Costa Rica birding for couples, when only one of you birds

How it works

Why we build it this way

More of our birding enquiries than you'd think come from one half of a couple. Two nights at a lodge means the birder is out at dawn on the only full day while the other person waits around. Three nights fixes it.

The quetzal is the one exception to the rule that the non-birder doesn't care. I have watched it convert people at breakfast at San Gerardo de Dota, so most of these trips go there.

Jason Bateman, Costa Rica Specialist

The five trips

• Nature Birding Tour11 nights · SJOBuilt for exactly this. The south Caribbean beaches and the Jaguar Rescue Center, the quetzal valley, then a pool above Bahía Ballena.
• First Birding Trip9 nights · SJOArenal, Monteverde and the beach at Manuel Antonio: the three places that make a first Costa Rica, with guided mornings at each.
• Southern Costa Rica9 nights · SJOTwo quetzal dawns, then six nights on the Pacific at lodges with the sea in view from the balcony and the afternoons by the pool.
• Nicoya Peninsula11 nights · SJOThe dry side, ending on the beach at Tango Mar, with the little plane home from Tambor instead of the road.
• Birding Tour from Liberia8 nights · LIRArenal and Monteverde, then two nights at an all-inclusive on the Papagayo coast, with meals and drinks included.

Questions couples ask