Southern Costa Rica Birding with Lifer Nature Tours

Join IndiGo Birding Nature Tours for this amazing adventure to some of the birdiest places in Costa Rica, the mecca of tropical birding! On this tour, IndiGo Birding has partnered with Lifer Nature Tours to create an ideal itinerary. Jorge Gabriel Campos will be our guide as we visit a variety of habitats and elevations over the course of this 11-day, 10-night tour.

This is the third time IndiGo and Lifer have paired up for a tour in Costa Rica, and this trip could be the best yet! The diversity of scenery and habitats can only be matched by the amazing diversity of birds and wildlife we will see. By visiting the Pacific Coast, the Osa Peninsula, the Talamanca Mountains and foothills, and the Central Valley, we promise an adventure that can be enjoyed by experienced birders and beginners alike. Our team-like approach to birding and travel will make each person feel appreciated and engaged, producing new friendships and memories that will last.

We will search for Resplendent Quetzal, Scarlet Macaw, Fiery-billed Aracari, and so many other spectacular species while staying and dining at amazing ecolodges. Don’t miss out on this “birding trip of a lifetime!”

While the itinerary is our plan for the tour, many times situations arise where we are not able to do a specific activity. Weather, logistical challenges, and more can impact the tour. Please note that we might not be able to do all that is outlined here, although that is the goal.

Itinerary:

Day 1 (February 21, 2027)

Arrival in San Jose

Welcome to Costa Rica! Plan your flight to arrive in the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) on the 21st. A shuttle will be available to take you to the nearby Hotel Bougainvillea, where we will gather in the evening for a welcome meeting and dinner. And as a bonus, the gardens provide great introductory birding and a swimming pool!

Day 2 (Feb. 22)

Tour Begins

After early morning birding and breakfast, we depart San Jose and head to Tarcoles Birding Lodge (or similar) on the Pacific Coast. It is a long drive of 3 hours so we will start relatively early to stop along the way to look for a few targets like Fiery-billed Aracari and Speckled Tanager. We will arrive at the next hotel around midday and we will have lunch in a restaurant on the seaside. Then we will check in at our hotel and take a short break. When the heat goes down we will continue birding around our hotel. This place has a strong dry forest influence so White-throated Magpie-Jay, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Hoffmann’s Woodpecker, Rufous-and-white Wren, and Crane Hawk among others are likely in a close hike from the hotel. At night we will try for Pacific Screech-Owl near the rooms. We will do a checklist at our hotel and then have dinner there too.

Day 3 (Feb. 23)

The Central Pacific

The early morning boat tour on the Tarcoles River is always one of the favorite outings because of the great looks we get at remarkable birds, like the Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, 3 species of Kingfishers, Mangrove Vireo, and Mangrove Hummingbird. Later in the morning (or maybe in the afternoon depending on time and heat), we will invest some time exploring the Carara National Park looking for Tropical Royal Flycatcher, Collared Forest-Falcon, Red-capped and Velvety Manakin, Slaty-tailed, Baird’s, Black-throated and Gartered Trogons. Rufous-tailed Jacamar and White-whisked Puffbird inhabit this forest too. Scarlet Macaw is very likely to be found frequently in the Central Pacific and the photographic opportunities are usually numerous.

Day 4 (Feb. 24)

Birding the South Pacific

Today we head to the Osa Peninsula in the South Pacific of Costa Rica. Several endemic bird species like the Black-cheeked Ant-tanager, Mangrove Hummingbird, Charming Hummingbird, and Yellow-billed and Turquoise Cotinga are found around here, making it an excellent place to enlarge a birder’s life list. We will stop on the road at Esquipulas Rainforest for lunch, hoping to see birds like White-tipped Sicklebill and White-crested Coquette. Today is mostly a day to get to the place and explore the grounds of the hotel in the late afternoon. Our guide will give us a short talk about this ecosystem and all the spectacular wildlife that gives its international fame.

Day 5 (Feb. 25)

Danta Corcovado Lodge

Danta Corcovado Lodge provides opportunities for birding adventures and jungle relaxation. Early in the morning on the roads near the hotel we will look for Blue-headed Parrot, Tiny Hawk, Crested Owl, Charming Hummingbird, Garden Emerald, Orange-collared Manakin, Streaked Saltator, and Fiery-billed Aracari among others. The day continues with more birding but also allows for unwinding in a hammock or simply immersing in the midst of mother nature.

Day 6 (Feb. 26)

Corcovado National Park

Today we will visit a local wetland to look for Panama-Costa Rica area specialties like the Savanna Hawk, Wattled Jacana, Veraguan Mango, and Brown-throated Parakeet. Later we will hike Corcovado National Park in hopes of finding Golden-hooded Tanagers, Masked Tityra, White-necked Puffbird, and more. Plus, we have more time at the lodge, which has a species list over 350!

Day 7 (Feb. 27)

San Isidro Foothills

We will start early at 5:30 am for birding around the hotel. Breakfast at 8am and then start the transfer to San Isidro foothills. We will arrive at Las Quebradas Reserve in mid-morning and spend the rest of the morning here scanning for Ornate Hawk-Eagle and other birds. This is a great place for Snowy-bellied Hummingbird and the endemic White-tailed Emerald and Costa Rican Brushfinch. This evening we stay at the Talari Lodge, where the deck looks out over gardens alive with birds.

Day 8 (Feb. 28)

Talamanca Highlands

We head up the mountains in search of the Resplendent Quetzals and other high-elevation species. Our lodging for two nights will be at the iconic Hotel Savegre, located in the middle of a 500 hectare nature preserve. Pack your warm clothes and be ready for 7000 feet of elevation in a cloud forest. Count on amazing scenery and lots of endemics! Here is a good spot for a spa treatment as well.

Day 9 (March 1)

Savegre/San Gerardo de Dota

We will have a hot coffee or tea with a snack in the early morning around 5:15 AM, then we will take a drive to see one of the most elusive species in the country and maybe the most sought-after bird in Central America, the Resplendent Quetzal. This bird is considered by many to be the most beautiful bird in the Americas. After successful views of this marvelous bird we will come back to have breakfast in the hotel. After a good full breakfast, we will bird around the hotel and gardens, along the trails and open roads where we might see species such as Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Black-thighed Grosbeak, Large-footed Finch, Yellow-thighed Brushfinch, Slaty Flowerpiercer, Peg-billed Finch, Spangle-cheeked Tanager, Sooty-capped Chlorospingus (Bush-Tanager), Black Guan, Sulfur-winged Parakeet, White-throated Mountain-gem, Black-faced Solitaire, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Sooty Thrush, Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl and Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher. In the afternoon we will walk one of the hotel’s trails again giving us additional opportunities to see some of the above-mentioned species and more. A few other new species we hope to find this afternoon include Lesser Violetear, Talamanca Hummingbird, Volcano Hummingbird, and Fiery-throated Hummingbird. Flame-throated Warbler, Ruddy Treerunner, Barred Becard, and Silvery-fronted Tapaculo are normally heard and can be potentially called out from the dense vegetation by your guide.

Day 10 (March 2)

Back to San Jose

In the morning we will invest some time exploring the road near the hotel looking for missing bird species from the previous day. On our way back to San Jose, we will stop for lunch at Paraiso Quetzal Lodge, another great birding destination. The afternoon drive will include stops along the way if there is a missing target we can get before getting back to Bougainvillea for our closing dinner and last night.

Day 11 (March 3)

Departure Day

Bird the Bougainvillea gardens and have breakfast at your leisure. Shuttle transportation to the airport is available, so you should be able to catch a flight at whatever time works best for your schedule and budget. You will want to arrive at the airport 2.5 hours before departure. Pura vida!