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Focus on Feathers

14-Night, 15-Day Trip

About This Bird Photography Group Tour

Focus: Bird Photography

Scheduled Dates

Sep 10 - Sep 20, 2025
Sep 10 - Sep 20, 2026
Apr 8 - Apr 28, 2027

Maximum number of guests

10 Guests

Pace

Intermediate

Prime Birding Locations

Tour Highlights

Birding with an expert local birding guide for the entire tour
Boat-based birding in Cano Negro and Medio Queso
Trails and feeders at Cope’s Gardens and San Luis
Volcano and forest birding at Arenal Observatory Lodge
Unique locations, like Tapir Valley Reserve

Trip Overview

Day 1:

Arrive San Jose

Days 2-3:

Caribbean Lowlands

Days 4-5:

Caribbean Lowlands / Wetlands

Days 6-7:

Arenal Volcano area / Mid-elevation

Days 8-9:

Tenorio area / Mid-elevation

Day 10:

San Jose

Day 11:

Return to SJO Airport

Overview
What's Included
Itinerary
Additional Info
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Costa Rica offers fantastic bird watching year-round. September falls within the green season, and we’ve designed this journey to take full advantage of the best birding conditions by focusing on the country’s lush Caribbean regions. During this time, the lowlands and foothills enjoy some of the year’s best weather, creating ideal conditions for exploring diverse habitats. Designed for a relaxed pace, this tour is perfect for bird enthusiasts seeking to find some of Costa Rica’s top species without feeling rushed. Traveling during the low season allows for a more intimate experience with nature—fewer crowds, vibrant landscapes, and incredible bird watching opportunities.
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What's Included in Your 14-Night, 15-Day Focus on Feathers 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

      • Focus on Feathers 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. Spend the afternoon birdwatching in the lush gardens of Hotel Bougainvillea, where you can spot colorful tanagers, hummingbirds, and other garden specialties.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Hotel Bougainvillea Gardens

    • Day 2: Birding En Route to Sarapiquí

      Depart San José with your private guide and travel toward the Caribbean lowlands. En route, stop at the Cinchona feeders, a fantastic spot to observe Emerald Toucanets, Prong-billed Barbets, and hummingbirds up close. Continue to Sarapiquí and settle into your lodge surrounded by tropical rainforest.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Cinchona Feeders & Trails

    • Explore

      Sarapiquí Rainforest Lodge Trails

    • Day 3: Birding at La Selva & Cope’s Gardens

      Start the day with early morning birding at La Selva Biological Station, a world-renowned hotspot for lowland species such as the Snowy Cotinga, Great Green Macaw, and trogons. In the afternoon, visit Cope’s Gardens, a private reserve known for its well-placed feeders, roosting owls, and excellent photo opportunities.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      La Selva Biological Station

    • Explore

      Cope’s Gardens

    • Day 4: Transfer to Caño Negro

      Travel north toward the wetlands of Caño Negro, one of the best places in Costa Rica for wetland birds and migratory species. Enjoy a relaxed afternoon of birding around the lodge’s surroundings, keeping an eye out for Nicaraguan Grackles, Black-collared Hawks, and other area specialties.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Natural Lodge Caño Negro Trails

    • Day 5: Birding by Boat in Caño Negro & Medio Queso

      Explore the waterways of Caño Negro and the Medio Queso wetlands by boat. Spanning over 25,000 acres, Caño Negro is a designated RAMSAR site, recognized internationally for its importance as a wetland of global significance. The slow-paced boat ride allows for close encounters and incredible birding opportunities.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Caño Negro Reserve

    • Explore

      Medio Queso Wetland

    • Day 6: Transfer to Arenal Volcano

      Depart Caño Negro and travel to the foothills of Arenal Volcano. After check-in, spend a relaxing afternoon birding with your guide around the lodge’s extensive grounds. You’ll visit the gardens and the observation deck for an introduction to the area’s mid-elevation species.  

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Arenal Observatory Lodge Reserve

    • Day 7: Arenal Observatory Lodge Birding

      Spend the day exploring the trails and gardens of Arenal Observatory Lodge. More than 400 species of birds have been logged at this fantastic property.  With your private guide you’ll enjoy the forest trails, observation towers, gardens and more. 

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Arenal Observatory Lodge Reserve

    • Day 8: Transfer to Rio Celeste

      Travel to the foothills of Tenorio Volcano, home to the stunning turquoise waters of Rio Celeste. In the afternoon, enjoy birding on the private reserve at your lodge. Your guide will lead you through the gardens and forest trails in search of the top species. 

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Tenorio National Park

    • Day 9: Birding at Tapir Valley Nature Reserve

      Visit Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, a pristine birding location known for its diverse habitat and excellent opportunities for birds and animals.  The reserve covers 220 acres of primary and secondary forest. You’ll explore trails and excellent viewing platforms.  Enjoy a peaceful, immersive experience in one of Costa Rica’s best-kept secrets.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Tapir Valley Nature Reserve

    • Day 10: Tenorio National Park & Return to San José

      Take a morning walk in Tenorio National Park, exploring its beautiful rainforest and looking for regional specialties such as the Tody Motmot and Bare-Throated Umbrella bird. In the afternoon, transfer back to San José for a final evening in Costa Rica.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Tenorio National Park

    • Day 11: 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.

        From the very onset, it was a pleasure working with our contact Jess. She always promptly addressed any questions or concerns we had and tailored the vacation to suit our needs and requests. The entire vacation from pick up to drop off was flawless and the various locations gave us a wonderful opportunity to experience the diversity of birds, plants and other wildlife in Costa Rica. …

        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.  Many before we even asked the question. His main concern always was that we had the best experience in every respect.

        Without hesitation we highly recommend Costa Rica Focus.

        Richard and Donna,
        San Diego, California.

        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 owe a more detailed explanation to those who want to keep up reading, to explain. I’ve been a Norwegian birder for well over 40 years, but my wife doesn’t share this hobby with me. She likes nature but is more interested in the culture part new places. With the possible conflicting interests in mind, I contacted Costa Rica Focus just to get some advice for a Costa Rica-tour we had talked about since even before we got married 27 years ago. We had an idea of which sites we were going to visit and just had a few questions of which order we should do the sites, and how to best move from between the places.

        Costa Roca Focus quickly responded, and gave us a few options, one of which was to set up a 12-days schedule. I silently asked for the 12-days-tour, and to my complete surprise, my wife accepted on the condition of getting a week on the beach after the Costa Rica Focus journey. I probably won the jackpot.
        This turned out to be the best decision we’ve made in a long time. 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.
      • 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.
      • 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.
      • Caribbean Lowlands: Daytime temperatures will range from the high 80s to low 90s °F. Evening temperatures will be in the high 70s – low 80s °F. Expect high humidity.

      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.