Ken Cross - Costa Rica
Birding and Nature Tour 2018
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| Costa Rica's National Bird - the clay coloured Thrush |
Day 1-Mar 17th. Upon
our [late] arrival in San Jose we
will meet our guide, Diego, before transferring to the Hotel Bougainvillea. The
hotel is well located, very comfortable with a good restaurant and garden.
§ Accommodation:
Hotel Bougainvillea
Day 2-Mar 18th.
Today is a rest day to recover from our long trip, however we will enjoy the
grounds of the hotel. And birding in the hotel gardens is a good
way to start getting familiarized with some of the common Costa Rican species. There
is a pool for those who would like to cool off after the morning’s birding. Target species: Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher, Melodious
Blackbird and Rufous-tailed Hummingbird.
In
the afternoon we will meet with our local guide to talk about the logistics of
the tour.
§ Accommodation:
Hotel Bougainvillea
§ All
meals included - From this point onwards all meals will be provided until April
9th
Day 3-Mar 19th. Today
the birding starts proper! Birding on the gardens of Bougainvillea hotel and then
to the slopes of Barva and Poas Volcano
for some birding. The day will start with a birding walk around the gardens
before breakfast and then the whole group will head up to the slopes of the
Poas and Barva Volcanoes to enjoy a great day of birding. Hummingbirds,
Tanagers, Barbets and more species will be waiting for us.
We
will be back to the Hotel late afternoon. Target species: Lesson’s Motmot,
Purple-Throated and White-bellied Mountain-Gems, Silver-throated Tanager and
Emerald Toucanet.
§ Accommodation:
Hotel Bougainvillea
Day 4-Mar 20th. Travel to
San Gerardo de Dota, visit Tapanti National Park.
Today
after an early breakfast we will make our way to the Highlands of Costa Rica.
First
we will make a stop at the Tapanti National Park. This is a middle elevation
rainforest enclosed in a lush valley, and we will experience the beauty of this
park and look for the many possible species of birds and wildlife in general. We
will then drive to the highlands of Costa Rica. Target species: American
Dipper, Black-bellied Hummingbird, Collared Trogon, Costa Rican Warbler.
§ Accommodation:
Miriam's Quetzals
Day 5-Mar 21st. Birding Day
at San Gerardo Valley, looking for Resplendent Quetzal.
Today we will leave early to look for one of our biggest targets; Resplendent
Quetzal. March is the beginning of the breeding season for this spectacular
bird so we are hoping for great views of them. We will spend the rest of the
day birding around the area looking for some of the highland species along the
valley. Target species: Resplendent Quetzal, Flame-throated Warbler, Yellow-winged
Vireo, Scintillant Hummingbird, and Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher.
§ Accommodation:
Miriam's Quetzals
Day 6-Mar 22nd. Birding at Savegre Valley and Paraiso de
Quetzales.
We
will spend the morning around the grounds of our lodge, the road of Quetzals
National Park and then head up to Paraiso de Quetzales, another lodge with
trails and great opportunities for hummingbird photography. Target species:
Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Collared Redstart, Black-and-Yellow
Silky-Flycatcher, Wrenthrush, Golden-browed Chlorophonia.
§ Accommodation:
Miriam's Quetzals
Day 7-Mar 23rd. Birding the Highlands along the way enroute
to San Isidro Valley.
After
breakfast we will be leaving our lodge and heading south down the Panamerican
Road #2. We will stop at the summit of
mountains to look for some of the specialty highland species before continuing with
our drive in the Valley of San Isidro, with a few more stops on the way at some
birding hotspots. We will spend our afternoon birding on the ground of the
lodge. Target species: Volcano Junco, Volcano Hummingbird, Large-footed Finch,
Red-tailed Hawk, Magnificent Hummingbird.
§ Accommodation:
Talari Lodge
Day 8-Mar 24th. Birding at Cloud Bridge Reserve and Talari
Lodge.
We
will first spend time on the grounds of the lodge, enjoying their feeders that attract
tanagers, honeycreepers and, of course, hummingbirds. We will then drive to a
fantastic nature reserve located on the foot of the highest mountain in Costa
Rica.
We
will get to see a great number of species, fast running rivers and lush
vegetation at this location. We will return in the afternoon to enjoy, again,
the ground of the lodge.
Target
species: Black-faced Solitaire, Speckled Tanager, Cherri’s Tanager,
Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush.
§ Accommodation:
Talari Lodge
Day 9-Mar 25th. Birding at Los Cusingos Nature Reserve,
drive to San Vito.
After
breakfast we will be heading to Los Cusingos Nature Reserve, this research
station and reserve is the former home of Alexander Skutch, a famous
Ornithologist that dedicated his life to the study of Neotropical species of
birds.
The
reserve itself is a great area for birdwatching and many wonderful species
await us here. After our visit we will head to our next destination; San Vito.
Target
species: Orange-collared Manakin, Turquoise Cotinga, Spot-crowned Euphonia,
Common Potoo.
§ Accommodation:
Las Cruces Lodge
Day 10-Mar 26th. Birding San Vito area.
Las
Cruces Biological Station is run by the Organization for Tropical Studies and
their reserve hosts a great number of bird species that can be found only in
Southern Costa Rica. We will spend time both on the grounds of the reserve and
in some nearby hotspots.
Target
species: Crested Oropendola, Masked Yellowthroat, Ruddy Foliage-gleaner,
Lance-tailed Manakin.
§ Accommodation:
Las Cruces Lodge
Day 11-Mar 27th. Drive to Carara area, birding at some
hot-spots along the way, near Ciudad Neily and Coto 47.
Today
after breakfast we will start our drive north along the coastal road, birding
at some of the best local sites. The road near Ciudad Neily Hospital is great
for wetland species while other local specialties will be found on the roads
along Coto 47. We will arrive at Cerro Lodge late in the afternoon.
Target
species: Brown-throated Parakeet, Saphire-throated Hummingbird, Smooth-billed
Ani, Red-rumped Woodpecker, Wattled Jacana.
§ Accommodation:
Cerro Lodge
Day 12-Mar 28th. Boat tour at Tárcoles River and mangroves,
afternoon birding around Guacalillo beach.
§ Accommodation:
Cerro Lodge
Day
13-Mar 29th. Birding at Carara National Park,
afternoon birding at Salt Pans in Cocorocas on the way to our next destination.
After breakfast we will visit Carara National Park, one of the best birding
locations in Costa Rica. This Park is located in the transition zone between
the Lowland Humid Forest of the South Pacific and the Deciduous Dry Forest of
the North Pacific, thus offering a unique and extremely diverse ecosystem the
is home to a great number of endemics.
On
the way to our next hotel we will stop at Cocorocas Salt Pans, this place
offers great opportunities to see gulls, terns, egrets, waders and shore birds.
§ Accommodation: Ensenada Lodge
Day
14-Mar 30th. Birding at Ensenada Lodge and Chomes. Today we will
spend the morning birding the surroundings of our lodge. Located on the
mainland coast of the Gulf of Nicoya, La Ensenada is an active cattle ranch,
ecolodge and national wildlife refuge all in one. The habitat is a combination
of grazing pastures with scattered trees, second growth forest and some patches
of mature forest which will produce a great variety of dry forest specialties.
Later in the day we will drive to Chomes, this location offers a combination of
shrimp ponds, mangroves and mudflats hosting some of the finest coastal birding
in the country.
§ Accommodation:
Ensenada Lodge
Day
15-Mar 31st. Birding at Hacienda Solimar, drive to
Bijagua area. After breakfast we will be heading to Hacienda Solimar, a private
wetland that provides important habitat for many water-dependent species, and
one of the few places in the North Pacific that remains wet all-year around.
Solimar is of vital importance for the conservation of the Jabiru Stork, and is
the most reliable site in Costa Rica to find this remarkable bird. After lunch
we will make our way over the Continental Divide and end the day on the wetter
Caribbean Slope of the mountain range.
§ Accommodation:
Heliconias Lodge
Day
16-Apr 1st. Birding at Heliconia Lodge and Bijagua area. Today
we will spend the morning birding the grounds of the hotel. Located in a
low-pass between two major peaks on the lower slopes of the Tenorio Volcano,
Las Heliconias offers an exciting combination of foothill birding with
influence from both Pacific and Caribbean avifauna. In its 180 acres private
reserve, the lodge maintains about 3 miles of forest trails including 3 hanging
bridges that provide access to the canopy of the forest. After lunch we will
explore some backroads in the vicinity of the lodge in search of some of the
open area specialties of the area.
§ Accommodation:
Heliconias Lodge
Day
17-Apr 2nd.
Visit
Rio Celeste and drive to Caño Negro. This morning following breakfast we will
be exploring Tenorio National Park, famous for the Heavenly blue Rio Celeste
Waterfall. Although the birding in the Park tends to be slow because of noisy
tourists, the beauty of this natural wonder is enough reason to spend the
morning here. After lunch we will drive to the Caño Negro wetlands.
§ Accommodation:
Caño Negro Natural Lodge
Day 18-Apr 3rd. Boat
trip at Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge and drive to Medio Queso for another boat
trip, drive to Arenal.
Caño
Negro Wildlife Refuge is a RAMSAR site that protects hundreds of hectares of
wetland habitats. During the months of January to May large concentrations of migratory
wetland species happen in the lagoons and along Rio Frio. Our early boat tour
will bring many interesting target species, including the elusive Agami Heron,
Royal Flycatcher, Jabiru and possibly the 6 species of Kingfishers present in
the country. After lunch we will go drive to Medio Queso Wetlands, where we
will also have the chance to add more species to the day, including Nicaragua
Grackle, Nicaraguan Seed-Finch, Pinnated Bittern and Lesser Yellow-headed
Vulture.
In
the afternoon we will drive to our next destination, Arenal.
§ Accommodation:
Catarata Eco Lodge
Day 19-Apr 4th. Birding
day at Sky Adventures Hanging Bridges, Observatory Lodge and Peninsula road.
Arenal
presents a rich mixture of middle elevation habitats that make the area great
for birding. We will spend the day at different birding destinations, including
the hanging bridges of Sky Adventures, Arenal Observatory Lodge and the
Peninsula Road at Arenal National Park.
Some
of the target species are: Keel-billed Motmot, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Ocellated
Antbird, Spotted Antbird and Song Wren.
§ Accommodation:
Catarata Eco Lodge
Day 20-Apr 5th. Birding
in Arenal and drive to Sarapiqui area, visit Bajos del Toro Waterfall.
Today
we will spend some time birding the grounds of the lodge and also will visit
another interesting nature reserve to enjoy the bird feeders. Some of the
target species for the morning are: Red Throated Ant-Tanager, Black-throated
Wren, Uniform and White-throated Crakes, Rufous-tailed Jacamar and
Black-crested Coquette. We will drive to our next destination and stop on the
way at a beautiful nature reserve that has wonderful views of a waterfall and
also a great variety of hummingbirds, including Black-bellied Hummingbird.
§ Accommodation:
La Selva Biological Station
Day 21-Apr 6th. Birding
at La Selva Biological Station and surrounding areas.
La
Selva Biological Station is one the oldest research facilities for tropical
studies in the world, hundreds of papers have been written based on studies
conducted here. The Biodiversity of the area is impressive and we will spend
the whole day walking the trails and discovering the wonderful species of birds
present on the area.
Some
of the target species are: Rufous Motmot, Snowy Cotinga, Keel-Billed Toucan,
Pied Pufbird, Chestnut-backed Antbird, and Vermiculated Screech-Owl.
§ Accommodation:
La Selva Biological Station
Day 22-Apr 7th. Birding
at La Selva, Braulio Carrillo National Park and Cope Arte Gardens.
Today
we will do some birding in the grounds of La Selva and then we will head to
Braulio Carrillo National Park, which happens to have also a great biodiversity
of birds, including Emerald Tanager, White-throated Shrike Tanager,
Tawny-Capped Tanager and maybe if we are good, Yellow-eared Toucanet.
The
afternoon we will spend at the feeding station and surroundings of Cope Arte
Reserve, target species will be White-necked Jacobin, Shining Honey Creeper,
Thicket Antpitta and Spectacled Owl to name a few.
§ Accommodation:
La Selva Biological Station
Day 23-Apr 8th. Early
Birding at La Selva, stop at Cinchona on the way to San Jose.
In
our last full day we will spend the morning birding at La Selva and on the way
to San Jose, we will stop again at Cinchona feeders.
Target
species are: Fasciated Antshrike, Great Green Macaw, Barred Hawk and
Prong-billed Barbet.
We
will have our farewell dinner in San Jose, near the airport.
§ Accommodation:
Hotel El Robledal
Day 24-Apr 9th.
Shuttle to international airport.
Meals:
Breakfast
