Day 1 · 1 night
San José
Hotel Bougainvillea, Heredia
Hotel Bougainvillea. Gardens with mature trees twenty minutes from the airport.
- Day 1San JoséOur greeter meets you at arrivals with your welcome pack. Private transfer to Hotel Bougainvillea.
Birding trip · 9 nights · Arrive San José (SJO)
Best of Birding in Costa Rica's Caribbean
- Since 2004, based in Costa Rica
- Over 25,000 clients
- 1,200+ five-star reviews
- ICT licensed
The wet side of the country in nine nights: Tortuguero, where the birding is done from a boat on the canals, Rancho Naturalista above Turrialba, the lodge that made the Caribbean foothills a birding zone of its own, and the south Caribbean coast down to the Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge near Panama. Great Green Macaw and Keel-billed Toucan country, with the Snowcap at the hummingbird pools in between.
- Length
- 9 nights
- Stops
- 3 birding stops: Tortuguero, Turrialba, the south Caribbean coast
- Fly into
- San José, SJO
- Getting around
- Private driver; boat in and out of Tortuguero
- Great for
- Birders who want boat days, couples, retired listers, a second Costa Rica trip
- Zones
- Caribbean Lowlands, Caribbean Foothills
- Pace
- Moderate: two to three nights a stop, early starts, one long transfer day each way to Tortuguero
- Reviewed
- November 2026
The route
Over the Braulio Carrillo pass to the Caribbean plain, by boat into Tortuguero and out again, up to the foothills above Turrialba, then down to the south coast and back over the mountains to the airport.
- San JoséArrive SJO, 1 night at Hotel Bougainvillea in Heredia
- Tortuguerovan to La Pavona (about 3 hours with the breakfast stop at Guápiles), then the boat · 2 nightsMawamba Lodge
- Turrialbaboat out, lunch at Guápiles, then the drive · · 2 nightsRancho Naturalista
- South Caribbean coast3 nightsSelva Bananito Lodge
- San José1 nightHotel Bougainvillea
- Fly home from SJOa short transfer, timed to your flight
The route between the numbered stops; lodges as small red pins.Every stop and lodge on this route is in the numbered list.
Why we built it this way
Tortuguero is the place I send people who have had enough of trails. The lodge is on a strip of land between the sea and the canals, the park is water, and every birding hour is in a boat with a guide at the bow, which is a very different morning from a forest walk at altitude. Two nights is enough for the canals and the village; a third is for the turtles, if your dates fall in the nesting season.
Then the foothills, because Rancho Naturalista is the best balcony in the country, and then the south coast, because the Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge is where the Caribbean lowland forest runs into the sea and hardly anyone's itinerary goes there. I put the last night back near the airport so the long drive over the mountains is done the day before you fly, not the morning of.
Jason Bateman, Costa Rica Specialist
Day by day
Days 2 to 3 · 2 nights
Tortuguero
Mawamba Lodge, Tortuguero
Mawamba Lodge. On the strip of land between the Caribbean and the canals, reached by boat, with the park at the door and its own boats for the birding.
- Day 2To TortugueroEarly through Braulio Carrillo National Park, breakfast at Guápiles, the van to La Pavona and the boat to Mawamba Lodge. The first canal tour after lunch. By road: about 3 hours
- Day 3Tortuguero National ParkA guided boat morning on the canals for the water birds, then the village.
Days 4 to 5 · 2 nights
Turrialba
Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba
Rancho Naturalista. The birding lodge of the Caribbean foothills: 125 acres of slope forest, feeders on the balcony, hummingbird pools, a list over 450.
- Day 4To TurrialbaBoat out, lunch at Guápiles, then the drive up to Rancho Naturalista. Feeders on the balcony before dinner.
- Day 5The Río Tuis valleyA guided day in the valley's forest reserve, where the guides go for the Lanceolated Monklet. The hummingbird pools at dusk for the Snowcap.
At Rancho Naturalista, the Snowcap bathing at the forest pools in the late afternoon, Lanceolated Monklet in the Río Tuis valley, Red-fronted Parrotlet, Black Hawk-Eagle and Ornate Hawk-Eagle at Cerro Silencio, and Gray-headed Chachalaca, Collared Aracari and Rufous Motmot at the morning feeders.
Days 6 to 8 · 3 nights
South Caribbean coast
Selva Bananito Lodge, south Caribbean coast
Selva Bananito Lodge. A rustic eco-lodge on its own reserve inland from Cahuita, with the forest and river at the door.
- Day 6Cerro Silencio, then the coastA guided morning at the base of Cerro El Silencio, higher and more open than the lodge, then down to Selva Bananito Lodge.
- Day 7Gandoca-ManzanilloA guided four-hour walk in the refuge, lowland forest and wetland down to the beach near the Panama border.
- Day 8The lodge's own forestA guided morning on Selva Bananito's trails and river. The afternoon is yours, on the coast at Cahuita if you want the sea.
The Great Green Macaw and the Keel-billed Toucan, the two birds of the Caribbean lowlands, with Great Potoo and Sunbittern on the same list and Roseate Spoonbill among the water birds of the Tortuguero canals.
Day 9 · 1 night
San José
Hotel Bougainvillea, Heredia
Hotel Bougainvillea. Gardens with mature trees twenty minutes from the airport.
- Day 9Back over the mountainsThrough Braulio Carrillo to Hotel Bougainvillea for the last night.
10
Day 10 · Fly home. A short transfer to the airport, timed to your flight.
Birds to look for
The Great Green Macaw and the Keel-billed Toucan, the two birds of the Caribbean lowlands, with Great Potoo and Sunbittern on the same list and Roseate Spoonbill among the water birds of the Tortuguero canals.
At Rancho Naturalista, the Snowcap bathing at the forest pools in the late afternoon, Lanceolated Monklet in the Río Tuis valley, Red-fronted Parrotlet, Black Hawk-Eagle and Ornate Hawk-Eagle at Cerro Silencio, and Gray-headed Chachalaca, Collared Aracari and Rufous Motmot at the morning feeders.
At Gandoca-Manzanillo, toucans and the Great Green Macaw again, with monkeys, sloths and caimans along the way.
Know before you go
- Season. The Caribbean is wet in every month and the birds are the reason. Northern migrants from August to December and January to May; Tortuguero's sea turtles nest July to September.
- Boat days. The canal tours are in the lodge boat; the trip in and out of Tortuguero is a river boat, bags included.
- Rain gear. Rubber boots and a shell for Rancho Naturalista and the refuge walk.
- The last night is near the airport. The south coast to San José is a long drive over the mountains, done the day before you fly.
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 road leg, on your schedule, early included; the lodge boat for the canals.
- 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
“The bird guides at Rancho were absolutely stellar (Mercedes, Fabian and also Harry came with us too first afternoon).”
“They also understand birding travel versus other types of travel and found lodges that catered to birding.”
“Because of their incredible professionalism, accommodating service, and awesome attention to detail, we identified 347 new "life" birds.”
Questions travellers ask
When should we go?
Any month; the Caribbean has no dry season to speak of. For migrants, August to December or January to May; for nesting sea turtles at Tortuguero, July to September.
How much walking?
Less than our highland routes. Tortuguero is boats, the refuge walk is about four hours on the flat, and the Cerro Silencio morning is the one real hike, and optional.
Are international flights included?
No. Everything from landing to check-in for the flight home is ours; the flights are yours, and we advise on times.
Can we change it?
Yes. A third night at Tortuguero in turtle season, Arenal added after Turrialba (our Top Birding Spots route), or a beach day on the south coast.
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 Caribbean Foothills. Each zone page has its parks, its birds and every lodge we use there.
Trips like this one
- Caribbean Lowlands Birding TourTurrialba, Cahuita, Tortuguero and Braulio CarrilloSee that itinerary
- The Grand Birding CircuitArenal, Rancho Naturalista, San Gerardo de Dota, Drake Bay and Carara in one long loopSee that itinerary
- Three Slopes and ArenalArenal, Macaw Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota and Rancho Naturalista, two nights eachSee that itinerary
Or see all twenty-three birding trips, or every lodge we use, on one map.
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