Costa Rica birding tours and packages: twenty-three trips we build
Eighteen of the routes on this page began as a trip we built for someone: a couple with a quetzal at the top of the list, a tour leader bringing a group back for the fourth time, a birder whose partner wanted a beach at the end. The other five are new for 2027. All twenty-three are starting points, not fixed departures: the dates, the lodges, the pace and the order of the stops are yours to change.
Travelling as a couple and only one of you birds? Birding for couples puts the five trips that suit you both side by side.
How a birding trip with us works
Tell us what is on your list and how hard you want to work for it. A Costa Rica specialist comes back with a first itinerary: the zones in an order that makes sense on the ground, the lodge at each stop chosen so the birding starts from the balcony, the drive times as they really are, a local birding guide for the mornings that matter. That first version is just a place to start, and we revise it with you until it is right. Then you travel and we hold it: our greeter meets you at the airport, a private driver moves you on your schedule, early included, and our team in San José is on call 24/7 while you are here.
Every one of the twenty-three has its own page, with the route on a map, the lodge at each stop, the birds to look for and the day by day.
Five trips we are adding for 2027, written new rather than rebuilt from one we have run.
you land herestops, in orderby roadboat, flight or the drive home
5 to 8 nights (4)
- The Five-Night Birding Samplernew: the quetzal and the Scarlet Macaw in five nightsHighlands, Central and Southern PacificSee the itineraryNew for 2027
- Dry Forest and the Gulf of Nicoyanew: Palo Verde by boat from the Tempisque, then the mangroves and salt pans of the gulfNorthern PacificSee the itineraryNew for 2027
- Costa Rica Classic Birding, All InclusiveArenal, Monteverde and a Guanacaste beach, flying into LiberiaCaribbean Lowlands (Arenal), Highlands (Monteverde), Northern PacificSee the itinerary
- Manuel Antonio and the Quetzal Valleythe national park on the coast and the quetzal in the mountains, in eight nightsCentral and Southern Pacific, HighlandsSee the itinerary
9 to 11 nights (16)
- Best of Birding in Costa Ricathe Central Valley, San Gerardo de Dota and the Central Pacific in ten nightsHighlands, Central and Southern PacificSee the itinerary
- Best of Birding in Costa Rica's CaribbeanTortuguero, Turrialba and the south Caribbean coastCaribbean Lowlands, Caribbean FoothillsSee the itinerary
- Birding in Costa Rica's Top Three DestinationsPoás, Arenal and Manuel Antonio, for a first visitHighlands (Poás, Monteverde), Caribbean Lowlands (Arenal), Central PacificSee the itinerary
- Bird Photography in Costa Ricanew: two lodges with feeders at the door, four nights at eachCaribbean Foothills, HighlandsSee the itineraryNew for 2027
- Sarapiquí, Arenal and Cararathe Caribbean rainforest, the volcano, then the macaws on the PacificCaribbean Lowlands, Central and Southern PacificSee the itinerary
- Three Slopes and ArenalArenal, Macaw Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota and Rancho Naturalista, two nights eachCaribbean Lowlands (Arenal), Central and Southern Pacific, Highlands, Caribbean FoothillsSee the itinerary
- Northern Volcanoes and Wetlandsnew: in at Liberia, Rincón de la Vieja, Tenorio, the Caño Negro boat and Boca Tapada, home from San JoséNorthern Pacific, Caribbean LowlandsSee the itineraryNew for 2027
- Caribbean Lowlands Birding TourTurrialba, Cahuita, Tortuguero and Braulio CarrilloCaribbean Foothills, Caribbean LowlandsSee the itinerary
- Dancing with QuetzalsSan Gerardo de Dota, Dominical, Arenal and SarapiquíHighlands, Central and Southern Pacific, Caribbean LowlandsSee the itinerary
- Birding in Costa Rica's Eco-ZonesTurrialba, San Gerardo de Dota and the Tárcoles RiverCaribbean Foothills, Highlands, Central and Southern PacificSee the itinerary
- Nature Birding Tourfor the birder travelling with someone who is not oneCaribbean Lowlands, Highlands, Southern PacificSee the itinerary
- Birding in Costa Rica's Nicoya PeninsulaPoás, Arenal, Palo Verde and the Nicoya coastHighlands (Poás), Caribbean Lowlands (Arenal), Northern PacificSee the itinerary
- Birding in Costa Rica's Northern ZoneArenal, Caño Negro, Monteverde and Palo VerdeCaribbean Lowlands, Highlands (Monteverde), Northern PacificSee the itinerary
- Costa Rica's Top Birding SpotsTortuguero, Sarapiquí, Arenal and CararaCaribbean Lowlands, Central PacificSee the itinerary
- Carara, the Osa and the QuetzalScarlet Macaws at Carara, four nights at Drake Bay, then up to the quetzalCentral and Southern Pacific, HighlandsSee the itinerary
- The Deep South: Quetzals, San Vito and the Golfo Dulcenew: the quetzal, three nights at Las Cruces, three on the Golfo Dulce, then the macaws at CararaHighlands, Central and Southern PacificSee the itineraryNew for 2027
16 to 18 nights (3)
- The Grand Birding CircuitArenal, Rancho Naturalista, San Gerardo de Dota, Drake Bay and Carara in one long loopCaribbean Lowlands (Arenal), Caribbean Foothills, Highlands, Central and Southern PacificSee the itinerary
- Arenal, the Pacific and the Quetzal Valleythe volcano and the cloud forest, then the Pacific, finishing at San Gerardo de DotaCaribbean Lowlands (Arenal), Highlands (Monteverde), Central and Southern PacificSee the itinerary
- Coast to Coast Birding, Tortuguero to the OsaTortuguero by boat, Arenal, Monteverde, Carara, Drake Bay and the quetzal at the endCaribbean Lowlands, Highlands (Monteverde), Central and Southern PacificSee the itinerary
Questions travellers ask
Are international flights included?
No. We build everything from landing at San José or Liberia to check-in for the flight home: the greeter, the lodges, the private transfers, the guided birding, the one domestic flight on the Nicoya trip. You book the flights in and out, and we say which airport suits your route.
Can we change a route?
Yes, and most people do. Add a night where the bird has not shown, drop a stop, swap a lodge, finish on a beach.
How far ahead should we book?
The birding lodges are small, so for the dry months and for Christmas, New Year and Semana Santa (21 to 28 March 2027) the sooner the better. Four to six months ahead is comfortable for most dates; earlier for the busy weeks is the smartest thing you can do.
Do you run group tours with fixed dates?
No. Every trip is private, for your party only, on the day you choose. If you lead a group of your own, we build around the group.
Most of our birding trips are not on this page. They were built for one list and one pair of dates, and the next one can be yours.
Tell us what you want to see. We will build the trip around it.
A few minutes on the form, and a Costa Rica specialist writes back personally with a first itinerary. Every trip is a custom quote built around your dates and your list.