Colourful and Dazzling Testimonial by Scott Holt

Scott Holt • May 7, 2026

We engaged RETORNO Photo Tours to arrange a private, two-week birding/photo tour for our family group of 8 (all older adults) to the Santa Marta and Bogota areas of Colombia.

by Scott Holt

Smugmug: https://scottholt.smugmug.com/Destinations/Northern-Colombia-2026



The tour was complex in that two members of the group could only stay for the first week, so we had to pass back through Bogota to get them back to the US. All of this was handled very smoothly by David. From the first interaction in inquiring about a possible trip to the end of our visit, David was always positive, engaged, and immensely helpful. As we worked on the trip, our plans were modified, the number of participants changed, the dominant interest of the group evolved, but David was always willing to work through it. Since we were primarily on a birding trip, with photography as a secondary interest, we were guided by Miguel, with the assistance of several local guides. Miguel was a great bird guide but also very good at dealing with evolving and often quickly changing logistics. We were often in remote and rugged areas with sometimes poorly developed infrastructure, but we were always looked after very well. We always felt safe and comfortable. The trip was an immense success, and I would highly recommend using David and the RETORNO company for your next Colombia birding or bird photography adventure.

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