Awards & Accolades
Costa Rica Focus: Client Stories, Reviews & Testimonials
Our TripAdvisor page showcases candid experiences our clients shared after their birding trip with Costa Rica Focus. We’re sharing here several testimonials, and to get the whole picture you can visit our TripAdvisor page and see all of them.
Saw all I had hoped for
I scheduled a trio like non I had ever done before. First I traveled alone. Second I wanted nine days and eight nights of birding across Costa Rica — two nights at each sight. That mean that transportation had to work, the sites had to expect me, guides had to be available and top notch. What can I say, Costa Rica Focus made it all happen. Day after day they placed me in excellent, unique venues. All kinds of birds, some animals, and a series of guides and drivers that made me feel welcome — as if I was the first person they had ever worked with. I was not sure how this would all work, but at the end of the day I was just so pleased. A great company to work with.
John
I had an amazing time! Highly Recommend
This was my first time to Costa Rica, and as a bird photographer I didn’t want to mess it up. Costa Rica focus did a fabulous job getting me to some wonderful places. While it wasn’t perfect, I truly believe they tried their hardest to make it perfect. I would highly recommend them! If you want to see some of the photos I captured while on this trip check out my Instagram @george_arnold_photography.
Absolutely Fabulous
We couldn’t decide where to go to celebrate our 50th anniversary but after some research we decided to look into Costa Rica Focus for a 10 day private birding trip. Wow – what a great decision! Wanda was so helpful in setting everything up. Each lodge, as well as Wanda and Carlos, did something special for our anniversary.
Our guide, Carlos Tavy Jimenez, was nothing short of absolutely fabulous. He had an eye for spotting birds. We saw 185 different species of birds not found in the US plus quite a few reptiles, mammals and frogs. Carlos didn’t just show us birds, he was actually excited to see them as well. It was obvious that his passion is birding. His knowledge of birds and 20 years experience made our trip one of the most memorable of all our travels. If we ever went back to see birds in another region of Costa Rica we would definitely ask that he be our guide.
Words cannot fully describe this awesome trip! ¡Estupendo!
We took a privately guided 10-day tour, which included San Jose, Sarapiqui, Arenal, Monteverde, and Central Pacific. This was my first trip to anywhere in Latin America let alone Costa Rica, and it was nothing short of a fantastic first experience!
The itinerary for this trip is well-thought out and provides an excellent way to experience the birds, beauty, biological diversity, and culture of the country in a very short time yet not feel overwhelmed. As someone who has appreciated all aspects of nature since childhood, I am very pleased and impressed with how very knowledgeable our guide, Johan, is on not only the bird species, behaviors, and habitats but also on the agricultural, wildlife, and vegetation. Johan’s genuine excitement at every new discovery for us added to our own excitement.
Our accommodations were very nice and the food muy delicioso. Every step of the way, Wanda, Joan, and Johan, made sure that we knew what to expect, things went smoothly, and the one or two very minor issues were resolved quickly.
Every evening, Johan reviewed the day’s bird checklist with us, and we discussed the possibilities for the next day. Overall, it’s not just a birding trip. It’s an adventure that exceeded my expectations!
We left Costa Rica with many great memories and over 250 new avian experiences not to mention the mammals, insects and reptiles. How often do you get to experience an anteater, sloths, and monkeys right outside of your hotel?!?!
Thank you Costa Rica Focus!
Wonderful birding trip
Wanda very promptly planned a great itinerary for our first birding and bugs trip to Central America, and customised it perfectly for our needs. We did a circuit of 4 sites with 2 nights in each, with some nice stops on the transit days. This allowed us to get a good overview of many different climate zones and habitats.
Our guide Erick was fantastic, he got us great views of some amazing species – not just the colourful flashy ones but also the skulky specialities such as Nightingale Wren, Antbirds and Antpittas.
He wasn’t just great at birds, but logistics too. One of the best locations was inaccessible due to a landslide closing the road, but Erick managed to juggle the itinerary so that we could visit on another day without missing out on any stops. He also switched around our last day since our flight home was late, to fit in an extra stop.
All in all a great trip and I will definitely be back!
Birds Galore and More!
We had a fantastic time on our birding adventure through many regions of Costa Rica. Costa Rica Focus created a seamless trip that incorporated great people, food, accommodations, and locations from start to finish.
At the airport, we were greeted by our charming and knowledgeable guide Rudy, who turned out to be a walking encyclopedia of information on the birds, flora and fauna, and wildlife of Costa Rica (which is not the limit of his vast knowledge).
With our group in tow Rudy and our driver Chicho lead us on an amazing discovery of birds, vegetation, landscapes, and adventures that filled every minute of our 10-day trip. Each stay along the way had its own flavor that reflected the region that we were visiting. Although our “CRFocus” (pun intended) was birding, birding was not our only activity.
Our itinerary also included white water rafting, zip-lining, hiking, and a boat ride out to an island where we snorkeled seeing a white-tipped shark, turtles, and an array of reef fish.
Thank you, Rudy, Joan, and Wanda for arranging such a wonderful trip!!
Gotta Love Costa Rica Focus
Every part of the trip was fantastic. Rudy Zamora is the best guide on the planet. His knowledge of the plants and animals is exceptional. But, his breadth of knowledge is unbelievable – from the history of food to geopolitics to arts and culture. Who needs Google?
My advice would be to spend more time in each spot. Every place we stayed had its own unique character. Everyone in our group expressed how much they would have liked to spend more time at each lodge.
Joan and Wanda were excellent to work with. If there were any problems they were solved in advance without the guests even knowing about them. Everything went smoothly and on schedule.
The Perfect Photography and “Pura Vida” Experience!
We have just returned from a 2-week journey to Costa Rica and to say that it was truly one of the most incredible travel experiences we’ve ever had is an understatement. Being (experienced) amateur photographers, Costa Rica has been on our destination bucket list for many years. Wanting a privately guided trip with attention to detail was extremely important us. So, after researching several options, it didn’t take long for us to realize that Costa Rica Focus offered exactly what we were looking for. We contacted Joan and began planning our trip in earnest. She put together a trip proposal for us that turned out to exceed all our expectations.
Our passion for wildlife and bird photography found us being perfectly paired with Minor, our private guide and native Costa Rican who quickly became not only our friend but our valued, tailor-made mentor as well. Due to his vast knowledge of the flora and fauna of Costa Rica, and being an amazing photographer himself, we were able to experience and photograph things that we otherwise would have missed. He also introduced us to many of the traditions and special wonders that Costa Rica has to offer.
From the moment we cleared Immigration and for the next 2 weeks until we departed for our return to the U.S., Costa Rica Focus made sure that we were taken care of every step of the way, including facilitating the required Covid tests prior to our return. The food, the people, the varying landscapes, the total environment, the attention to detail and the photography…all of it can be summed up in one word: WOW!
Costa Rica Focus succeeded in demonstrating to us that they are committed to making each and every experience a truly special one…so much so that we have already booked a return trip in early 2023, and are taking a friend with us!
Pura Vida!
Costa Rica Focus
Dreams do come true ! This was my first ( age 70 ) international birding adventure and CRF ( Costa Rica Focus ) nailed it . Outstanding itinerary , great hotel destinations and the food was joyful . I never said mmmmm so much . And the birding ! What more can I say ? 290 species in 9 days . With pictures of everything !
Mr . Erick Castro is one exceptional guide . Heard the birds , found the birds , knew every species and made sure everyone got to see it through his spotting scope or binoculars . Great stories and wonderful knowledge of all CR nature . Ask him about the leaf cutter ants .
Absolutely a great experience with a very well run organization . Joan and Wanda are professional with just the right amount of personal attention . You will not be disappointed . Costa Rica Focus is THE best .
A pure Pura Vida experience!
There were 5 birders in our group and we booked ahead 10 months for the 14-day package that included staying at 7 different places with a private bird guide the whole time.
It was fantastic! All details were covered. We didn’t have to worry about a thing! I personally saw 274 new Life Birds and we came in at just over 300 birds total.
Our guide was Minor Hidalgo and he knew every bird call. He made sure each person in the group saw the bird. And he was also our driver.
Joan and Wanda were incredible fashioning just the right trip according to our needs. We are re-booking another trip in February 2023 to see more of Costa Rica and go to completely different places with different birds to see.
I highly recommend this tour company and if you are lucky enough to get Minor as your guide, you’ll have an amazing trip. Frankly, I bet all their guides are amazing, as this company strives for excellence, but I’m just partial to Minor since he proved himself quite well on our trip. Great tour! I didn’t want to come home. You can’t go wrong booking with Costa Rica Focus.
A Resplendent Trip, if ever there was one
Joan & Wanda at Costa Rica Focus did nothing short of a fantastic job of arranging our trip! Not only was every detail and request accounted for in the final itinerary – but the price was also remarkably reasonable when compared to the prices offered by the larger international companies.
The team at CR Focus have many years of experience in working closely with all the best (for birdwatching/wildlife) lodges, hotels, guides, private gardens, etc, in Costa Rica – and it really, really shows. My partner and I saw just under 300 bird species on our 12 day trip, which, as per our request, was partly with local guides and partly independent bird watching We like this balance as we feel it maximises learning but also offers plenty of opportunities to be mentored by local experts (some of whom were incredible guides, having grown up in the area in which they were guiding us – their knowledge and understanding of their patch was incredible and it was such a privilege to have it shared with us). Without the help of CR Focus I doubt we could have found such wonderful guides (or space at such a great selection of lodges) – especially at such short notice, given that we booked the trip just two weeks prior to the arrival date
Another thing worth mentioning that made our trip so well managed was the fact that CR Focus were available to chat via whatsapp 24/7 – not that we messaged them at 4AM – but when a few bits needed tweaking, be it changing a taxi pick-up time, arranging a guided morning/afternoon at our next destination, or just sharing advice/information – CR Focus dealt with the arrangements so quickly and efficiently – I really couldn’t fault them!
I would definitely 100% recommend this company to anybody looking to go birdwatching in Costa Rica.
A Trip of a Lifetime!
When planning our first bird watching / photography trip to Costa Rica we looked at several different companies to work with and settled on Costa Rica Focus because of their prompt and personalized responses to our questions. Not really knowing much about the country we gave them a high-level idea of what we wanted to see and experience. Within a couple of days they provided us with a personalized itinerary that was perfect! Joan and Wanda were a real pleasure to work with at every step of the planning process and throughout entire the trip. Their attention to every detail to ensure you have the best trip possible is meticulous. They communicated frequently with us and were always happy to answer our questions. The lodging that they arranged was perfect. All the rooms were clean and comfortable, the surroundings gardens were beautiful, the food was well prepared with a good variety of choices, and the staff were very friendly. We cannot say enough good things about our guide – Rudy Zamora. There is no way we would have visited, seen, or experienced 95% of what we did without him. He is extremely knowledgeable about all the fauna, wildlife, birds, geography, and history of Costa Rica. Being our first trip having a private guide we were a little unsure what to expect. Rudy and the trip exceeded all of our aspirations from showing us around the gardens and guiding us on treks into the National Parks, nature reserves, forest, jungle, and off the beaten path. Being a photographer himself he frequently helped me get “the” shot. His love of nature and his enthusiasm to ensure you have the very best trip possible knows no bounds. There is nothing that we would change about our trip from beginning to end. It was perfect!
Costa Rican adventure!
Much gratitude to Costa Rica Focus for creating the perfect trip into the jungles and waters of the Osa Peninsula for my husband and I. It was good to be back on the road again. Costa Rica Focus was responsive and communication was easy throughout the process – from planning through the final covid test. This trip involved small plane, many boats, and drivers. And navigating covid requirements. Wanda at Costa Rica Focus tended to every detail and answered all questions. The vacation was fantastic. Fun travel, beautiful water and habitats, cool birds and wildlife. Our guides, drivers, and boat captains all were incredible. Capable and knowledgeable. We’ll book with then again.
Twins birthday celebration birding Costa Rica
We have just returned from an excellent 15 nights bird tour of Costa Rica. The tour was supposed to be in 2020, but was delayed due to the pandemic. Joan and Wanda of Costa Rica Focus expertly reorganised the whole trip for this year and luckily we were able to travel.
Our guide Rudy Zamora met us at the airport and from this point was with us throughout. We visited a total of 7 different locations and habitats. It was fun and as experienced birders we were prepared for the long days and early starts. Rudy ensured that there was always some down time.
We are more than happy to recommend Costa Rica Focus, we saw a total of 473 birds many of which were special. We enjoyed comfortable hotels, ate too much good food and learnt such a lot from Rudy about flora fauna and local history.
A thoroughly enjoyable trip thank you Costa Rica Focus for so many happy memories.
Costa Rica Birding – the essence of breeding birds in June
After more than a year of COVID19 lockdown, my kids and I had enough! We booked Costa Rica Focus because they offer a flexible cancellation policy.
Wanda was our main contact who designed the itinerary for us. We wanted to see Green Sea Turtle nesting, so she went the extra mile getting us a very diverse itinerary and recommended a 12-day birding itinerary that covers 4 different habitats including both Caribean and Pacific coasts.
The bird guide, Alex Castro, served as the bird guide and the driver. He is very knowledgeable in Costa Rica’s history, culture, geography, and birds. We truly enjoyed the nature, wildlife, culture, and local food while we were in Costa Rica.
We had seen about 240 species of birds, a few eye-lashed tree vipers, fer-de-lance, anteater, 2-toed sloth, and other wildlife.
Before the trip ended, we’ve already talked about our next trip here!
Thank you, Costa Rica Focus!
Birding while constantly having a smile on your face.
I chose Costa Rica Focus initially simply because the dates of the Bird Watching Trip were convenient for me and Joan agreed to let me potentially transfer to the same trip the following year if Covid 19 restrictions prevented me from leaving UK at the appropriate time.
I made a very good choice. The planning and attention to detail from Joan and Wanda was excellent and Rudy (guide) and Ricardo (driver) proved to be an amazing double act. Both possessed a great sense of humour and were very good in their respective roles.
Rudy’s knowledge of birds and plants is incredible and his ability to explain the ecological interactions between plants, insects and birds was brilliant. I had a wonderful time and will have absolutely no hesitation in using this company again.
Excellent group to work with
I stumbled across Costa Rica Focus planning a visit to CR to include some Birding activity. They responded very quickly. Working with Joan, we put together an in-country plan meeting both our interests and budget.
Concerned with covid issues, Joan arranged private ground-transfer vans and drivers, private birding guides for the volcano area and a mangrove river tour. Her suggested accommodations were spot on. She even arranged specific rooms at each location to help deal with some mobility limitations. Fantastic, and as I said, spot on.
Additionally, Joan and her crew were attentive to every detail, to the point that our drivers and guides knew exactly what we needed, what we wanted to do, and even were aware of the mobility issue for one of our party. The only hitch in the whole thing was that one of the driver agencies did not follow through on Joan’s instructions but the driver took responsibility and solved it.
Normally we arrange our own trips instead of using an agency. But, traveling to a new country and culture that we had not previously experienced, and unfamiliar with arranging things like the private drivers, etc., working with Costa Rica Focus turned out to be an excellent choice.
Was it a little more expensive? Sure, but you get what you pay for, and we felt that the trip Joan arranged was reasonable and within our budget. Made us happy.
I would recommend them to anyone who needs help putting together a trip with a birding focus, and maybe even if not.
Simply amazing Costa Rican adventure!
We had an amazing time birding and exploring Costa Rica with Alex Castro! The itinerary and accommodations were great and Alex is simply amazing! He knows so many people and off-the-beaten-path birding locations. He also has an incredible depth and breadth of knowledge of Costa Rican flora and fauna as well as history, culture and cuisine. His sharing of that knowledge certainly made our experience that much more special.
Our favorite birds were Resplendent Quetzal (Savegre), Sunbittern (Rancho/El Silencio) and Three-wattled Bellbird (Monteverde). Just such special birds and encounters with them, and all were key targets when we arrived in Costa Rica. Of course, there were so many other great birds like White-tipped Sicklebill, Black Hawk-Eagle, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, all the Toucans and Motmots and 35 species of hummingbird! Snowcap, Black-crested Coquette and Violet Saberwing had to be some of our favorites. Overall, we found 340 species on the tour and I managed 99 lifers.
We thoroughly enjoyed working with the Costa Rica Focus family on planning and executing our Costa Rican adventure. We so appreciate the professional approach during the entire process, being very responsive and providing valuable details each step of the way. We hope to return to Central America and when we do we’ll let you know. And, of course, we’ll tell our friends who may be considering a trip to the area about the marvelous job you all did for us.
Tracking the Torgons….and 400 more species
Costa Rica Focus and our guide Rudy provided an outstanding and intense birding adventure. In a period of 9 days, we traveled to 4 separate locations and identified 424 different bird species! The trip was intense with our bird walks beginning at 5:30 am, but it was well worth the effort.
The Costa Rica Focus support team was professional and very helpful in planning the trip. Rudy knows birds better than anyone I have ever met and it was a pleasure being in his group. The travel accommodations where comfortable and our driver Chicho was outstanding. If you want an intense birding adventure with the best guide, this is the group for you.
Top notch birding trip – Costa Rica Focus does it right.
This company will provide world-class birding and full-service support while you are there. You will not be disappointed. I have used half a dozen birding operations from the tropics to Eastern Europe, and Costa Rica Focus has my highest recommendation.
We’ve just returned from this trip – on March 25, 2020. #Coronapocalypse. We departed two weeks prior just as Coronavirus madness was beginning to sweep the globe. It was a challenging time to be traveling: a couple of lodges closed and had to be rebooked, as did all the national parks towards the end of our trip. Many restaurants closed. Airlines started canceling flights, and our families back home were fearful. Again, what we got with Joan and Wanda was constant attention. They had set up a WhatsApp group and we were in regular contact. They monitored all of our flights and State Dept. announcements – and they rebooked hotels for us seamlessly, and leaving our guide to focus on our immediate needs – the birds. Ultimately, family pressure back home proved too much for one of our companions, and he told Joan he needed to leave early. She changed his flights for him, arranged a car to pick him up and bring him to the airport, and got him home 2 days early. When my other companion’s airline (American) canceled flights, Joan rebooked him onto my flight (Delta) which was still flying. In short – they took complete care of us. If you want a tour company in this region to have your back while you are having your adventure, Costa Rica Focus should be at the top of your list.
But what about the birding? It was crushing! Our guide, Minor Hidalgo is an exceptional birder and guide. He knows every area of the country – and even got us access to a couple of places that were already closed to the public, resulting in us getting some of our TOP target species, like Snowcap. Minor is also an incredible photographer and is not only patient with those of us (myself) who wanted photos, but knows how to get them. Oh, and he’s a great guy and (thankfully) very laid back. He did not let any of our stress about the global situation affect his demeanor. On our last day, literally, as we drove to the airport, Minor even got us the Costa Rica endemic Mangrove Hummingbird in a totally obscure location, when we had dipped on it in the most expected spots. It was epic. We also saw multiple great non-avian species, including THREE Eyelash Vipers, two species of monkey, American Crocodiles, Sloth, Agouti, Poison Dart Frogs and more.
I never expected the trip to crush my Colombia list from several years ago, but it did. We netted 446 species and got at least decent ID photos of almost all of them. While it was hard not to worry about the crisis back home, the office staff looked after the situation and had our backs, regularly assuring us that they had it under control, and they did. If you want to go on the cheap – find a freelance guide and just wing it. If you want to be sure you’ve got good, safe places to stay, with excellent birding opportunities; and if you want a lifeline at every step along the way… Costa Rica Focus will provide it. I’d put them up against any of the much large industry leaders any day.
A trip custom made for your needs.
This was my first time going with CR Focus and I am very pleased with all aspects of the trip from planning to execution. We provided Wanda a list of the birds we would like to photograph and what some of our special interests were since this was our second trip to CR. They then planned our 12 day excursion. Rudy led the trip and is extremely well skilled in finding particular birds and putting yourself in positions where quality photographs are possible. I recommend that you let CR Focus set up your itinerary and handle all the arrangements. They know the details of CR very well and are knowledgeable of little known places where you can get extraordinary photographs. It would be hard getting this information yourself from the internet. They clearly have rapport with many birders and guides around the country so they keep current on the latest rarities that show up. Having that personal connection with other contacts is often the key to finding those hard to get birds.
Phenomenal Birding Trip
Costa Rica Focus did an amazing job designing and coordinating a custom birding and photography trip for the four of us. Joan continued to stay in contact with us as we travelled around the country with our guide Alex. We referred to him as our walking encyclopedia! He did a tremendous job of guiding the tour and taking us safely to every destination while pointing out almost 200 species of birds, explaining the history, politics, flora and fauna of this lovely country. Always upbeat and patient while we took 10,000 photos!
All accommodations were pristine with delicious food. Joan and her team seem to strive for excellence and succeeded! I would highly recommend this company!
We are two couples of retirees from Canada and this was the first time for all of us to travel and bird watching & photography in Costa Rica. Over 12-day tour, we stopped at San Jose, Sarapiqui, Bosque del Tolomuco, Las Cruces Biological station/Wilson Botanical Garden, Carara National Park/Tarcoles River, Arenal Observatory Lodge, etc. We enjoyed every single day of entire trip and like all activities that were designed for us. We have had a lot of great pictures so as memories. We would never expect a better bird watching/photography tour like this. Special thanks to Wanda, who made this trip plan according to our need, and Rudy, who was our guide from beginning to the end. Wanda has been extremely responsive, thoughtful, responsible and ease to talk to. Rudy was a fantastic bird guide, very knowledgeable, true naturalist, live lover dedicated, very respectful, and responsible. We are fully satisfied with the services that Wanda and Rudy provided, and has no hesitation to use them again to plan our next tour.
Wanda and Joan provided us with such a well planned and true to our needs itinerary! We traveled from San Jose to Monteverde to Arenal to Sarapiqui back to San Jose with unforgettable experiences both at our destinations and in-between! Knowledgeable tour guides and courteous drivers immersed us in the information we needed. In a two week period we had such wonderful birding and an all around observation of nature and photographic opportunities . We gave Costa Rica Focus a budget; they gave us the trip of a lifetime! This is only the beginning for us! Pura Vida! . . . sums it all up! Mucho gracias Wanda and Joan and all your amazing employees!
Costa Rica Adventure tour with Costa Rica Focus
Wanda and the team @ Costa Rica Focus along with Costa Rica Driver (transportation company they use) put together one of the best vacations we had - a combination of adventure & relaxation to really experience the beauty & diversity if Costa Rica...
The hotels, food, people, culture and diverse landscape/climates were amazing to experience and all the excursions really helped our families truly experience the wonders of Costa Rica. The tours were very well organized and the transportation (especially Danny) were excellent. Throughout the trip Wanda was accessible & very responsive via Whatssup in case there were any issues or questions.
We definitely recommend Wanda & Costa Rica Focus if you are looking for an adventure vacation in Costa Rica!
Excellent Guide and logistics arrangement for this Costa Rica bird watching trip
A friend searched from web and get connected with Costa Rica Focus. It is our first time visiting Central America for eco-tour. A combination of bird watching and photographing are our main goals, but any other mammals, reptiles, butterflies, ... would be welcome bonus. Turns out that our guide is very experienced in all areas, and knows Costa Rica inside-out, and demonstrated enthusiasm throughout the journey. The trip logistics are well organised and destinations are well planned to cover a variety of habitats. It is a very positive experience, will sure engage same company and guide in future for eco-tour in this part of the world
Regina & James Costa Rica Bird Photography Trip
Booking with Costa Rica Focus was great. I gave them a list of birds & wildlife that I hoped to photograph & they setup my destinations with that in mind. They were wonderful, efficient & knowledgeable. They were available 24/7 in case we needed help or had questions. We would definitely use them again.
The best Bird Photography Trips by Erick, Rudy, Wanda and Joan
We just came back from our 2nd bird photography trip with Costa Rica Focus. WOW! Wanda & Joan took care of the trip planning and were very patient and kind in dealing with all of our questions. They offered us excellent advice and were also available during our trip. Our first Trip in 2017 was in Panama with Rudy as our guide. Since the trip was so well planned and guided, we wanted to use Costa Rica Focus again and ended up in Costa Rica. Our guide this time around was Erick and he did not disappoint. He is extremely knowledgeable and allowed us enough time to get the perfect shots. He is a great photographer himself and very passionate about birds. We enjoyed our trip so much. Thanks Erick, Wanda and Joan for another unforgettable trip. We can’t wait to come back.
Everything we could hope for and more!
This was the 5th time that I have planned a trip for a birdwatching group with Joan and Rudy. This time we went to Panama in search of the harpy eagle and many other new species. Our group of 12 people had an amazing time! Wonderful accommodations, terrific local guides, incredible birding and good times. We saw the harpy and so much more. The tour also took us into Panama City, Casco Viejo and a transit on the Canal. So many wonderful memories and great experiences. When you plan travel with Costa Rica Focus you can be assured that everything is taken care of and planned to perfection. We are planning our next adventure as I write this….
Costa Rica Focus/ Hunting for the Harpy Eagle in Panama
Excellent trip. Wonderful accommodations, food excellent, service excellent, trip well planned out with balance of nature and city activities. Birding was fabulous and the guides were beyond compare.They are experts who combine knowledge with passion and a desire to share their love for the environment and its living creatures with their travel companions. I recommend this travel company as top rate for personal service and value and would choose them again without hesitation!
Rudy is simply the best guide ever
I have been fortunate to be guided by Rudy Zamora on two trips to Costa Rica. They were far and away the best birding trips I have ever been on and the reason was Rudy.
For starters he is enthusiastic about his work and it carries over to everything he does.
He is very bright and has an encyclopedic memory. For example, he knows every Costarican bird name in english, spanish and latin. He knows all of their calls and frequently if you are looking for a specific bird, he often knows where to find it.
On my first trip he took a look through my bird book where I mark all the birds I have seen and he then set an agenda to find the ones I had not seen. With that done, once he discovered that I would bird from dawn until dark it was a magic week of discovery.
He did not require the all day birding, but was willing to tailor each day to what I wished to do instead of sticking to some fixed plan.
In addition he will tell you about the history of the country, or talk about the trees and plants along the way, or as I requested he tutored me to improve my mediocre Spanish skills. He took time to teach me about some of the differences between groups of birds such as flycatchers and some of them are difficult to tell apart. Then each day he would point out a few birds and quiz me to see what I had learned and the best part was he really cared.
He took me to places I never would have seen had I not been with him. I am not talking about lodges etc but we went to little out of the way places because he knew we might find a particular bird. The second trip was completely different than the first in terms of the places we went but the routine didn't change.
And everywhere we went he was warmly greeted by everyone and that says something about him as well. I could go on for pages but let me say that he is the best guide I have ever known.
Awards & Accolades
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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