Birding & Wildlife Sites 

(Listed in approximate order visited)

Hotel Quelitales

Based at one of the nation’s best new lodges for birding, with great accommodations and food, we’ll peel back the layers here in Cartago province for a couple of days. Here at one of the few lodges in Costa Rica completely focused on birders, a fantastic hummingbird garden attracts species such as the uncommon Black-bellied Hummingbird and White-bellied Mountain-gem. Green-fronted Lancebill is also regular around here, while feeding stations can even have Scaled Antpitta and Black-breasted Wood-Quail! Nearby, in the humid forest with middle-elevation birds, we could get lucky with a Crested or Mottled Owl at night. Also nearby is a beautiful hacienda with views of the Cachi reservoir and a coffee farm that hosts Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow as well as other birds. 

Tapanti National Park

At 225 square miles in total area and cloaked in lower montane rain forest and pre-montane rain forest, the lush middle elevation forests of Tapanti host a wide variety of species, with over 400 recorded here. We will enjoy fair chances for Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Black-faced Solitaire, the two barbets and much more. If the birding gods smile, we might even find a rarity such as the shy Lanceolated Monklet, one of the quail-doves, a Sharpbill, White-winged Tanager, or perhaps Ochre-breasted Antpitta. 

Perez Zeledon & Buenos Aires Grasslands

With one night in this area, we focus on specialties such as Scaled Pigeon, Orange-collared Manakin, Streaked Saltator, Pearl Kite, White-crested Coquette, and the uncommon Turquoise Cotinga. The General Valley (Valle Generál) here is a good spot for this most handsome cotinga but we’ll need some luck. We also visit the grass savannahs near Buenos Aires hoping for miracles like Ocellated Crake and Rosy Thrush-Tanager, and will make an early evening attempt for the local White-tailed Nightjar in his area too.

Las Esquinas Rainforest Lodge

A birdwatcher's paradise, a number of the iconic endemics such as Black-cheeked Ant-tanager, Mangrove Hummingbird, Charming Hummingbird, Yellow-billed, and Turquoise Cotinga occur here. We will seek these and others at this 37-acre private reserve that borders Piedras Blancas National Park. The managers of the lodge and reserve have been leaders in conservation and sustainability, planting innumerable species of plants and trees in the area, to repopulate it with native flora. The fauna have taken note, and so we now enjoy chances at birds like Baird’s Trogon, Golden-naped Woodpecker, Blue-headed Parrot, Tiny Hawk, Spectacled Owl, and the rare and as yet undescribed “Puntarenas Screech-Owl”.

Carara National Park & Rio Tárcoles

Featuring easy trails for walking, the rainforests of Carara National Park offers a healthy variety of forest interior birds, including the likes of Great Tinamou, Black-faced Antthrush, Streak-chested Antpitta, Rufous Piha, manakins, and more. We will enjoy a boat trip along the Tárcoles River, which is an excellent way to enjoy leisurely views of waterbirds and edge species, raptors, and we will have great opportunities to see (and hear!) Scarlet Macaws, and other parrots too. We often take in views of at least 3 species of Kingfishers, and could see mangrove specialties like Mangrove Vireo and Mangrove Hummingbird. The surrounding dry-forest habitats can have Crane Hawk, Spot-bellied Bobwhite, Black-headed Trogon, and the spectacular Turquoise-browed Motmot. 

Rigor, Pace & Pests: 

• Birding lodges & nice hotels, 3 or 4-star quality, throughout. 

• Excellent food & ability to easily accommodate most dietary needs.

• Guests should prepare for sun exposure, heat, and perhaps some biting insects (mosquitos, ticks).

• Extended periods on foot, walking and standing, with some uneven terrain in hilly areas.

• A couple drives of 4+ hours, otherwise mostly short drive times between sites.

• Early mornings, up before dawn. Usually back to the hotel by 12pm for lunch.

• Afternoon birding or relaxing after lunch, with a couple evenings of night birding.