Costa Rica - Join us in 'Birding Heaven'

Picture graceful, tall mountains, their tips wreathed in clouds, their slopes enveloped by majestic trees; imagine sprawling inland valleys of lush green meadows with rushing rivers and arching waterfalls; aquamarine water lapping glistening beaches; balmy breezes cascading over the stunning plateaus, and down below the dense jungle whitens in a blanket of mist and steam; conjure up a vision of a population whose smiles reveal their inner happiness and pride in their land – Costa Rica.  Keith Taylor

For further details please download our PDF file here  or to Book Now please complete our enquiry form on Contact Us page.

Costa Rica is one of the richest countries in the world for birds. More species have been recorded here than in the whole of North America yet the country is only the size of a small State! This tour has been organised to cover most of the best birding areas and aims to visit as wide a range of habitats as possible. Of course such a diversity of habitats will also produce diversity of plants, butterflies and amphibians. The scenery is stunning and sure to add an extra ingredient to make this special holiday one to remember! Not only does Costa Rica have coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea (Atlantic Ocean), but forest types ranging from dry deciduous forests in the lowlands to lush evergreen cloudforests in the highlands. It also has rivers, marshes, swamps and subalpine paramo.

It goes without saying that all our accommodation is of the usual very high standard as all Spanish Nature tours. This tour is relaxed and recommended if comfort and easy pace is required. All guests have regular options, either join-in with group birding or opt-out and enjoy your own company. You, the client, have choices unlike on so many other group tours!

Day One/Three. Transfer from San Jose to Savegre Mountain Lodge for our 3 night stay. Savegre Mountain Lodge is the perfect place to experience the highlands of Costa Rica. The area is home to the spectacular Resplendent Quetzal. The lodge’s interest in conservation and protection will be evident as you walk their extensive trail system through pristine oak forest. They have also set up the Quetzal Education and Research Center with the help of researchers from several countries. While at the lodge, hummingbird feeders will keep you entertained as well as other birds in the garden and along the river. Many consider this area to be the best location anywhere to see a large selection of Chiriqui Highland endemics - species found only in the highlands of Costa Rica and extreme western Panama. With delicious meals, comfortable rooms, excellent guides, great birding, and beautiful scenery, we are sure that you will thoroughly enjoy your stay at this lovely mountain lodge.

Day Four/Five. Our next destination will be Rancho Naturalista, via Providencia Road, where we will stay for 2 nights. Rancho Naturalista is considered to be one of the finest birding lodges in Central America. Rancho is known for its peaceful forest surroundings, comfortable well-kept rooms, excellent meals, family style atmosphere, knowledgeable resident bird guide(s), extensive trail system in pre-montane rainforest, banana and hummingbird feeders for the birds, bird bathing pools, and a bird list for the area of over 400 species. With all of that you can see why it is a favourite destination for birders and wildlife enthusiasts from around the world!

Day Six/Eight. After leaving Rancho, we will travel north to the cloudforest reserve of Monteverde and La Quinta where we will spend the next 3 nights. The La Quinta Sarapiqui Country Inn is rnouned for it’s attention to meals, personal service, and YOUR tropical experience. A good selection of wildlife can be seen along the gallery forest next to the two adjoining rivers including the impressive Gray-necked Wood-Rail, several species of parrots and toucans, and the dancing White-collared Manakins on their lek. For many years now, a pair of Spectacled Owls have made this area their home. During breakfast and lunch you can enjoy watching colourful tanagers and honeycreepers coming to the banana feeding tables as you dine. They have also started a reforestation program that will benefit the Great Green Macaws of tomorrow. From butterfly and frog gardens to a cultural museum, La Quinta has much to offer in helping inspire and educate its guests on the wonders of the tropical rainforest. Our first day will be spent at the impressive La Selva OTS.

Day Nine/Ten. From La Quinta we will journey westwards and stop during the morning at La Virgen del Socorro and Cinchona hummingbird station, before proceeding for our 2 night stay at Caño Negro Natural Lodge. These amazing wetlands are located in the northern zone of Costa Rica, close to the small village of Los Chiles in the Province of Alajuela. Caño Negro is mainly conformed by the Caño Negro Lagoon and the Rio Frio. It has an extension of 9960 Hs., and it is one of the most important biological areas of the country and the four most important wetlands area in the world. Cano Negro Wild Life Refuge was declared “Wildlife Area of International Importance” in 1991.  This Costa Rica ecological treasure is the natural habitat of more than 350 species of birds, as well as the emerald basilisk, iguanas, river turtles, caimans and jaguars. In 1996, Caño Negro Natural Lodge began their operations with only 10 rooms. The Lodge now has 22 rooms, a large restaurant, swimming pool with bar, and on-site gardens.

Day Eleven/Twelve. From Caño Negro we head south for the famous Arenal Observatory Lodge. Set amidst a beautiful protected rainforest in the Caribbean foothills and with an overlooking active volcano, a visit to Arenal Observatory Lodge is highly recommended for many reasons. The lodge has lovely gardens complete with bird feeding tables, a very relaxing pool and Jacuzzi, an extensive trail system, a fine restaurant and an atmosphere that few other lodges can claim. We also believe it to be the best possible base for birding the Arenal area. Arenal Volcano is a perfect cinder cone and it is quite active. Eruptions of ash and gasses into the air are not uncommon and on a clear night you may even see lava oozing out of the top. The spectacle of the volcano is worth a visit alone but when combined with the rainforest and the abundance of birds and other wildlife, you can see why this area is so special. Whether you are looking for great birding, a romantic getaway, or just to commune with nature on a higher level, you will find that this area and specifically this lodge can provide all of that and much more. During our first morning we will visit Arenal Hanging Bridges and in the afternoon do some birding around Lake Arenal (Lunch will be in the town of La Fortuna).

Day Thirteen/Fifteen. Leaving our accommodation we will visit Arenal OL before driving south to our 3 night stay at Punta Leona Resort. Punta Leona Beach Resort is a wonderful combination of white sand beaches, comfortable lodging, and good birding. The extensive areas of dry deciduous forest in the Guanacaste region host a wide range of species, many of which are restricted to this habitat, these will include parrots, orioles, woodcreepers, warblers, antbirds, raptors, owls and nightjars. Your day might start with a guided bird walk watching Scarlet Macaws, Chestnut-mandibled Toucans, Fiery-billed Aracaris, and White-faced Capuchin monkeys amongst other colorful smaller birds and Spiny-tailed Iguanas. After a nice breakfast you may want to take in some sun at one of the 3 private white sand beaches or cool off in one of the 4 swimming pools. You found that watching a group of White-throated Magpie-Jays during lunch very enjoyable as was the siesta in the air-conditioned room afterwards. Mid-afternoon finds you on the trails in Punta Leona’s private rainforest reserve trying to track down the incessant gonging of a Three-wattled Bellbird high in the canopy. Slaty-tailed Trogon, Blue-crowned Motmot, Red-capped Manakin, and Bay-headed Tanager added a splash of color to the darkening forest before you headed back to freshen up for a nice dinner. During an evening stroll on the beach your non-birding spouse tells you how glad they are to be with you in beautiful Costa Rica, Ok, what’s wrong with a little embellishment! For our first morning we will visit the Tarcol/Carara area, after our lunch at Steve & Lisa’s restaurant we will go for an afternoon boat ride with Mangrove Birding Tours on the Tarcoles River. Our second day will be spent in Carara National Park with lunch again at Steve & Lisa’s restaurant - last night at Punta Leona.

After departing the Punta Leona, we will set sail for a morning boat ride with Mangrove Birding Tours, after we will have lunch, depending on our schedule, at a local restaurant. We will then transfer in the afternoon to the airport or (see options at page header) our hotel near to San Jose Hotel Bougainvillea for our final night in Costa Rica. Hotel Bougainvillea is a perfect place to relax after our previous travels. It is located in a very peaceful setting away from the city. Its modern accommodations and pleasant temperatures will have you refreshed for your journey home. The enchanting gardens in the back are well worth a visit in the morning and early evening not only for the beautiful tropical flowers but also the birding.

For further details please download our PDF file here  or to Book Now please complete our enquiry form on Contact Us page.

The maximum tour party size is 14. 

To know more about us, please refer to the Spanish Nature page.

At A Glance 16 Day Itinerary plus optional night in San Jose
	Accommodation	Visited Areas
Day One	Savegre Mountain Lodge	Transfer to Lodge
Day Two	Savegre Mountain Lodge	Lodge Area
Day Three	Savegre Mountain Lodge	AM Paramo
Day Four	Rancho Naturalista	Providencia Rd
Day Five	Rancho Naturalista	Rancho Area
Day Six	La Quinta	Transfer
Day Seven	La Quinta	La Selva OTS
Day Eight	La Quinta	am Braulio Carrillo Nat. Park
Day Nine	Caño Negro Natural Lodge	am Virgen del Socorro/Cinchona hummingbird station
Day Ten	Caño Negro Natural Lodge	Caño Negro Wetlands
Day Eleven	Arenal Lodge	am Arenal Hanging Bridges, pm birding at Lake Arenal
Day Twelve	Arenal Lodge	Arenal area and ride to the Pacific coast
Day Thirteen	Punta Leona Beach Resort	Carara area
Day Fourteen	Punta Leona Beach Resort	am Tarcol/Carara area, pm boat ride Tarcoles River
Day Fifteen	Punta Leona Beach Resort	All day in Carara National Park
Day Sixteen	Hotel Bougainvillea -optional	Morning Mangrove boat ride
Day Seventeen	Departure	Departure