Where can I see birds in Costa Rica?

What makes bird watching in Costa Rica so amazing is that visitors can see birds throughout the entire country, twelve months of the year. There is no such thing as “bad time” for birding in Costa Rica.

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Costa Rica has six major life zones, the Caribbean Lowlands, Caribbean Foothills, the Highlands, the Pacific Tropical Rainforest, the Pacific Slope, and the Pacific Dry Tropical Forest. In each of these areas, bird watchers and bird photographers will find a different array of bird species.

At Costa Rica Focus, we recommend that birders consider including Arenal, Sarapiqui, Turrialba, Monteverde, San Gerardo de Dota and the Central Pacific in their first visit to Costa Rica. These areas will ensure an incredible diversity in the birds that can be seen.

If guests have time for a longer visit, the Osa Peninsula is not only one of the top birding spots in the world; but also, a fantastic place to view mammals, reptiles and amphibians. If birding by boat or kayak in a quiet canal is appealing, add Tortuguero to your plans.

Costa Rica also offers a wide variety in how you view your birds. If walking through the forest in a National Park is not of interest, don’t worry, most birding lodges cultivate lush gardens to attract their local species. Birders can see many different species just strolling through the hotel gardens. Lodges that specialize in bird photography will often set up natural looking fruit feeders, photography platforms, and photography blinds, all designed to give the photographer the best opportunity to get their top shots.

If birders enjoy being immersed in nature, finding birds in their habitats, Costa Rica has superb National Parks and Private Reserves where guests can walk and hike trails looking for their most wanted species.

Costa Rica has some of the very best bird watching in the world. Whether trekking through the rainforest, or relaxing on a cozy terrace with binoculars in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, a birding trip to Costa Rica will be a memorable experience.

Related article: Where can you see hummingbirds in Costa Rica?