The classic three, for a birder flying into Liberia: three nights at Arenal Observatory Lodge, next to the national park, three at the Trapp Family Lodge beside the Monteverde cloud forest, and two at the end on the Papagayo coast at the Riu Guanacaste, an all-inclusive resort, with a boat morning on the Palo Verde wetlands before the beach. The all-inclusive part is that last stop, where the meals and the drinks are in. The two lodges before it are birding lodges, not resorts, which is the point of them.
Length
8 nights
Stops
3 stops: Arenal, Monteverde, the Papagayo coast
Fly into
Liberia, LIR
Getting around
Private driver; jeep, boat and jeep across Lake Arenal to Monteverde
Great for
A first birding trip from Liberia, couples, retired listers, a birder who wants a resort at the end
Monteverdejeep, boat and jeep across Lake Arenal · · 3 nightsTrapp Family Lodge
Papagayo2 nightsRiu Guanacaste
Fly home from LIRtimed to your flight
The route between the numbered stops, the runs from and back to the airport (dashed); lodges as small red pins.Every stop and lodge on this route is in the numbered list.
Why we built it this way
Most of our birders land at San José. The ones who land at Liberia usually do it because the flights were better or because they want a beach at the end, and this is the trip I build for them. Arenal and Monteverde are the two stops every first trip should have, and from Liberia they come in the right order: the volcano first, then the lake crossing to the cloud forest, which is a morning I would not trade for a road.
The resort at the end is deliberate and I am honest about it. The Riu Guanacaste is a big all-inclusive on the Papagayo coast, not a birding lodge, and after six nights of 5am starts a pool and a sunset catamaran are what most people want. The birding does not stop: the boat on the Palo Verde wetlands is a morning away and it is one of the best water-bird mornings on the dry side. If you would rather finish at a lodge, say so and we swap it; the name of the trip changes and nothing else does.
Jason Bateman, Costa Rica Specialist
Day by day
Days 1 to 3 · 3 nights
Arenal
Arenal Observatory Lodge, Arenal
Arenal Observatory Lodge. A 1987 Smithsonian research station on its own 350-hectare reserve next to Arenal Volcano National Park, with its own trails and the volcano from the window.
Day 1
Liberia to ArenalOur greeter meets you at Liberia airport with your welcome pack, then the drive to Arenal Observatory Lodge, next to Arenal Volcano National Park. The lodge's trails before dinner.
Day 2
The Arenal birding tourA guided morning on the lodge's trails and gardens with the volcano above, then the hot springs in the evening if you want them.
Day 3
Caño Negro by boatA full day north to the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge for the boat on the Río Frío: storks, herons, spoonbills and jacanas. Or a second lodge morning, if a day in the van is too much.
Trapp Family Lodge. The closest hotel to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, in the green mountains above Santa Elena.
Day 4
Across the lake to MonteverdeJeep, boat and jeep across Lake Arenal to the Trapp Family Lodge beside the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. A guided night walk after dinner for the forest's other half.
Day 5
The Santa Elena ReserveA guided morning in the cloud forest with a naturalist guide, quieter than the main reserve, for the quetzal and the cloud forest birds.
Day 6
Curi-CanchaA guided birding morning at the Curi-Cancha Refuge, from the pasture edge up into the forest, then the afternoon in Santa Elena.
Riu Guanacaste. A large all-inclusive beachfront resort on the Papagayo coast: meals and drinks included, pool, spa, the beach at the door.
Day 7
Down to the coastFrom the mountains to the Papagayo coast and the Riu Guanacaste. The rest of the day on the beach.
Day 8
Palo Verde by boatA guided boat morning on the Tempisque in Palo Verde National Park: water birds, crocodiles, caimans and monkeys. A catamaran along the coast at sunset.
9
Day 9 · Fly home. A transfer to Liberia airport, timed to your flight.
Birds to look for
At Monteverde, the Resplendent Quetzal, with Three-wattled Bellbird, Lesson's Motmot, Collared Trogon and Keel-billed Toucan in the cloud forest.
At Arenal, Lovely Cotinga, Bare-necked Umbrellabird, Yellow-eared Toucanet and Great Curassow on the lodge's trails; at Caño Negro, Roseate Spoonbill, Northern Jacana, Anhinga and Great Blue Heron from the boat.
Season. All year. December to April is the dry season in Guanacaste and the easiest weather at all three stops; the green months are quieter and the wetlands fuller.
One stop is all-inclusive. The Riu Guanacaste. Arenal Observatory Lodge and the Trapp Family Lodge are lodges, and we say what each includes when we quote.
The lake crossing. Jeep, boat and jeep across Lake Arenal, bags with you.
Cool at Monteverde, hot on the coast. A light fleece for the cloud forest evenings; sun cover for the boat and the beach.
What every trip includes
A greeter at arrivals. One of our team outside the airport with your welcome pack and documents.
Private transfers. A modern air-conditioned van and a Costa Rican driver for every leg, on your schedule, early included; the lake crossing to Monteverde.
24/7 team in Costa Rica. Our concierge desk in San José, reachable day and night for the whole trip.
Tours we have tested. Guides and operators our team works with year after year, booked for your days.
A local birding guide. For the mornings that matter, the person who birds that place every week.
Every trip is a custom quote built around your dates and your list.
Reviews
“They also understand birding travel versus other types of travel and found lodges that catered to birding.”
“We came to Costa Rica because my husband is a bird watcher ... and we were delighted to find that Abel was also passionate about birds, and he gave us a great experience showing us all the different birds as he drove us to our destinations!”
No. The Riu Guanacaste, for the last two nights, is. Arenal Observatory Lodge and the Trapp Family Lodge are birding lodges, and we tell you what each one includes when we quote.
Can we fly into San José instead?
Yes. From San José the same places run as our Northern Zone or Top Three Destinations trips, and the beach at the end can still be Guanacaste.
When is the best time?
December to April for the dry season at all three stops. The green months, May to November, are quieter, with sunny mornings and afternoon rain.
Are international flights included?
No. Everything from landing at Liberia to check-in for the flight home is ours; the flights are yours, and we advise on times.
Is this a group tour?
No. Private, for your party only, on your dates; we run no fixed-date group tours.
Keep exploring
This route birds two of our five birding zones: Caribbean Lowlands and Highlands. Each zone page has its parks, its birds and every lodge we use there.
Dancing with Quetzals11 nights · Highlands, Central and Southern Pacific, Caribbean LowlandsSan Gerardo de Dota, Dominical, Arenal and SarapiquíSee that itinerary
