Costa Rica Neotropical Paradise - 16 nights
Saturday 14th to Tuesday 31st March 2009
AA09034
With
its amazing contrast of habitats, marvellous scenic locations, exquisite
birdlife, friendly people and small size, it is not difficult to see why
Costa Rica attracts birdwatchers from all over the world. Costa Rica has a
democratic government, no army and the highest literacy level in the region,
making it a prosperous and stable country. There is a very positive attitude
to national parks and wildlife reserves, with the highest percentage of land
area devoted to these, of any country in the world. Rainforests, cloud
forests, volcanoes, palm-fringed beaches, mangroves and estuaries hold such
avian jewels as Scarlet Macaw, Resplendent Quetzal, Rufous Motmot,
Sunbittern, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Lanceolated Monklet, Turquoise
Cotinga, Northern Royal-Flycatcher, Green Honeycreeper, Boat-billed Heron
and Magnificent Frigatebird. Costa Rica is a real gem - and in relation to
its size, has the highest avian diversity on earth. With all these
attributes it is a must for birdwatchers, whatever their level of expertise!
This fabulous itinerary covers the prime sites and venues, including: Selva
Verde, Braulio Carrillo, Rancho Naturalista, Monteverde, Cerro de la Muerte,
Carara, Arenal Volcano and PaloVerde – the very best of Costa Rica.
Day 1: Depart UK to San José arriving in the evening. We will then
transfer to our hotel.
Overnight - San José
Day 2: Today we will visit the Cerro de la Muerte Highlands and the
San Gerardo Valley in the Talamanca Mountains looking for high zone species
including Large-footed Finch, Flamethroated Warbler, Long-tailed
Silky-flycatcher, Volcano Junco and the fabulous Resplendent Quetzal.
Overnight - San Gerardo Valley
Days 3 - 5: On Day 3 we transfer to Rancho Naturalista, a delightful
lodge situated in the premontane rainforest zone of the Caribbean Slope.
Here the gardens and trails simply abound with birdlife. Pre-breakfast
birding from the balcony can be superb with feeders attracting Grey-headed
Chachalaca, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Snowcap, White-necked Jacobin,
Buffthroated Saltator, Passerini’s & Crimson-collared Tanagers and Montezuma
Oropendola amongst many other species. The Rio Tuis Trail is home to
Sunbittern, Lanceolated Monklet, American Dipper and Torrent Tyrannulet.
There will also be an excursion to Tapanti National Park, excellent for more
highland specialities.
Overnights - Rancho Naturalista
Days 6 - 8: We transfer to Selva Verde Lodge in the Caribbean
Lowlands and en route visit Braulio Carrillo, a beautiful rainforest with an
extremely rich avifauna – over 300 species, which includes: Yellow-eared
Toucanet, Spotted & Immaculate Antbirds, Lattice-tailed Trogon,
White-throated Shrike Tanager, Emerald & Tawny-crested Tanagers and Russet
Antshrike. During our stay at Selva Verde we will explore the lodge grounds
and have excursions to middle elevation Caribbean Rainforest at Virgen del
Socorro and also to La Selva Biological Reserve – a protected area of 1600
hectares of pre-montane wet tropical forest. This research station is
operated by the organisation of Tropical Studies and the reserve is one of
the best studied areas of rainforest on Earth. Its fantastic diversity of
wildlife includes 420 bird species, 500 species of butterflies and 400
species of ants! The fantastic array of avifauna and other
wildlife species includes White-throated Crake, Red-lored Parrot, Squirrel
Cuckoo, Blackthroated Trogon, Broad-billed Motmot, Fasciated Antshrike,
Keel-billed Toucan, Cinnamon Becard, Blue-and-Gold & Crimson-collared
Tanagers, Orange-billed Sparrow, Spider & Whitefaced
Monkeys, Tayra and River Otters.
Overnights - Selva Verde Lodge
Day 9: Travel to Arenal Lodge for one night to experience the
wondrous volcano and also some good birding.
Overnight - Arenal Observatory Lodge
Days 10 & 11: We’ll explore Monteverde and Santa Elena Cloud Forest
Reserves with their fantastic array of ferns, epiphytes and vines.
Monteverde is probably the best known and most visited of all Costa Rica’s
reserves. Santa Elena is at a slightly higher elevation and also has an
excellent network of trails. The Cloud Forest offers another opportunity to
look for Resplendent Quetzal and many other species including Black Guan,
Orange-bellied Trogon, Blue-crowned Motmot, Azure-hooded Jay, Black-faced
Solitaire, Violet Sabrewing, Prong-billed Barbet, Blue-throated Toucanet,
Ruddy Treerunner, Red-faced Spinetail, Ochraceous Wren and Golden-browed
Chlorophonia.
Overnights – Monteverde
Days 12 & 13: On Day 12 we’ll drive to Hacienda Solimar Lodge in the
Guanacaste Lowlands. Bordering the Palo Verde National Park, this 3,200-acre
ranch has gallery forest, mangrove swamp and freshwater estuary. Birds here
include Jabiru, Bare-throated Tiger-heron, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Lesser
Ground-cuckoo, Collared Forest-Falcon, Snail Kite, Doublestriped Thick-knee,
Black-headed Trogon and Long-tailed Manakin. Among the mammals should be
Mantled Howler Monkeys, White-nosed Coati and Nine-banded Armadillo.
Overnights - Hacienda Solimar
Days 14 - 16: On Day 14 we’ll head for the Pacific Coast, with
emphasis on the wonderful Carara National Park and the Tarcoles Estuary.
Carara reserve is an area of Pacific Coast lowland rainforest and is
particularly famed for it’s population of Scarlet Macaws, but there are many
more much sought-after species. These include Boat-billed Heron, Lesser
Swallow-tailed Swift, Spectacled Owl, Baird’s & Violaceous Trogons,
Pale-billed Woodpecker, Dot-winged Antwren, Black-faced Antthrush, Streak-chested
Antpitta, Red-capped & Orange-collared Manakins and Red-legged Honeycreeper.
The Tarcoles Estuary is superb for herons, waders, terns, Magnificent
Frigatebirds, Black Skimmers as well as a number of mangrove specialities.
Overnights – Carara
Day 17: Early morning birding around the lodge, before returning to San José for our flight to the UK, where we arrive on Day 18.