May 17, 2018, to May 24, 2018. No one responded to me, and I urgently reached out to KimKim again, on May 14, 2018. Finally, later on, that same day, Juan Ortiz, my local specialist responded.

Juan organized this last minute trip and assisted me 24/7. He was honest, polite, and upfront with me. ATTENTION KimKim, Juan deserves a trip on the house for going over and beyond serving and making me a fulfilled and happy customer.

My four-day adventure started on Friday when I went on the Pablo Escobar tour. I was mind blown by Carlos, who is one of the two remaining officers that served during the years that Pablo was alive. Saturday, I met my main and magnificent tour guide, Marcelo. That day I went on an Innovation tour of Medellín. Medellín has so many environmental and collected community organizing that I want to create in my hometown, Bethlehem, also known as the Lehigh Valley, in Pennsylvania. Sunday, I went to the Rio Claro Reserve. The Rio Claro Reserve brought me up and also down. It brought me up because it is an environment where I can see myself losing myself and escape from the madness of the world. Rio Claro brought me down because there is a need for new zoning laws to be reinforced. It will be devasting for Rio Claro to be taken over by the industrial invasion. I did not finish my tour small. I completed my journey with a big bang, on Monday and going to Guatapé. Guatapé was breathtaking, and no one has lived until they visit this beautiful "peace on earth." The last two days I was left to explore and have some me time.

KimKim, if there is a way to update your rating scale with all of the stars in the universe it will be a tremendous help. Then the range would be more accurate. Visiting Medellín, Columbia, alone was nerve wrecking. Notably, having uninformed people plant negative seeds into my head about going alone and the dangers that I might encounter. Everyone that I met including the Conquest 33 Hotel representatives treated me like family. Thus far, this has been the most memorable trip I have experienced. On June 1, 2020, please be my travel agency to plan my trip to South Africa.

Greatly appreciative and humbled,

Dèjour

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.