On the Nicoya coast near Tambor, 1,496 hectares of rivers, estuaries and mangroves, with about 230 species of birds and the only population of Scarlet Macaws on the peninsula. That last fact is why our Nicoya trip ends here.
The refuge runs farming and protected forest side by side, with the forest growing back along the coast, so one guided morning goes from the pasture edge through dry forest to the shore.
The second morning is on the water. The Río Pochote snakes into the forest from Tambor, and from the boat your guide shows you the birds from a slightly different angle: trogons, motmots, kingfishers and hummingbirds along the banks, woodpeckers and tanagers in the trees, and with luck a falcon over the top. It is a quiet river, and after ten days of early starts that is part of the point.
The Scarlet Macaw first, the only population on the Nicoya Peninsula, and the bird the refuge is known for.
From the Pochote boat, the families the river is good for. The zone's two dry-forest trogons, Black-headed Trogon and Elegant Trogon, and the Turquoise-browed Motmot that sits on every wire and fence post on the dry side.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Macaw | Ara macao | Guacamayo Rojo (Lapa Roja) | |
| Black-headed Trogon | Trogon melanocephalus | Trogón Cabecinegro | |
| Elegant Trogon | Trogon elegans | Trogón Elegante | |
| Turquoise-browed Motmot | Eumomota superciliosa | Momoto Cejiceleste |
Fly into San José. On our Nicoya trip this is the last stop, after Palo Verde on the dry side, and the trip goes home by air: a short transfer to Tambor airport and the domestic flight to San José, instead of most of a day on the road.
The dry season, December to April, when the forest is barest and the birding easiest. The macaws live here, so they are on the peninsula in every month.
One lodge, on the beach: the resort on Quizales beach that ends a lot of our birding trips, with gardens full of birds and an afternoon off for whoever has carried the scope.
Photo: Tango Mar Resort
Tambor
A Sophisticated Nicoya Beachfront Resort with Fabulous Ocean Views
★★★★
Beachfront on Quizales beach on the Nicoya coast, 35 suites and bungalows, four pools and a nine-hole golf course through grounds full of birds. The end-of-trip lodge, for the shore birds and a rest.
A few minutes on the form, and one of our Costa Rica specialists comes back to you personally with a first itinerary: the dry side 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.
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