Classic Birds of Costa Rica

12-Night, 13-Day Trip

About This Bird Photography Group Tour

Focus: Bird Photography

Tour Highlights

Private expert photography guide throughout your entire journey
Specialized itinerary designed specifically for photographers.
Extended time at prime photography locations.
Variety of shooting environments from feeding stations to natural habitats
Opportunities to photograph a wide array of tropical species including many endemic birds

Trip Overview

Day 1:

Arrive San Jose

Days 2-3:

Talamanca Highlands

Days 4-5-6:

Pacific Foothills

Days 7-8:

Manuel Antonio - Esquipulas

Day 9:

Central Pacific

Days 10-11:

Caribbean Foothills

Day 12:

San Jose

Day 13:

Return to SJO Airport

Embark on a privately guided bird photography adventure through Costa Rica's best bird-rich environments. This specialized tour combines Costa Rica's incredible variety of birds with expert photographic guidance, creating the perfect conditions for capturing stunning images of tropical birds in their natural habitats. From the coffee plantations of the Central Valley to the misty cloud forests of Talamanca, from botanical gardens to coastal ecosystems, this tour provides access to diverse settings specially selected for their photography potential. Your private guide—an expert in both bird behavior and photography techniques—will position you for perfect lighting, backgrounds, and bird activity throughout the journey. This tour operates at a photography pace—not a birding pace—ensuring you have time to set up equipment, wait for perfect poses, and capture multiple compositions of each subject. Whether you're seeking to expand your portfolio or simply create lasting memories of Costa Rica's remarkable birdlife, this tour provides the access, expertise, and conditions to create extraordinary images.
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What's Included in Your 12-Night, 13-Day Classic Birds of Costa Rica Tour?

  • Small Group Tour – Photography

    On a group tour with a private guide, the guide is with you from your arrival to your departure. You not only enjoy bird photography at the hotels, parks, and reserves on your itinerary, you also have the flexibility to stop with the guide at local spots, and places that only the guides know. You have an expert with you every step of the way. Guests with a Private Guide can expect to see and photograph at least 50% more species than guests using local guides.

    Pros and Cons of a Scheduled Group Trip

    Continuous expert guidance throughout the entire trip

    50% more species typically observed and photographed

    Access to off-the-beaten-track locations

    Flexibility for impromptu stops

    Daily species recap with guide

    Photo identification from your guide during and after your trip.

    Fixed travel dates

    Less individual flexibility

      Ideal for

    • Serious bird photographers aiming to maximize species sightings

    • First-time visitors wanting constant expert guidance

    • Photographers interested in off-the-beaten-path locations

    • Travelers who value having all meals and services included

    • Photographers who enjoy shared experiences with like-minded travelers

    • Travelers looking for an easy, seamless travel experience

    • Classic Birds of Costa Rica Itinerary Details

      Day 1: Arrival in Costa Rica

      Welcome to Costa Rica! Upon arrival at Juan Santamaría International Airport, meet your private driver for a transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, enjoy bird photography in the lush gardens of Hotel Bougainvillea, a perfect introduction to Costa Rica’s vibrant birdlife. This evening enjoy a welcome dinner with your private guide and fellow travelers. 

      Day 2: Transfer to San Gerardo de Dota & Batsu Gardens

      Travel into the Talamanca Mountains to the cloud forests of San Gerardo de Dota, home to some of Costa Rica’s most iconic highland species. Spend the afternoon at Batsu Gardens, a private reserve designed for bird photography, offering ideal conditions for capturing striking images.

      Day 3: Quetzal Photography & Savegre Lodge Reserve

      Begin the day with a specialized Quetzal photography tour, offering excellent chances to photograph this magnificent bird in its natural habitat. Later, explore the trails and gardens of Savegre Lodge, with opportunities to photograph a variety of cloud forest species in a serene setting.

      Day 4: Transfer to San Vito & Birding at PINDECO

      Travel south to San Vito, stopping at PINDECO’s pineapple plantations, a surprisingly productive habitat for bird photography. Arrive at Las Cruces Biological Station, a research facility surrounded by lush forests and botanical gardens, perfect for immersive photography sessions.

      Day 5: Las Cruces & Wilson Botanical Gardens

      Spend the day exploring Las Cruces and Wilson Botanical Gardens, where a mix of tropical plants and carefully maintained feeding stations create excellent opportunities for close-up bird photography in a biodiverse environment.

      Day 6: Coto 47 Wetlands

      Visit the Coto 47 region, an expansive lowland wetland ecosystem with open fields and marshy areas, providing a different backdrop for bird photography. The contrast of open landscapes and forest edges makes this a dynamic location for capturing a variety of species.

      Day 7: Transfer to Manuel Antonio

      Travel to the Central Pacific coast and check in at your hotel near Manuel Antonio National Park. Enjoy a relaxed evening preparing for the following day’s photography sessions in this rich coastal environment.

      Day 8: Esquipulas Bird Photography Tour

      Head inland to Esquipulas, a prime location for bird photography, offering a mix of forested and open habitats. This area is known for its accessibility and excellent lighting conditions, providing a great opportunity to capture dynamic images of a variety of species.

      Day 9: Transfer to the Central Pacific & Damas Island Tour

      Travel up the Pacific coastline, stopping for a private bird photography tour at Damas Island, a mangrove ecosystem with unique birding opportunities. Continue to your lodge near Carara National Park for an afternoon photography session in the tropical dry forest.

      Day 10: Tarcoles River Estuary & Transfer to Arenal

      Take a private boat tour through the Tarcoles River Estuary, a prime location for photographing wetland and coastal species in a stunning natural setting. In the afternoon, transfer to Arenal Volcano, where the transition from dry forest to rainforest offers new photographic opportunities.

      Day 11: Arenal Observatory Lodge

      Spend the day photographing birds along the extensive trail system at Arenal Observatory Lodge. With a mix of gardens, secondary forest, and volcanic landscapes, this area provides diverse backdrops for bird photography.

      Day 12: Transfer to San José & San Luis Tanager Watch

      Return to San José, stopping at San Luis Tanager Watch, a well-maintained feeder setup that offers excellent close-range photography opportunities. Arrive at your hotel for a final evening in Costa Rica.

      Day 13: Departure

      After a final morning in Costa Rica, transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

        "Simply the best!"

        We can’t say enough about how pleased we were that we went with Costa Rica Focus, and thoroughly recommend them in every respect … As for our guide and driver Andres, what can we say? If a review sheet had a plus and minus column, we would request a third plus-plus column. He was absolutely amazing in every respect.  We arrived to meet Andres as a stranger only to leave two weeks later feeling like we just left our best friend behind. He was the most knowledgeable guide, an extremely careful and diligent driver, plus a delightfully thoughtful fellow in every respect. Nothing was too much trouble and any questions or requests were answered or taken care of immediately.  …

        Richard B

        San Diego, CA

        "Costa Rica Focus made our first Costa Rica experience perfect."

        What a vacation this turned out to be. I’ve had the best vacation of my life, and a big part of this is down to Costa Rica Focus. Thanks a lot, and I want to recommend this company to everyone with a wish to visit Costa Rica. A thoroughly professional company, which gave my first-time birding experience with the American continent another dimension.

        The drivers brought us safely between the sites. The local birding guides did an excellent job, and I were satisfied to discover the guides were equally nerdy as me. The guides knew bird-ID, song/calls and sites very well. I ended up with a species list of nearly 300, but would certainly have struggled reaching 220-230 without the help by the local birders from Costa Rica Focus. They also included my not-so-nerdy wife in a brilliant way, which made her happy as well.

        I can’t praise the company enough, and the money was well spent. The standards of our hotels were around 3 (4) stars, and all breakfast included. About two weeks before our tour started, Costa Rica gave us a must-do-list, which included connecting to a Whatsapp-group, to download an app (Axis) which kept an overview of our schedule and name of the guides for the trip, and a list to remind us of what to pack. These were all useful to us. The contact with Costa Rica Focus during our trip was quick and easy, and through the WhatsApp-group the company always responded quickly to our questions. …

        Jørn Helge M

        Norway

        "Another home run by Costa Rica Focus"

        A 10-day birding trip with a photography focus. Great birding and photography with our fabulous guide Sr. Minor H. despite occasionally iffy weather. Locations were great, accomodations ranged from luxurious to very basic, food from merely very good to excellent, including some pleasant surprises like Pizzeria Los Colibries, on the road to Savegre where we ended up when our destination restaurant turned out to be closed due to a medical emergency in the owner’s family – really good pizza with near-perfect crust and hyper-local ingredients like local mushrooms, herbs from their own gardens, lettuce from their hydroponic gardens, etc. It’s the first pizza place on the right on the road down to San Gerardo de Dota from National Route 2. You can’t miss it:). Logistics were perfect, including arrival and departure.

        Not a lot ot add to the overwhelmingly positive reviews of Costa Rica Focus. This is the fifth trip I’ve taken with them in four years, including one to Ecuador in collaboration with Ecuador Birds Tours, and if I go again to a destination they offer, I can’t think why I would look elsewhere.

        rfichera

        Boston, MA

      Additional Tour Info

      This itinerary requires a moderate to intermediate level of physical activity. Guests will traverse a variety of environments, including well-established trails, narrow forest paths, gardens, feeders, and observation platforms. Participants should be comfortable walking at least 2 miles at a steady, relaxed pace without the need for frequent stops or rest.

      Weather

      Weather in Costa Rica varies significantly by region and elevation. Expect different temperatures and rainfall patterns as you travel through the country. While some areas experience brief morning mist or afternoon showers, others may have longer periods of rain. These patterns shift throughout the year and create the perfect conditions for Costa Rica’s rich wildlife. While we plan activities around typical weather patterns, we recommend packing for both sun and rain to ensure your comfort throughout your journey. The temperatures listed below represent typical averages for each region, though daily conditions may vary.

      • Central Valley: Warm daytime temperatures from the high 70s °F to low 80s °F. Evenings pleasant in the high 60s °F to low 70s °F.
      • Highlands (Talamanca Mountains): Cooler conditions prevail here, with daytime temperatures in the mid to high 70s or low 80s °F. Evenings can drop to the high 40s or low 50s °F, so pack appropriately to stay comfortable throughout your journey. We recommend layers and a fleece or jacket. 
      • Mid-Elevation Locations (Foothills): Enjoy temperate weather with daytime highs in the low to mid-80s °F and evenings and early mornings in the low to mid 60s Mid-Elevation Locations: Enjoy temperate weather with daytime highs in the low to mid-80s °F.
      • Pacific Lowlands: Daytime temperatures will range from the high 80s to low 90s °F. Evening temperatures will be in the high 70s – low 80s °F.

      On the Trail

      Please note that some parks and reserves lack seating or designated rest areas once inside the forest. While most trails are relatively flat, certain locations may involve inclines, steps, or uneven terrain with minor elevation changes.

      Trail conditions will vary, and guests should be prepared to navigate narrow forest paths with natural debris such as sticks, leaves, rocks, and roots. In the event of rain, trails may become muddy and slippery, adding to the challenge.This itinerary is designed for participants with an intermediate level of fitness and mobility, ensuring a rewarding experience for those prepared for the natural demands of these environments.

      All guests should be comfortable carrying their own equipment and personal items in the field. We understand that everyone’s pace and energy levels are different. If you ever feel the need for a shorter day, a morning to rest, or time to recharge, please let your guide know. This is your trip, and we’re here to ensure you enjoy it to the fullest.

      This trip would not be recommended for a person with mobility issues.

      Accommodations

      For our group trips, we select hotels based on their prime locations for birding opportunities. Accommodations will range from basic, rustic lodges to mid-range hotels with additional amenities, always with the goal of prioritizing excellent access to birding hotspots.

      It’s important to note that not all hotels will have air conditioning, but all will feature private bathrooms, hot or warm running showers, fans, and Wi-Fi (available at least in reception or dining areas, though signal strength may vary). The level of comfort will align with the descriptions provided in the itinerary.

      In some locations, rooms may be a 5–15 minute walk from the reception or dining areas. If you have physical needs and would prefer a room closer to these facilities, please inform us in advance, and we will do our best to accommodate your request.