Venture deep into a biodiverse corridor, where the mist of the Andes meets the humidity of the Pacific lowlands. It is a photographic expedition into the heart of Colombia’s Chocó biogeographic region, part of the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena biodiversity hotspot.
Over six days, we’ll traverse ecosystems ranging from cloud forests and tropical lowland jungles to riverine habitats where many species are active after sunset. With your camera in hand and local guides by your side, you’ll explore key locations like the rivers of San Cipriano, the forests of the Pacific slope of Valle del Cauca, the cloud forests of Santa Cecilia, and Kiraikai Ecolodge.
This tour is crafted for photographers passionate about macro, herpetofauna, and immersive fieldwork. You’ll look for poison dart frogs on leaf-littered paths, search for snakes at night, and make portraits of the rainforest’s amphibians and reptiles, while you learn to tell stories with your images.
Whether you are an experienced wildlife photographer or a naturalist with a camera, this tour combines technical practice with time in the field.
Join us for six days of herping and photography, from the Pacific lowlands to the Andes.
Explore a global biodiversity hotspot. Journey through the heart of Colombia’s Chocó biogeographic region, home to many endemic amphibians and reptiles. Visit tropical rainforests, cloud forests, and the Andean foothills.
Photograph colorful herpetofauna in their natural habitats. Look for species such as Phyllobates samperi, Boana rufitela and Rhaebo haematiticus, and for threatened poison frogs of the genus Oophaga, among many others. With guidance from Jhonattan Vanegas, a herpetologist and photographer, and from local guides, you’ll photograph these elusive species in the field, day and night.
Elevate your field photography skills. Receive one-on-one mentoring in macro and wildlife photography while practicing in real-world conditions. Improve your use of lighting, focus stacking, composition, and camera settings in the rainforest and the cloud forest.
Travel with local guides. The tour works with local guides and stays at lodges and ecolodges along the route, and it helps you understand the threats these ecosystems face.
Visit four sites in six days. From the rivers of San Cipriano and the Pacific slope of Valle del Cauca to the cloud forests of Santa Cecilia and the foothills of the Central Andes in Quindío, this tour covers a wide range of landscapes and species in six days.
Guidance in Amphibian and Reptile Photography
Receive specialized instruction in photographing colorful and often hard-to-see species such as Phyllobates samperi and Boana rufitela, and threatened poison frogs of the genus Oophaga. Learn to craft visual stories that reveal the colors, patterns, and behaviors of Colombia’s herpetofauna.
Macro Photography Mastery in Real-World Conditions. Refine your macro techniques with field-based support in lighting, magnification, and background control. Explore how to emphasize the textures, colors, and micro-details of frogs, lizards, and rainforest insects through artistic composition and critical focus.
Lighting Techniques for Dense Tropical Forests. Get hands-on guidance in balancing ambient and artificial light. Practice using diffusers, off-camera flashes, and reflectors to control shadows and highlights in humid, low-light environments, essential for night walks and canopy-filtered day scenes.
Action & Behavior Photography in Low Light. Capture fast or cryptic subjects like calling frogs, slithering snakes, or territorial displays with tips on shutter speed, burst shooting, and motion tracking. Learn how to anticipate behavior and adapt to rapid changes in rainforest light and conditions.
Full-Time Mentorship with a Wildlife Photography Professional. Throughout the expedition, you’ll be guided by Jhonattan Vanegas, a herpetologist and nature photographer. His one-on-one support in the field helps you improve your technical skills and strengthen your visual storytelling and conservation narrative.
Macro Lens (90 to 105 mm): A high-quality macro lens is essential for capturing the intricate details of small subjects, such as the vibrant patterns of poison dart frogs. It lets you fill the frame without crowding the animal, while maintaining sharpness and clarity.
Wide-Angle Macro Lens (15 mm): A 15 mm wide-angle macro lens is perfect for creating environmental portraits that feature both the subject and its natural habitat. This lens helps highlight the unique surroundings, adding depth and context to your shots.
External Flash: Portable off-camera flashes are ideal for delivering controlled lighting in the low-light conditions of tropical forests. They enhance the vivid colors of amphibians. We use flash at low power and sparingly, and we stop if an animal reacts.
Wireless Flash Triggers: Wireless transmitters allow you to use off-camera flash setups, offering greater creative control over light direction and intensity. This is particularly useful in uneven lighting conditions and dense jungle environments.
Flash Diffuser: Essential for softening harsh light and minimizing reflections on the moist skin of amphibians. Diffusers ensure even, natural-looking lighting that highlights fine textures without overpowering the subject.
Portable Reflector: Compact and foldable, reflectors help bounce light onto the subject, providing additional fill light in shaded or low-light conditions. They enhance detail and color without the need for extra flash units.
Extension Tubes: Extension tubes increase your lens magnification, allowing for more precise focus on very small details. They are a cost-effective way to expand your macro capabilities without investing in new lenses.
Amphibians
Reptiles
Herpetologist with a degree in Biology from the Universidad del Quindío. He is a full-time nature photographer, specializes in macro photography and leads workshops and photographic tours in Colombia. He is author or co-author of 11 articles in scientific journals on Colombian amphibians and reptiles.
His photographic work has taken him to explore every corner of the country. His photos have been featured in magazines such as Enfoque Visual, RowZine, and the Catalog of Amphibians and Reptiles of Colombia, among others. He won the environmental advocacy category in the Agenda del Mar photography competition (2022). He uses photography and biology as tools to promote conservation through various initiatives, contributing to a deeper understanding of species’ behaviors and their interactions with ecosystems. These two passions have allowed him to offer a unique perspective on the hidden and unknown world beneath the mysterious landscapes of Colombia’s mountains and plains, aiming to create a bridge between memory and nature.
Day 1 | Cali – San Cipriano | Phyllobates samperi
Our adventure begins early in the morning with a meeting in Cali, from where we’ll travel toward the lush San Cipriano Forest Reserve. On the way, we’ll enjoy breakfast before arriving in Zaragoza, where we’ll hop aboard a “brujita,” a wooden platform on train tracks powered by a motorcycle, for the ride into the forest.
Upon arrival, we’ll settle into our accommodation and enjoy a local lunch before heading into the forest for our first photographic session. This will be our introduction to in-situ photography, focusing on amphibians and reptiles that thrive in this tropical environment. As evening falls, we’ll prepare for our first night tour, capturing species that only emerge after dark. We’ll then return to the lodge for a well-deserved rest.
Day 2 | San Cipriano | Boana picturata
We’ll begin the day with breakfast before heading into the field for a daytime herping session, taking advantage of the morning light to capture vibrant macro images. After a short rest and lunch (which may be in the field depending on conditions), we’ll continue exploring in the afternoon, seeking more photographic opportunities in this biodiversity hotspot.
In the evening, we’ll have dinner outdoors before setting out for a continuation of our night tour, venturing deeper into the forest in search of elusive species. By the end of the day, we’ll return to the lodge with memory cards full of rich photographic material and experiences to reflect on.
Day 3 | Pacific slope of Valle del Cauca | Threatened poison frogs
We’ll begin with an early morning departure from San Cipriano, making our way to the Pacific slope of Valle del Cauca. After breakfast on the road and a short stop at a local birdwatching spot, we’ll continue to our next herping area. Our day will be dedicated to looking for threatened poison frogs of the genus Oophaga, quietly and from a distance. With professional guidance, we’ll work on composition, lighting, and behavioral observation to photograph these amphibians in their natural context. The forest decides what we see. We’ll end the day with a relaxed dinner and rest at our accommodation.
Day 4 | Kiraikai (Quindío) | Andinobates bombetes
We’ll journey to the lush Andean foothills of Quindío, where the landscape begins to shift into montane forest. After breakfast along the route, we’ll arrive at the peaceful Kiraikai Ecolodge, nestled in a vibrant green corridor ideal for photography.
Once settled, we’ll enjoy lunch and then begin exploring the surroundings in search of one of the tour’s target species: Andinobates bombetes, a Colombian endemic listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, with striking coloration and elusive behavior. Our afternoon and evening fieldwork will focus on capturing this species in its natural habitat, using macro and lighting techniques to highlight its vivid textures and natural patterns.
This day lets you refine your skills photographing small subjects in complex environments, with personalized assistance from your field guide and photography mentor. After the night session, we’ll return to the lodge to rest and review the highlights of the day.
Day 5 | Santa Cecilia | Phyllobates bicolor
We’ll head to Santa Cecilia in Risaralda, a transition zone between the Andes and the Chocó biogeographic region. This area offers rich cloud forest ecosystems teeming with photographic potential. After breakfast and check-in at our accommodation, we’ll begin our exploration with a focus on frogs, lizards, and snakes found at these elevations.
During the day and into the night, we’ll hike forest trails in search of subjects like Phyllobates bicolor (Endangered), taking advantage of varied altitudes and changing light to produce impactful images. As always, our guides and photographic mentor will provide continuous support in the field.
Day 6 | Return to Pereira | Tour Closing
Our final day begins with a morning photo session in the area before we return to the lodge for breakfast. After packing and a brief time to relax, we’ll have lunch and begin our transfer to Pereira.
Once in Pereira, we’ll conclude our journey with a short farewell gathering. We’ll part ways with new images and a deeper photographic and naturalist understanding of Colombia’s herpetofauna.
OUR TOUR INCLUDES:
All ground transportation, from Cali Airport on day one to the final destination in Pereira on day six.
Accommodation for five nights in the locations described in the itinerary.
All meals: 6 breakfasts, 6 lunches, and 6 dinners.
Snacks and hydration throughout the tour.
Day and night excursions across diverse trails for in-situ photography of amphibians and reptiles.
Photographic documentation of activities.
Guidance and personalized photographic advice from the Keeping Nature Tours team.
Local guides specialized in herpetofauna.
Medical assistance card for all participants.
OUR TOUR DOES NOT INCLUDE:
Transportation from your city or country of origin to Cali (Valle del Cauca), and return from Pereira.
Any expenses not explicitly mentioned above.
Alcoholic beverages consumed during the tour.
Tips for local guides or staff during your stay.
We will begin an immersive photographic adventure in nature where you will discover and tell your version of your story through your photographs. We have some recommendations that will be very useful when choosing your equipment depending on the approach you want to explore. We want to travel comfortably and protect our equipment. We’ll give you some tips on what to keep in mind.
Keeping Nature Tours: love for nature, passion for photography.
Luggage Carrying
Accommodation
Complete Feeding
Photographic Assistance
Local Guides
Hydration
Day and Night Tours
Snacks
Souvenir
Health Insurance
Ground Transport
We will be happy to talk to you and clarify all your doubts about your next photographic experience, select one of our customer service lines, we will answer you as soon as possible.
Each adventure is unique and so is its level of difficulty. Visit our blog to learn how we classify the physical intensity of our tours and find the one that’s right for you.
Keeping Nature Tours is a tour operator that promotes photography, nature tourism, and wildlife observation with the goal of helping to conserve the most threatened ecosystems, which are affected by deforestation, lack of awareness about species, or cultural beliefs.
Through photography and nature tourism, we can showcase the most beautiful side of Colombia, creating new opportunities for the remote communities in our country.
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