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Searching the Southern Zone

11-Night, 12-Day Trip

About This Birdwatching Group Tour

Focus: Birdwatching

Scheduled Dates

Feb 2 - Feb 13, 2026
Jan 22 - Feb 2, 2027

Maximum number of guests

10 Guests

Pace

Intermediate

Prime Birding Locations

Trip Reports

Tour Highlights

Private professional Costa Rican birding guide
Comprehensive exploration of southern Costa Rican habitats
Varied viewing experiences: Gardens, forests, trails, and feeding stations
Opportunities to observe rare and endemic species
Top birding lodges
Opportunities for mammals in the Osa Peninsula (Tapirs, Cats, 4 species of Monkeys +)

Trip Overview

Day 1:

Arrive San Jose

Days 2-3:

Turrialba - Foothills

Days 4-5:

San Gerardo de Dota - Highland

Days 6-7:

Pacific Foothills

Days 8-9-10:

Osa Peninsula

Day 11:

San Jose

Day 12:

Return to SJO Airport

Overview
What's Included
Itinerary
Additional Info
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This 12-day privately guided birding expedition takes you deep into Costa Rica’s southern zones, home to some of the most diverse birdlife in Central America. Led by a professional Costa Rican birding guide, the tour spans six distinct ecosystems, offering a rich variety of habitats from highland cloud forests to Pacific lowlands and coastal rainforests. You’ll explore celebrated birding sites like Rancho Naturalista, the Talamanca Highlands, and the legendary Osa Peninsula, widely recognized as one of the most biologically intense places on Earth. Along the way, you'll visit lesser-known hotspots like La Mina, Pindeco, and Las Cruces Biological Station, where rare and range-restricted species await. This journey also includes varied birding experiences—gardens, trails, river valleys, and feeders—with excellent chances to observe endemics plus a wide array of species.  This tour is excellent for viewing mammals as well.  The Osa is the prime location for animals such as tapirs, monkeys, and large cats. With top birding lodges and a carefully planned route through some of the country’s most productive habitats, this tour delivers a rewarding and well-rounded experience for serious birders.
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What's Included in Your 11-Night, 12-Day Searching the Southern Zone Tour?

  • Small Group Tour – Birdwatching

    On a group tour with a private guide, the guide is with you from your arrival to your departure. You not only bird 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 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

    Access to off-the-beaten-track locations

    Flexibility for impromptu stops

    Daily species recap with guide

    Species identification from your guide during and after your trip.

    Fixed travel dates

    Less individual flexibility

      Ideal for

    • Serious birders aiming to maximize species sightings

    • First-time visitors wanting constant expert guidance

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

    • Travelers who value having all meals and services included

    • Birders who enjoy shared experiences with like-minded travelers

    • Travelers looking for easy, seamless experience

      • Searching the Southern Zone Itinerary Details

      Day 1: Arrival and Welcome Dinner

      Upon arrival at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San José, you will be greeted by your private driver and transferred to your hotel.  Enjoy the hotel gardens and later this evening meet your fellow travelers and your private guide for a welcome dinner and introduction to your tour. This evening, your guide will provide an overview of the exciting journey ahead. Overnight in San José.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Hotel Bougainvillea Gardens

    • Day 2: Journey to Turrialba

      Travel with your professional private birding guide to Turrialba, with birding stops along the way to start building your species list. Arrive at Rancho Naturalista, one of Costa Rica’s premier birding lodges, where you can immerse yourself in its renowned birding opportunities on the terrace, trails, and gardens. 

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Rancho Naturalista Gardens, Feeders & Trails

      costa rica Birding Lodges Rancho Naturalista

    • Day 3: Exploring Rancho Naturalista

      Spend the day exploring the trails and feeders of Rancho Naturalista and its surrounding area. This lodge is famous for its hummingbird pools, mixed flocks, and a chance to spot some iconic species like the Snowcap and Tawny-chested Flycatcher.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Rancho Naturalista Gardens, Feeders & Trails

      costa rica Birding Lodges Rancho Naturalista

    • Day 4: Turrialba to the Talamanca Highlands

      Venture to La Mina and Cerro El Silencio for morning birding, where you’ll encounter mid-elevation specialties. Continue to the highlands of the Talamanca Mountains, stopping in the Páramo to search for high-altitude endemics such as the Volcano Junco and Timberline Wren.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Cerro El Silencio & La Mina

    • Day 5: Birding in the Talamanca Highlands

      Start your day with a visit to Batsu Gardens, a perfect spot for observing highland species, especially Hummingbirds. In the afternoon, explore the Savegre Private Reserve, where Resplendent Quetzals are often seen.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Batsu Gardens

    • Explore

      Savegre Reserve

    • Day 6: Highlands to the Mid-elevation Southern Zone

      Depart early, stopping at Miriam’s Hummingbirds for breakfast and excellent birding opportunities. Head to Pindeco, home to elusive species like the Rosy Thrush-Tanager. Arrive in the late afternoon at Las Cruces Biological Station, a hub for Southern Pacific endemics.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Pinedeco Pineapple Plantation

    • Explore

      Miriam’s Quetzals

    • Day 7: Las Cruces and Wilson Botanical Gardens

      Explore the trails of Las Cruces Biological Station and the vibrant Wilson Botanical Gardens. These areas offer a mix of forest and ornamental gardens that attract a variety of bird species, including tanagers and trogons.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Las Cruces Biological Station

    • Explore

      Wilson’s Gardens

    • Day 8: Journey to the Osa Peninsula

      Begin your day with an early departure to the port of Sierpe. Board a boat for a scenic 90-minute ride through mangroves and across the Pacific Ocean to the Osa Peninsula. Keep an eye out for seabirds, whales, and dolphins. Arrive at Corcovado Wilderness Lodge, your gateway to one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge Trails

    • Day 9: Birding Corcovado National Park

      Spend the day birding in Corcovado National Park, home to Scarlet Macaws, Baird’s Tapir, and countless other species. Known as one of the most bio-diverse locations on the planet, this  pristine rainforest offers unforgettable birding experiences in one of Costa Rica’s most remote areas.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Corcovado National Park

    • Day 10: Snorkeling at Caño Island

      Take a break from birding and explore the marine biodiversity of Caño Island National Park. Snorkel among volcanic rocks and reefs looking for  tropical fish, turtles, sharks and much more. The boat ride often offers views of seabirds along the coast, dolphins, and whales. 

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Cano Island

    • Day 11: Return to San José

      Transfer to Drake Bay Airport for your domestic flight back to San José. Check into Villas San Ignacio and enjoy birding on the lodge’s grounds with your private guide, where you can spot species like the Blue-crowned Motmot and Fiery-billed Aracari.

    • Lodging

    • Explore

      Villa San Ignacio Trails

    • Day 12: Departure

      Enjoy a private transfer to SJO Airport for your flight home, taking with you incredible memories of Costa Rica’s birdlife and landscapes.

        "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 an 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.

      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.