ORINOCO AND BAHIA SOLANO FISHING EXPEDITION (13 DAYS)

Day 1 : Arrival in Bogota

When you arrive in Bogota, I will be waiting for you at the baggage pick-up exit holding a Colombia Wild sign. We will drive you to our accommodations and relax for the remainder of the day. As soon as we are settled and depending on arrival times, we will tour the city and perhaps visit Monserrate, a very popular place up in the hills that will give us beautiful views of the whole city, and eat at a great typical restaurant.

Day 2: Bogota-Villavicencio-Puerto Gaitan

We wake up early and head to the airport to catch our 5:30 am flight to Villavicencio, from here we will take a private transport to the town of Puerto Gaitan (3.5 hrs). Once there, we will be welcomed by Jhon our expert local guide and taken to our hotel. Once settled, he will give us a brief introduction to fishing in the region. We will learn about the various fish species and techniques to hook and land them. If time permits, we will go out for an afternoon of fishing.

Day 2-3: Fishing Meta, Yucao and Manacacias Rivers and Transfer to Rio Muco

Will wake at 5:30 am and after breakfast fish one of our best options of the Yucao, Meta, and Manacacias Rivers. We will Fly fish, troll, or bottom fish for Payara, Butterfly Peacock Bass, Silver Croakers, Bicuda and Yellow and White Sardinata for the whole day. On our way to the fishing sites we will be accompanied by pink dolphins who will surely steal the show for a bit. On day 1 return by 6:30 pm for a great local cuisine each night coupled with quality wines. We may opt to do a bit of bait fishing at night for large catfish. It's up to you. On day 2, we will wrap up fishing by 4:30 pm so that we go to our second fishing area, the Rio Muco, located about 3 hours east from Puerto Gaitan near the limit of the Meta and Vichada Departments. The road is for the most part unpaved and we may get lucky and come across some caimans or capibaras. Our campsite is rustic but extremely clean and our hosts Humberto and Jenny are the best. They will do the utmost to make us feel welcome.

Day 4 and 5: Fishing Rio Muco

For the next 2 days we will cast for Speckled Peacock Bass (the largest subspecies), Yaru, and Piranha spp. as well as a host of big catfish. On our fourth day, we will hit specific points for some bottom fishing targeting Pacu, Striped Catfish, and Carib Rays. In the evening of day 4, we will be able to enjoy, as a group. our experiences by campfire with some of our fresh-caught fish (only non-game like piranha and catfish), local foods (capibara, and llanero veal) with quality wine and suds. On our 5th day, we will depart the Rio Muco to Puerto Gaitan at 4:40 pm. Once we get to Puerto Gaitan, we'll settle in our Hotel and have a great dinner.

Day 8: Puerto Gaitan-Villavicencio-Bogota-Medellin

Today, is what we call our travel day. We take our 3.5 hr transport at 5:30 am to Villavicencio to catch our 10:15 am flight to Bogota. We will have lunch at the Airport and then catch our 1:48 pm flight from Bogota to Medellin. Once we arrive, we will have lunch in a typical restaurant and then transfer to our Hotel in El Poblado, Medellin's nicest area, and settle in our Hotel. If time permits, we will have a tour of the City. For those of you with enough energy left, we can also tour some of the best locations at night and try some typical snacks.

Day 9: Medellin-Bahia Solano

We will depart our hotel early to catch our short 11:00 am flight to Bahia Solano. Once we arrive, we will hop onto Motor taxis and take a fifty minute ride on unpaved roads to our traditional but comfortable accommodations (sorry, no air conditioning here). Once we are all settled in, and if time and climate permits, we will head out for an afternoon fishing session. Alternatively, we can visit the town and get our equipment ready for the following day. We will end the day with a fantastic traditional meal and some wine.

Day 10-11: Fishing Bahia Solano

We will start fishing at 6:30 am along the rocky and beach coastlines. Our target species for the first 3 days will include rooster fish, cubera snapper, red snapper, wahoo, pompano, jacks, and many other species associated with these coastal waters. After 3 days of coastal fishing, we will try our luck at Dorado, Sailfish, and Marlin further out to sea. Of course we will be able to modify our fishing locations depending on what the group decides and what is working well during the season in which we visit.

Day 12: Flight Bahia Solano-Medellin