Turquoise-browed MotmotPhoto: fluffandshutter
Guachipelín is a working ranch, 3,400 acres of the dry tropical forest of Guanacaste on the lower slopes of Rincón de la Vieja, 22 km from Liberia. The forest of the lower slopes is where the birding is, and the national park is about 4 km away on our map.
The ranch runs its own two-hour bird walk every day, and a full private day for a birder who wants more. On its page for the park's Las Pailas trail, the ranch puts the count at more than 300 species of birds.
It is the lodge for a birder travelling with people who would rather ride: horses, the canopy, tubing on the Río Negro and the hot springs are all on the same property, so nobody waits in the car.
The ranch's nature tours include a daily two-hour bird watching walk and a six-hour private birding day in the Rincón de la Vieja area. Its hiking tours go into the park on the Las Pailas trail and out to the ranch's waterfalls, La Victoria over the Río Negro canyon among them, and a self-guided walk to the Red Pond passes a red and white lava rock formation. The site names no individual bird species or bird guide, so the birds below are from our own pages for the park and the dry side.
Photo: Hacienda Guachipelin
Rincón de la Vieja
A Great Property with A Host of Exciting Activities On-Site
★★★
A 3,400-acre working ranch on the slopes of Rincón de la Vieja, 22 km from Liberia, with dry forest, 32 rivers coming off the volcano and birding from the ranch's own trails. Good when the birder travels with people who do not bird: canopy, horses and hot springs on the same property.
In the park forest, the Great Curassow walking the forest floor and the Collared Aracari in the canopy, the two our park notes name here.
Then the dry-side birds a guide looks for round the ranch: Turquoise-browed Motmot on fence posts, Long-tailed Manakin, known for the dance two males perform side by side for one female, White-throated Magpie-Jay in noisy family groups, the two dry-forest trogons, Black-headed Trogon and Elegant Trogon, and the Streak-backed Oriole.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Curassow | Crax rubra | Pavón Grande | |
| Collared Aracari | Pteroglossus torquatus | Tucancillo Collarejo | |
| Turquoise-browed Motmot | Eumomota superciliosa | Momoto Cejiceleste | |
| Long-tailed Manakin | Chiroxiphia linearis | Saltarín Toledo | |
| White-throated Magpie-Jay | Cyanocorax formosa | Urraca Copetona | |
| Black-headed Trogon | Trogon melanocephalus | Trogón Cabecinegro | |
| Elegant Trogon | Trogon elegans | Trogón Elegante | |
| Streak-backed Oriole | Icterus pustulatus | Bolsero Dorsilistado |
Guachipelín is big and busy by birding standards, and that is its strength for a mixed group. The Superior rooms form a horseshoe around two old trees, a cenízaro and a cedro amargo, and open onto a shared covered terrace over the lawns; they are screened, with air conditioning, a ceiling fan and a mini fridge. The Legacy Suites sit further out, quieter and furnished in traditional Costa Rican style. Breakfast is a full buffet at La Hacienda, the ranch's open-air dining room, which cooks with ranch produce and is certified gluten-free. Days fill fast: horses, canopy and tubing leave from the Adventure Center, and most people end at the Río Negro hot springs and mud baths, which hotel guests use without booking a tour.
Meals. La Hacienda Restaurant, open-air ranch dining with farm produce and a separate vegan menu; full buffet breakfast included (Superior room page). Also Rincón del Café and Cantina Guanacaste bar.
Perfect for: a multigenerational family where the birders go out at dawn and everyone meets at the hot springs.
An active volcano with sulphur lagoons and mud springs, and a 3,400-acre ranch at its foot with over 300 bird species: the birds, the lodge, the way in.
See the placeNo fixed trip stays here yet; we build it into a custom trip.
Want to add a luxury stay to your trip? See every hotel we represent on CostaRica.Org (opens in a new window). We plan birding lodges and beach resorts in one trip.
Tell us the birds you want, your dates and how you like to travel, and we will come back with a first itinerary: the lodges in the right order and how many nights each one 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.
