Costa Rica: Bird & Wildlife Photography

Arrival to San Jose and shuttle to Hotel. Depending on the arrival time, bird and macro photography on the grounds of the lodge where mot-mots, owls, tree frogs, and many other species can be found.

Drive towards Arenal Volcano, en route field photography for three-wattled bellbird. Arrive to our hotel in the mid afternoon and do some photography on the grounds and gardens.

Morning at hotel for feeders and trail for birds and monkeys. Afternoon will be a field visit to private property for birds and a night walk for macro photography.

After breakfast we have a controlled macro photography session with reptiles and amphibians before heading into the field for the afternoon for avian species.

After breakfast we will drive to our next destination, en route stop for a cruise on the Rio Frio for species such as kingfishers, mot-mots, caiman, and many others.

Photography through Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge via boat both in the morning and the afternoon. This will offer us the best opportunity to photography as many species as possible that call this area home.

We will make our way south again to the Sarapiqui area with en route stops for additional feeder photography opportunities.

Up early, spend the morning visiting blinds for premier photography of the spectacular King Vulture. Arriving back to lodging in the afternoon we have additional sessions for macro and bird photography.

After breakfast leave the lodge, en route visit Cope Arte Gardens, a local birder and artist’s home with very active feeders, White-collared Manakins, Montezuma and Chestnut-headed Oropendolas, Rufous-naped Wood-rail, Crowned Woodnymph and Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer and many more. Also, we will go on the field to try some of the local owl roosting places, Spectacled and Crested Owls are possible here.

Starting with a morning session on the grounds of our hotel, we then check out and make the drive into the highlands and cloud forest for our first session with the Resplendent Quetzal.

We will spend our morning with the Resplendent Quetzal again. Then the afternoon will be at Batsu Gardens where we will have flower setups for high-speed flash Hummingbird photography and fruit feeders as well. Golden- browned Chlorophonias, Slaty Flowerpiercers, Chestnut-capped Brushfinches, Flame-colored Tanagers and Scintillant Hummingbirds are some of our targets today.

After breakfast we will have a final morning session with high-speed flash photography for highland hummingbird species such as the fiery-throated hummingbird before we start our way back to San Jose. Last evening session for macro in the hotel gardens.

Shuttles to international airport