Day 1 – Arrive in Costa Rica

Welcome dinner and overnight at the Hotel Bougainvillea. (Please note that depending on the time of day and traffic conditions, a taxi from the airport to the hotel can take anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour.)

Day 2 – Day trip to Irazú Volcano

We’ll be at an altitude of nearly 11,000 feet, so be prepared for cool weather. This will be our only chance for a number of high elevation specialties such as Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Volcano Hummingbird, Black-capped Flycatcher, Timberline Wren, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Sooty Thrush, Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher, Sooty-capped Chlorospingus, Volcano Junco, Large-footed Finch, Flame-throated Warbler, and Slaty Flowerpiercer—all endemic to the highlands of Costa Rica and adjacent western Panama.

With some luck, we might also get views of Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge, Spot-crowned Woodcreeper, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Lesser Goldfinch, Wrenthrush, Flame-colored Tanager, and possibly even the amazing Resplendent Quetzal! Overnight at Hotel Bougainvillea.

Day 3 – Arenal Volcano

Today we will journey to the foothills of this active volcano, stopping along the way for some mid-elevation birding and the possibility of such species as Buff-fronted Quail-Dove, Prong-billed Barbet, Northern Emerald-Toucanet, Red-faced Spinetail, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Common Chlorospingus, Chestnut-capped Brushfinch, Slate-throated Redstart, Spangle-cheeked Tanager, and Silver-throated Tanager. 

Keeping an eye on hummingbird feeders should also produce looks at Green Thorntail, Green-crowned Brilliant, White-bellied Mountain-gem, Violet Sabrewing, Coppery-headed Emerald, and Black-bellied Hummingbird, among others. Overnight at Arenal Observatory Lodge.

Day 4 – Arenal Birding

There’s a high probability that you may awaken to the sound of Mantled Howler Monkeys and Crested Guans, which is a good thing, since you won’t want to miss a minute of the pre-breakfast birding on the hotel grounds. Though some 2,000 feet above sea level, the lodge has a definite tropical feel, which will be all the more obvious when we start seeing the likes of Gartered Trogon, Collared Aracari, Yellow-throated Toucan, Keel-billed Toucan, White-crowned Parrot, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Band-backed Wren, Montezuma Oropendola, Black-cowled Oriole, and Tropical Parula. Finding a fruiting fig tree can be a spectacle with a seemingly endless parade of species coming and going that might include White-throated Thrush, Hepatic Tanager, Crimson-collared Tanager, Golden-hooded Tanager, Bay-headed Tanager, Emerald Tanager, Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, Green Honeycreeper, and Buff-throated Saltator.

And while the lodge does not have hummingbird feeders, there are numerous flowering shrubs that attract an impressive variety of hummers, such as White-necked Jacobin, Green Hermit, Stripe-throated Hermit, Brown Violetear, Purple-crowned Fairy, Black-crested Coquette, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Crowned Woodnymph, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Blue-vented Hummingbird, and Blue-throated Goldentail.

At some point during the day, we’ll do some forest birding that could turn up Dusky, Bicolored, Spotted, and Ocellated Antbirds—especially if we’re fortunate enough to cross paths with marauding army ants. Other species that could conceivably join the fray include Thicket Antpitta, Spotted Woodcreeper, Bright-rumped Attila, Brown Jay, Nightingale Wren, Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush, and Buff-rumped Warbler.

An extra bonus at this time of year is the possibility of finding Three-wattled Bellbird in the area! Overnight at Arenal Observatory Lodge.

Day 5 – Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge

We’ll have another morning to enjoy birding in this fantastic setting before packing up and traveling towards the northern border and the Caño Negro wetlands.

Roadside birding en route to the village of Caño Negro often yields views of birds such as Plain-breasted Ground Dove, Striped Cuckoo, Green-breasted Mango, White-throated Crake, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Laughing Falcon, Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, Thick-billed Seed-Finch, and Nicaraguan Seed-Finch. While the grounds of the lodge itself hold two area specialties: Gray-headed Dove and Spot-breasted Wren.

In the afternoon, we’ll do a boat ride in the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge to enjoy the sheer spectacle of waterbirds typically present. We’ll also hope to see Russet-naped Wood-Rail, Sungrebe, Limpkin, Boat-billed Heron, Glossy Ibis, Green Ibis, Black-collared Hawk, Olive-throated Parakeet, Canebrake Wren, Nicaraguan Grackle, Prothonotary Warbler, and perhaps even Jabiru. Overnight at the Hotel de Campo.

Day 6 – Volcano Foothills and Caño Negro

Before breakfast, we’ll venture out on the waterways once again in search of anything we’ve missed so far, as well as hopefully even better views of some of the species we’ve already seen. At this time of year, all six species of New World kingfisher can be found in Caño Negro, from the diminutive American Pygmy Kingfisher to the hefty Ringed Kingfisher.

Eventually, we’ll board the bus for the relatively short journey back up into the foothills, this time staying at the base of Tenorio Volcano. Overnight at Celeste Mountain Lodge.

Day 7 – Celeste Mountain Tropical Forest Birding

By now, we should have made the acquaintance of most of the species found in the hotel garden, however, it’s worth keeping an eye on the hanging heliconia blossoms should a White-tipped Sicklebill decide to make an appearance. Finding the majority of our target species in this region, though, will involve doing some trail walking in the forests, where we’ll be attentive to sounds that will alert us to the presence of birds such as Black-eared Wood-Quail, Purplish-backed Quail-Dove, Black-throated Trogon, Tody Motmot, Yellow-eared Toucanet, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Brown-hooded Parrot, Streak-crowned Antvireo, Dull-mantled Antbird, Northern Schiffornis, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Song Wren, Golden-crowned Warbler, and Carmiol’s Tanager. Outside of the forest, scanning the skies might result in views of White Hawk or Ornate Hawk-Eagle. Overnight at Celeste Mountain Lodge.

Day 8 – Pacific Lowlands Part I

We’ll have a final morning to look for anything that may have eluded us thus far, or perhaps just enjoy the antics of a colony of Chestnut-headed Oropendolas at a nest tree.

After lunch, we’ll cross the low pass between Tenorio and Miravalles Volcanoes and descend to the northern Pacific lowlands. This seasonally dry part of country should still look fairly green as the rainy season will just be coming to an end; however, in another four months it will look entirely different as the pastures will be parched and brown, and many of the trees will have dropped their leaves in an effort to conserve precious moisture. This dry forest habitat reaches its southern limit near the area of our next destination: Carara National Park. Some of the species that we’ll hope to see in this habitat include Crested Bobwhite, Common Ground Dove, Lesser Ground-Cuckoo, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Black-headed Trogon, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Yellow-naped Parrot, Long-tailed Manakin, White-throated Magpie-Jay, White-lored Gnatcatcher, Stripe-headed Sparrow, Streak-backed Oriole, and Blue Grosbeak. Overnight at Hotel Villa Lapas.

Day 9 – Pacific Lowlands Part II

Some pre-breakfast birding on the hotel grounds will offer an introduction to the birds of the Pacific lowland wet forest habitat. Possibilities include Marbled Wood-Quail, Costa Rican Swift, Charming Hummingbird, Fiery-billed Aracari, and Riverside Wren, to name a few.

We’ll spend the rest of the morning in Carara National Park with chances to find such neotropical goodies as White-whiskered Puffbird, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Streak-chested Antpitta, Black-faced Antthrush, Royal Flycatcher, and, the true headliner, Scarlet Macaw. Orange-collared, Red-capped, and Blue-crowned Manakins occur here, too.

In the afternoon, we’ll take a boat ride on the Tarcoles River, where, in addition to seeing lots of shorebirds and waders, we’ll search for some species found only in mangroves: Rufous-necked Wood-Rail, Panama Flycatcher, Mangrove Vireo, the mangrove race of Yellow Warbler, and the endemic Mangrove Hummingbird. Overnight at Hotel Villa Lapas.

Day 10 – Pacific Lowlands to the Central Valley  

We’ll have the entire morning to continue our exploration of the Carara area before returning to the Central Valley in the afternoon. Overnight at Hotel Buena Vista.

Day 11 – Departures

Transfer to the international airport for your departing flight.