Costa Rica Birding Expedition

Upon arrival in San José, you will be met and taken to Hotel Bougainvillea, located on 10 acres of botanical gardens overlooking the city. The gardens feature over 600 species of plants, including 22 types of bromeliads, and are a great place to see hummingbirds, motmots, tanagers, and more.

This morning, return to the airport for an 8:10 am flight to Drake Bay in the Osa Peninsula. Upon arrival, you will be met and taken to Drake Bay Wilderness Resort. The lodge has 20 rustic yet comfortable rooms, all facing tranquil Drake Bay and located right outside of Corcovado National Park. The beautiful grounds are embellished by brightly colorful tropical flowers, and the lodge is surrounded by forest teeming with wildlife. After lunch, go birding around the lodge. Birds that can be seen in the area include Scarlet Macaws, toucans, hawks, tanagers, and hummingbirds, to name a few.

Set out early this morning for a bird walk in Corcovado National Park or around the lodge. The hike into the park requires a 45-minute boat ride with a wet landing and walking for several hours. Corcovado has been referred to by National Geographic as "the most biologically intense place on Earth in terms of biodiversity." At 164 square miles, it's the largest national park in Costa Rica, the largest primary forest on the American Pacific coastline, and one of the few remaining large areas of lowland tropical rainforest in the world. The park holds thousands of species of flora and fauna, including more than 400 bird species. Scarlet Macaws, Yellow-throated (Chestnut-mandibled) Toucans, Orange-chinned Parakeets, woodpeckers, and trogons are all common here. Also look for regional endemics such as the Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager, Fiery-billed Aracari, and possibly even Yellow-billed Cotinga. Return to the lodge in the afternoon and have time to relax before taking a late afternoon bird walk.

Start today with another bird walk. After breakfast, travel up the Sierpe River to the Térraba-Sierpe National Wetlands to explore the tributaries by boat. (Note: Most boat trips in Corcovado involve "wet landings," i.e. disembarking in ankle- to knee-deep water, so plan to have water shoes in addition to shoes appropriate for hiking.) This is one the largest mangrove wetlands in Central America and is home to herons, egrets, cotingas, and Osprey, plus other wildlife like sloths, river otters, caimans, and crocodiles. After lunch, take a boat ride around Bird Island for the chance to see Magnificent Frigatebirds and other seabirds nesting. After lunch at the lodge, continue birding this afternoon.

Early this morning set out for one last birding walk around the lodge before traveling by boat to Sierpe, where you will board a bus and travel northwest along the coast to the Tárcoles area and Villa Lapas Lodge. Later in the afternoon, take a birding walk around the lodge, which is located on a 500-acre preserve on the edge of Carara National Park and near the Tárcoles River.

Take an early morning bird walk before breakfast. Then set out for a full day at Carara National Park, one of the birding hotspots of Costa Rica. The park is located in the Central Pacific region, one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the country. The intersection of northwestern tropical dry forest with the humid rainforest of the South Pacific region, concentrated in a relatively small area, produces an interesting combination of species from both ecosystems. Keep your eyes open for Golden-naped Woodpecker, Baird's Trogon, Orange-collared Manakin, Riverside Wren, Black-hooded Antshrike, Dot-winged Antwren, Long-billed Gnatwren, and Chestnut-backed Antbird. Before dinner at the lodge, watch for Scarlet Macaw from a nearby bridge.

This morning go for a boat ride along the Tárcoles River to watch for both water and shore birds, like Double-striped Thick-knee, Roseate Spoonbill, jacanas, and ducks. The Tárcoles River basin is one of the most important in the Pacific coastal region; it drains virtually the entire western side of the Central Valley. Tárcoles hosts an amazing diversity of wildlife along its banks. The river is a perfect place to catch a glimpse of mangrove specialties such as the rare Rufous-necked Wood-Rail, Mangrove Hummingbird, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Panama Flycatcher, Mangrove Vireo, Mangrove (Yellow) Warbler, and Scrub Greenlet. Perhaps the most famous of all its inhabitants are the enormous American crocodiles that live on its banks. Afterwards travel to Arenal. Our hotel, Arenal Observatory, is the only ecolodge 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 and beautiful rainforest on the south side of the volcano, the lodge boasts seven miles of well-maintained trails on over 800 acres. Elevations range from 1,650 to 2,950 feet, and more than 400 bird species have been recorded here. Some of the more spectacular local residents include the Three-wattled Bellbird, Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Sunbittern, Laughing Falcon, Red-lored Parrot, Great Curassow, Northern Jacana, Blue-vented Hummingbird, and Keel-billed Toucan. There is also plenty of other wildlife in the area, including three species of monkeys. You'll have time after arrival for birding at local feeders and on the trails.

Begin today with birding on the lodge trails. After breakfast, head into the town of La Fortuna to bird at Bogarín Trail, where sightings might include White-throated and Uniform Crakes, as well as Montezuma Oropendola, Buff-throated Saltator, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Crimson-collared Tanager, Scarlet-rumped Tanager, Orange-chinned Parakeet and more. After lunch in town, go birding on the lower trail and road near the lake in Arenal National Park.

Spend the day birding in the Arenal area including a visit to Eco-Center Danaus, a private ecological reserve where programs for conservation, training, environmental education, and sustainable production are developed. Here there will be birding along the grassland areas, the bridge over the Burío River, in the secondary forest and the natural spring in search of some of the 150 species recorded here.

Rise early for one last bird walk before returning to San José. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with the group.

Today you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home.