Costa Rica | Birds, Nature and Photography in the Tropics

Arrive in San José and transfer to Hotel Bougainvillea. Check-in is at 3 pm. Keep your photo gear handy as there is great habitat right on the hotel grounds and some species will only be seen here.

This morning, meet for breakfast and an orientation in the hotel restaurant. Check out of the hotel and travel by bus to La Paz Waterfall Gardens, where you will have lunch and then visit the hummingbird gardens and butterfly farm. Continue on, stopping en route at a café in Cinchona known for its many hummingbird feeders. This afternoon, arrive to Selva Verde Lodge & Rainforest Reserve and take a hike in the reserve with your guide. Selva Verde's reserve protects 500 acres of rainforest, and the lodge offers many covered walks, birding trails, and lookout points, with opportunities to see species such as the Keel-billed Toucan, Great Green Macaw, White-winged Becard, Sunbittern, motmots, trogons, and various hummingbirds. Boots are available for use if the trails are muddy. Take an optional walk this evening to discover the amazing world of nocturnal frogs and insects. Elevation change: From 3,000 feet above sea level in San José to approximately 225 feet in Sarapiquí, with the highest point visited today at 6,200 feet at La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

After breakfast, transfer to the Macaw Farm, a private initiative stared by Don Alvaro Otoya that has turned into a successful breeding center for the two species of Costa Rican macaws: Scarlet and Great Green. Habitat loss and poaching have threatened these amazing birds, nearly bringing them to the point of extinction in some places. As a result, the need for reintroduction into the wild is high, in particular for Great Green Macaws. Projects like Don Alvaro's have allowed local authorities to bring the populations back in some areas, and now macaws can be seen flying high where they were absent for decades. The macaws at Don Alvaro's are not caged, and fly free through the surrounding rainforest. Take advantage of the opportunities to capture amazing images of macaws in flight, with more controlled light than in the forest, while contributing to the effort of protecting and reintroducing the macaws back to their habitat. Return to the lodge for lunch. This afternoon, visit Frog's Heaven. Transfer to Tirimbina for dinner then enjoy an informative talk on the lives of bats.

Depart at dawn for the world-famous Organization for Tropical Studies La Selva Biological Station for early morning birding in the tropical wet forest. La Selva consists of approximately 2,500 acres of land, over half of which is virgin forest. The area averages over 13 feet of rainfall each year and is one of the longest-studied rainforests in the world. More than half of Costa Rica's recorded bird species have been spotted at La Selva, including the Bare-necked Umbrellabird, Red-capped Manakin, Great Antshrike, Chestnut-backed Antbird, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Striped Cuckoo, Slaty Spinetail, Yellow-tailed Oriole, and Rufous-tailed Jacamar. After your morning birding experience, take a drive toward Guápiles to the home and private reserve of Costa Rican naturalist and wildlife artist José Alberto Pérez, also known as Cope. Cope's property is designed to maximize opportunities for birding and photography. We think of this as one of the best nature photography opportunities in Costa Rica - he usually has accommodating owls and we might even get to see white ghost bats. His ponds attract aquatic species, and the property also features blinds for bird photography. Cope's incredibly fine-tuned knowledge of bird behavior and the local habitat, including his neighbors' reserves, provides unique access to some wonderful species. Lunch today will be arranged at Cope's home or at a local restaurant in the region. After your visit, head back to Selva Verde. This evening, participate in a cooking class with the Sarapiquí Conservation Learning Center (SCLC). The SCLC is a not-for-profit organization founded to preserve the cultural integrity of the rural community of Chilamate and aid in sustainable community development projects.

This morning pick up your boxed breakfast and transfer to Laguna del Lagarto Eco-Lodge to spend the day photographing from their specially designed platforms. They are known for their great variety of birds like toucans, orioles, parrots, honeycreepers, tanagers, woodpeckers and many more. They also have special hideaways to take pictures of the king vulture and the bats, and a special garden for hummingbirds. There is also an opportunity to see mammals like coatis, different varieties of monkeys, agouties, tapirs and, if you’re lucky, an ocelot or a fresh water otter. This afternoon depart for Arenal Observatory, the only eco-lodge situated between Lake Arenal and the massive Arenal stratovolcano, and the only hotel within the boundaries of Arenal National Park. Set on a ridge amid towering pine trees on the south side of the volcano, the lodge offers seven miles of well-maintained trails on over 800 acres. A birder's paradise, more than 400 species have been recorded here. Some of the more spectacular local residents include the Three-wattled Bellbird, Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Laughing Falcon, Red-lored Parrot, Great Curassow, Northern Jacana, Steely-vented Hummingbird, and Keel-billed Toucan. There is also plenty of other wildlife in the area, including three species of monkeys. Dinner at lodge. Elevations range from 1,650 to 2,950 feet.

Early this morning go birding on the lodge's trails. Have breakfast, and then take a hike on the Bogarin Trail. Have lunch at a local restaurant then depart for Arenal Hanging Bridges. Six of the 15 bridges are suspended in the upper canopy of this mature forest trail system (elevation is approximately 1,900 feet). The trail system straddles different types of ecosystems, forming a transitional vegetation-strip of high biodiversity where both highland and lowland species reside. There is an excellent chance to see motmots and jacamars. Return to the lodge later this afternoon to continue birding on the lodge's trails.

After breakfast, continue to Cerro de la Muerte, an area at the top of Cordillera de Talamanca that is famous for its diversity of endemic wildlife. Consisting of temperate forest and páramo habitats, the natural vegetation attracts species such as the rare Red-fronted Parrotlet, Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl, Dusky Nightjar, Fiery-throated, Volcano, Scintillant and Talamanca Hummingbirds, White-throated Mountain-gem, Ruddy Treerunner, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Ochraceous Pewee, Silvery-throated Jay, Black-and-yellow Silky-flycatcher, Volcano Junco, Timberline Wren, Wrenthrush, and Resplendent Quetzal. Look for these species and others at Cerro de la Muerte and La Georgina en route to San Gerardo de Dota. Continue birding at the lodge before dinner.

Travel by jeep to the upper trails of Savegre's reserve. Spend time at the Siwo Mirador observation deck and in the apple orchard located on the Savegre Lodge property. Have lunch then visit Batsu Garden this afternoon.

Morning birding at the lodge and surrounding areas. Afternoon visit to Miriam's for lunch and birding.

Early morning visit to Buena Vista in Los Quetzales National Park, looking for Volcano Junco and Timberline Wren. Depart for San Jose stopping at Paraiso Quetzal for birding and lunch before continuing to San Jose. Enjoy a farewell dinner this evening.

Transfer from the hotel to the airport. Check out is at 12:00 pm.