125 acres of protected foothill forest on the wet slope above Turrialba, half an hour from town, and the reason the Caribbean Foothills have the reputation they do among birders.
Your list starts from the balcony feeders at breakfast. In the late afternoon you walk down to the forest pools, where the Snowcap comes to bathe, a tiny wine-coloured hummingbird with a white cap that most people come here for. The bird list for the reserve is over 450 species long, and the resident guides are the ones a client of ours called "absolutely stellar".
The foothills sit between the lowlands and the cloud forest, so the mornings mix birds from both.
The Snowcap first, a regional endemic, at the pools below the lodge in the late afternoon.
At the morning feeders Gray-headed Chachalaca, Collared Aracari, Rufous Motmot and the Red-headed Barbet, the male with a head that looks painted on, with hummingbirds by the dozen.
And for the lister, the Tawny-chested Flycatcher, a small bird of these wet foothills and another regional endemic. Below the lodge, the Río Tuis valley has a reputation as the most reliable place in the country for the Lanceolated Monklet.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowcap | Microchera albocoronata | Colibrí Copete de Nieve | Regional endemic |
| Gray-headed Chachalaca | Ortalis cinereiceps | Chachalaca Cabecigrís | |
| Collared Aracari | Pteroglossus torquatus | Tucancillo Collarejo | |
| Rufous Motmot | Baryphthengus martii | Momoto Canelo Mayor | |
| Red-headed Barbet | Eubucco bourcierii | Barbudo Cabecirrojo | |
| Tawny-chested Flycatcher | Aphanotriccus capitalis | Mosquerito Pechileonado | Regional endemic |
| Lanceolated Monklet | Micromonacha lanceolata | Monjito Rayado | |
| Gartered Violaceous Trogon | Trogon caligatus | Trogón Violáceo | |
| White-necked Jacobin | Florisuga mellivora | Jacobino Nuquiblanco | |
| Bay-headed Tanager | Tangara gyrola | Tangara Cabecicastaña |
Fly into San José. Turrialba is about two and a half hours from the airport by road, and the lodge half an hour beyond the town, so the ranch is usually the first or second stop of a trip. The trails start at the door; they have mud and they climb, so bring boots you have already walked in and a rain layer whatever the month.
All year. The foothills are wet in every month, and the feeders and the pools work in all of them.
Two lodges: the ranch itself, and a twelve-room country hotel on a working farm beside La Angostura lake for the birder who wants a proper bed between the foothill mornings.
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.
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