A new trip, short and all on the dry side. Three nights at Rancho Humo, a family ranch on the Tempisque turned back into wetland, mangrove and dry forest, with Palo Verde reached by boat. Then three at La Ensenada, a 1,000-acre sanctuary facing the Gulf of Nicoya, for the mangroves and the salt pans. Two stops, six nights, in and out of Liberia.
Length
6 nights
Stops
2 birding stops: the Tempisque and Palo Verde, the Gulf of Nicoya
Fly into
Liberia, LIR
Getting around
Private driver
Great for
A short trip, water birds and shorebirds, adding birds to a Guanacaste beach holiday
Zones
Northern Pacific
Pace
Easy: three nights at each stop
Reviewed
November 2026
The route
South from Liberia to the Tempisque, across to the shore of the Gulf of Nicoya, and back to Liberia for the flight home.
The Tempisque and Palo VerdeArrive LIR · 3 nightsRancho Humo Estancia
La Ensenada, Gulf of Nicoya3 nightsLa Ensenada
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
This one is new, and it is short on purpose. Six nights, two lodges, one airport. It works on its own, or in front of a week on a Guanacaste beach.
The dry side is a different country for birds. Water birds pack into the Tempisque wetlands, and from a boat you see spoonbills and storks you would never get close to on foot. Then the gulf: mangroves, salt pans and shorebirds.
Three nights at each, because the best of it is at dawn and I would rather you had three dawns than two.
Jason Bateman, Costa Rica Specialist
Day by day
Days 1 to 3 · 3 nights
The Tempisque and Palo Verde
Rancho Humo Estancia, the Tempisque
Rancho Humo Estancia. A private reserve on the Tempisque at Palo Verde, a cattle ranch one family has turned back into wetland, mangrove and dry forest. Migrating birds stop here, and so do we, for the water birds of the dry side.
Day 1
To the TempisqueOur greeter meets you at Liberia arrivals with your welcome pack; south to Rancho Humo Estancia.
Day 2
Palo Verde by boatA morning on the Tempisque by boat, for the wading birds of Palo Verde National Park.
Day 3
Dry forest on footA guided morning on the dry forest trails, for the trogon, the magpie-jays and the Long-tailed Manakin. The afternoon is yours.
Day 7 · Fly home. Back to Liberia airport, timed to your flight.
Birds to look for
On the Tempisque and at Palo Verde, by boat, Jabiru, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork, which nest with egrets and anhingas on Isla Pájaros, a mangrove island in the river, with Snail Kite, Limpkin, Boat-billed Heron and Pinnated Bittern in the wetland. On foot in the dry forest, Black-headed Trogon, White-throated Magpie-Jay, Long-tailed Manakin, easy to find by its call, Banded Wren, Thicket Tinamou and Double-striped Thick-knee. Streak-backed Oriole is listed among the top birds at Rancho Humo.
At La Ensenada and on the Gulf of Nicoya, Mangrove Yellow Warbler, seen from the lodge's boat, Mangrove Vireo, whose local form is named for the gulf, Rufous-necked Wood-Rail, one of the lodge's top birds, and Streak-backed Oriole. At the salt pans, Ruddy Turnstone, Surfbird, Black-bellied Plover and Hudsonian Whimbrel, with Black-necked Stilt, resident around the gulf. After dark, Pacific Screech-Owl and Northern Potoo. The Mangrove Hummingbird, found only on Costa Rica's Pacific coast and endangered, lives in the gulf's mangroves: a chance, never promised. Outside its breeding season the Three-wattled Bellbird comes down to the Pacific slope, Ensenada among the places named.
Know before you go
Season. All year. Northern migrants from August to December and January to May; December to April gives the driest Pacific mornings, and the water birds gather as the wetlands shrink in the dry season.
Hot and dry. Sun cover, a hat and water for the boat and the dry forest; it is the hottest side of the country.
Short on purpose. Six nights is enough for both stops. A beach in Guanacaste adds easily at the end.
Early starts. The boat and the shorebirds are both best early; the lodges pack an early breakfast.
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.
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
“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!”
For these two stops, yes. Three dawns at each covers the boat, the dry forest, the mangroves and the salt pans.
Can we add a beach?
Yes, and it is the natural add-on: a few nights on a Guanacaste beach before flying home from Liberia.
Can we add more?
Yes. Our Northern Volcanoes and Wetlands trip also flies into Liberia, and the two join well.
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.
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 one of our five birding zones: Northern Pacific Lowlands. Each zone page has its parks, its birds and every lodge we use there.
Trips like this one
Northern Volcanoes and Wetlands10 nights · Northern Pacific, Caribbean Lowlandsnew: in at Liberia, Rincón de la Vieja, Tenorio, the Caño Negro boat and Boca Tapada, home from San JoséSee that itinerary
