Tailor-Made Birdwatching Tours in Costa Rica

Costa Rica holds more than 900 recorded bird species in a country smaller than Lake Michigan, and the reason is elevation. In a single journey you can bird Caribbean lowland rainforest at sea level, foothill forest at 500 metres, cloud forest at 1,500 and oak forest above 2,200 — each with a different set of species, and often only a few hours’ drive apart. From Resplendent Quetzals in the Talamanca highlands to macaws, toucans and antbirds in the lowlands, we design private birding journeys around the species you want to see, the pace you want to travel at and your level of birding experience.

• Costa Rica specialists since 1998
• Private, tailor-made itineraries
• Specialist birding guides
• Local team based in Costa Rica

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What Kind of Birdwatching Trip Are You Looking For?

Not every birder wants the same trip. Tell us which of these sounds most like you and the itinerary changes accordingly — the regions, the number of nights per site, the start times and the guiding.

Dedicated Birding

Early starts, specialist guides and a route built to cover as many habitats as your dates allow. Fewer rest days, more time in the field, and site selection driven by what you still need for your list.

PLAN A DEDICATED BIRDING TRIP

Birds & Wildlife

Excellent birding alongside the rest of Costa Rica: monkeys, sloths, frogs, rainforest hikes and volcanoes. Birding stays central but the days are gentler and there is room for other things.

PLAN A BIRDS & WILDLIFE TRIP

Bird Photography

A slower route with fewer moves. More nights per location, time at feeders and productive perches, and lodges chosen for light, hides and access rather than only for comfort.

PLAN A BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY TRIP

Private Birding Groups

Bird clubs, photography groups, societies and groups of friends. We handle logistics, guiding, vehicles and lodges, and can build the programme around a group leader’s own itinerary.

REQUEST A GROUP PROPOSAL

Iconic Birds to Look For in Costa Rica

Nobody can promise a bird. What we can do is put you in the right habitat, in the right season, at the right time of day, with a guide who knows the current sites. These are among the species birders most often ask us about.

Resplendent Quetzal

Pharomachrus mocinnoWhere to look: San Gerardo de Dota and the Talamanca highlands; also Monteverde

Quetzals follow the fruiting of wild avocados and other trees in the laurel family, which is why a local guide who knows which trees are in fruit that week makes such a difference.

Scarlet Macaw

Ara macaoWhere to look: Carara and the Central Pacific; the Osa Peninsula and South Pacific

Around Carara they move between forest and coastal mangroves, and the late afternoon flights across the Tárcoles river are one of the more reliable spectacles in Costa Rican birding.

Keel-billed Toucan

Ramphastos sulfuratusWhere to look: Caribbean lowlands and foothills; Sarapiquí and the northern zone

The multicoloured bill is far lighter than it looks — it is mostly hollow, braced inside with thin bony struts.

Lesson’s Motmot

Momotus lessoniiWhere to look: Central Valley, Caribbean lowlands and the northern zone

Formerly treated as part of the Blue-crowned Motmot before that group was split — worth knowing if you are working from an older field guide.

Photo: Don Faulkner (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Great Green Macaw

Ara ambiguusWhere to look: Boca Tapada and the northern Caribbean lowlands; Sarapiquí

Critically Endangered, with a world population estimated at 500 to 1,000 birds, and closely tied to the almendro tree (Dipteryx oleifera) for both food and nest sites.

Photo: Cephas (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Three-wattled Bellbird

Procnias tricarunculatusWhere to look: Monteverde and the Tilarán highlands in the breeding season; foothills at other times

An altitudinal migrant with a metallic call that carries a remarkable distance through cloud forest — timing matters more for this bird than location.

Photo: Nick Athanas (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Bare-necked Umbrellabird

Cephalopterus glabricollisWhere to look: Caribbean foothill forest; Braulio Carrillo, the Sarapiquí foothills and the Tilarán range

Endangered and restricted to Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, it moves up and down the Caribbean slope with the fruiting seasons, so it is very much a right-place, right-month bird.

Photo: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Snowcap

Microchera albocoronataWhere to look: Caribbean foothills between roughly 300 and 800 metres; Rancho Naturalista and El Tapir are classic sites

A tiny purple hummingbird with a white cap that occupies a narrow elevation band — one reason the Turrialba foothills earn a place on a serious itinerary.

Photo: Becky Matsubara from El Sobrante, California (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Coppery-headed Emerald

Microchera cupreicepsWhere to look: Middle elevations of northern and central Costa Rica, mainly the Caribbean slope; regularly seen around Monteverde

One of the country’s small number of true endemics: it occurs nowhere else in the world.

Photo: Bruno Conjeaud (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Fiery-throated Hummingbird

Panterpe insignisWhere to look: High Talamanca; Cerro de la Muerte, San Gerardo de Dota, Poás and Irazú

Restricted to the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama, and it needs direct light before the throat shows anything at all — a detail worth planning the morning around.

Photo: Bruno Conjeaud (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Yellow-billed Cotinga

Carpodectes antoniaeWhere to look: South Pacific mangroves and adjacent lowland forest; the Térraba-Sierpe wetlands and the Osa region

A regional endemic of southern Costa Rica and northern Panama, dependent on mangrove habitat and genuinely scarce, so it is a target rather than an expectation.

Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager

Habia atrimaxillarisWhere to look: Effectively restricted to the Osa region and around the Golfo Dulce

Found nowhere else on earth, which is why birders working on a Costa Rica list almost always build in nights on the Osa.

Working from a longer list? Send it to us and we will tell you honestly which species are realistic in your dates and which would need a different route or a different season.

SEND US MY BIRD LIST

Best Birdwatching Regions in Costa Rica

A good Costa Rican birding itinerary is not a list of famous names. It is a sequence of elevations and slopes chosen so that each stop adds species the previous one could not. These are the regions we build from.

San Gerardo de Dota & the Talamanca Highlands

Habitat: Oak and montane cloud forest, roughly 2,000–3,300 m

Look for: Resplendent Quetzal, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Volcano Hummingbird, Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Timberline Wren

Suits: Almost every birder. The most productive highland stop in the country and the anchor of most serious itineraries.

Photo: Amado Demesa from DF, México (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Sarapiquí & the Caribbean Lowlands

Habitat: Lowland tropical rainforest and river systems, 30–200 m

Look for: Keel-billed and Yellow-throated Toucans, Great Green Macaw, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Rufous and Broad-billed Motmots, a long list of tanagers and antbirds

Suits: Everyone from first-timers to serious listers. High species turnover, comfortable lodges, easy trails.

Photo: Greg Schechter from San Francisco, USA (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Boca Tapada & the Northern Lowlands

Habitat: Remote very wet lowland rainforest near the Nicaraguan border

Look for: Great Green Macaw — the core of its Costa Rican breeding range — plus Bare-necked Umbrellabird in season, Great Curassow, Agami Heron

Suits: Dedicated birders and photographers who accept a longer drive for quality. Not a casual add-on.

Monteverde & the Tilarán Range

Habitat: Cloud forest along the continental divide, roughly 1,200–1,800 m

Look for: Three-wattled Bellbird in season, Resplendent Quetzal, Coppery-headed Emerald, Black Guan, Prong-billed Barbet, Orange-bellied Trogon

Suits: Mixed-interest travellers especially well — excellent birding with plenty for a non-birding partner to do.

Read our Monteverde cloud forest guide.

Photo: Murray Foubister (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Carara & the Central Pacific

Habitat: Transition zone where the dry northwest meets the wet south Pacific, plus the Tárcoles river mouth and mangroves

Look for: Scarlet Macaw, Fiery-billed Aracari, Baird’s Trogon, Riverside Wren, Boat-billed Heron and mangrove specialities on the river

Suits: Short trips and first-time birders. Two habitats meet here, so the daily species count is high, and it is about 90 minutes from San José.

See the Central Pacific region.

Osa Peninsula & the South Pacific

Habitat: Unlogged lowland Pacific rainforest, mangroves and the Golfo Dulce

Look for: Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager, Yellow-billed Cotinga, Scarlet Macaw, Turquoise Cotinga, Golden-naped Woodpecker, White-crested Coquette

Suits: Birders who want regional endemics, and anyone combining birding with serious wildlife. Access takes time and lodges book out early.

Read our guide to Osa and Corcovado.

Photo: Alastair Rae from London, United Kingdom (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Turrialba & the Caribbean Foothills

Habitat: Middle-elevation foothill forest, roughly 300–1,100 m

Look for: Snowcap, Bare-necked Umbrellabird in season, Lovely Cotinga, Purplish-backed Quail-Dove, Tawny-chested Flycatcher

Suits: Serious birders and hummingbird photographers. This elevation band holds species neither the lowlands nor the highlands will give you.

Tortuguero & the Northern Caribbean Coast

Habitat: Freshwater canals, flooded forest and coastal lagoon, reached only by boat or small plane

Look for: Agami Heron, Green Ibis, Sungrebe, Great Potoo, Snowy Cotinga, kingfishers and good numbers of waterbirds

Suits: Worth including for one specific reason: waterbird and canal birding from a boat, which no other stop on a standard route provides. If your list is already strong on wetland species, those nights are usually better spent elsewhere.

Read our Caribbean coast guide.

ASK US WHICH REGIONS SUIT MY LIST

Featured Birdwatching Itineraries

These are starting points, not fixed departures. Every one of them is private, and every one of them gets rebuilt around your dates, your list and your pace.

9 DAYS / 8 NIGHTS

Costa Rica Birdwatching Highlights

Regions: Central Valley → Arenal → Monteverde → Palo Verde

Habitats: Foothill forest, cloud forest, tropical dry forest, wetland

Look for: Resplendent Quetzal, Three-wattled Bellbird in season, Coppery-headed Emerald, herons, storks and wintering waterbirds at Palo Verde

Birding intensity: Moderate — birding-led, with room to breathe

Best for: First-time birders in Costa Rica, and travellers fitting serious birding into a shorter trip

VIEW ITINERARY CUSTOMIZE THIS TRIP

13 DAYS / 12 NIGHTS

Complete Costa Rica Birding Journey

Regions: Sarapiquí → Turrialba → San Gerardo de Dota → Piedras Blancas → Carara

Habitats: Caribbean lowland rainforest, Caribbean foothills, highland oak forest, South Pacific rainforest, Pacific transition zone

Look for: Snowcap, Resplendent Quetzal, Scarlet Macaw, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, toucans and tanagers of the Caribbean slope

Birding intensity: High — four elevation bands and both slopes

Best for: Birders who want genuine habitat coverage rather than a highlights loop

VIEW ITINERARY CUSTOMIZE THIS TRIP

None of these are fixed departures. If you want the 13-day route with four extra nights on the Osa, or the 9-day route with the Palo Verde section swapped for Caribbean foothills, that is a normal request. Longer trips of 15 nights and more, built around range-restricted species in the northern lowlands and the Osa, are arranged on request.

BUILD MY OWN ROUTE

When Is the Best Time for Birdwatching in Costa Rica?

The honest answer is that Costa Rica is good for birding in every month, and that the best month for you depends on what you are trying to see.

December to April is the dry season on the Pacific side and also when North American migrants are wintering here, so species counts are high and roads and trails are at their easiest. It is the busiest period, and the lodges that matter most to birders fill up months ahead.

February to June covers the main quetzal nesting period in the highlands, when birds are attending nest holes and are considerably easier to find. This is also when Three-wattled Bellbirds are calling from the Monteverde ridges.

May, June and November are quieter, greener and often the best value. Rain in these months is usually afternoon rain, which leaves the productive early hours intact.

September and October bring the heaviest rain on the Caribbean side and the Osa, and some lodges close. The raptor migration over the Caribbean slope in October, with large kettles of Turkey Vultures, Broad-winged Hawks and Swainson’s Hawks, is one of the great bird spectacles in the Americas and is badly under-visited.

Tell us the species that matter most to you and roughly when you can travel, and we will tell you which window fits, and whether shifting your dates by two or three weeks would meaningfully improve the trip. Our general guide to the best time to visit covers the wider picture.

Bird with Local Experts

A good birding guide is not a luxury on a Costa Rican itinerary. It is usually the difference between a decent trip and a very good one.

The reasons are practical. Most rainforest birds are heard long before they are seen, and a guide who knows the local calls will pick out a bird you would have walked past. Sites move: the fruiting tree that held quetzals last month may be finished this month, and the antswarm that pulls in ground-cuckoos and antbirds is somewhere different every week. Someone who is in the field daily knows where those things are now. Add a scope, the ability to name a silhouette at forty metres, and an understanding of which hour of the day a species is active, and the difference across two weeks is substantial.

There is a second point that is less obvious. A guide who knows one region deeply will often out-perform a single national guide accompanying you everywhere. The species, the calls and the productive sites in the Talamanca highlands have almost nothing in common with the Caribbean foothills or the Osa. On longer itineraries we frequently recommend a lead guide for continuity plus regional specialists at the stops where local knowledge is worth the most. On shorter trips one strong guide throughout is usually better value. We will tell you which applies to your route rather than defaulting to whichever is easier to arrange.

CRS Tours works with experienced specialist birding guides across the different regions of Costa Rica, and we match the guide to the itinerary and to what you want from it — a hard listing trip and a photography trip need different people.

Bird Photography in Costa Rica

Photographers need a different itinerary from listers, and building one route to serve both usually disappoints everybody.

A photography trip means fewer locations and more nights in each. It means being in position before first light rather than arriving mid-morning after a three-hour drive. It means lodges chosen for their feeders, hides, perch setups and light rather than only for their comfort, and fewer activities per day so there is real time to work a subject instead of moving on after twenty minutes.

Costa Rica rewards this. The hummingbird feeder setups in the highlands and the Caribbean foothills, the macaw sites on the Pacific, the canals of Tortuguero from a boat at eye level with the water — these are places where a photographer who stays put for two or three sessions comes away with something a passing group never will.

Tell us what you shoot, what equipment you travel with and whether you want multi-flash hummingbird setups, and we will build the route around that.

Travelling With Someone Who Isn’t a Serious Birder?

This is one of the most common conversations we have, and it is very solvable.

A birding itinerary does not have to be an expedition. We regularly build trips where one traveller is out at 5:30 with a guide and the other has a later breakfast and a different activity — a hanging-bridges walk, a hot springs afternoon, a cooking class, a beach day. The birding stops stay, but the structure of the day changes and the route makes room for volcanoes, rainforest, easy hiking and a few nights on the coast at the end.

In practice that usually means slightly fewer sites and slightly more nights in each, with the high-value birding locations protected and the filler removed. It works well for couples with different interests and for families where one parent is the birder. Our nature and wildlife trips are a good starting point if birding is one interest among several.

Why Plan Your Costa Rica Birdwatching Trip With CRS Tours?

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Costa Rica Birdwatching — Frequently Asked Questions

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Tell us what you want to see. A Costa Rica specialist reads every enquiry personally — you will not receive an automated itinerary.