The Complete Costa Rica Journey
If it is your first time in this country, this is the perfect trip.
This birdwatching tour is ideal to fully experience a variety of environments and habitats, all within just a 2 to 3 hour drive from each other. You will visit the lowland Rainforest, the Central Pacific coastline, the high-altitude Cloud Forest of Talamanca Mountains, and mid-elevation Cloud Forest in the Central Valley.
12 Days
10 People
DAY 1. Bouganvillea Hotel. Alajuela. Great Gardens and good birds only 45-minute drive from Airport. Ideal place to start the trip.
DAY 2-3: Savegre Loge. San Gerardo de Dota. Best place in Costa Rica to find one of the most beautiful birds of the world: Resplendent Quetzal. This region holds many exclusive birds found only Costa Rica and Panama (Nearly endemic). A great variety of Hummingbirds. The lodge owns amazing grounds surrounded by local orchards, Savegre river and Oak cloud Forest. Elevation 7000 feet approx. The highest stop during the journey. Bring your sweater!
DAY 4-5 Hotel Quelitales. Cartago. Small lodge where hummingbirds, tanagers and other sps live within their grounds. Middle elevation pre-Mountain forest with an altitude of 4000 feet above sea level. Away from the regular touristy areas, this particular lodge is located near of great birding spots in the central valley of Costa Rica. Gardens with a small waterfall makes this place ideal to see middle elevation birds.
DAY 6-7 Ara Ambigua Lodge. Sarapiqui. One of the top birding areas of Costa Rica. Low land rain forest located 300 feet above sea level, hot and humid, away from the coast line but influenced from Caribbean bird species for example: the highly endangered Great Green Macaw, normally the only possible site to find this amazing bird along this trip. Sarapiqui offers a great diversity of wild life, frogs, mammals and reptiles. Definitely a major stop in the country.
DAY 9-10: Arenal Observatory Lodge. Arenal Volcano. One of the most beautiful hotel gardens, waterfalls, creeks and easy trails to hike. Bordered by lake and Arenal volcano, this location owns over 870 acres. Low land and middle elevation species converge here. One of the iconic birds this lodge protects is the Great Curassow.
DAY 1o-11. Cerro Lodge. Tarcoles. Central Pacific. Just a few hundred feet above sea level, hot and humid land with an impressive bird diversity. The mixture of coast line, grasslands, dry tropical forest, Carara National Park plus a river estuary make this area the most varied and productive bird site. Shore birds, Herons, parrots, (Scarlet Macaws are common here) flycatchers, trogons and other bird groups are found here because the diversity of habitats. Central Pacific has the confluence of rain forest and dry forest in the same location: Carara National Park.
Day 12. Departure.
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Get Personalized Recommendations for Your Next Birdwatching Tour
At Ave Nativa Tours Costa Rica, we specialize in creating unforgettable birdwatching experiences. Whether you’re looking to spot rare species or simply enjoy the country’s natural beauty, we’re here to help you plan the perfect tour. Discover the incredible bird diversity Costa Rica has to offer with us!
Discover the wonderful diversity of Costa Rica with our specialized birdwatching and photography tours. We will take you to the best places for bird watching in Costa Rica.