![]() |
|
| Wildlife & Birdlife of Costa Rica | ||||
|
This trip visits some of the most prolific and diverse wildlife and birdlife destinations within a two week trip to Costa Rica. It will be led by presenter, writer and naturalist Mike Dilger, who is not only a walking encyclopaedia on natural history, but a highly inspiring and enjoyable person to spend time with. Mike has spent extended periods in Latin America, and of Costa Rica he is particularly familiar with forests surrounding the La Selva Research Station. This is where he spent seven weeks filming hummingbirds and some of the other 448 species of birds to be found here. To ensure the best possible opportunities for observation, he will be accompanied by a Costa Rican expert naturalist and bird watching guide. Costa Rica contains a huge diversity of habitats and fauna within a relatively small area. This makes it possible for us to explore lowland rainforest both on the Pacific and Caribbean sides of its Central Highlands at the Corcovado National Park and Sarapiqui respectively. From the Corcovado, we can also explore the Caño Island Biological Reserve which is one of the best places in Central America to see dolphins and humpback whales. For those interested to snorkel or dive here, it is also a tremendous place to see huge shoals of fish, sharks, giant manta rays and olive ridley turtles. From lowlands to highlands, we explore the country’s best area of cloud forests for seeing resplendent quetzals: San Gerardo de Dota. Here we stay at 7,000 feet to take advantage of some of Costa Rica’s higher altitude flora and fauna, which in bird terms includes a high diversity of hummingbirds. We visit two further cloud forest locations: firstly close to Poas Volcano and lastly at the private reserve of Los Angeles. Poas volcano (2644m) is one of the most active in Latin America having erupted some 40 times since the mid 1800s. Close to the volcano we visit the beautiful La Paz waterfall and surrounding forests which include the private La Paz gardens. At Los Angeles we stay at the ranch of the former president of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Carazón. There are some excellent forests here which in addition to 210 species of birds and 3 out of Costa Rica’s 4 species monkeys. In addition to altitude and geographical position, diversity in Costa Rica is also defined by the kind of environments we visit. The Carara National Park is of particular interest to the natural history visitor because it bridges rainforest and tropical dry forest environments. There are more than 400 species of bird to be found here of which one of the country’s largest populations of scarlet macaw is a notable sight. We can make use of the park’s aerial walkways here to conduct exploration of the forest from within the canopy as well as at ground level. We also explore wetland, riverine and coastal environments at Sarapiqui and the Corcovado. The coast of the Corcovado is quite unique because along 35km of unbroken coastal rainforest, you can see marine and terrestrial species at the same time. Offshore, we can hope to see dolphins and pelicans, and tidal inlets are a great place to see crocodiles and the odd small shark. The beach is a particularly good place to see the Corcovado’s ubiquitous coatimundis and it is not unknown to see tapir or capuchin monkeys here. There are also some extensive stands of mangroves in the Corcovado which we will be able to observe on our way into and out of the park. Click here for a draft itinerary.
Mike Dilger will be speaking at the RSPB and Wildlife Trusts British Bird Fair on 15th, 16th & 17th August. For details click here. Photographs kindly provided by Mike Dilger, Natalia Lizano, the La Selva Research Station, the Neotropic Foundation, ICT, Ralph Pannell Responsible Travel - Bird Watching Holiday - Birdwatching - Natural History - Costa Rica |
Carbon emissions for all flights booked through Aqua-Firma for this trip will be offset via the Rainforest4Climate programme. Committed |
||