‘Birdwatching for Beginners’ is perfect for:
Nature-loving travelers who want to learn more about wildlife in Costa Rica.
This 9-night birding vacation will introduce you to the very best of Costa Rica’s feathered friends. Observe birds and other animals in their natural rainforest and cloud forest habitats.
The Central Valley and on to Arenal
Arrive into San Jose where we’ll meet you and take you 30 minutes to the Bougainvillea Hotel in the countryside outside of San Jose. Set on ten acres of gardens, the Bougainvillea offers the perfect start to a birdwatching vacation. Spend your first morning in Costa Rica exploring the gardens and seeing what you can find.
The next day, a van picks you up and drives you to the Arenal Volcano area.
This is the adventure capital of Costa Rica, but it also offers wonderful bird and wildlife spotting in the Arenal National Park and surrounding rainforest. Stay three nights at the Arenal Volcano Inn, a cozy hotel with an expansive volcano view.
While here, take on a birdwatching tour where you can spot toucans, falcons, and many others.
On your free day in Arenal, explore the volcano, relax in hot springs, or try something more active like zip lining or rafting.
The Monteverde Cloud Forest
After three nights in Arenal, take a transfer by van and boat across Lake Arenal, to the pristine cloud forests of Monteverde. This part of Costa Rica is ground zero for eco tourism, full of nature.
Your home for the two nights you’ll spend in Monteverde is the Belmar, a boutique eco-hotel surrounded by the cloud forest. Tour the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve with an expert guide who will show you orchids, birds, insects, and amphibians galore.
Manuel Antonio National Park and the Beach
Now it’s time to get out of the mountains and down to the Central Pacific Coast, to Costa Rica’s favorite national park, Manuel Antonio.
Manuel Antonio is Costa Rica’s smallest national park, but one of its most beautiful. Here is where the virgin rainforest meets the Pacific Ocean and where monkeys, sloths, and all sorts of birds live.
The hotel in Manuel Antonio is The Falls Resort, a boutique hideaway close to the entrance of the park. During your three nights here, take a guided tour of the Manuel Antonio National Park and have a day to yourself to relax on the beach or by the pool.
If you’re interested in spotting tropical birds and immersing yourself in nature, this is the Costa Rica vacation for you. Contact us and we’ll be happy to personalize it to make it the trip of your dreams.
What’s included in ‘Birdwatching for Beginners’?
Lodging & Meals:
- 1 night at Bougainvillea Hotel—including breakfast.
- 3 nights at Arenal Volcano Inn—including breakfast.
- 2 nights at Belmar Hotel.
- 3 nights at The Falls Resort—including breakfast.
Transportation:
- Private ground transfer from the San Jose International Airport to Bougainvillea Hotel (app. 30 minutes)
- Private ground transfer from Bougainvillea Hotel to Arenal Volcano Inn (app. 3.5 hours)
- Shared boat and ground transfer from Arenal Volcano Inn to Belmar Hotel (app. 3 hours)
- Private ground transfer from Belmar Hotel to The Falls Resort (app. 5 hours)
- Private ground transfer from The Falls Resort to the San Jose International Airport (app. 3.5 hours)
All private transfers include an English-speaking driver.
Tours and Activities:
Explain rules again or add info.
- Arenal Volcano birdwatching tour
- Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve guided tour
- Manuel Antonio National Park guided tour
You will receive a 100% accurate price when you inquire with us and share your travel dates. Final package pricing includes taxes, domestic transport, tours and lodging as described unless otherwise indicated. The package does NOT include international airfare or optional travel insurance or any other services not expressly mentioned.
Day 1: Welcome to Costa Rica!
Today’s the day you arrive into the San Jose International Airport in Costa Rica. One of our representatives is there to meet you in the tunnel directly off the plane. They will help you through customs and immigration and take you out to meet your waiting driver.
From the airport, it’s a quick drive through the San Jose suburbs to the Bougainvillea Hotel, where you can relax and enjoy your first evening.
Stay at Bougainvillea Hotel
Day 2: Transfer to Arenal Volcano
Seize the day and get up early so you can take the time to explore the gardens of the Bougainvillea Hotel for some glimpses of your first Costa Rican birds, including the hard-to-find White-eared Ground Sparrow.
Then a van picks you up in the late morning or around lunchtime to take you North, out of the Central Valley and over the mountains to the Arenal Volcano area. Once arrived, check into the Arenal Volcano Inn and relax or enjoy the swimming pool.
Stay at Arenal Volcano Inn
Day 3: Arenal Volcano Birdwatching Tour
This morning is an early start as a van picks you up at around 5:30 a.m., but the early bird (watcher) catches the worm!
Expert guides take you wherever the birds are depending on the time of year. That could be around the lake, or at any number of rainforest wildlife refuges. Wherever you go, you’ll get the chance to see parrots, toucans, and other tropical species.
Once this tour is over you have the whole day to yourself. Get back to the hotel for breakfast, where you can either relax the rest of the day or explore the lush grounds.
Stay at Arenal Volcano Inn
Day 4: Free Time
The Arenal Volcano area is the adventure capital of Costa Rica. There’s more to do here than anywhere else in the country.
Today is all yours to either do as much as you wan: zip lining, rafting, river tubing, and waterfall rappelling are all available. Or if you prefer, simply relax at the pool, or visit one of the volcanic hot springs in the nearby area.
Stay at Arenal Volcano Inn
Day 5: Travel to Monteverde
Check out of the Arenal Volcano Inn and say goodbye to the volcano area in the best way possible.
The transfer to the cloud forests of Monteverde is an adventure in itself as a driver picks you up in a shared van and takes you to the human-made Lake Arenal. Then cross the lake on a boat, which offers you plenty of wildlife-spotting opportunities on the way. Then it’s back into your shared transfer and up into the mountains where the cloud forests lie.
After your journey across land and water, arrive at the cozy Belmar Hotel, looking like a Swiss or Austrian wooden chalet in the cloud forest. Check in here and relax for the rest of the day.
Stay at Belmar Hotel
Day 6: Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Tour
The Monteverde cloud forest is a nature lover’s and birdwatcher’s delight. Pristine virgin rainforest at high altitude turns into cloud forest, where the mists come in low and create an awesome effect.
This environment is home to countless species of birds, insects, frogs, orchids, and other creatures. If you’re lucky you might even spot a resplendent quetzal! The expert naturist guide will try to find these elusive birds for you.
After the tour, get back at the hotel to relax or to go into the village of Santa Elena to eat if you want.
Stay at Belmar Hotel
Day 7: Off to Manuel Antonio
It’s time to leave the misty mountains of Monteverde and head to the steamy Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
A driver picks you up after breakfast at the Belmar Hotel and drives you out of the mountains to the coastal plains below. As you descend the temperature will rise and you’ll know you’re in the tropics. Luckily your transfer van has excellent air conditioning!
On the way you can stop for lunch, snacks, or simply to take photos. Pass over the famous bridge of Tarcoles River, where you can check out the crocodiles sunning themselves below.
Soon enough after the Tarcoles, follow the coastal road South, past Jaco, Hermosa, and Esterillos to the town of Quepos. From there it’s a short hop to Manuel Antonio and your final hotel in Costa Rica, The Falls Resort.
Stay at The Falls Resort
Day 8: Manuel Antonio National Park Tour
The Manuel Antonio National Park is Costa Rica’s smallest, but don’t let that put you off. It’s also known as the most beautiful park in Costa Rica, famous for its rainforests and beaches. Here is where the jungle meets the sea.
You’re picked up from The Falls Resort and taken to the park entrance, where your naturalist guide hikes with you through the trails, pointing out monkeys, sloths, and of course, birds! Toucans, macaws, and all sorts of other tropical birds live in Manuel Antonio.
Once the tour is over you can either head back to the hotel or hang out and relax on one of the stunning beaches in the park.
Stay at The Falls Resort
Day 9: Free Time
Today’s your last full day in Costa Rica and it’s all yours to do what you want.
Manuel Antonio has several activities to do outside of the park, from waterfall hikes to river rafting to zip lining. You can also enjoy some ocean activities like snorkeling, kayaking or taking a catamaran tour. Or simply spend your last day in Costa Rica poolside with a cold drink!
Stay at The Falls Resort
Day 10: Transfer Back to the Airport
After nine nights of travel and nature in Costa Rica, it’s time to go home. Take a final transfer from your hotel in Manuel Antonio and head back to the airport in style, with plenty of time to check in for your flight. The journey back to the airport takes about 3.5 hours.
