In spite of its small dimensions, Costa Rica is considered one of the 20 countries with the highest biodiversity in the world. Our diverse and multiple ecosystems let more than 900 bird species live in their natural habitat: cloud forest, wetlands, mangroves, dry forest, tropical rainforest, among others. This means you can go birdwatching all year round since birds’ migrations dates make it possible. Surrender to the birdsongs or join the bird call!
We will greet you at your arrival in San José and transfer you to your hotel at the outskirts of the city, surrounded with beautiful botanical gardens.
After an early morning birdspotting guided walk at the gardens, you will depart for your first destination: Sarapiquí region, which is regarded worldwide as one of the top birdwatching rainforest sites, here at the caribbean lowlands you can find more than half of all the bird species of the country. We will then drive you through a beautiful scenic road and a night forest hike will be waiting for you tonight.
You’ll start the day with a guided birdwatching Sarapiquí river tour, followed by a hike at the Selva Verde Reserve to try and spot the most species possible. After a well-deserved rest at the hotel facilities we will guide you through a tropical bat observation tour where you will learn firsthand about these peculiar mammals.
We move north to the Boca Tapada region, right at the border with Nicaragua, and one of the most secluded and pristine regions in the country. Crossing the San Carlos river by ferry, we will arrive to the Maquenque reserve, a refuge to a platitude of flora and fauna both static and migratory..
The sound of the birds and monkeys will be your alarm clock today, and we will dedicate the morning chasing after the most elusive bird species. 410 different birds have been spotted at this site, such as the endangered Green and Red Macaws, Toucans, Oropendolas, Honeycreepers, Tanagers, Euphonias and Jacamars, among others….
Now we head out further inside the northern plains towards the home to the iconic Arenal Volcano. We have chosen the only hotel inside the national park, and it offers an impressive vista of the perfect cone. And it puts us within reach of more than 400 birds species!!
How about a little adventure after this morning birdwatching hike? The beautiful hanging bridges over the rainforest await for us! In the afternoon we have arranged it so you can relax at a tropical garden thermal springs.
After breakfast we head out to the Tempisque River, where we’ll take a ride on a boat from where we will discover the rugged beauty of its stream. Our hotel is smack in the middle of the one of the most pristine wetlands in the country, with dry forests, mangroves and plains nearby, the perfect site for all type of aquatic birds such as Herons, Hawks, Ducks, Spoonbills, Woodstorks, and the largest and most impressive of waterfowl in Guanacaste: the Jabiru.
We’ll spend the day at the wetlands of the Laguna Madrigal reserve, an important nesting site of multiple aquatic birds such as the Waiters (Mycteria americana), Herons (Casmerodius albus) and White Ibises (Eudocimus albus). There is also an important population of crocodiles, and we’ll get a chance to admire this prehistoric animal.
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Transfer out to the airport for your return home. There are also several options you can take to extend your vacation. Pacific Coast beachcombing maybe? Or a few days discovering the southern Osa peninsula, which remains the least developed rainforest coast in the country.
