Central and Southern Pacific Lowlands
The foothills between the Highlands and the coast, in the El General valley round San Isidro. Los Cusingos Bird Sanctuary is close by, and the whole area in and around San Isidro is good ground for birders.
We base it at two of our lodges. Talari is fourteen rooms on 5 hectares of gardens and fruit trees by the Chirripó river, about 5 km north-east of San Isidro, with over 200 species recorded on the land and two kilometres of trail up from the river.
Bosque del Tolomuco sits higher, in the Talamanca foothills above San Isidro, and its gardens bring in birds of the cooler slopes.
It is named for the tayra, the tolomuco, that lives in the forest there.
At Talari, the Red-legged Honeycreeper in the fruit trees and the Slaty Spinetail in the thickets by the river.
Up at Bosque del Tolomuco, the Black Guan, the Silver-throated Tanager and the Red-fronted Parrotlet, a regional endemic, come into the gardens, with the Slate-throated Redstart at the forest edge.
Around the valley, the Fiery-billed Aracari, the cusinga the sanctuary is named for, and the Ornate Hawk-Eagle overhead.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red-legged Honeycreeper | Cyanerpes cyaneus | Mielero Patirrojo | |
| Slaty Spinetail | Synallaxis brachyura | Arquitecto Plomizo | |
| Black Guan | Chamaepetes unicolor | Pava Negra | Regional endemic |
| Silver-throated Tanager | Tangara icterocephala | Tangara Dorada | |
| Red-fronted Parrotlet | Touit costaricensis | Periquito Alirrojo | Regional endemic |
| Slate-throated Redstart | Myioborus miniatus | Candelita Pechinegra | |
| Fiery-billed Aracari | Pteroglossus frantzii | Tucancillo Piquianaranjado | Regional endemic |
| Ornate Hawk-Eagle | Spizaetus ornatus | Aguilillo Penachudo | |
| Gartered Violaceous Trogon | Trogon caligatus | Trogón Violáceo | |
| Bay-headed Tanager | Tangara gyrola | Tangara Cabecicastaña |
Fly into San José. San Isidro sits between the quetzal valley and the coast, so the valley fits between the two on a southern trip.
All year. Tell us your dates and we will tell you honestly what the valley is like that month.
Two lodges: fourteen rooms by the river with a pool for the afternoon, and gardens higher up in the foothills.
Photo: Bosque del Tolomuco
San Isidro de El General
Forest of the Tayra and Birdwatching Haven in Costa Rica's Southern Zone!
★★★
Gardens in the Talamanca foothills above San Isidro where Black Guan, Silver-throated Tanager and Red-fronted Parrotlet come in, with Los Cusingos Bird Sanctuary close by. Named for the tayra, the tolomuco, that lives in the forest here.
Photo: Talari Mountain Lodge
San Isidro de El General
Explore a Birdwatching Paradise Far Away from the Crowds!
★★★
Fourteen rooms on 5 hectares of gardens and fruit trees by the Chirripó river, 5 km from San Isidro, with over 200 species recorded on the land, Red-legged Honeycreeper and Slaty Spinetail among them. Two km of trails up from the river, and a pool for the afternoon.
No fixed trip stops here yet; we add it to a custom trip.
A few minutes on the form, and one of our Costa Rica specialists comes back to you personally with a first itinerary: the Pacific 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.
