The oak forest on the ridge above the San Gerardo de Dota valley, on the slopes of Cerro de la Muerte. The park covers 12,355 acres, and inside them sit three different kinds of rainforest and 14 ecosystems, which is a lot of mountain for one morning.
The trails start from the lodges at its edge. One of them, Dantica, borders the park, so the birding begins a few steps from the bungalow. The valley below has a page of its own; this one is the forest above it.
On our Nature Birding Tour a professional guide takes you through the park for the Resplendent Quetzal.
The Resplendent Quetzal is the reason people walk up here. With a guide, all year.
The rest are the birds our trips record in the valley the park looks down on: Black Guan in the oaks, Northern Emerald-Toucanet (your field guide may still call it Emerald Toucanet), the Coppery-headed Emerald and the Peg-billed Finch, both regional endemics, and Swallow-tailed Kite and Sharp-shinned Hawk over the ridge.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resplendent Quetzal | Pharomachrus mocinno | Quetzal | |
| Black Guan | Chamaepetes unicolor | Pava Negra | Regional endemic |
| Northern Emerald-Toucanet | Aulacorhynchus prasinus | Tucancillo Verde | |
| Coppery-headed Emerald | Microchera cupreiceps | Esmeralda de Coronilla Cobriza | Regional endemic |
| Peg-billed Finch | Acanthidops bairdi | Fringilo Piquiagudo | Regional endemic |
| Swallow-tailed Kite | Elanoides forficatus | Elanio Tijereta | |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus | Gavilán Pajarero |
Fly into San José. The Savegre valley is about 2½ hours from the airport, and the park is reached on foot from the lodges along its edge. Pack a jacket: the lodges sit between 2,200 and 2,600 metres and the nights are cold.
All year. Tell us your dates and we will say honestly what the quetzal odds look like that month.
Six of our lodges are within a few kilometres of the park, the nearest a hillside of bungalows with fireplaces right beside it, the highest at 2,600 metres on the ridge at km 70.
Photo: Dantica Cloud Forest Lodge
San Gerardo de Dota
Cozy Bungalows with Fireplaces and Stunning Cloud Forest Views
★★★
Bungalows with fireplaces on a hillside above San Gerardo de Dota, close to Los Quetzales National Park, with trails through the lodge's own forest. Eleven of our birding reviews name it, one for "a hillside surrounded by serene forests and lots of birds".
Photo: Hotel Suria
San Gerardo de Dota
Welcome to the San Gerardo de Dota Cloud Forest!
★★★
Twenty rooms on 10 acres of farm, creek and forest in the San Gerardo de Dota valley, owned and run by Hilda Araya and her family. The simplest of our highland lodges, and the valley's birds are the same ones.
Photo: Mirador de Quetzales
San Gerardo de Dota
Located in Cerro de la Muerte
★★★★
On land the family has farmed since 1948 on Cerro de la Muerte, run as a lodge for over 25 years, and the name says what you are there for: a quetzal lookout. It is cold at this altitude, so pack a jacket.
Photo: Paraíso Quetzal Lodge
San Gerardo de Dota
A family-run birding lodge in the cloud forest at km 70 of the Inter-American Highway South
★★★
At 2,600 metres on Cerro Buena Vista, km 70 of the highway south, with an 80-hectare reserve, five trails, four waterfalls and a hummingbird garden where a quetzal sometimes turns up. The Serrano Salazar family has run it since 2005.
Photo: Savegre Lodge Natural Reserve & Spa
San Gerardo de Dota
A Cozy Mountain Retreat in the Cloudforest Offering Fantastic Nature Tours and Birdwatching
★★★
A 400-hectare private cloud forest reserve at 2,200 metres, with over 170 bird species recorded on it and the quetzal among them. Heated rooms and a spa with a sauna, which matters at that altitude.
Photo: Trogon Lodge
San Gerardo de Dota
Enjoy the Cozy Cabins at this Charming Family Lodge in the Cloud Forest
★★★
Wooden cabins on a family farm about 2½ hours from San José, with a clear river running through the property and the quetzal walks starting from the gate at first light. The lodge our birding reviews name more than any other, 29 times.
A few minutes on the form, and one of our Costa Rica specialists comes back to you personally with a first itinerary: the Highlands 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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