Our Costa Rica Birding Group Tours
(2024 & 2025 Small Group Packages)
Scheduled Small Group Packages
Quest for the Agami
Costa Rica – Birding & Birding with a Camera
Package #1
Dates: June 24 – July 6 2025
Days: 10 nights | 11 Days
Focus: Birding, Nature, History
Target List Trek
Costa Rica – Birding & Birding with a Camera
Package #2
Dates: March 16 – 26, 2025
Days: 9 Nights | 10 Days
Focus: Bird & Nature Photography
King Vulture Venture
Costa Rica – Bird Photography
Package #4
Dates: Feb 10 – 24, 2025
Days: 13 Nights | 14 Days
Focus: Bird & Nature Photography
Hunt for the Harpy Eagle
Panama – Birding & Birding with a Camera
Package #5
Dates: Multiple. Please inquire.
Days: 8 Nights | 9 Days
Focus: Birding and History
Birding Station to Station
Costa Rica – Birding & Birding with a Camera
Dates: November 29 – December 11, 2024
Days: 11 Nights | 12 Days
Focus: Birding and Nature Photography
Hunt for the Hummingbirds
Costa Rica – Birding & Birding with a Camera
Package #8
Dates: April 01 – 13, 2025
Days: 12 Nights | 13 Days
Focus: Birding & Bird Photography
Quest for the Agami Heron
The Quest for the Agami Heron package is a 10 night – 11 day bird watching trip to Costa Rica, perfect for birders, bird and nature photographers, and general naturalists. This incredible journey gives travelers the chance to see some of Costa Rica’s rarest and most exciting bird species, plus, for the naturalist in all of us, the opportunity to experience one of nature’s most special experiences, viewing of the ancient Leatherback Sea Turtles. It’s hard to decide who is the star of this tour, the Agami Heron or the Leatherback Turtle, because having the opportunity to see both in one trip is truly special. Guests will stay in a combination of rustic research centers, birding lodges, and full service hotels featuring amenities like spas and swimming pools. Over 11 days of travel, the group will visit the top Costa Rica’s bird watching spots.
With your private naturalist birding guide, you’ll travel from the highest mountain peaks in Costa Rica, the Talamanca Mountains, Savegre Lodge and Quetzal country, to the lush green valleys of Turrialba, at the foothills of the Turrialba Volcano, for a chance to see the lovely Snowcap Hummingbird, then on to the sultry Caribbean Lowlands, exploring dense tropical rainforests and peaceful canals. Here guests will have their chance for the Agami Heron and Leatherback turtles. The trip also includes a visit to the spectacular La Selva Biological Station. An excellent place to experience over 400 species of birds and 125 species of mammals. If you enjoy reptiles and amphibians, La Selva offers a wonderful chance to see and photograph a wide array of species. The journey continues as the group heads to the Arenal Volcano region and a stay at the Arenal Observatory Lodge. The combination of some of the best birding in the country, and the most spectacular view of the majestic Arenal Volcano is simply amazing. Traveling with your expert birding guide on this small group trip to Costa Rica will be an experience you will never forget.
Costa Rica Bird Photography Hot Spots
Few places in the world offer the opportunity to see and photograph so many different species of birds, in a ten day period, as Costa Rica. Our superb ten day birding and photography tour is designed to take guests through five distinct wildlife habitats, giving bird watchers and photographers the chance to see and get the best shots of the most beautiful birds in the country.
The journey will begin in the Central Valley for a chance to meet your expert birding guide and an opportunity to warm up your cameras and binoculars in the gardens of the Hotel Bougainvillea. With 10 acres of lush tropical gardens, your birdwatching and photography can begin right away. The next morning the group heads towards the Caribbean Lowlands, but will stop for a chance to experience one of Costa Rica’s top nature sites, the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. If you love hummingbirds, here is a chance to see and get photos of the Coppery Headed Emerald (one of the 2 species of hummingbirds endemic to only Costa Rica), and the Black-Bellied Hummingbird, a beautiful species wanted by most bird watchers.
After La Paz, your day continues as you reach the Tirimbina Lodge & Reserve. This location is a great place to see the Great Green Macaw. Your tour will also include a visit to The La Selva Biological Station, for a chance to see the Pale Billed Woodpecker or the Black and White Owls (among more than 400 species recorded) and in the afternoon a visit to Cope’s Gardens, a private reserve that is a “must visit” location for bird watchers and photographers. There are gardens and feeders to attract a wide variety of species. Your naturalist guide will help you spot the best species of each area.
The birding tour continues to the foothills of the Arenal Volcano and a visit to the Arenal Observatory Lodge. The private reserve is a fantastic spot for forest species, as well as bird watching and photography at the feeders and in the tropical gardens. It’s not just about birds at this beautiful location, there is a wide array of wildlife on the grounds and in the surrounding forest. From Arenal it’s on to the highlands of Monteverde and the lush cloud forest of the National Park. The target list includes the Resplendent Quetzal, the Three-Wattled Bell Bird, Black Breasted Wood Quail, Violet Sabrewing Hummingbird, and many more species. From the cool cloud forests the birding tour continues to the Pacific Coast for birding and photography at Carara National Park and the Tarcoles River Reserve. This is Scarlet Macaw country, you’re sure to get some great sightings and pictures in the Park or around your hotel.
We hope you will join us for a chance to see some life birds and take your best pictures in a combination of natural forest settings, viewing platforms and feeders, and private gardens. This tour is designed for photographers and bird watchers of all skill levels. You’ll be lead by one of the top birding experts in the country, so have your cameras and binoculars ready, you don’t want to miss a single species.
Tracking the Trogons
Costa Rica is home to ten species of Trogons, three of which are endemic (Bairds, Orange-Bellied, and Lattice-Tailed, found only in Costa Rica). This splendid 9 night – 10 day package will take guests through the best birding areas of Costa Rica, in search of all ten species of Trogons (and much more, of course). The widespread habitats of Trogons, from the Central Valley to the Caribbean Foothills of Arenal, the cloud forest of Monteverde to the Central Pacific and Carara National Park, creates a fantastic road map for seeing all the top bird species in Costa Rica.
In Braulio Carillo National Park and La Selva Biological Station you’ll search for the Slaty-Tail, Lattice-tail, Black-throated, and Gartered Trogons. When you reach Arenal, the group will be on the lookout for the Orange-Bellied, Gartered, and Black-Throated Trogons. On to the cloud-forests of Monteverde and of course, your expert birding guide will be looking for the largest and most beautiful Trogon, the Resplendent Quetzal. The cloud forest is also home to the Orange-Bellied Trogon, so have your binoculars ready for this species as well. Finally, the group will visit Carara National Park, located in the Central Pacific of Costa Rica where you’ll be searching for the Bairds and Black-Headed Trogons. The toughest Trogon will be the Elegant Trogon, which is rarely seen outside of Guanacaste but some sparse sightings exist in other areas. Your Naturalist Guide will be on the look-out for this hard species.
Along with the Trogons, your expert Birding/Naturalist Guide will find Hummingbirds, Raptors, Parrots, Toucans, Tanagers, Warblers, Manakins, Antbirds, Wrens, Sparrows and all the most wanted species in Costa Rica. If you enjoy all wildlife, not just birds, you’ll have a chance to see a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians, and mammals including monkeys, sloths, bats, peccaries, agoutis, coatis, opossums, raccoons, deer, and hopefully a tamandua, a tyra, and maybe one of Costa Rica’s elusive cats.
Accommodations on this bird watching tour range from full service hotels, to birding lodges, and even includes a biological station. Each hotel was chosen to provide the very best birdwatching at each location. Your expert birding guide will be with you every step of the way as you explore the different National Parks, Reserves, gardens, and feeders. Don’t be surprised to make stops along your drives as well, to check out the off the beaten track locations that only your guide knows about. We hope you can join us on this fantastic journey and experience some of the best birdwatching of your life.
Costa Rica Birding Group Tours: Photography at its Best
Costa Rica has been a favored destination of birders and wildlife photographers for many years. National Geographic and the Discovery Channel have many fine series and specials showcasing the natural wonders of Costa Rica. Now we’re giving you the opportunity to get into the field, binoculars and cameras in hand, searching for and photographing Costa Rica’s top bird species.
This amazing journey will take you from the Caribbean Foothills of Arenal, to the Caribbean Lowlands near the border of Nicaragua, through the lush valleys of Turrialba, the misty highlands of the Talamanca Mountains and the warm jungles of the Central Pacific.
From hummingbirds to herons, toucans to tanagers, and parrots to puffbirds, we’ll be tracking down the top species of each area to give you the chance to get your top shots and build your life list.
Your professional expert birding guide will be with you every step of the way, helping you find your most wanted birds. If reptiles and amphibians or mammals are more your interest, we can help you discover and photograph them too. With an exceptional array of habitats, this journey gives each guest a chance to not just experience tropical rainforests, mid-elevation foothills, lowland secondary forest, highlands, and transitional forest; but also a wide variety of birding and photography environments.
Somedays guests will bird watch and take photos in a natural forest setting, walking the park trails, looking for those elusive species. At other locations birding and photography will be from observation decks, with natural feeders.
One of the highlights of the trip is a chance to take pictures and bird watch from a secret blind, set up to get amazing views and photos of the remarkable King Vulture. At several private gardens, guests can enjoy the feeders as toucans, tanagers, parakeets, honeycreepers and more stop by for a bite. If you love photography, and you love birds, this tour will give you an experience you’ll never forget.
Search for the Elusive Birds
This 8 night – 9 day birding and nature tour in Costa Rica gives avid bird watchers and bird photographers the chance to see some of Costa Rica’s rarest and most exciting bird species. With your private naturalist birding guide, you’ll travel throughout the country on this small group trip to Costa Rica and experience nature at its best.
Along with a chance to see many different birds, this itinerary features some classic Costa Rica activities, giving guests a chance to immerse themselves in the culture of Costa Rica. Enjoy cooking classes with a Costa Rica chef, and prepare local specialties together, visit Guayabo National Park, the only true archeological site in Costa Rica, spend time at CATIE, a very important research center for tropical plants and fruit trees, experience one of nature’s greatest miracles, the nesting of the Green Sea Turtles in Tortuguero and visit the conservation museum, set up to aid the conservation efforts to protect these endangered creatures. With a combination of national parks, an interesting look at conservation, birdwatching, and all the wildlife of Costa Rica, our private bird watching tour is the perfect choice for guests with all types of interests.
The lodges on the Elusive Birds package include rustic birding lodges, and full service hotels. Your expert birding guide will be with you every step of the way to enhance your experience. He’ll help you spot the top birds and animal species, and provide interesting commentary about the history and culture of Costa Rica. We’d love to have you join us on this unique Costa Rica birding tour.
Birding Station to Station
Our November birding adventure “Birding Station to Station” is an exceptional opportunity for guests to visit a wide array of bird habitats in Costa Rica.
With your private birding guide you’ll travel to six different eco-zones from the Talamanca Mountains, to the Caribbean Foothills, and Lowlands, and the incredible Forests of the Central Pacific.
Along the way, guests will visit several private gardens, and the world renowned Los Cusingos, the home of Alexander Skutch, the father of conservation in Costa Rica.
The trip is capped off by visits to the two top Biological Stations in the country. This adventure is an exceptional opportunity for birders, bird photographers, and nature lovers to gather many endemics for their life lists and to get those once in a lifetime photos.
About Costa Rica Focus
Costa Rica Focus is a birding tour company that offers customized Costa Rica birdwatching tours for individuals or groups of people and guided by a knowledgeable birding expert who will help you spot and learn about the beauty of the birds of Costa Rica. Let’s talk about your Costa Rica birding vacation!
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