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turquoise browed motmot on a brance

Turquoise-browed Motmot

Contact lead guide Steve Eshbaugh at (406) 570-2428 for more info.

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Price: $4,800 Double Occupancy

Single supplement: $600

Deposit: $1,000

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Maximum size 8

Spaces remaining: 4

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What's included in the price?

  • All trip materials, including detailed daily itinerary, list of what to bring, recommended field guides and pre-trip reading materials, checklist of likely birds & other wildlife.All meals from the start of the trip to the last night's farewell dinner.

  • All services of leaders/guides.

  • Tips of local guides, servers, drivers.

  • All in-country transportation, including taxi rides to and from the airport to the first night's lodging.

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What isn't included in the price?

  • Drinks, snacks during the trip

  • International plane fare

  • Baggage fees

  • Phone calls

  • Room Service

  • Arrival taxes

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Deposits are refundable minus a $250 processing fee. Any trip canceled due to COVID-19 is fully refunded.

Costa-Rica-Dark- Mandibled-Toucan

Birding the Less Taken Path, Costa Rica
February 2-13, 2026: From $4,900

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 guidebooks label Costa Rican food as bland, the meals are generally delicious and use only locally sourced foods. You will feel better without highly processed foods consumed for two weeks. Most tourists choose to adopt Ticos' more laid-back attitude. "Pura Vida" is more than a saying. It's a very desirable outlook on life.

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​​This trip offers visits to a lowland tropical rainforest, high-elevation cloud forests, and mid-elevation forests. The varied habitat increases the chances of seeing more birds. Our timing is perfect for a day of pelagic birding off the Nicoya Peninsula, and you’ll see many rarities on that trip alone.

 

​In the cloud forests, you’ll have outstanding opportunities for excellent looks at what many consider the world's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal. You’ll also bird above 8,000 feet, picking up rarities like Timberline Wren, Volcano Junco, and Talamanca Hummingbird.

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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, agouti, and a host of other mammals is not only a possibility but likely. 

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​This trip starts at a hotel outside San Jose that includes two birds with small ranges, the Hoffman's Woodpecker and Cabins's Ground Sparrow, among over 250 other species. 

Itinerary at a Glance

February 2: Overnight, Hotel Bougainvillea

February 3: Drive to Hotel Quelitales, bird the grounds

February 4: Bird Cartago area

February 5: Drive to Puerto Viejo, night hike at La Selva Biological Station

February 6: Bird La Selva Biological Station

​February 7: Drive to La Fortuna, arrive at Arenal Observatory Lodge

February 8: Early morning exploration of Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge and Media Queso

February 9: Bird the productive lodge grounds

February 10: Drive to Santa Elena and Flor de Bromelia

February 11: Bird Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

February 12: Drive to San Jose

February 13: Fly home

Click here for a detailed itinerary.

Three-wattled Bellbird

Violet Sabrewing

Arenal Volcano

Northern Emerald Toucanet

Snowcap

Resplendent Quetzal

Merlin Birding Logo

Merlin Birding Tours offers extraordinary, affordable birding & natural history excursions in the U.S. and abroad.  We provide exceptional, personalized customer service to all clients. Custom ecotours are offered to any destination as requested. Consider scheduling a nature or birding tour with the expert guides at Merlin Birding today.

© Merlin Birding & Nature Tours, LLC 2018

merlin birding logo

Merlin Birding Tours offers extraordinary, affordable birding & natural history excursions in the U.S. and abroad. We provide exceptional, personalized customer service. Custom eco-tours are offered to any destination, as requested. Consider scheduling a nature or birding tour with the expert guides at Merlin Birding today!

© 2023 Merlin Birding & Nature Tours, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

P.O. Box 6788

Bozeman, MT 59771

Phone: (406) 461-5714

(Send us an Email)

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