El Descanso & Finca La Florida:

Bird Photography on the KM18 Road Above Cali

QUICK FACTS

Location	The KM18 area on the old Cali–Buenaventura road, San Antonio cloud forest
Two sites	El Descanso (~1,600 m) and Finca La Florida (~2,000 m) — two elevations
Star bird	Chestnut Wood-Quail (Odontophorus hyperythrus), a Colombian endemic at a forest blind
Feeder cast	30+ tanager species, 24+ hummingbirds, barbets & toucanets recorded in the area
Best for	Feeder & hummingbird photography in soft cloud-forest light, close to Cali
Access	~45–60 min from Cali; we arrange entry, reservations & timing
Stay nearby	Yotoco Lodge, our Western Andes basecamp, sits on the same road system

 

El Descanso & Finca La Florida: Bird Photography on the KM18 Road

Just above Cali, the old road to Buenaventura climbs into the San Antonio cloud forest and reaches a stretch known to birders worldwide simply as KM18. For bird photography near Cali, few places on Earth pack so much colour into so little driving. Two of our favourite stops on this road — El Descanso and Finca La Florida — sit at different elevations and offer complementary feeder action, letting you photograph a dazzling cast of tanagers, hummingbirds, and a shy endemic quail in a single morning.

Why KM18 is a photographer's paradise

The magic of KM18 is the combination of altitude, moisture, and established feeder stations. The San Antonio cloud forest is permanently humid, wrapping the whole area in the soft, diffused light photographers dream of. The fincas here maintain fruit and nectar feeders that draw birds to reliable perches, so instead of chasing glimpses you can settle in and work on composition and light. Between the sites in this area, birders have recorded more than 340 species — including over 30 tanagers and two dozen hummingbirds — many of them within a few metres of the camera.

El Descanso: feeders at mid-elevation

At around 1,600 metres, El Descanso is a wonderful first stop of the morning. Its feeders and flowering gardens buzz with colour: Blue-necked Tanager, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Golden Tanager, Red-headed Barbet, and Southern Emerald-Toucanet are regulars, while the hummingbird feeders pull in Booted Racket-tail, Long-tailed Sylph, Andean Emerald, and Brown Inca. The mid-elevation setting means slightly warmer, brighter conditions — ideal for warming up your eye and your shutter finger before climbing higher.

Finca La Florida: cloud forest & the Chestnut Wood-Quail

A short drive higher, at roughly 2,000 metres, Finca La Florida sits deep in the mossy San Antonio cloud forest — mist drifting through the valleys, a different world from El Descanso below. This is one of the most celebrated sites on the whole road, famous above all as a reliable home of the endemic Chestnut Wood-Quail (Odontophorus hyperythrus), which comes to a forest blind here — a genuinely special chance to photograph a bird that is notoriously hard to see elsewhere. La Florida is also a stronghold for the dazzling endemic Multicolored Tanager, alongside Colombian Chachalaca, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, and a supporting cast of tanagers and hummingbirds at its feeders and flowers.

A field note: two elevations, one unforgettable morning

One of my favourite ways to run this road is to start at El Descanso in the first light, when the tanagers arrive hungry, then move up to La Florida as the mist settles. I remember a morning when we had barely set up at the La Florida blind before a pair of Chestnut Wood-Quail stepped out of the undergrowth — a bird some guests had been chasing for years — and, an hour later, a Multicolored Tanager dropped onto a mossy perch beside the feeders. Two endemics, two elevations, one morning, and a very quiet, very happy group of photographers.

Photography tips for the KM18 feeders

The cloud-forest light here is soft and even, so embrace higher ISOs and let the diffused light flatter the birds' colours. Ask your guide to position a natural, mossy perch beside the feeders — it turns a feeding shot into a wild-looking portrait. For hummingbirds, either push your shutter speed high in natural light or use a multi-flash setup to freeze wingbeats. And come ready for drizzle: this is cloud forest, and a rain sleeve for your camera is as essential as a spare battery. For a fuller rundown, see our guide to bird photography in Colombia.

Where to stay: Yotoco Lodge, your Western Andes basecamp

KM18 works best as part of a wider loop through the Western Andes and Cauca Valley — and having a comfortable base nearby makes all the difference to those early starts. Yotoco Lodge, our family-run birding lodge on the same Km 26 stretch of the Cali–Buenaventura road, is built exactly for this: a dedicated Western Andes Birding Basecamp with feeders of its own, from which KM18, El Descanso, and La Florida are all within easy reach. Basing at Yotoco lets you photograph these hotspots without long transfers, then return each evening to birds coming to the lodge's own feeders.

On our Colombia Comprehensive Bird Photography Tour, we combine the KM18 sites with other Western Andes and Cauca Valley locations for a trip built around images rather than a long checklist — handling the reservations, entry, timing, and perches so you can focus entirely on the light and the birds.