Gandoca-Manzanillo and the Keköldi ridge
The south Caribbean coast gives a birder two mornings that have almost nothing in common.
The first is the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, near the Panama border, where lowland forest and wetland run down to the beach. You walk it with a guide, about four hours on the flat, and with a guide is the only way we recommend it.
The second is the Keköldi ridge above Cahuita, a hawk watch in the Keköldi indigenous reserve, on one of the most important raptor migration routes in the world. From August to December the hawks and falcons heading south pass overhead by the thousand, and from February to May they come back north. You stand on the ridge and look up into them with a guide calling the species. Our Caribbean Lowlands trip is built around the autumn passage, September to November.
At a glance
- Habitat
- lowland forest, wetland and beach at Gandoca-Manzanillo; forest on the Keköldi ridge
- Map pin
- 9.60028, -82.64462
The birds to look for
On the ridge in season, the hawks and falcons of the migration overhead. In the forest around the watch point, the White-whiskered Puffbird, with trogons, parrots and warblers.
In the refuge, toucans and the Great Green Macaw in the lowland forest, and the Keel-billed Toucan is the toucan of this whole coast.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| White-whiskered Puffbird | Malacoptila panamensis | Buco Barbón | |
| Great Green Macaw | Ara ambiguus | Guacamayo Verde Mayor | |
| Keel-billed Toucan | Ramphastos sulfuratus | Tucán Pico Iris |
Getting there
Fly into San José. Our Caribbean Lowlands trip comes down to the coast from Turrialba, about three and a half hours. The refuge walk and the hawk watch are two separate mornings, so give the coast at least two nights.
When to go
For the hawks, August to December heading south and February to May heading north, with the autumn passage the one we build the trip around. In other months the ridge is a forest birding morning. September and October are the south Caribbean at its best.
Where we stay nearby
No lodge of ours is within 20 km of the refuge pin. Our base for both mornings is Selva Bananito, a 2,000-acre private reserve above the coast inland from Cahuita, 26.5 km from the pin, with cabins and no electricity, so you wake with the birds.
Trips that bird here
- Best of Birding in Costa Rica's Caribbeanthe refuge walkSee the itinerary
- Caribbean Lowlands Birding Tourthe refuge walk and the Keköldi hawk watchSee the itinerary
- Nature Birding TourSee the itinerary
Other hotspots in this region
Which of these mornings is yours?
A few minutes on the form, and one of our Costa Rica specialists comes back to you personally with a first itinerary: the lowlands 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.