Costa Rica Biological Stations Birding Tour
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Itinerary Overview
Day 1-2: Arrive Liberia, Costa Rica | Palo Verde Biological Station
Day 3-4: Caribbean Lowlands | La Selva Biological Station
Day 5-6: San Gerardo de Dota| Savegre Lodge
Day 7-8: Pacific Slope | Las Cruces Biological Station
Day 9: San Jose | Hotel Bougainvillea
Day 10: San Jose | Depart for home
Independent Tour with Local Guides
On an independent tour, you will use private transfers to move between locations. At each location, you will enjoy accommodations designed for bird watching and nature viewing on your own. We will include half or full-day birding excursions with different naturalist birding guides offered by the different parks or hotels. Since you are not covering the cost of a private guide's meals and accommodation, this is a more affordable option.- Private ‘Meet & Greet’ at the Airport
- Airport pick up
- Private guiding services from your Naturalist Guide, a birding expert
- Birding and nature observation limited to listed options with local birding guides. No stops on travel days or impromptu visits to local sites
- Private transportation in air-conditioned minivan
- All accommodations
- All tours & activities as described, with local birding guides
- Breakfast daily
- Official birding checklist for the Birds of Costa Rica
- Daily species recap with your guide
- 24/7 in-country assistance
Privately Guided Tour
On a 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, off the beaten track locations, 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.- Private ‘Meet & Greet’ at the airport
- Airport pick up
- Private guiding services from your Naturalist Guide, a birding expert
- Unlimited birding and nature observation with your guide. Includes stops on travel days and impromptu visits to local sites
- Private transportation provided either by your guide or a private driver
- All accommodations
- All tours, activities, admissions as listed
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily
- Official birding checklist for the Birds of Costa Rica
- Daily species recap with your guide
- 24/7 in country assistance
‘Costa Rica Biological Stations Birding Tour’ Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at the Liberia Airport | Welcome to Costa Rica
Arrive at the Liberia Airport, where you will be met by your private guide. Your journey begins with a 1.5-hour drive to the Palo Verde area. This area includes the 50,000 acre Palo Verde National Park, and an amazing array of habitats. The intense number of bird species in the area will ensure a great start to your birding adventure. Keep your binoculars ready as you will have great chances for the thicket tinamou, long tail manikin, vireos, orioles, and the jabiru stork.
Hotel: Hacienda La Pacifica
Day 2: Palo Verde | Marshes & Wetlands
Today you will spend the day exploring the dry forest and wetlands. You will combine hiking, and driving and possibly even a boat ride to search out all the target species in the area. After a full day of birding (with breaks for meals on site) you’ll have time to relax at dinner and update your checklists. This evening, you will spend time around your hotel searching for owls, potoos, and night jars. (plus, all the other night creatures of the rainforest).
Hotel: Hacienda La Pacifica
Day 3: Caribbean Lowlands | Tenorio & La Selva
After breakfast, continue your adventure traveling northeast to the Caribbean Lowlands. You will drive about 3-hours to the station. Weather permitting you will stop at the Tenorio National Park to look for the Pied-puffbird, Tody Motmot, Black & Yellow Tanager (among many other species) and then continue to La Selva. La Selva is comprised of 3900 acres of tropical forest nestled between two rivers. (Rio Puerto Viejo and Rio Sarapiqui)
La Selva was established in 1954 as a farm dedicated to natural resource management. In 1968, it became a private reserve and research station owned and operated by the O.T.S. More than 250 scientific papers are published yearly with research and study done and completed at La Selva. The accommodations are simple and the food basic, but the birding and wildlife viewing is without compare.
Hotel: La Selva Biological Station
Day 4: Caribbean Lowlands | Primary Rainforest
From the moment you step out of your room, you will be collecting species at La Selva. The gardens surrounding the lodge are teeming with Bananaquits, Red-legged Honeycreepers, Hummingbirds, and Toucans. You will spend the day exploring the vast trail system throughout the station. Keep your eyes peeled for the Snowy Cotinga, Black-striped Woodcreeper, Tiny Hawk, and the Little Tinamou.
Hotel: La Selva Biological Station
Day 5: San Gerardo de Dota | Cloud Forest & Paramo Species
Today you will depart the steamy Caribbean lowlands and head for the highlands of the Talamanca Mountains. Enroute, you’ll stop at the famed La Paz waterfall gardens to walk the trails, view the waterfalls, and enjoy a tasty lunch. Your total drive time is about 3 hours.
Note the change in temperature (have a sweater handy) and a vast difference in the surrounding fauna as you enter the gorgeous white oak forests of San Gerardo de Dota. Your riverside lodge has gorgeous gardens and comfortable accommodations. This area is a prime location for the Resplendent quetzal, the Flame-Throated Warbler, and the Red-Headed Barbet. (to name just a few).
Hotel: Savegre Lodge
Day 6: San Gerardo de Dota | Quetzal Country
A full day of birding at the private reserve of Savegre Lodge. You will walk the trails and be entranced by the beautiful white oaks, and golden moss of this stunning forest. The array of bird species is astounding. In the afternoon, stroll along the river looking for Dippers, and Phoebes and relax in the gardens surrounded by Hummingbirds as the sunsets.
Hotel: Savegre Lodge
Day 7: Pacific Slope| Los Cusingos & Wilson’s Gardens
Today you will travel south to the area of San Vito and the Las Cruces Biological Station (home of the famous Wilson’s Gardens). You will journey about 3.5 hours (birding as you go) and make a stop at Los Cusingos Sanctuary, the home of Alexander Skutch. Las Cruces is a mid-elevation site exuberant with vast collections of gingers, ferns, and bromeliads.
Wilson’s Gardens has the second largest palm collection in the world. It’s not just about plants! Las Cruces has fantastic birding, too. You will want to be ready to spy the Speckled Tanager, Bran colored Fly-catcher and the Turquoise Cotinga. Accommodations are very simple, and meals basic but the flora and fauna are spectacular.
Hotel: Las Cruces Biological Station
Day 8: Pacific Slope | Las Cruces Biological Station
The last day at Costa Rica biological stations you’ll spend at lush botanical garden at the Las Cruces biological station. This is the perfect starting point for today’s birding adventure. With very good forest trails and a canopy observation tower, Las Cruces proves to be one of Costa Rica’s birding gems. You’ll search for the middle elevation, montane forest species of Southern Costa Rica. The top species include Spot-crowned Euphonias, Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds and with some luck the endangered Turquoise Cotinga and White-crested Coquette. We will also look for the White-throated Thrush, Speckled Tanager, Crested Oropendola and Bran-colored Flycatcher.
Hotel: Las Cruces Biological Station
Day 9: San Jose | Last night in Paradise
It’s about 5.5-hours drive back to San Jose but you will make plenty of stops along the way to view many bird species. You will stop along the coast for lovely ocean views and a delicious lunch. You will arrive late afternoon to your hotel. Plan on a celebratory farewell dinner that evening.
Hotel: Bougainvillea Hotel
Day 10: San Jose | Time to return home
Your Costa Rica birding adventure comes to a close. Return to the San Jose Airport for your flight home.
Costa Rica Biological Stations Birding Tour Review:
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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