Amazing Costa Rica

Day 1 – January 11 2026

Arrive to Juan Santamaria International Airport, welcome and transfer to Hotel
Bougainvillea for dinner and our first night, depending on flights, we may have time for some initial exploring of the hotel gardens.

Day 2 – January 12 2026

Following an early breakfast we will load up and head towards Turrialba. Our first port of call will be the famous Irazu volcano. Irazu is an active volcano peaking at over 3000m above sea level. We will bird the road up to the volcano and will get our first taste of Costa Rica birds, Tanagers, Hummingbirds and more. We will search for some rare and elusive species such as Wrenthrush, antbirds and more. We will bird our way up the mountain and search for higher elevation birds such as Volcano Hummingbird, Volcano Junco and more. Following lunch we will slowly head to our hotel, birding en route.

Night at Hotel Villa Florencia – https://villaflorencia.com/en/villa-florencia/

Day 3 – January 13 2026

A full day of birding in and around Rancho Naturalista. This beautiful lodge is one of the first birding lodges in Costa Rica and has beautiful grounds, hospitable staff and great food. We will spend some time at the feeders which are frequented by Gray-headed Chachalaca, Montezuma Oropendola, Orange-billed Sparrow and Red-throated Ant-Tanager. The Hummingbird feeders at Rancho are also fantastic and we will take the time to watch and photograph attractive hummers such as Green-breasted Mango, Crowned Woodnymph, White-necked Jacobin and Green-crowned Brilliant. The trees and gardens around Rancho Naturalista also attract impressive numbers of wintering north American warblers such as Blackburnian Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler and Golden-winged Warbler. During the day we will explore the trails of the lodge’s private reserve in search for middle-elevation forest birds such as Spotted Woodcreeper, Buff-throated Foliage Gleaner, Golden-crowned Warbler, White-ruffed Manakin and Bicolored Hawk. We will also visit the hummingbird gardens at Rancho Bajo (part of Rancho Naturalista’s property) to look for some of the rarer Hummingbirds, including the iconic Snowcap and possibly Black-crested Coquette, Garden Emerald. In the afternoon we will head to the rural town of Tayutic, where we will visit the Platanillo river, the perfect habitat for the mysterious Sunbittern, a major target of the area.

Night at Hotel Villa Florencia – https://villaflorencia.com/en/villa-florencia/

Day 4 – January 14 2026

Following breakfast we will head to El Copal. This beautiful reserve is owned and maintained by local tribes and requires permits to enter. The reserve includes some of the most impressive rainforest habitat in the region. We will explore the trails and should expect a large list of birds including feeding flocks of Tanagers, an array of Warblers, Flycatchers, Toucanets, Wood creepers, Manakins, Motmots, and much more. The birding at El Copal truly is amazing and we should enjoy great birds and a good chance for more exciting wildlife. In the afternoon we will head towards Cachi in the Orosi valley, and check into our lovely lodge. We may have time for a short afternoon birding session around the lodge.

Night at La Casona del Cafetal – https://www.lacasonadelcafetal.com/en/

Day 5 – January 15 2026

We will start the day with some birding around the lodge and adjacent trails. Following breakfast we will head to nearby Hotel Quelitales. This beautiful site above Cachi has a few short trails and a beautiful waterfall pool. The area is very birdy and hosts some rare species such as Wood Quails, scarce Hummingbirds, and the elusive Scaled Antpitta. We will spend some time here, explore the Hummingbird garden and the feeders on the hotel porch. This is a great place to photograph some great birds such as Tanagers, Oropendolas and more. In the afternoon we will start heading to the highlands to San Gerardo and Cerro de la muerte. After some morning birding and breakfast we will head up into the mountains towards the Costa Rica Highlands. Our journey takes us up to the Talamanca Mountain range to get to Savegre River Valley. As we gain elevation we will stop at Paraiso Quetzal, a beautiful restaurant with a balcony and fantastic feeders that host some very good endemic Hummers: Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Talamanca Hummingbird, Volcano Hummingbird, White throated Mountain Gem and more. We will take a short walk around and search for more highland specialties such as Large-footed Finch, Sooty-capped Chlorospingus and Slaty Flowerpiercer. We will arrive at our cabins in the afternoon with time for a short birding session at famous Miriam’s Cafe, where the feeders regularly host beautiful birds such as Acorn Woodpecker, Flame-colored Tanager, Chlorophonia, Emerald Toucanet and more!

Night at Cabanas San Gerardo

Day 6 – January 16 2026

A full day to enjoy the beautiful highlands of Costa Rica. We will head out bright and early in hope of finding beautiful specialties such Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher, Flame-throated Warbler, Ochraceous Wren, Black-thighed Grosbeak, Black Guan and the most wanted of all the Resplendent Quetzal! In order to maximize our chances of seeing and photographing the beautiful Quetzal we will visit the Paraiso Del Quetzal Kabek project, where researchers monitor the different territories in the valley.

Night at Cabanas San Gerardo

Day 7 – January 17 2026

Following breakfast we will head up the famous “antennas”, one of the highest points of the mountain range. We will spend some time in the Paramo forest, a very different and spiky-bushy and elfin looking forest at over 3000m elevation. In this spot we will look for the endemics Volcano Junco and Timberline Wren and keep an eye to the sky for the local Red-tailed Hawks. After birding the Paramo we will make our way down, stopping at famous Casa Dowii, a clever birders cafe located in the middle elevations. This magical spot has fantastic food, locally grown coffee and special feeders that attract hard to find species such as the Spangle-cheeked Tanager, Buff-fronted Quail Dove, Buffy-crowned Wood Partridge, Prong-billed Barbet and more. After lunch we decsend to the Caribbean lowlands region of Sarapiquí. After checking into our hotel we will spend the late afternoon birding the access road the famous La Selva biological station, one of the major birding hotspots in the region.

Night at Hotel El Bambu – http://www.elbambu.com/english/index.html

Day 8 – January 18 2026

Following an early breakfast, we will drive the short distance to La Selva biological station. La Selva is a large protected area in the heart of Sarapiquí that is shared by several universities as a base for many research projects. La Selva is amazing for birding (and wildlife) especially in the morning. We will explore the trails with a local warden and should expect a large list of birds including Hummingbirds, Motmots, Oropendolas, Flycatchers, Manakins and maybe an Owl or 2. Towards lunchtime we will head to one of our special spots, La Pierella Eco Garden where we will have lunch. La Pierella Ecological Garden is an oasis of birds located around an agricultural area. We will explore the trails and search for White-whiskered Puffbird, White-collared Manakin, Long-tailed Tyrant, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, American Pygmy Kingfisher and more. It’s a lovely place and an example of amazing ecotourism. Besides birds Pierella has impressive butterfly gardens and other wildlife such as Sloths, reptiles and big insects. In the late afternoon we will bird a nearby rural road where Great Green Macaws and Scarlet Macaws are possible to observe at dusk!

Back to Hotel El Bambu for the night.

Day 9 – January 19 2026

Following breakfast we will head north to the magical region of Caño Negro. This very special wetland area near the Nicaragua border is home to many specialty species and an important RAMSAR site. We will arrive in early afternoon and enjoy a boat ride at Medio Queso. While exploring the canals we will search for some amazing birds such as Jabiru, Least and Pinnated Bitterns, Yellow-breasted Crake, Northern Beardless Tyrannulet and the endemics; Nicaraguan Seed-Finch and Nicaraguan Grackle. We will then head to Caño Negro Natural Lodge where in the past we found many good birds such as Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet and Bare crowned Antbird We can possibly do a night tour in search of Black-and-White Owl, Striped Owl and Great Potoo.

Night at Caño Negro Natural Lodge – https://canonegrolodge.com/

Day 10 – January 20 2026

This morning we will visit the Caño Negro reserve and take a long boat trip through the beautiful river system. This area is one of the best places in the country to find the beautiful and enigmatic Agami Heron as well as other rarities such as Green and rufous Kingfisher and Yellow-tailed Oriole. Besides these we will enjoy good numbers of several other Kingfisher species and a host of other wetland birds, Roseate Spoonbill, White Ibis, Boat-billed Heron and with some luck the rare and localized Black-collared Hawk. After the boat ride we will start making our way south, we will have another stop at the San Emilio wetlands to find any species we may have missed, and drive to the Boca Tapada region.

Night at Pedacito de Cielo eco lodge – https://www.pedacitodecielo.com/

Day 11 – January 21 2026

A full day of birding around the famous Laguna De Lagarto lodge and surrounding areas. We will start the day with early morning birding from the restaurant deck. The open air restaurant overlooks some great feeders where we will enjoy excellent views and incredible photographic opportunities of Keel-billed Toucan, Yellow-throated Toucan, Brown-hooded Parrot, Shining and Red-legged Honeycreeper and many more. The lawns often attract shy species such as Great Currasows and the higher trees may attract Great Green Macaws. After breakfast we will take a private tour to their famous hide to watch and photograph King Vultures. The King Vulture experience is like no other and offers a chance to see good numbers of these magnificent Vultures at point blank range, as well as Black Vultures and Caracaras. We will have lunch in the lodge and after a little rest in the afternoon we will do a walk around the grounds of the hotel, hoping to get some more species such as Double-toothed Kite, Pied Puffbird, Chestnut-colored Woodpecker, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, White-ringed Flycatcher and Scaled Pigeon.

Night at Pedacito de Cielo.

Day 12 – January 22 2026

Following an early breakfast and some birding we will start heading back to the central valley. We will bird the famous Virgen del Socorro road where we will enjoy Antbirds calling from the thickets, flocks of Tanagers and a nice selection of Woodcreepers, Woodpeckers, Warblers, Flycatchers and many more. We will then stop will be at the famous “soda” in Cinchona. This charming café is known for its feeders that attract fantastic species, such as Northern Emerald Toucanet, Prong-billed and Red-headed Barbet, Common Chlorospingus, the endemic Coppery-headed Emerald and a supporting cast of Tanagers, Hummingbirds, Orioles and many more! In the late afternoon we will arrive at our hotel on the outskirts of San Jose, for our last night of the tour.

Night at El Robredal hotel – https://www.costaricafocus.com/lodging/robledal-hotel/

Day 13 – January 23 2026

After breakfast we pack up and drive to the airport, where our tour sadly ends…

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Tour price: 6/7/8/9/10 pax

$5800 / $5550 / $5300 / $4950 / $4700
Single supplement: $750

Price includes: 

12 nights accomodation

All meals, starting from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 13

Full time guiding services

All transportation and entry fees

Price excludes: 

International flights

Travel insurance

Medical expenses, prescription drugs etc.

Alcoholic drinks and items of personal nature.

Tips