It was a long drive from El Dorado to El Zaino (about 5 minutes drive from Tayrona National Park) and walking into the hostel didn't really fit what I had expected. I knew it was along the highway but I expected the property to be a bit set back but this is ON the highway. The pool view is the highway and the highways views the pool.
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| Kankui Hostal |
BUT all of that first impression drastically improved after settling in and over the course of the stay. The breakfast is included and is fantastic with fresh fruit, juice, scrambled eggs and arepas. Our room was river view and really was ON the river with only about 1 m of sand in between. There was air conditioning and TV. We had our own private balcony area with a hammock and chairs.
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| Piedras River at Kankui Hostal |
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| Piedras River at Kankui Hostal |
The river was lovely, crystal clear and cool (but not very deep in dry season) with a rock/sand bottom that was easy to walk in. Stretching my legs after the long drive I walked just a short distance into the river and was surrounded by birds! Hummingbirds, tanagers warblers!! All flitting around these large mimosa shrubs blooming on a sand flat in the river.
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| Streaked Flycatcher |
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| Blue-gray Tanagers |
I walked the river many times in the three days we spent there and I saw many birds including:
Ruddy Ground-dove
Spotted Sandpiper
Crested Caracara
Yellow-headed Caracara
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| Yellow-headed Caracara |
Pale-bellied Hermit
Steely-vented Hummingbird
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
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| Rufous-tailed Hummingbird |
Snowy Egret
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Ringed Kingfisher
Amazon Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
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| Green Kingfisher Male |
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| Green Kingfisher Male |
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| Green Kingfisher Female |
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| Green Kingfisher Female |
Red-crowned Woodpecker
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| Red-crowned Woodpecker |
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Blue-headed Parrot
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| Blue-headed Parrot |
Yellow-bellied Elaenia
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| Yellow-bellied Elaenia |
Social Flycatcher
Summer Tanager
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| Summer Tanager |
Tropical Kingbird
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| Tropical Kingbird |
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
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| Southern Rough-winged Swallow |
Bicoloured Wren
House Wren
Long-billed Gnatwren
Pale-breasted Thrush
Baltimore Oriole
Orange-crowned Oriole
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| Orange-crowned Oriole |
Long-tailed Grackle
Blue-gray Tanager
Crimson-backed Tanager
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| Crimson-backed Tanager |
Palm Tanager
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| Palm Tanager |
Bananaquit
Northern Waterthrush
Yellow Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Grayish Saltator
Gray Seedeater
At night the river was loud with Giant Toads and fishing spiders but surprisingly little else. I did surprise an armadillo one night and it very slowly sauntered off in front of me like an old grump.
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| Giant Toad (Rhinella horribilis) |
The highway doesn't have much around it here and the best places to eat are literally across the street at Chayrama or Yuluka EcoHostal. The food and drinks at both are lovely but I am partial to the ecohostal because of the wildlife. The restaurant is set higher up so you have a nice view of the trees and can bird watch while you eat or if you go for a quick walk around you see frogs, skinks and geckos on the property.
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| Yuluka EcoHostal |
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| Yuluka EcoHostal |
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| Blue-gray Tanager |
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| Cimson-backed Tanager |
