General Tour Information
ENTERING COSTA RICA: U.S. citizens entering by air need a tourist card (issued by your arriving airline) and proof of U.S. citizenship. We suggest bringing a valid U.S. passport. Your passport, as a general rule, should be valid for at least six months after the date the tour ends. Citizens of other countries may need a visa and should check their nearest Costa Rican embassy. If required by the embassy or visa-granting entity, WINGS can provide a letter for you to use regarding your participation in the tour.
COSTA RICA MAP AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: Maps of Costa Rica from the University of Texas series can be found here. To adjust the map size, click on the lower right corner of the map.
HEALTH: Medical services are good. Essential medicines are available. Drinking water is purified in San José hotels and restaurants. Costa Rica is an extremely sanitary country and it is our experience that water can be consumed throughout the country without ill effect. Still, we suggest bringing a bottle (or tablets) of Pepto Bismol or some other mild anti-diarrhea medication.
The more serious health hazards — amebic dysentery, malaria and typhoid — are rare. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mention a risk for malaria in some provinces of Costa Rica but our ground agent assures us that none of the places we visit during our tours have reported cases of the disease, and the reported cases in the country have not been of tourists. The ground agent’s position is that there are unpleasant side effects of the anti-malaria drug, while the chances of getting malaria in Costa Rica are slim. It’s better just to bring (and use liberally) a good insect repellent, and when hiking in the forest, wear light-weight long pants and light-weight long-sleeved shirts. Your best prevention is to avoid being bitten. You can view the CDC’s latest travel advisories here.
PACE OF THE TOUR: The emphasis of this short tour/workshop is on developing digiscoping skills rather than compiling a large species list. To achieve this goal, our field time will be in a few favorite locations where we can get repeated and relaxed exposure to the best photographic opportunities. We may often devote a great deal of time to an individual bird or group of birds. Our field time will be augmented by several afternoon or evening sessions where we will go over various aspects of digiscoping (editing images, etc.). Although most of our time will be spent actively digiscoping, we may spend time doing more general birding, as this area of Costa rica is incredibly rich for birds..
All days will begin with early breakfasts, usually at 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. (at least one day will begin with a 4:30 a.m. breakfast). Early mornings beg early bedtimes — most participants opt to turn in right after dinner. Our evening photo editing sessions will not go late into the night. People in reasonably fit condition will not find the walking especially rigorous. The trails at Carara are virtually flat, and our day in the central highlands will be spent doing roadside birding. There will be several optional nightbird forays by foot and/or bus.
We will be at an elevation of 9,000 ft briefly one day; otherwise our birding will be below 8,000 ft in the highlands, and at sea level while at Carara.
CLIMATE: Costa Rica’s climate varies with altitude. Temperatures will range from the 50s in the mountains to as high as the low 90s at lower elevations. San Jose, at an altitude of 3800 ft., can be cool. Those of you arriving in the evening will want to wear a light sweater. There is the possibility of some rain and, at higher elevations, mist and wind. We birdwatch one day at elevations between 7500 - 9000 ft.; temperatures may be cool and mist and/or rain is possible. At Carara and along the coast, the weather will likely be hot and relatively dry, this being the peak of the dry season on the Pacific coast. Temperatures will likely be as high as the high 80’s, but will feel cooler inside the forest.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Currently all hotels have private baths with (nearly always) hot water. Bathrooms have tubs or showers or both. In all of our hotels, the tap water is safe to drink. Occasionally, small lizards, amphibians or unusual insects may visit a hotel room.
TRANSPORTATION: We will be traveling by comfortable, air-conditioned minibuses.
SMOKING: We request that you do not smoke in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. If you are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If you smoke in the field, we ask that you do so well away and downwind from the group, if possible.
GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS OF WINGS TOURS: Please take a moment to read the General Information & Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, pace of the tours and other information that will help you prepare for the tour.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for Tours to Costa Rica will be sent to each registrant on receipt of their booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel addresses, etc., will be mailed about three weeks before trip departure. Other news will be communicated as necessary. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Updated: February 2007