A valley of family farms and small lodges at about 2,200 metres, about 2½ hours from the San José airport, and the place we send people who have crossed an ocean to see a Resplendent Quetzal.
The quetzal walks start from the lodge gates at first light. The guides in the valley work the wild avocado trees the birds feed on and know which ones are fruiting this season, so the first morning is usually the one. More than 170 species have been recorded in the valley.
It is in the book "Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die", and it is the first stop on most of the birding trips we build.
The Resplendent Quetzal first, the male with tail streamers longer than the rest of the bird. With a guide, all year, and best in the nesting season.
At the lodge feeders, while you drink your coffee: Fiery-throated Hummingbird and Volcano Hummingbird, both regional endemics, and the Violet Sabrewing, the biggest hummingbird you will see here.
In the oaks and along the river, Black Guan, Northern Emerald-Toucanet (your field guide may still call it Emerald Toucanet), Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher, Collared Redstart, Flame-throated Warbler and Sulphur-winged Parakeet in noisy flocks, with Swallow-tailed Kite over the ridge.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resplendent Quetzal | Pharomachrus mocinno | Quetzal | |
| Fiery-throated Hummingbird | Panterpe insignis | Colibrí Garganta de Fuego | Regional endemic |
| Volcano Hummingbird | Selasphorus flammula | Colibrí Chispita Volcanera | Regional endemic |
| Violet Sabrewing | Campylopterus hemileucurus | Ala de Sable Violáceo | |
| Black Guan | Chamaepetes unicolor | Pava Negra | Regional endemic |
| Northern Emerald-Toucanet | Aulacorhynchus prasinus | Tucancillo Verde | |
| Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher | Ptiliogonys caudatus | Capulinero Colilargo | Regional endemic |
| Collared Redstart | Myioborus torquatus | Candelita Collareja | Regional endemic |
| Flame-throated Warbler | Oreothlypis gutturalis | Reinita Garganta de Fuego | Regional endemic |
| Sulphur-winged Parakeet | Pyrrhura hoffmanni | Perico Aliazufrado | Regional endemic |
| Swallow-tailed Kite | Elanoides forficatus | Elanio Tijereta |
Fly into San José. The valley is about 2½ hours from the airport. The last stretch drops steeply from the highway into the valley, which is one more reason our clients come in with a driver. Pack a fleece: the mornings 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, from cabins on a family farm to a 400-hectare private reserve with heated rooms.
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.
Keep going: add more birds, lodges or tours, then turn your Wishlist into a trip.
