Resplendant Quetzal is one of the world’s most elegant birds. Photo: Gary Rosenberg
With an area somewhat less than 20,000 square miles Costa Rica, is the third-smallest nation in Central America; yet in proportion to the country’s size its avifauna of nearly 800 species is among the richest in the world. It is a modern country, politically stable and generally considered the most democratic in Central America, and it is proud to be a nation without an army. For the visiting birdwatcher Costa Rica presents the obvious advantage of compactness combined with the variety resulting from the country’s division by major mountain ranges, or cordilleras: one can pass readily from San José on the Central Plateau to cloud forest, to subalpine páramo at nearly 11,000 feet, to the wet tropical forest of the Caribbean slope. Its well-studied biology also makes it an ideal destination—it was one of the first countries in the Neotropics to have its own field guide to the birds, and guides to the country’s butterflies, reptiles and amphibians, and mammals are also available, making possible a complete natural history experience.
Day 1: The trip begins at 7 p.m. in San José. Night in San José.
Day 2: The Cordillera de Talamanca, much of which is protected as either national park or forest preserve, forms the largest massif of the Central American highlands. Shared with Panama, these mountains are home to one of the richest endemic bird areas in the world. One national park, Tapantí, is only a short distance from San José, and we’ll spend the first half of the day exploring its lush cloud forest, noted for orchid-laden trees, tree ferns, giant Gunnera thickets, and clearwing butterflies that sparkle in the understory. Here we’ll have our first chance at many montane forest species such as White-bellied Mountain-gem, Golden-bellied Flycatcher, Torrent Tyrannulet, and Spangle-cheeked and Bay-headed Tanagers. Silvery-fronted Tapaculo and Wrenthrush, two of the most sought-after regional endemics, are also the most difficult to see, and we’ll search diligently for them. In the afternoon we’ll look for White-throated Flycatcher and Sedge Wren and may have time to stop in the elfin moss forest on the Continental Divide before we drop down into a steep valley to our lodge. Night in San Gerardo de Dota.
Day 3: Our hotel is situated in the midst of an oak forest on the Pacific slope of the Cordillera de Talamanca, and we’ll have easy access to most of the montane species endemic to these highlands. Birding along dirt roads, we’ll encounter many new species including Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Yellow-winged Vireo, Mountain Robin, Flame-throated Warbler, Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager, and Yellow-thighed and Large-footed Finches. Practically within walking distance from our hotel we’ll have our first chance at seeing the magnificent Resplendent Quetzal and the furtive Emerald Toucanet as they feed on the miniature avocados of the aguacatillo Nectandra trees. At local hummingbird feeders we can expect White-throated Mountain-gem, Green Violet-ear, and Scintillant Hummingbird. In the afternoon we’ll continue up to Cerro de La Muerte, where in the Swallenochloa bamboo thickets above treeline we’ll look for high-elevation specialists such as Timberline Wren, Peg-billed Finch, and Volcano Junco. If it’s sunny we might be treated to a Green Spiny-Lizard or the black-and-emerald-speckled Highland Alligator Lizard. Depending on the weather, we’ll probably have an evening foray in search of Dusky Nightjar. Night in San Gerardo de Dota.
“Rich Hoyer is a superb leader, and the depth of his biological knowledge combined with his obvious passion for birds made him an inspiration on this tour.”
Sandra Saunders and Fred Griffith, East Greenwich, Rhode Island
Day 4: After a final look for any Talamanca specialties we may have missed, we’ll drop out of the highlands to the Pacific Coast and drive to Carara National Park. We’ll bird along the roadside near San Isidro, where Pale-breasted Spinetail, Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Lesser Elaenia, Streaked Saltator, and Pearl Kite will be among the species not found elsewhere on our tour route. After lunch we’ll drive north, possibly adding Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Laughing Falcon, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, seedeaters, and any of a number of kingfishers, and we’ll keep our eyes open for groups of White-faced Capuchins or sloths in trees along the road. Night near Carara.
Days 5-6: Carara National Park is a relatively undisturbed tract of primary rainforest that appears to be the northwestern limit for many Pacific lowland forest species. The extraordinary richness of this transition between dry and wet tropical forests is exemplified by the large number of certain bird groups: five trogons, seven woodcreepers, five manakins, and five large Thryothorus wrens, most of which are fairly easy to see. Along the Laguna Meandrica Road we’ll look for these species as well as Black-hooded Antshrike, Black-striped Woodcreeper, Orange-collared Manakin, and Long-billed Gnatwren, but we’ll have to be very lucky to see the rare Yellow-billed Cotinga. Before lunch we usually see as many as 100 species. Carara also features a trail through the forest understory, where Streak-chested Antpitta, Black-faced Antthrush, Black-throated Trogon, and Great Tinamou are among the many possibilities. A short boat ride through the channels of Tárcoles Delta will be the highlight of one afternoon; here we may see several specialties including Mangrove Black-Hawk, Rufous-necked Wood-Rail, Mangrove Hummingbird, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Northern Scrub-Flycatcher, Mangrove Vireo, and “Mangrove” Yellow Warbler. A check of the river mouth could yield good numbers of shorebirds and waterbirds as well, depending on the tide. With two full days in the area, there will also be time to relax on the birdy hotel grounds, where basilisk lizards run across the small river and butterflies abound. Nights near Carara.
Day 7: After breakfast we’ll drive to Monteverde, with roadside stops for the many species that prefer the drier habitats of the northwestern part of the country. Plain-breasted Ground-Dove, White-throated Magpie-Jay, Green-breasted Mango, Banded Wren, Long-tailed Manakin, Turquoise-browed Motmot, and Black-striped Sparrow are only some of the possibilities. We’ll have lunch at a lodge on the shore of the Gulf of Nicoya where we’ve seen Crested Bobwhite, Streak-backed and Spot-breasted Oriole, Lesser Ground-Cuckoo, and several waterbirds along the mangrove-lined shores. In the late afternoon we’ll complete the famously bumpy ride to our hotel. Tonight we’ll attempt owling just up the road from our hotel, where we could see Mottled Owl and Bare-shanked Screech-Owl. Night in Monteverde.
Day 8: We’ll spend all day in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, a 7,400-acre tract of middle-elevation forest traversed by the Continental Divide and one of the best-known birding localities in Central America. The preserve is famous for being one of the first protected cloud forests, and Resplendent Quetzals and orchids are the among the many attractive inhabitants. Other species found here include Orange-bellied Trogon, Streak-breasted Treehunter, Azure-hooded Jay, Black-throated Solitaire, and Three-striped Warbler. If we are lucky we may encounter one of the area’s difficult-to-see specialties, such as Buff-fronted Quail-Dove or Tawny-throated Leaftosser. In addition to walking the trails, we’ll visit the Hummingbird Gallery, where we are likely to see as many as eight species of hummingbird, including numerous Violet Sabrewings and the Costa Rican endemic Coppery-headed Emerald. Even our hotel grounds can be birdy, with Emerald Toucanet, White-naped Brush-Finch, and White-eared Ground-Sparrow among the possibilities. Night in Monteverde.
Day 9: Early this morning we’ll walk trails in a slightly drier type of forest, featuring birds quite different from those found in wetter forest only a few miles away. Here we’ll search for Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Golden-crowned Warbler, and wintering Worm-eating Warbler. We’ll then depart for the Caribbean lowlands, where the tropical ecosystems reach their peak of diversity in Costa Rica. Our main destination is the mid-elevation forests around Lake Arenal, the largest reservoir in the country, where we have seen foothill species such as White-fronted Nunbird, Spotted Antbird, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tyrant, and Rufous-winged Tanager. We’ll arrive in the afternoon at our hotel, in sight of but at a safe distance from Volcán Arenal, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. If it’s not enshrouded in clouds, we may even see one of its hundreds of monthly eruptions. Later we’ll continue birding this rich Caribbean foothill forest. Night near La Fortuna.
Day 10: We’ll have the morning to bird once again in the Arenal forests, and other possibilities include Keel-billed and Broad-billed Motmot, Scaly-throated Leaftosser, Nightingale Wren, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, and Shining Honeycreeper. If we’re really lucky, someone may spot the day roost of a Great Potoo. After lunch we’ll continue the drive to our next three nights’ hotel, with time for roadside stops that could include numerous toucans, Scaly Pigeon, Red-lored Parrot, or even Great Green Macaw. Night in Horquetas.
Days 11-12: On one of our two full days in the Sarapiquí region we’ll visit Finca La Selva, a biological station operated by the Organization for Tropical Studies. This roughly 1,400-acre reserve is adjacent to Braulio Carrillo National Park and is managed as a natural research laboratory. Some 400 species of birds have been recorded here, and although we won’t see that many in a one-day visit, we’ll certainly experience the biological richness of the region. La Selva is an excellent place to see such species as Slaty-breasted Tinamou, Rufous Motmot, Keel-billed Toucan, White-necked Puffbird, Snowy Cotinga, White-ringed Flycatcher, Stripe-breasted Wren, Plain-colored Tanager, and on and on through family after family. We’ve also seen Boa Constrictor here, there are usually several giant Green Iguanas in the canopy by the footbridge over the Puerto Viejo River, and there are some fabulous butterflies. The visit to La Selva will be a highlight of the trip.
Another day we’ll drive the short distance to Braulio Carrillo National Park. This park, which protects one of the largest untouched expanses of Caribbean foothill forest in Central America, is only a 25-minute drive from our hotel, but we’ll add a 10-minute stop at a bridge where we have a good chance to see Fasciated Tiger-Heron foraging among river boulders. We’ll have all day to explore the park’s two main trails, where we hope to find such specialties as Yellow-eared Toucanet, White-crowned Manakin, Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush, and Blue-and-gold, Black-and-yellow, Emerald, Olive, and Tawny-crested Tanagers. With luck we may see one of the park’s truly rare species, such as Black-crowned Antpitta or Lanceolated Monklet, or a mammal such as Central American Spider Monkey.
We’ll also include a night walk on the lodge grounds, where various species of tree frogs, tink frogs, and other creatures can be found, as well as Short-tailed Nighthawk, Great Potoo, or Vermiculated Screech-Owl. Nights in Horquetas.
Day 13: On our final morning we’ll make our way back to San José, stopping first at a tract of foothill forest at La Virgen del Socorro, where we hope to see such species as White Hawk, Black-crested Coquette, Red-headed Barbet, Rufous-browed Tyrannulet, and Sooty-faced Finch. We’ll have lunch at La Paz Waterfall Gardens, where hummingbird feeders attract Black-bellied Hummingbird, Brown Violet-ear, and Green Thorntail among others, and then proceed to San José, arriving in time for a farewell dinner. Night in San José.
Day 14: The trip concludes this morning in San José.
Updated: 20 February 2008
Prices
- 2009 price about $4,820
- Single Occupancy Supplement $530
Notes
This tour is limited to nine participants with one leader; 14 with two leaders.