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; private transfer to Hotel Bougainvillea.
Birding trip · 11 nights · Arrive San José (SJO)
Dancing with Quetzals: an 11 night quetzal tour of Costa Rica
- Since 2004, based in Costa Rica
- Over 25,000 clients
- 1,200+ five-star reviews
- ICT licensed
The long loop, for a birder with two weeks and a long list. The quetzal days are the first three, in the oak forest of San Gerardo de Dota; everything after, Dominical, the Scarlet Macaws of Carara, Arenal, Caño Negro by boat and the Sarapiquí rainforest, is for the rest of the list. Five habitats, one private van, nobody else's schedule.
- Length
- 11 nights
- Stops
- 5 birding stops: San Gerardo de Dota, Dominical, Carara and the Tárcoles, Arenal, Sarapiquí
- Fly into
- San José, SJO
- Getting around
- Private driver; two boat mornings
- Great for
- A lister with two weeks, a second Costa Rica trip, small private groups
- Zones
- Highlands, Central and Southern Pacific, Caribbean Lowlands
- Pace
- Full: a new stop every two nights, early starts most days
- Reviewed
- November 2026
The route
South into the Talamanca, down to the Pacific and up the coast, then north to Arenal and east to Sarapiquí, two nights at every stop.
- San JoséArrive SJO, 1 night at Hotel Bougainvillea in Heredia
- San Gerardo de Dotaabout 2½ hours by private van · 2 nightsTrogon Lodge
- Dominicalabout 2½ hours · 2 nightsHacienda Barú Lodge
- Tárcoles and Cararaabout 2 hours up the coast · 2 nightsCerro Lodge
- Arenal2 nightsArenal Observatory Lodge
- Sarapiquí2 nightsSelva Verde 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
This is the trip for the person who writes to me with a list rather than a bird. The quetzal is still the reason it starts where it does, and two dawns at San Gerardo de Dota with a guide is usually enough, but after that I wanted every stop to be a different habitat: lowland Pacific forest at Dominical, the transition forest at Carara where the macaws are, the volcano forest at Arenal, the wetland at Caño Negro, the Caribbean rainforest at Sarapiquí. A client came home from almost exactly this loop with more than 220 species, and that number is the point.
Two nights everywhere is a choice, and the cost is that you pack every other day. If that sounds tiring, the three-stop version is Best of Birding in Costa Rica, and I would rather build you that than have you rush this one.
Jason Bateman, Costa Rica Specialist
How the quetzal mornings work
This quetzal tour starts where we send everyone who writes to us about the bird: San Gerardo de Dota, a valley of family farms and small lodges at about 2,200 metres, about 2½ hours south of the San José airport. You sleep at Trogon Lodge, in cabins by the Savegre River inside the forest the quetzals feed in, so the walk starts at the lodge gate.
We give the quetzal two dawns. A local guide takes you out at first light to the wild avocado trees the birds feed on, and the guides in this valley know which ones are fruiting this season. That is the whole trick. A local guide finds in a morning what takes a visitor a week, which is why we book one every time.
Bring a fleece. The mornings are cold.
After the walk the valley keeps going: more than 170 species have been recorded here, and the Fiery-throated Hummingbird and Volcano Hummingbird come to the lodge feeders while you drink your coffee.
Day by day
Days 2 to 3 · 2 nights
San Gerardo de Dota
Trogon Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota
Trogon Lodge. Cabins by the Savegre River inside the forest the quetzals feed in.
- Day 2To San Gerardo de DotaAbout 2½ hours south over the Cerro de la Muerte to Trogon Lodge.
- Day 3Quetzal morning, then the valleyBefore dawn with a local guide for the quetzal, then the San Gerardo birding tour.
The Resplendent Quetzal at San Gerardo de Dota, where the guides work the fruiting wild avocados. In the same valley, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Black Guan, Swallow-tailed Kite and Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Days 4 to 5 · 2 nights
Dominical
Hacienda Barú Lodge, Dominical
Hacienda Barú Lodge. A lodge on its own national wildlife refuge, forest on one side, beach on the other.
- Day 4To DominicalOne more early walk, then about 2½ hours down to Hacienda Barú, on its own refuge between the jungle and the beach.
- Day 5Lowland birdingA guided walk through the refuge's forest, beach edge and watch tower.
Days 6 to 7 · 2 nights
Tárcoles and Carara
Cerro Lodge, Tárcoles
Cerro Lodge. A birding lodge above the Tárcoles River, 20 minutes from Carara, with Scarlet Macaws over the grounds.
- Day 6To CararaAbout 2 hours up the coast to Cerro Lodge above the Tárcoles River. By road: about 2 hours
- Day 7Carara and the TárcolesA guided morning in Carara National Park, then the mangrove boat in the afternoon light.
At Carara and the Tárcoles, the Scarlet Macaw and Collared Aracari in the park, Boat-billed Heron and Keel-billed Toucan from the mangrove boat.
Days 8 to 9 · 2 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 8To ArenalNorth to Arenal Observatory Lodge, next to the national park. A guided afternoon walk on its trails.
- Day 9Caño Negro by boatA full day to the refuge for the boat on the Río Frío.
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. At Sarapiquí, Great Green Macaw country, with Great Potoo and Sunbittern on the list.
Days 10 to 11 · 2 nights
Sarapiquí
Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiquí
Selva Verde Lodge. On the river, with its own 204-hectare primary forest reserve and 15 kilometres of trails.
- Day 10To SarapiquíThe Arenal birding tour in the morning, then east to Selva Verde Lodge on the Sarapiquí River.
- Day 11Selva VerdeA guided birding morning in the lodge's primary forest reserve, the last new habitat of the trip.
12
Day 12 · Fly home. Private transfer to San José airport, timed to your flight.
Birds to look for
The Resplendent Quetzal at San Gerardo de Dota, where the guides work the fruiting wild avocados. In the same valley, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Black Guan, Swallow-tailed Kite and Sharp-shinned Hawk.
At Carara and the Tárcoles, the Scarlet Macaw and Collared Aracari in the park, Boat-billed Heron and Keel-billed Toucan from the mangrove boat.
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. At Sarapiquí, Great Green Macaw country, with Great Potoo and Sunbittern on the list.
Know before you go
- Season. All year. Northern migrants from August to December and January to May; Caño Negro is fullest in the rainy months, April to November.
- Cold at San Gerardo de Dota, hot at Caño Negro. A fleece and a rain shell for the Talamanca, sun cover for the boats.
- Two boat mornings. The Tárcoles mangrove and the Río Frío at Caño Negro, both on flat water.
- Packing every other day. Two nights at each stop is the pace of this trip; if you would rather stay longer in fewer places, say so.
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.
- 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 visited 4 locales: Sarapiqui, Arenal, Jaco, and San Gerado de Dota where we saw more than 220 species of birds including Quetzals at San Gerado.”
“Our guide, Carlos, kept in touch with his son, also a guide, looking for quetzals and we found our elusive Resplendent Quetzal due to Carlos's diligence.”
“This year My Costa Rica assisted me in planning my fourth birding tour to Costa Rica.”
Questions travellers ask
Will we see a quetzal?
Nobody can promise a wild bird, and we never will. What we give you is two dawns in the valley with a local guide who knows which avocado trees are fruiting, and two of the reviews on this page are from clients who found theirs.
What is the best time of year for a quetzal tour?
With a guide, all year. Tell us your dates and we will say honestly what the quetzal odds look like that month.
Where else in Costa Rica can we see quetzals?
Monteverde, Tapantí and the slopes of Poás have them too, all in the Highlands cloud forest. San Gerardo de Dota is where we send people first.
Is there a shorter quetzal tour?
Yes. Best of Birding in Costa Rica (9 to 10 nights), Manuel Antonio and the Quetzal Valley (8 nights) and The Five-Night Birding Sampler (5 nights) all include the quetzal mornings at San Gerardo de Dota, and since every trip is built around your dates, this one can be shortened too.
When should we come?
Any month. For the migrants, August to December or January to May; for the driest mornings, December to April; Caño Negro is at its best with high water in the rainy months.
Is eleven nights at this pace realistic?
For most of our birding clients, yes, with a driver driving and a guide finding. If two nights a stop is too much packing, we add nights at San Gerardo de Dota and Arenal and drop Dominical.
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 the order or the lodges?
Yes. The loop can run the other way, Sarapiquí first, and Savegre Lodge can take Trogon Lodge's place at San Gerardo de Dota.
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 three of our five birding zones: Highlands, Central and Southern Pacific Lowlands and Caribbean Lowlands. Each zone page has its parks, its birds and every lodge we use there.
Trips like this one
- Coast to Coast Birding, Tortuguero to the OsaTortuguero by boat, Arenal, Monteverde, Carara, Drake Bay and the quetzal at the endSee that itinerary
- Three Slopes and ArenalArenal, Macaw Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota and Rancho Naturalista, two nights eachSee that itinerary
- Best of Birding in Costa Ricathe Central Valley, San Gerardo de Dota and the Central Pacific in ten nightsSee that itinerary
Or see all twenty-three birding trips, or every lodge we use, on one map.
Make it yours: request this itinerary
Tell us your dates and your list. A Costa Rica specialist writes back with your version of this trip.