Costa Rica Bird Photo Tour

Upon arrival you will meet our representative at the San Juan Santamaria airport and transfer to your hotel near the capital city of San Jose. The hotel is situated in the city center and early arrivals can enjoy the local streets and sightseeing for the day.

• Overnight at hotel in San Jose, meals are not included this day
• Elevation: 1161 m

We meet at 7 am for an early breakfast and head to our first rainforest lodge, north of Costa Rica which hosts several rainforest speciliaties and unparalleled opportunities to photograph the colorful opportunities to photograph Toucans, Oropendolas, Tanagers, Honeycreepers, and Parrots among many other birds. We arrive at the lodge for lunch and settle in to start our photography session at the lodge deck rightaway.

• Overnight at eco-lodge, B-L-D
• Elevation: 47m

Today we meet at the deck at 5.30am to start our photography session. Early visitors like chestnut colored woodpecker, black-cheeked woodpecker and many other species visit the feeder for their early morning meal.
After breakfast, we divide our time to photograph the mighty King Vulture from a specialized hide at just a 5 minute walk from the lodge and deck photography session.
Targets include King Vulture, Black Vulture, Crested cara cara in the hide and toucans, parrots, honeycreepers, tanagers at the lodge, and we’ll also get a chance to photograph the coatis and currasows, the regular visitors at the feeders.

• Overnight at an ecolodge, B-L-D
• Elevation: 47m

We spend our entire day at the lodge manager’s house where we work with the lodge manager to set up three photography techniques: one for birds such as green Honeycreeper, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Shining Honeycreeper, and Blue Dacnis. At this time, we will also keep an eye out for the occasional Chestnut colored woodpecker and other surprises., one for a multiple-flash hummingbird setup where you will have the opportunity to photograph lowland hummingbird species including crowned woodnymph, white-necked Jacobin, green-breasted mango, scaly-breasted hummingbird, and long-billed hermit and one for macro photography a macro session to photograph tree frogs and poison frogs as well snakes, under expert supervision.

• Overnight at an ecolodge, B-L-D
• Elevation: 47m

After an early session of photography at the deck, we depart for our second destination in the midlands. Today, we visit a private farm with restricted access to look for some endemic specialties like the Honduran white bats, Spectacled Owls among many other local rarities including the sickle-bill hummingbird and 3-toed sloth.
We enjoy some local lunch today with the guides and then continue photographing at the feeder.

• Overnight at an ecolodge, B-L-D
• Elevation: 291m

This morning we will visit a private and quaint feeder to photograph several local species.
This day we will have great opportunity to walk around the wrap around porch and explore several species. Our target species will cover several Tanagers, Masked Tityra, Jacamars and many more.
In the afternoon we will enjoy come local lunch and spend the afternoon at a nearby local farm where the owner has a great population of scarlet and great green macaws. We will photograph the macaws both in-flight and on attractive perches

• Overnight at an ecolodge, B-L-D
• Elevation: 291m

After an early breakfast this morning, we head across and then up into the Talamanca Mountain Range the high cloud forests just on the Pacific side of the Continental Divide. En route, we visit a small family run café that hosts the beautiful red-headed barbet, emerald toucanet and more.
We arrive at a warm family-run lodge by lunch and then settle at the lodge deck to photograph the stunning highland hummingbirds visiting the feeders. We’ll spend the afternoon photographing the amazing fiery-throated hummingbird as well as other hummingbird species such as the green violet-ear and magnificent hummingbird.

• Overnight at an ecolodge, B-L-D
• Elevation: 2650m

Before breakfast, we will head out with the resident expert guide to look for Resplendent Quetzal, the most surreal experience for any bird photographer. The lodge owner and his family have started a project to work with local farmers in the area to monitor and protect the quetzal, and this network exponentially raises our probability of getting a good photographic look at this beautiful species.
After breakfast, depending on the activity, we indulge in some multi-flash hummingbird photography and also photograph local birds such as flame-colored tanager, rufous-collared sparrow, large-footed finch, and black and yellow silky flycatcher at our feeder setups.
In the afternoon, post lunch, we visit a private farm to photograph the Acorn woodpeckers, Chlorophonia, Tanagers and many more.

• Overnight at an ecolodge, B-L-D
• Elevation: 2650m

This morning we head out for another Quetzal tour, to photograph them and return to the lodge by breakfast to continue photography at the deck till checkout.
Post lunch, we head out to the capital city of San Jose to our hotel and take the evening to relax, unwind, process images and pack for next day departures.

• Overnight at hotel in San Jose, B-L-Dinner not included
• Elevation: 1161 m

International departures. Our transport parter will drop you for your flight at the airport.
End of tour.