Costa Rica: Beyond the Classic

Costa Rica is a premier destination for birding and wildlife enthusiasts, offering a rich diversity of habitats that support an incredible array of species. This trip will take you to some of the country’s most celebrated wildlife areas.

As we make our way to the Pacific Coast, we’ll stop at Carara National Park, known for its transition zone between tropical dry and rainforest ecosystems. Here, you’ll have the chance to spot colorful species like the scarlet macaw, trogons, and various tanagers. The park’s unique blend of forest types also attracts a host of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, making it a well-rounded introduction to Costa Rica’s biodiversity.

Our hotel in Uvita sits on a hillside providing sweeping views of both the ocean and rainforest, creating a unique vantage point for spotting a wide range of wildlife. During our stay on the coast, we’ll spend a full day exploring Hacienda Barú, a privately owned nature reserve with a diverse mix of habitats onsite. The reserve’s well-maintained trails allow for close encounters with rainforest species, including sloths, monkeys, and a variety of butterflies, adding to the richness of the experience.

We’ll end our trip in the highlands of San Gerardo de Dota, nestled in the cloud forests of the Talamanca Mountains. Famous for its population of the resplendent quetzal, San Gerardo de Dota offers a serene setting for birding amidst towering oaks and misty landscapes. This high-altitude region also provides excellent opportunities to see hummingbirds, woodpeckers, and maybe even the elusive Baird’s tapir, Costa Rica’s largest land mammal. Beyond birding, the cool mountain air and stunning vistas make this a peaceful retreat, capping off our Costa Rican wildlife adventure.

Join Wild Birds Unlimited and Reefs to Rockies on this fun, weeklong adventure through the wildest parts of beautiful Costa Rica!

About Your Naturalist Guide: Kyle Carlsen from Reefs to Rockies is excited to co-lead this expedition alongside our local Costa Rican naturalist guide. With a deep passion for avian research and conservation, Kyle has extensive experience both in the field and as a published writer. His work has appeared in numerous journals, books, and magazines, showcasing his expertise in ornithology and wildlife. You may also recognize him as the education coordinator for Wild Birds Unlimited of northern Colorado, where he regularly engages the community in birding education and conservation efforts.

ITINERARY

Day 1 (Sat, Aug 2): San José. Afternoon arrival to San José, where we’ll meet our local naturalist guide and settle in for our first night in Costa Rica. Our hotel is nestled within an award-winning 10-acre tropical botanical garden that attracts many birds and butterflies. The garden is widely recognized as one of the most beautiful in the country.

Accommodations: Hotel Bougainvillea

Meals: None

Trip starts and ends at the San José International Airport (SJO).

Day 2 (Sun, Aug 3): San José to Uvita. Today begins with a little birding, of course, followed by a brief trip orientation over breakfast. We’ll then start working our way down to the Pacific Coast. Our route takes us through Carara National Park, home to one of the largest populations of scarlet macaws in Costa Rica. We’ll stop and enjoy a bird walk in the park, keeping our eyes peeled for orange-chinned parakeets and other parrots, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, motmots, jacamars, manakins, antbirds, trogons, monkeys, and sloths! By late afternoon, we’ll arrive in Uvita, a small mountain village in the South Pacific, our home base for the next two nights.

Accommodations: Cristal Ballena

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 3 (Mon, Aug 4): Uvita. A highlight today will be a visit to a private wildlife refuge and a hike through the lowland forests and mangrove swamps where the walking is through diverse landscapes and the birding is excellent. Back at our hotel, those interested in a walk after dark are invited to do so.

Accommodations: Cristal Ballena

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 4 (Tues, Aug 5): Uvita to San Gerardo de Dota. After a couple of days in the lowlands along the coast, now it is time to head up to the mountains. At Paraíso Quetzal Lodge, we will be immersed in pristine cloud forest, home to a wealth of fascinating and unique flora and fauna, including the iconic resplendent quetzal. The property is truly a birder’s paradise, and we will take our time to soak in the experience over the next few days.

Accommodations: Paraíso Quetzal Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 5 (Wed, Aug 6): San Gerardo de Dota. Our day begins with a gentle walk through the cloud forest in search of quetzals and other tropical wildlife. Then we explore a small reserve featuring a feeding station that attracts an amazing array of tanagers, thrushes, barbets, and finches. While walking the trails here, we may encounter parakeets, toucanets, woodpeckers, wrens, euphonias, quail-doves, and a variety of other tropical treats, with yet another opportunity to see a resplendent quetzal (or two).

Accommodations: Paraíso Quetzal Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 6 (Thurs, Aug 7): San Gerardo de Dota. We have another full day to explore highland hotspots including Batsù Garden, a world-renowned site for birding and photography. Our day concludes back at the lodge, where we’ll enjoy our final evening and dinner together in the cloud forest.

Accommodations: Paraíso Quetzal Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Day 7 (Fri, Aug 8): San Gerardo de Dota to San José. After breakfast, we will travel back to San José to connect with our flights home.

Meals: Breakfast

DETAILS

Price: $3425* per person based on two people sharing a double occupancy room. Add $610** if you prefer a private, single occupancy room.

Inclusions: accommodations; all meals starting with breakfast on Day 2 through breakfast on Day 7; private ground transportation; two naturalist guides; daily guided wildlife viewing with spotting scope available; gratuities for your guides, as well as at restaurants for included meals; and entrance fees. A donation to support Bird Conservancy of the Rockies will be made on behalf of all participants.

Exclusions: flights; passport fees; travel insurance (we can provide a quote); dinner on arrival day; activities not listed; and personal expenses.

*Reflects payment by check or ACH. Credit card fees assessed at time of payment based on card used.

**If you are a solo traveler that prefers to share a room, we’ll do our best to pair you. If we are unable to find a roommate for you, the private room supplement will apply.

Group Size: 8-12 participants + 2 naturalist guides. We are known for having smaller group sizes with a better participant to guide ratio than most companies offering similar itineraries.

A Note About Gratuities: Your trip cost includes gratuities for your guides, as well as at restaurants for included meals. This allows us to reliably and equitably compensate everyone working so hard to keep you happy, healthy, and safe during your trip.

Level of Difficulty – Moderate: Most of our birding will involve primarily nature walks on a variety of terrain, though mostly even at elevations between sea level and 10,000 feet above sea level. Most walks will be 1-3 miles in length with a total distance of up to five miles on a given day.