Costa Rica 9-Day [PRIVATE] Birds, Butterflies, Orchids and more!

Participants may be arriving in Costa Rica at varying times throughout the day. After a relaxing dinner we will have a brief orientation to Costa Rica and the tour. Then have a good night’s rest and prepare for an early rise to begin our amazing journey!

AM Breakfast before departing for the Caribbean lowlands (about 2 hours with stops). Stop along the way include a wonderful hummingbird feeder location as well as La Paz Waterfall and Hummingbird Gardens.

Exploring La Paz, we will not only enjoy the many hummingbirds coming to the feeders, but also the beautiful butterfly house and incredible waterfalls and gardens lush with heliconia, bromeliads and orchids. Lunch at La Paz before continuing on.

PM Afternoon arrival at our lodge and with time to explore the property before dinner.

The rainforest surrounding our lodge provides habitat for over 300 bird species, 120 species of mammals, 48 amphibian species, 89 reptile species and approximately 1,500 species of orchids, 330 species of trees and countless plants.

On a tour of Costa Rica’s rainforest it is possible to find between 50 and 100 different tree species in a few acres. You will also find a wide diversity of plants, birds and animals. There are approximately 1,500 species of orchids alone.

The gardens around the lodge are also home to the beautiful Red-eyed Tree Frog!

AM After breakfast at the lodge we will head to the La Selva Research Station for a full day of exploration. The station offers 1,600 hectares of well-preserved old-growth and recovering wet lowland tropical forest that abuts the Braulio Carrillo National Park. The 4 to 6 km wide forested corridor that connects La Selva at 35 m above sea level to the Barva Volcano at 2,906 m is one of the best-preserved elevational gradients in the tropics..

PM We will have lunch at the station so we can continue to explore the grounds before returning to our lodge for dinner.

AM Today’s birding will begin along the Rio San Jose, through gallery forests in search of the many birds that can be found here. Afterward we will enjoy Reserva El Tapir, known as the “Old Butterfly Garden,” full of butterflies, of course, but also many hummingbirds… including the much sought after Snowcap and Black-crested Coquet.

PM After a lunch on the road, we will enjoy the feeders and trails at Cope’s Gardens. Here we will seek numerous bird, reptile and mammal species including, Crested Owl, Spectacled Owl, Helmeted Basilisk lizard, Tent-making Bats and the incredible, all white Ghost Bats.
Dinner back at the lodge.

AM Early Breakfast before departing for the Savegre Valley, about 6 hours with stops, including lunch on the way.

PM Arrival at lodge, after check-in we will enjoy the grounds of the lodge.

NOTE: At this higher elevation, please take walks slow and steady!

Our lodge, set into the hillside at about 7000 feet, offers comfortable rooms, with heaters as it gets very cool at night at this elevation. The restaurant offers excellent meals that often include fresh trout.

Surrounded by one of the finest examples of highland pine-oak cloud forest on the planet, the ride into the valley is spectacular! The surrounding private nature reserve is the best place in the world to see the Resplendent Quetzal—one of the most beautiful birds in the Americas. Other “hot” finds here may include Flame-colored Tanager, Fiery-throated Hummingbird and Flame-throated Warbler.

AM Pre-breakfast birding, breakfast at the lodge.
After breakfast we will get a ride to the top of the mountain above the lodge. This is a bumpy truck ride, so hang on! Specialties here include Costa Rican Pygmy Owl and Silvery-throated Jay amidst the lush understory filled with dwarf palms, tree ferns and cyclanths.

PM Lunch at the lodge before afternoon of exploration in search of American Dipper along the crystal clear Savegre River, line with of colorful flowers and towering oak trees. Dinner at the lodge.

AM Pre-breakfast birding, breakfast at the lodge.
After breakfast we will walk along the river and explore the waterfall trail for more highland specialties.

PM Lunch at the lodge. Afternoon birding along the river and up the entrance road to higher elevations.

AM After breakfast at the lodge we will pack up and begin our drive back to San Jose, again, with some wonderful stops along the way for waterfalls and lush vistas.

PM Lunch along the way. Early afternoon we will continue our drive to San Jose (about 2 hours not including additional stops). We will have dinner at Hotel Bougainvillea.

Today’s drive will offer more spectacular views as we return to San Jose for our farewell dinner and a good night’s sleep before returning to the USA.

Departures to USA throughout the day.