Secluded Costa Rica Birdwatching Tour
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Itinerary Overview
Day 1-3: Arrive Liberia Airport, transfer to Arenal | Arenal Observatory Lodge
Day 4-5: Tenorio National Park | Rio Celeste Hideaway Lodge
Day 6-8: Guanacaste Mountains | Borinquen Lodge
Day 9: Return Home
Pace: Intermediate
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
‘Secluded Costa Rica Birdwatching Tour’ Itinerary
Day 1: Caribbean Foothills | Arenal Volcano Area
Arrive today at the Liberia International Airport where you’ll be met by your private guide. You’ll travel approximately 3.5 hours through rolling hills, cattle farms, fields of yucca and pineapples to reach your destination; La Fortuna. This area is most commonly referred to as “The Arenal Volcano area”.
Arenal is home to the iconic Arenal Volcano. The perfect cone stands majestically overlooking the town of La Fortuna. The base is surrounded by lush tropical rainforest and rolling green hills. Arenal is known as the adventure capital of Costa Rica due to the huge choice of activities offered in the area. Bird Watching is one of the area’s top attractions.
Hotel: Arenal Observatory Lodge
Day 2: Caribbean Foothills | Arenal Observatory Lodge Reserve
The Arenal Observatory Lodge was the former research center for the Smithsonian Institute. The location is ideal for viewing the volcano and bird watching. Today you’ll spend the full day around the trails at the Observatory Lodge. More than 500 species have been registered on the grounds and forest of the lodge. Keep watch for the black-crested coquette, yellow-eared toucanet, great curassow and many more. The diverse habitat provides a true paradise for bird watchers.
Hotel: Arenal Observatory Lodge
Day 3: Caribbean Foothills | Sky Tram & Sky Walk
Today you’ll venture to the Sky Tram/Sky Walk for an interesting perspective of the rainforest canopy. You’ll board a tram that slowly travels from the forest floor, up through the forest and above the canopy. This interesting ride allows guests the opportunity to experience the different flora and fauna at each level of the rainforest.
Watch for birds, reptiles, and small mammals. After the tram, you’ll hike through the forest trails keeping your eyes sharp, looking for nunbirds, trogons, and more. You will enjoy lunch in the town of La Fortuna and then return to the Observatory lodge for afternoon birdwatching and dinner.
Hotel: Arenal Observatory Lodge
Day 4: Tenorio National Park | Rio Celeste Hideaway Trails
After breakfast, you will travel about one hour to the Tenorio National Park area and the Rio Celeste Hideaway Lodge. The lodge sits beside this 32,000-acre protected reserve. Today you will enjoy the trails that surround the lodge, birding the grounds and looking for the interesting species that inhabit the area. Keep a lookout for Crested Guans, Tody Motmots, and many species of hummingbirds.
Hotel: Rio Celeste Hideaway
Day 5: Tenorio National Park | Rio Celeste & National Park
After a delicious breakfast, you will head to the Tenorio National Park for a day of bird watching. The trails in the park take you through lush forest and alongside the spectacular Rio Celeste. Rio Celeste (Blue River) twists and turns its way throughout the National Park. Along the river, there are multiple hot springs and impressive waterfalls.
The unique mineral composition provided by the Tenorio Volcano gives the water a pure turquoise hue that must be seen to be believed. Along with the marvelous natural wonders of the area, the birding at Tenorio is fantastic. One of Costa Rica’s most difficult and most wanted birds, the bare-necked umbrella bird, can be found perched in the trees anywhere in the park.
Hotel: Rio Celeste Hideaway
Day 6: Guanacaste Mountains| Hot Springs & Mud Pools
This morning after breakfast, you will start your journey to Northern Guanacaste and the Rincon de la Vieja National Park area. You will travel about 3 hours from Rio Celeste, making your way through horse farms and cattle ranches. Look for the famed Guanacaste trees that dot the landscape. Farmland gives way to mountains as you arrive at the Borinquen Lodge. Borinquen Lodge is famous for its natural hot water pools and mud baths. You also can enjoy a natural steam room and sauna.
Hotel: Borinquen Lodge
Day 7: Guanacaste Mountains | Rincon de la Vieja
You will make an early start today, to the Rincon de la Vieja National Park. You will want to be on the trails and in the forest before the Guanacaste heat sets in, in the afternoon. Rincon de la Vieja National Park is famous for the large caldron style volcano that sits at the center of this protected area.
Visitors enjoy an interesting array of ecosystems from open fields, to lush forest and tumbling waterfalls, bubbling mud-pots, and eventually to open plains. Birding in the area is spectacular and you’ll want to keep watch for the emerald toucanet, lesser ground cuckoo, and the black-faced solitaire (to name a few).
Hotel: Borinquen Lodge
Day 8: Guanacaste Mountains | Santa Rosa National Park
Today you will mix birding watching with some history. Santa Rosa National Park is one of the oldest and largest National Parks in Costa Rica. It’s Costa Rica’s largest remaining section of tropical dry forest. The parks combination of scrub grasses and thorned acacia trees often remind visitors of the African Savannah.
Along with the beautiful landscape, Santa Rosa is famous for being the site of one of only three armed conflicts to ever take place on Costa Rican soil. Farmers stood their ground against William Walker at this site, protecting the freedom of their nation in 1856, and once more against the Nicaraguan dictator, Somoza in 1955. Their victories are celebrated with a modest museum, at La Casona, the small ranch house that still stands today. You’ll have time to view the displays if you like.
Hotel: Borinquen Lodge
Day 9: Guanacaste | Liberia Airport
Your amazing birding journey comes to an end today, as you return to the Liberia Airport for your flight home.
Secluded Costa Rica Birdwatching 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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