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 · 11 nights · Arrive San José (SJO) · September to November
Caribbean Lowlands Birding Tour
- Since 2004, based in Costa Rica
- Over 25,000 clients
- 1,200+ five-star reviews
- ICT licensed
Our one seasonal birding trip. From September to November the raptors of North America funnel down the Caribbean coast, and the Keköldi ridge above Cahuita is the hawk watch where you stand under them. Around that morning we built eleven nights on the wet side: Rancho Naturalista on the foothills, three nights on the coast, Tortuguero by boat and a last stop at the edge of Braulio Carrillo. In another month it is still a fine trip; in October it is the one we would pick.
- Length
- 11 nights
- Stops
- 4 birding stops: Turrialba, Cahuita and the south coast, Tortuguero, Braulio Carrillo
- Fly into
- San José, SJO
- Getting around
- Private driver; boat in and out of Tortuguero
- Great for
- Raptor watchers in autumn, listers on a second Costa Rica trip, couples
- Zones
- Caribbean Foothills, Caribbean Lowlands
- Pace
- Moderate: three nights at the first two stops, early starts, two boat transfers
- Reviewed
- November 2026
The route
East to the foothills above Turrialba, down to the south coast, by boat into Tortuguero, then out to the lodge at the edge of Braulio Carrillo, on the road back to the airport.
- San JoséArrive SJO, 1 night at Hotel Bougainvillea in Heredia
- Turrialbaabout 2½ hours by private van · 3 nightsRancho Naturalista
- Cahuita and the south coastabout 3½ hours · 3 nightsSelva Bananito Lodge
- Tortugueroabout 3 hours to Guápiles, the van to La Pavona, then the boat · 2 nightsMawamba Lodge
- Braulio Carrilloboat out, lunch at Guápiles, then the van · · 2 nightsTapirus Lodge
- Fly home from SJOtimed to your flight
The route between the numbered stops, the run 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
For years this was our Caribbean trip with two more nights, and I was never happy with that description. What makes it different is the morning on the Keköldi ridge. In the autumn migration the hawks come down the coast in rivers, and from the watch point above Cahuita you look up into them with a guide calling the species. I have never had a client come back from that morning and talk about anything else at dinner.
So the trip is built around September to November now: the foothills first for the hummingbirds, the coast for the hawks, the canals for the water birds, and two nights at the edge of Braulio Carrillo at the end, a short drive from the airport, so the last morning is a birding morning and not a transfer.
Jason Bateman, Costa Rica Specialist
Day by day
Days 2 to 4 · 3 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 2To TurrialbaAbout 2½ hours east to Rancho Naturalista on the Caribbean slope.
- Day 3Rancho NaturalistaThe morning birding tour from the balcony at dawn, then the trails. Late afternoon at the hummingbird pools.
- Day 4The Río Tuis valleyA guided day in the valley's forest reserve for tanagers and the Lanceolated Monklet.
At Rancho Naturalista, the Snowcap at the forest pools, Lanceolated Monklet in the Río Tuis valley, and Gray-headed Chachalaca, Collared Aracari and Rufous Motmot at the feeders.
Days 5 to 7 · 3 nights
Cahuita and the south coast
Selva Bananito Lodge, south Caribbean coast
Selva Bananito Lodge. A rustic eco-lodge on its own reserve inland from Cahuita, under one of the great raptor flyways of the coast.
- Day 5To the coastAbout 3½ hours down from the mountains to Selva Bananito Lodge on its own reserve.
- Day 6Gandoca-ManzanilloA guided four-hour walk in the refuge near the Panama border: lowland forest, wetland, beach.
- Day 7The Keköldi hawk watchA guided morning at the watch point in the Keköldi indigenous reserve on the ridge above Cahuita.
Days 8 to 9 · 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.
- Day 8To TortugueroAbout 3 hours up the coast to Guápiles, the van to La Pavona and the boat to Mawamba Lodge. By road: about 3 hours
- Day 9Tortuguero National ParkA guided boat morning on the park's canals for the water birds.
Days 10 to 11 · 2 nights
Braulio Carrillo
Tapirus Lodge, Braulio Carrillo
Tapirus Lodge. The only nature lodge beside Braulio Carrillo National Park, on a private reserve the National Audubon Society lists among the best birding places in Central America.
- Day 10To Braulio CarrilloBoat out, lunch at Guápiles, then the van to Tapirus Lodge at the edge of the national park.
- Day 11Braulio CarrilloA guided half-day birding tour in the lodge's reserve, the afternoon on its trails.
12
Day 12 · Fly home. Private transfer to San José airport, timed to your flight.
Birds to look for
The Keel-billed Toucan and the Great Green Macaw of the Caribbean lowlands, with Great Potoo and Sunbittern on the list and Roseate Spoonbill on the Tortuguero canals.
On the Keköldi ridge in autumn, the hawks and falcons of the migration overhead, and White-whiskered Puffbird, trogons and parrots in the forest around the watch point.
At Rancho Naturalista, the Snowcap at the forest pools, Lanceolated Monklet in the Río Tuis valley, and Gray-headed Chachalaca, Collared Aracari and Rufous Motmot at the feeders.
Know before you go
- Season. Built for September to November, when the raptors move south down the coast. The migration runs August to December and north again February to May; in other months the Keköldi morning is a forest birding morning.
- Wet, every month. Rubber boots, a shell and a dry bag for the camera.
- Two boat transfers. In and out of Tortuguero by river boat, bags included, plus the canal tours.
- The last stop is on the way home. Braulio Carrillo is on the road to the airport, so the last morning is birding, not driving.
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).”
“This year My Costa Rica assisted me in planning my fourth birding tour to Costa Rica.”
“They also understand birding travel versus other types of travel and found lodges that catered to birding.”
Questions travellers ask
Do we have to come in autumn?
No, the trip is good all year. The Keköldi morning is at its best from September to November; in other months it is a forest birding morning on the ridge.
How much walking?
Moderate. Rancho Naturalista's trails have mud and climb, the refuge walk is about four hours on the flat, the ridge is a climb and then standing, and Tortuguero is boats.
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. Drop Braulio Carrillo and fly home after Tortuguero, add a night on the coast, or take the nine-night Caribbean route instead.
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 Foothills and Caribbean Lowlands. Each zone page has its parks, its birds and every lodge we use there.
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- 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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