ICO2025 Post-Congress Tour

📅 Dates: August 16–22, 2025
💰 Price: 3,800,000 COP per person
🚍 Registration and Payment are open!

Following a week of scientific exchange at ICO2025, participants are invited to join a 7-day field-based tour through one of Colombia’s most ecologically and culturally significant regions. Starting from the historical town of Villa de Leyva, the itinerary traverses the Eastern Plains (Llanos Orientales), offering opportunities for in-depth observation of tropical savanna ecosystems, high Andean paramos, and transitional forest habitats.

This educational expedition is designed to foster academic networking, biodiversity documentation, and cross-cultural engagement. Participants will engage with local conservation initiatives, observe a high diversity of flora and fauna, and experience traditional llanero (plains cowboy) practices. The program supports both professional development and regional understanding, making it a valuable extension for those seeking to integrate fieldwork, ecological study, and cultural knowledge into their academic objectives.

This post-congress tour also aims to foster international collaboration and synthesis, aligning with the priorities highlighted in the recent review by Sánchez- Herrera and Maharaj (2025) [DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2025.101357], which emphasizes the importance of building global networks to address emerging challenges in Entomological research and conservation. By bringing together researchers from across the world to explore Colombia's diverse ecosystems, the tour provides a unique setting for exchange of knowledge, field-based learning, and the development of collaborative projects. More than just a biodiversity experience, it represents a platform for strengthening international partnerships that are essential for advancing the field of odonatology in a rapidly changing world.

Tour Highlights

  1. Biodiversity Field Observations – Focused surveys of emblematic Neotropical odonate genera such as Diastatops, Zenithoptera, Acanthallagma, Acanthagrion, Heteragrion, Perilestes, Mesagrion, Mesamphiagrion, Polythore, Euthore, among others, across varied aquatic habitats. These will be complemented by broader biodiversity encounters with key macrofauna including jaguars (Panthera onca), giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), and high avian diversity, providing a rich field-based experience in tropical ecology.

  2. Lago de Tota Ecosystem Visit – Exploration of Colombia’s largest lake, with emphasis on high-altitude aquatic ecosystems and local conservation challenges.

  3. Ethnobiological and Cultural Engagement – Immersive experiences in llanero traditions, including music, gastronomy, and sustainable cattle-ranching practices, offering insight into human-environment interactions.

  4. Visits to Key Conservation Sites – Guided field visits to Reserva Natural La Aurora and Reserva Natural La Cosmopolitana, exemplary models of community-based conservation and biodiversity management.

  5. Andean–Orinocan Transition Study – Traverse diverse ecological zones from the Eastern Andes to the Orinoquía region, examining landscape connectivity, altitudinal gradients, and ecological transitions.

Itinerary Overview

📌 Day 1 (Aug 16): Villa de Leyva → Lago de Tota → Yopal
📌 Day 2 (Aug 17): Yopal → Reserva La Aurora
📌 Day 3-4 (Aug 18-19): Full exploration of Reserva La Aurora
📌 Day 5 (Aug 20): Return to Yopal for a relaxing evening
📌 Day 6 (Aug 21): Yopal → Reserva La Cosmopolitana
📌 Day 7 (Aug 22): Reserva La Cosmopolitana → Bosque Bavaria → Bogotá

📍 See the route on Google Maps: View Here

What’s Included?

✅ Round-trip private transportation from Villa de Leyva to Bogotá
✅ Comfortable eco-lodge and hotel accommodations
✅ All meals and guided excursions
✅ Local expert guides

🚫 Not Included: Personal expenses, alcoholic beverages, travel insurance

🩺 Yellow Fever Vaccination Recommended for Post-Congress Tour

If you’re planning to join us for the post-congress tour following ICO2025 in Villa de Leyva, please note that yellow fever vaccination is strongly recommended for travelers visiting certain regions in Colombia.

While Villa de Leyva is not located in a yellow fever risk zone, some destinations on the tour itinerary are. For your safety, and in accordance with local health guidelines, we recommend that all participants get vaccinated before travel.

The vaccine is available free of charge at major airports in Colombia, but it takes approximately 10 days to become effective.

Let’s make this an enriching and safe journey for everyone!

📬 If you have any questions about health recommendations for the post-congress trip, feel free to contact us at ico2025@worlddragonfly.org



📢 Don’t miss out—reserve your spot now!!

*If you do not have access to Google services (Google Forms), you can complete the form at the following link: Postcongress Tour Form. Once completed, please send it to ico2025@worlddragonfly.org along with a screenshot of the payment confirmation to complete your registration.