A hill above Rancho Naturalista, birded from its base. Higher and more open than the lodge, and that altitude is the reason to come.
Some birds are easier here than at the ranch because of it: tanager flocks, the Red-fronted Parrotlet, and both hawk-eagles, Black and Ornate. The hawk-eagles are the birds on most lists you cannot plan for, and a guide who knows the territories is the difference.
Our Caribbean trip does it as a guided morning before the drive down to the coast. It is also the one real hike on that trip, and optional.
The Red-fronted Parrotlet, a regional endemic.
Overhead, with a guide and some luck, the Black Hawk-Eagle and the Ornate Hawk-Eagle. Tanager flocks fill the rest of the morning.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red-fronted Parrotlet | Touit costaricensis | Periquito Alirrojo | Regional endemic |
| Black Hawk-Eagle | Spizaetus tyrannus | Aguilillo Negro | |
| Ornate Hawk-Eagle | Spizaetus ornatus | Aguilillo Penachudo |
Fly into San José. Turrialba is about two and a half hours from the airport, and the trips go up to Cerro Silencio from Rancho Naturalista. Boots and a rain layer.
All year. The foothills are wet in every month.
The ranch below the hill, and the country hotel by the lake for a birder who wants a proper bed.
Photo: Hotel Casa Turire
Turrialba
Intimate Location full of luxury in Verdant, Exotic Turrialba!
★★★★
A twelve-room country hotel on a working farm a few minutes from Turrialba, beside La Angostura lake, with toucans and parakeets in the gardens and Rancho Naturalista's forest up the valley. Where we put birders who want a proper bed between the foothill mornings.
Photo: Rancho Naturalista
Turrialba
A Birder's Paradise Awaits in the Central Valley Near Turrialba
★★★
125 acres of protected Caribbean foothill forest half an hour from Turrialba, hummingbird feeders on the balcony from the first breakfast, and resident bird guides our clients called "absolutely stellar". Five of our 45 recent birding itineraries sleep here, behind only Arenal Observatory and Trapp Family Lodge.
A few minutes on the form, and one of our Costa Rica specialists comes back to you personally with a first itinerary: the foothills in the right order with whatever else is on your list, and how many nights each stop really needs. That first version is just a place to start.
Or call us: 1 (800) 996-1139 from the US and Canada, +506 4052-2140 in Costa Rica.
Keep going: add more birds, lodges or tours, then turn your Wishlist into a trip.
