Best of Costa Rica 
February 10-February 25, 2023

The options for Costa Rica are almost limitless. Remarkably, a country no larger than West Virginia can offer stunning biodiversity. About 4% of the world's bird species and 10% of butterfly species call Costa Rica home.

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Costa Rica is a popular tourist destination for more than just birds. Ticos (their self-appointed name) treat you like family. Though some guide books label Costa Rican food as bland, the meals are generally delicious and use locally sourced foods. Most tourists choose to adopt Ticos' more laid-back attitude rubs off on tourists who decide "Pura Vida" is more than a saying, it's a very desirable outlook on life.

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This trip offers visits to lowland tropical rainforest, cloud forests, and mid-elevation forests. The varied habitat increases the chances of seeing more birds. We'll also visit both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, though riptides in Costa Rica make swimming in those locations too dangerous an undertaking.

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In the cloud forests, we'll spend three full days, greatly increasing the likelihood of spotting what many consider the word's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal. We'll also search for one of the more bizarre appearing birds, the Three-wattled Bellbird. 

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Costa Rica has preserved over a quarter of its total landmass. We are likely to see many other animals besides birds. Howler monkeys are a common sighting and spotting a white-collared peccary, tamandua and a host of other mammals are not only a possibility, but likely. 

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This trip starts at a hotel outside San Jose that includes two birds endemic to Costa Rica, the Hoffman's Woodpecker and Cabins's Ground Sparrow, among over 250 other species. Not many cities can lay claim to a hotel that offers such excellent birding, but it's a nice introduction to Costa Rica that hints just a little bit at what's to come. 

 

Most drives on this offering are of two hours or less, going from one lodge to the next, leaving us more time to explore. We spend at least two nights in each lodge except for our starting and endpoint.

Itinerary at a Glance

February 10: Transfer to Cloud Forest, Overnight El Toucanet Lodge

February 11: Entire day exploring cloud forest

February 12: All day exploring cloud forest

February 13: Drive to Rancho Naturalista, overnight Rancho Naturalista

February 14: All day at Rancho Naturalista, Overnight Rancho Naturalista

February 15: Drive to Puerto Viejo Sarapiqui, overnight at Tirimbina

February 16: Full day exploring OTC La Selva, overnight La Tirimbina

February 17: Transfer to La Fortuna, overnight Arenal Oasis

February 18: Full day exploring Arenal Volcano

February 19: Transfer to Bosque de Paz, overnight Bosque de Paz

February 20: Bosque de Paz

February 21: Transfer to Manuel Antonio

February 22: Manuel Antonio

February 23: Manuel Antonio

February 24: Transfer to San Jose, overnight Hotel Bougainvillea

February 25: Fly home