The wet side of the Talamanca mountains above Cartago. Some people still call it Orosí National Park, after the valley it rises from.
We bird it from Hotel Quelitales, in Cachí, with gardens beside the park where oropendolas, euphonias and tanagers come to the suite balconies. The hotel's own page puts the number of birds down to the park next door. There is a trail on the property to the Doña Ana waterfall, which is a good way to spend the hour after breakfast when the guide has gone home.
The park is home to nearly 45 mammal species, and the Resplendent Quetzal lives in its forest.
At the lodge balconies, oropendolas, euphonias and tanagers, close enough to see without lifting the binoculars.
In the park, the Resplendent Quetzal. With a guide, all year.
Around Hotel Quelitales, the Purple-throated Mountain-gem, a hummingbird of the cloud forest and a regional endemic, found only in this small corner of the world: Costa Rica and its neighbours.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resplendent Quetzal | Pharomachrus mocinno | Quetzal | |
| Purple-throated Mountain-gem | Lampornis calolaemus | Colibrí Montañés Gorgimorado | Regional endemic |
| Prong-billed Barbet | Semnornis frantzii | Barbudo Cocora | Regional endemic |
| Spangle-cheeked Tanager | Tangara dowii | Tangara Vientricastaña | Regional endemic |
Fly into San José. Tapantí is a morning's drive from the city, on the far side of the Central Valley from Poás. Bring a rain layer whatever the month; this is the wet side of the mountains.
All year. Tell us your dates and we will plan the mornings around them.
Hotel Quelitales, gardens and suites beside the park in Cachí above Cartago. Three of our San Gerardo de Dota lodges also fall inside the 20 km circle, across the Talamanca ridge.
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 Quelitales
Cachí
Take advantage of nature without affecting it - the next stop on your perfect Birding vacation to Costa Rica!
★★★
Gardens beside Tapantí National Park, in Cachí above Cartago, where oropendolas, euphonias and tanagers come to the suite balconies, and the Doña Ana waterfall on the property's own trail.
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.
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 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.
