Costa Rica Guided Bird Tour: November 10-16, 2024

November 5th: Hop on board the Tanager Express at 10 am in Alajuela (near the San Jose Airport). On day 1 we will travel out to Mastatal to explore La Cangreja National Park, near Marcos'(one of our trip guides) home village. We will stop for lunch along the way and bird periodically when given the opportunity. In the evening we will debrief and go over logistics for the remainder of the trip and possibly go out for owling if they have been detected recently.

November 6th: Up bright and early we will bird the nearby La Cangreja National Park which is home to 400 bird species. We will have breakfast at Marcos' residence, waking up to scarlet macaws, blue dacnis, and tinamous, with lunch in the field. We will stop by the lush waters of Rio Cheres for an afternoon dip before continuing on birding throughout the village. Those who want to rest can take the afternoon off, while others may continue birding near Marcos' residence.

Ebird checklist of Mastatal

November 7th: We will bird again near Marcos' house in the morning, then after breakfast, we will head down to Parrita for mangrove and coastal birding. We will visit shrimp farms and a river mouth to get our waterbirds and shorebirds. The evening concludes with a boat tour along the mangroves, home to an array of waterbird like the boat-billed Heron, Anhinga, and neotropical cormorants. We will stay the night near Dominical.

November 8th: We will wake up along the coast, and do some morning birding on a few nature trails nearby with access to some pristine coastal forest. We will depart mid-day and head up to the mountains, stopping through San Isidro. This may be your best chance to stock up on some snacks and local delights. Before arriving in Savegre we will take a brief break to search for the volcano junco at a stop around 10,000 ft. For the next 2 nights we will be in one of our favorite regions, the cloud forests of Savegre.

November 9th: Savegre is best known for the Resplendent Quetzal and its plentiful amount of hummingbirds. Mornings can be brisk here so bring at least one long leave shirt as we will be birding early at nearby houses looking for these gorgeous fruit eaters. After breakfast, we will return for a short hike on some nearby trails with great birding opportunities for other species like the long-tailed silky flycatcher, scintillant hummingbird, and Northern emerald toucanet.

Savegre Ebird Checklist

November 10th: On our last morning we will continue birding the Savegre Valley, looking for more cloud forest specialists. We will stop for lunch along the way as we travel toward Tirimbina for 2 nights. This will be primarily a driving day with a few stops along the way for food and birding. We will have the chance to owl one night while in Tirimbina.

Ebird checklist for Tirimbina

November 11th: We will bird extensively using the trail system at the Tirimbina Lodge where we will have river access and a chance to see many species of trogons and motmots. Some unique species here include the checker-throated stipplethroat, streak-chested antpitta, and many migrating North American warblers.

November 12: Our final morning of the trip we will continue to explore the local trails with our guides. We will depart late morning and head back to Alajuela. We plan to return to Alajuela by 5 pm at the latest to say our goodbyes.

When is the full amount due?

Full payment for this trip is due at sign up for this trip.

Do I need to bring binoculars?

Yes, you should bring your own binoculars. A pair may be provided if you discuss with us before the trip, but supplies are limited and we prefer guests to bring their own binoculars. Please email us for recommendations or if you'd like to try one of our pairs.

We also will have 1-2 scopes for the entirety of the trip for better views.

What books/apps should I buy for Costa Rica?

We will provide a copy for each guest of The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide.

The app Merlin works great, but is not the best quality images, whereas the field guide has great illustrations.

What level of fitness is required for this trip?

To enjoy this trip in its entirety we require guests to be able to walk between 2-6 miles (3-9km) per day. Because we have two guides we can split groups if necessary based on hiking ability. There will be some rough terrain and uneven footings. Good quality hiking/walking shoes or boots are a must.

Do I have to be a birder?

We are targeting this trip for birders and expect you to want to learn about birdwatching. If you are just a casual birder or really into other wildlife, insects or plants, we encourage you to join us. The itinerary is bird focused, but we will be traveling to beautiful places throughout Costa RIca nonetheless. If you would like to take time off from the group to do your own thing that is fully acceptable, we just hope you enjoy the trip and can be a positive person to travel with. We will go out of our way for birds at times, so being open minded to our goals is best to fully enjoy your trip and be a team player.

We'd rate this a 2/5 in hiking difficulty. You should be comfortable hiking 2-6 miles per day along uneven terrain. You can chose to sit out longer hikes if you'd like and occasionally we will split groups into 2 to accomodate fast and slow hikers. It will be hot though many days, and we will be traveling through zones up to 10,000 ft in elevation. A moderate level of fitness is recommended. Bring those hydration packs too!