Wildlife Birdwatching Costa quetzal birdwatch holiday travel bird watching trogon, parakeet, macaw, jaguar, sloth, tapir- Aqua-Firma

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. The areas you will visit range from primary lowland coastal rainforest reserve of the Corcovado National Park, to the upland cloud forests of San Gerardo de Dota in the Talamanca Highlands where some 50% of all bird species found there are endemic to the area. Amongst the profusion of birds you can hope to see on this trip are the iconic resplendent quetzal, some of Costa Rica’s largest populations of scarlet macaw, turquoise-browed motmot and the endemic gray-tailed mountain-gem hummingbird. Wildlife and marine life you can hope to encounter include two toed sloths, mantled howler monkeys, Pacific bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales.

On your first full day you will leave bustling San Jose to explore the Poas volcano. Situated just outside of San Jose this active volcano has diverse habitats encapsulated in some stunning cloud forest topped off with some active and dormant craters as well as graceful waterfalls.

The following days we will take you to the Corcovado National Park on the Pacific coast of the Osa Peninsula. This is an area once described by National Geographic as ‘the most wildlife intense place on earth’. You will be taken on guided walks into the national park and along the coast where for mile after mile, primary rainforest meets the Pacific Ocean. Regular sightings include the ubiquitous coatimundis, keel-billed toucans, white faced capuchins, scarlet macaws and tovi parakeet. Other species often seen in the Corcovado include Baird’s tapir, collared and white-lipped peccary and the northern tamandua.

Offshore you will find Costa Rica’s best near shore marine life – especially on your day trip to the Cano Island Biological Reserve. From the surface you are highly likely to see playful dolphins and for the longest season anywhere in the world, humpback whales, which can often be seen breaching, migrate along this coast. For those interested to snorkel or dive here, it is also a tremendous place to see huge shoals of fish, sharks, giant manta rays, olive ridley turtles and the occasional whale shark.

From Corcovado we take you to the picturesque riverside location of Sarapiqui. This is an excellent location to delve into the Caribbean facing forests of the Tirimbina Biological Reserve. Your base will be the Neotropic Foundation’s ecotourism project and research centre. This is one of Costa Rica’s foremost research centres and the reserve can be explored through a mix of trails, suspension bridges and canopy walkways.

The next port of call is the La Selva Biological Research Station which lies close to the Braulio Carrillo National Park. This is Costa Rica’s foremost research station making the surrounding rainforest some of the best researched on the planet. This is another excellent opportunity to see the native wildlife and some of the 448 bird species found here including a multitude of hummingbird species. You will be guided on trails through the rainforest by excellent naturalists stationed here.

Carara National Park is of particular interest to the natural history visitor because it bridges rainforest and tropical dry forest environments. This unique park attracts more than 450 species of bird including a large population of scarlet macaws, three-wattled bellbirds and scissor-tailed flycatchers. To get a close up view of the birdlife we can make use of the park’s aerial walkways within the canopy.

At this point you will be reaching the end of your trip but we have left was it possibly Costa Rica best bird watching location until last, San Gerardo de Dota which lies . Tucked in a valley 7,000 feet up in the Talamanca Highlands, San Gerardo de Dota is probably the most assured place to see Resplendent Quetzals.

Photographs kindly provided by Natalia Lizano, the La Selva Research Station, ICT, Ralph Pannell

Birdwatching holidays – Excursions, Trips and Tours – Ecolodge – Resplendent Hotels – Trogon- Quetzal – Scarlet Macaw – Trogon – Parakeet – Tanager – Parrot – Sloth and Monkey – Tapir and Jaguar – capuchin howler spider squirrel

Like any of our Costa Rica experiences, this one can be tailored to meet your timings, preferences and special interests. We can easily add in or swap locations to incorporate more relaxation, adventure, a higher standard of ecolodge where available or allow for a more intensive look at certain birdlife, wildlife or marine life.

Day 1
Arrive San Jose where you will be met and taken to your hotel in the centre of the city, close to the main plaza and theatre. If you are in need of good natural history and identification books, there is an excellent bookshop nearby.

Day 2
(B,L)
After breakfast, you will be taken on a guided visit to the Poas Volcano. This is a highly scenic and easy going start to your trip, visiting one of Latin America’s most active volcanoes, some stunning cloud forest waterfalls, and well established forest trails and gardens where we can find 24 out of Costa Rica’s 57 species of hummingbird.
Overnight in San Jose.

Day 3
(B,L,D)
Early rise and drive to the airport for your flight to Palmar Sur in south western Costa Rica. Transfer by land, river and sea to a premium jungle lodge. On the way we will have a little time to see some of Costa Rica’s finest mangroves.

After settling in to your room you can explore lowland rainforests within a private reserve on the grounds of the lodge.

Day 4
(B,L,D)
Early morning walk focused on bird watching.

After breakfast you will travel out by boat to the Caño Island Biological Reserve. The island lies 17 kilometres from the coast, close to Osa’s northern Drake’s Bay. Here we can find some of the country’s best marine life, both at the surface and below it. Dolphins are a regular sight, but you may also be lucky enough to see Humpback Whales which can be seen both on the northwards and southwards migrations along the coast. Olive Ridley turtles and manta rays are also often seen at the surface and below. The coral reefs and steep drop-offs provide excellent snorkelling if you wish with some huge shoals of fish and pelagic visitors such as sharks and barracudas. We can arrange diving here by if you are a qualified diver.

Day 5
(B,L,D)
You will spend the whole day exploring in detail the intense rainforest fauna and flora of the Corcovado National Park.

Day 6
(B,D)
After an early breakfast you will be transferred to Palmar Sur airport for our flight back to San Jose.

Once in San Jose, we will drive you to the La Selva Biological Research Station and it’s near 4,000 acre reserve. Species diversity here is quite spectacular including 448 species of bird, 350 species of tree, 1,850 spp of plant and approximately 500 species of ant! Here you will go on a guided walk of the forest with an expert naturalist.

You will then be transferred to the forests of Sarapiqui where you will stay on the site the Neotropical Foundation – an NGO dedicated conservation, scientific research and education.

Day 7
(B,L,D)
The morning will be spent birdwatching in the Tirimba Biological Reserve which is one of the last remaining stands of mid-elevation premontane forest in north eastern Costa Rica. This reserve has been the site of numerous biological research projects. A suspension bridge and canopy walkway allow viewing at all levels and across some of the many streams which carve through the area.

In the afternoon you will be taken by guided boat along Sarapiqui’s abundant riverside to view the wildlife from this unique perspective.

Day 8
(B,D)
After breakfast you will be privately transferred from Tirimba Biological Reserve to Carara National Park close to the Pacific coast.

Day 9 and 10
(B,L,D)
Two full days exploring the transitional tropical moist to tropical dry forests of the Carara National Park, home to a large population of Scarlet Macaws. This will include a 1 ½ mile long aerial walkway.

Day 11
(B,D)
After breakfast in the Carara N.P. your driver will collect you and take you to what is one of Costa Rica’s foremost birdlife and cloud forest highlights: San Gerardo de Dota. From our base at 7,000ft we will enjoy probably the best opportunities in the country for seeing Resplendent Quetzals, as well as a whole host of other high altitude birds.

Day 12
(B,L,D)
You will spend the morning on a tour of San Gerardo's forest, home to Costa Ricas national bird the Resplendent Queztal. This will be followed in the afternoon with a guided trip with a local expert on the local birdlife and wildlife.

Day 13
(B)
Morning to explore forests of San Gerardo de Dota.
In the afternoon we will drive back to San Jose.

Day 14
(B)
Transfer to the airport for your flight home.
We can also arrange for you to stay on in Costa Rica or other parts of Latin America if you wish.

Photographs kindly provided by Natalia Lizano, the La Selva Research Station, ICT, Ralph Pannell