While it may be on the beaten track, the outrageously beautiful quetzals, great lodges, and friendly people are just some of the reasons why people come back to Costa Rica again and again. This tiny Central American country has far more than its share of beautiful scenery, not to mention a rich assortment of birds unequalled by any other country its size. This short tour takes in the top birding spots in comfort and style, and is timed to maximize your vacation time. The easy trails, great lodges, and fantastic birds make this a great introduction to the addictive wonders of Neotropical birding.

Day 1: San José. You will be picked up at the airport and taken to Hotel Bougainvillea for the night. If you arrive early enough you could enjoy some birding in the hotel grounds, a well known stakeout for Prevost's Ground-Sparrow.

Day 2: Braullio Carillo and La Selva. Our first morning will be spent in the lower ranges of this enormous national park. Our main targets are Caribbean foothills specialties like Lattice-tailed Trogon, Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush, and Streak-crowned Antvireo. We have a chance of finding the amazing Black-crested Coquette, the striking Snowcap, and lots of other spectacular hummers. In the afternoon we shall drive to La Selva Field Station, our base for the next two nights.

Day 3: La Selva. Bird activity around the cabins and cafeteria can be so active with birds in the early morning that it is hard to make any progress down the trails, and often the morning is over before you know it. Montezuma Oropendolas, White-crowned Parrots, and Keel-billed and Chestnut-mandibled Toucans are some of the more impressive species, but the smaller and more brightly-colored birds are also mesmerizing. Passerini’s, Crimson-collared, and Golden-hooded Tanagers, Blue Dacnis, several euphonias, and Rufous-tailed Jacamar are all usually easy to see here. Venturing farther into the reserve, we get into tall rainforest where we’ll search for shyer species like Semiplumbeous Hawk, Ocellated Antbird, Black-faced Antthrush, Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, and Nightingale Wren. 

Day 4: La Selva to Savegre. After some final birding, we will drive through the central valley and up into the Talamanca mountains, stopping at some often productive feeders en route. We’ll spend two nights in the Savegre valley, where feeders attract Scintillant and Volcano Hummingbirds, Green Violet-ear, and Gray-tailed Mountain-gem.

Day 5: Savegre. A short truck ride will take us into the magnificent oak forests above the lodge, home to many species restricted to the high mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama. We'll walk among the oaks hoping for the rare Silvery-throated Jay and Ochraceous Pewee before taking a trail along a stream that is good for the strange and secretive Zeledonia, and mixed flocks of Collared Redstart, Black-cheeked Warbler, and Large-footed Finch. The real star of Savegre is the astounding Resplendant Quetzal, without a doubt one of the world’s most spectacular birds. There are usually several stakeouts in the valley and nowhere else do we stand a better chance of finding Costa Rica’s flagship species.

Day 6: Cerro de la Muerte. Today we'll concentrate on the stunted treeline forest and grassy páramo over 10,000 ft (3000 m). The weather can be forbidding, and only a few hardy birds, like Black-and-yellow Silky-Flycatcher, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Timberline Wren, and Volcano Junco can make a living up here. Later on we have a fairly long drive down to Carara on the Pacific coast, where we spend two nights

Day 7: Carara. This reserve and its surroundings provide arguably the best birding in the country. The forest can be pumping throughout the day, and shy birds seem easier to see here than elsewhere. There are a number of specialties shared only between south-west Costa Rica and nearby Panama, including Black-hooded Antshrike, Fiery-billed Araçari, Beryl-crowned Hummingbird, Riverside Wren, and Orange-collared Manakin. An afternoon boat ride on the Tarcol estuary and nearby mangroves will add shorebirds, herons, and maybe even the endemic Mangrove Hummingbird.

Day 8: Carara to Monteverde. We have another morning to bird in the reserve, trying a different trail to look for Black-faced Antthrush, White-whiskered Puffbird, Chestnut-backed Antbird, and other shy species. Later, we’ll drive north back into the mountains, stopping along the way at a stakeout for Black-and-white Owl. The lower Pacific slope mountains have some drier habitat with different birds, and we might see Rufous-naped Wren, Lesser Ground-Cuckoo, White-fronted Parrot, and the spectacular White-throated Magpie-Jay. The vegetation becomes lush and green as we climb higher into the mountains, eventually arriving at Monteverde, a small mountain town on the Pacific slope near the Continental Divide, where we stay for two nights.

Day 9: Monteverde. This untouched cloud forest with enormous trees is amazing to walk through, and the trails are easy going. We’ll spend much of the morning in here looking for Highland Tinamou, Black-faced Solitaire, Black Guan, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Streak-breasted Treehunter, Orange-bellied Trogon, and Emerald Toucanet. The nearby hummingbird garden is worth a stop after lunch, as the feeders and flowers here bring in swarms of birds, including Violet Sabrewing, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Coppery-headed Emerald, and Green-crowned Brilliant. In less humid forests lower down we shall look for Long-tailed Manakin; the spectacle of several males lekking together has been known to turn non-birders into fanatics on the spot.

Day 10: Monteverde to San José. We have another morning at one of the reserves in the area before packing up and heading back to San José for the night.

Day 11: Departure. The tour ends this morning as you are taken to the airport to meet your flight.

TOUR INFO:

CLIMATE: Hot and humid in the lowlands to quite chilly at Cerro de la Muerte. The tour is timed for the dry season, but it is not unusual to get an occasional shower.

DIFFICULTY: Easy. Even the mountain trails are not difficult. This is a slower-paced trip designed for newcomers to the Neotropics. It is scheduled to go through President's Day Weekend to allow you to get the most out of your vacation time.

ACCOMMODATION: Good to excellent throughout.