Apr 20, 2024
Fantastic morning bird-watching tour - We went on the 6-9 am birdwatching tour (not the 2-day tour). It was amazing!! The ornithologist, Tony Martin, was fantastic, a true expert, engaging and just the perfect guide. We saw so many incredible birds!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 6, 2024
Super !!!!! - The tour with the two guides was awesome !! I forgot their names but I would like to give them a huge shout out, they were amazing. The jungle Joe part was bof. The site was really nice but the humidity in there didn’t let me sleep much. There was also no food on site to buy for supper so that was a minus
Review provided by Viator
Jan 21, 2024
Excelente - Excelent service , magical place un the paradise very good plan always taking care of its guests managing the protocols the best and most complete place in Minca
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 29, 2023
Great experience all round - The variety of experiences, combining birdwatching, a nature walk with learning about the coffee and cocoa harvesting and processing steps was excellent. The included meals were excellent, as was the accommodation in a tranquil, beautiful lodge.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 21, 2022
This tour is understated. It is much better than advertised. - The tour exceeded our expectations because the advertising was a little vague. We were picked up at our Airbnb in Santa Marta and spent the night in this cute lodge that's between a hostel and a hotel. Nestled in the jungle, the amenities are rustic and charming. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was very peaceful. Since we just stayed over night, we brought only a portion of our luggage and it worked out perfectly. There is swimming available the first day so be prepared to change clothes and/or have an outfit that dries quickly. Mosquito repellant is a must.
There are multiple guides who are funny and knowledgeable. All the hikes and presentations were informative and fun. We have been on coffee tours in the past but this was my favorite. Making chocolate was also a lot of fun. They provide binoculars for the bird watching! This is a huge piece of information - some people brought their own not knowing this was included.
Most meals are included except for dinner on the first night. We were referred to a restaurant in the jungle nearby that had exceptional vegetarian/vegan options at a very low price.
Overall, we had an excellent time and we highly recommend taking this excursion as a nice departure from the hectic world of Santa Marta. Jungle Joe was super nice and offered a lot of flexibility.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 6, 2022
Highly recommend Birdwatching and full day minca tour - Birdwatching with Nelson was amazing. We were able to see toucans, aracaris, and many other beautiful birds. We also loved the jungle trek we took to see the birds. The full day minca tour was great. Our guide Alejandra was very friendly, spoke great English and made the tour fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 12, 2021
Relaxing Days in Bohemian Minca - This is a fun, very interesting tour with variety of activities - hiking, swimming in the river, learning and tasting coffee and cacao, enjoying healthy lunch and breakfast made by Joe at lovely balcony of his home, and relaxing bird-watching in the morning. During the night, I heard the rhythme of drums played in distance and woke up with the beautiful morning light with the sounds of birds. Joe is a very down-to-earth, kind guy who loves hosting his guests.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 15, 2021
Birdwatching with Sebastian was amazing - There are two bird tours, one locally in Minca for $45,000 and one nearby at a bird feeding sight ("comedor") with a bird enthusiast named Sebastian for $60,000. I didn't do the local one so I can't say how it is, but the one with Sebastian is fantastic. He lives with his girlfriend Angela on a coffee farm in the hills above Minca and has established an area where he feeds birds since 2018. The variety and beauty of birds that will come and eat about 20 feet from you is amazing. You'll have binoculars and also be seated at a table eating a delicious breakfast. They make the best homemade scones I've had in Colombia. Sebastian lives birds and is helpful, caring, and extremely knowledgeable. There are other sections to the experience as well, including walking in other areas with binoculars and a spotting scope. The part that blew me away was the birds in the feeding area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 28, 2024
Absolutely do this trip but not through Viator - I booked the 2 day Minca tour with Bird watching through Viator but somehow no-one seemed to know this. The first day we were picked up with another couple in Santa Marta and dropped at the Jungle Joe office in Minca. We joined 4 other people who had only booked the first part of the trip. It was suggested that we leave our overnight backpacks in the office as we were walking past the office again prior to going to the lodge where we were overnighting. We hiked to where the coffee talk was and then to the waterfall where we were able to get wet and enjoy the area - wear your bathing suits! Then we hiked back through town. When I asked about picking up our bags I was told that we would end up back at the office so to leave them. Off we hiked to Jungle Joe's eco-lodge for a very informative, interesting and fun talk on Colombian wildlife, bamboo usage and chocolate making, and a we were served a delicious lunch. As our guide was preparing to leave I asked again about our bags and he asked where we were staying, I said again that we were staying at Jungle Joe's. After speaking to someone at the lodge, a motorcycle was dispatched to pick up our bags, which we had to pay for. The employee asked how I had booked the trip and I said on Viator. We were asked to wait which we happily did on one of the amazing hammocks suspended over the hillside, overlooking the beautiful valley.
Eventually, when our bags arrived and the cyclist was paid we were shown to our breathtakingly beautiful room. I inquired about dinner, and was met with a confused look. I said that my booking said that lunch, dinner and breakfast were included. We were then told to come to kitchen area at 6:30 pm. We enjoyed the beautiful views and the swing in our room until supper time. When we arrived in the eating area, we were once again met with confusion and asked if we had booked the "Sierra Nevada plan". I repeated again that we booked the 2 tour through Viator and that it said that dinner was included. Again we were directed to the hammocks where we contentedly waited until our take-out food arrived. It was delicious and after I washed up our dishes, I asked about breakfast and was told it would be served after our bird watching outing in the morning. Thank goodness I asked the guide before he left what time the bird watching started and where we should go, because no information could be found on the booking. We confirmed that we should be at the office in town by 6 a.m. Just as a heads up, if you are someone who uses the bathroom at night, as gorgeous as our room was this would not be for you as you have to go down a steep staircase to get to the bathroom.
We met Gustavo at the office when we arrived with another couple from the lodge for our bird watching. He is a birder with decades of experience and a heap of enthusiasm and energy! We saw many migratory and native birds, including some toucans which are notoriously shy and had an incredible morning. We walked up to a woman's home who cares for injured birds and there we were served coffee, hot chocolate and bananas. It was incredible. We sat quietly and just observed and were definitely rewarded for our patience. Whether you are a casual or hard core birder, I highly recommend this morning!
We had a delicious breakfast of muesli and fresh fruit with coffee or hot chocolate
and Jungle Joe''s with the couple we went birding with. They had booked their stay and the birding trip separately. They asked and were told that checkout was at noon.
I went to check where our transportation back to Santa Marta would pick us up and at what time and was shocked to be told "they are waiting for you know at the office; you have to leave now". It was not even 10 a.m.
We scuttled back to our room and packed all our stuff quickly but I was annoyed. I had paid for a night at the lodge, why was I being rushed out 2 hours before check out? We brought our items to the reception and I went to hunt down the staff and asked them why there was such a rush to leave and asked why it wasn't clarified in the booking what the timing of any departures were. In the end, I negotiated an 11:15 departure (it takes 15 minutes to get to the office in town from the lodge) and we went to laze on the hammock again. In town, we popped into a cab and were dropped at the hotel.
To be clear, I would do this entire 2 days again. It was extremely enjoyable and the Lodge is GORGEOUS but given that no-one seemed to know our booking existed and we were treated like we shouldn't be there, I can't recommend booking through Viator. Book through Jungle Joe directly I guess, and be clear that you would like a meal plan.
Review provided by Tripadvisor