Costa Rica: Caribbean Mountains to Coast

• Wonderful birdwatching at mid-to-low elevations awards us with a stunning diversity of not just birds, but mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and even fish!
• A chance to see and photograph some of the world’s most colourful birds, but also some of the most elusive, such as antbirds.
• Raptor migration with the passage of millions of hawks en route to their wintering grounds.
• Devout coffee drinkers can enjoy a short tour of a family-run finca while sipping on a freshly-brewed café, and bring some home too!

Tour Overview

A small country that packs a giant biodiversity punch, Costa Rica is considered one of the most—if not the most—diverse country on the planet by land area! Owing to its tropical latitude, varied topography and microclimates, and an enviable amount of protected areas, there is no better place to enjoy a good day’s worth of birding for the level of effort involved. And within this magnificent country, there is nowhere more diverse than the Caribbean slope and lowlands.

From the cloud forests of Tapanti Reserve to the sandy shores of Cahuita, up to the rolling foothills, we take in some of the most exciting birdwatching sites this country has to offer. At this time of year, raptor and passerine migration is in full swing and is an underestimated natural phenomenon that can provide hours of entertainment with the restless birds doing all the work! We combine seeing these alongside less familiar tropical resident birds such as macaws, toucans, owls and antbirds to name a few. We will soak in the vistas of the pyramidal Volcan Arenal and stay on the grounds of a top birding site, Arenal Observatory Lodge, where Great Curassows can be seen from the breakfast table. Along our relatively short route (we only cover one side of the country, after all!), we will have a special opportunity to visit a local farm and explore a wonderful array of tropical orchids.

On top of its astonishing diversity, Costa Rica offers a first-class health care system, comfortable accommodation, solid infrastructure and peaceful policies. This, in combination with the untapped naturalist’s dream that is the Caribbean side, prompts us to offer this exciting new Costa Rica Caribbean birding tour!