Since 2004 · Licensed by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT)

Bare-necked Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus glabricollis)Bare-necked Umbrellabird

Birding trip · 10 nights · Arrive San José (SJO)

Sarapiquí, Arenal and Carara

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  • Since 2004, based in Costa Rica
  • Over 25,000 clients
  • 1,200+ five-star reviews
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The lowlands of both slopes in ten nights. Two nights in the Sarapiquí rainforest, three next to Arenal's national park with a morning on the water at Caño Negro, then three near Carara and the Tárcoles for the Scarlet Macaws. Two nights near the airport first, so the trip starts rested.

Length
10 nights
Stops
3 birding stops: Sarapiquí, Arenal, Carara and the Tárcoles
Fly into
San José, SJO
Getting around
Private driver; two boat mornings
Great for
Couples, a first serious birding trip, birders who would rather skip the cold
Zones
Caribbean Lowlands, Central and Southern Pacific
Pace
Easy: two or three nights at each stop, no long days
Reviewed
November 2026

The route

North over the mountains to Sarapiquí, west to Arenal, then south and down to the Pacific at Carara for the last three nights.

  1. San JoséArrive SJO, 2 nights at Hotel Bougainvillea in Heredia
  2. Sarapiquíabout 2 hours · 2 nightsTirimbina
  3. Arenal3 nightsArenal Observatory Lodge
  4. Tárcoles and Carara3 nightsHotel Punta Leona
  5. 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

Two trips like this went out in 2022, and one of them had been waiting since 2020, when the borders closed. That one added the quetzal at the start; the other did not, and that is the version here.

It is a lowland trip on purpose. Sarapiquí and Arenal are the Caribbean side, Carara is the Pacific, and there is not a cold morning in it.

The second night near the airport is my favourite part, and it is small. A full day to land before the first early start makes the next nine better.

Jason Bateman, Costa Rica Specialist

Day by day

Hotel Bougainvillea

Days 1 to 2 · 2 nights

San José

Hotel Bougainvillea, Heredia

Hotel Bougainvillea. Gardens with mature trees twenty minutes from the airport.

  1. Day 1
    San JoséOur greeter meets you at arrivals with your welcome pack; a short transfer to Hotel Bougainvillea.
  2. Day 2
    A day to landThe hotel's gardens and a slow start before the first early morning.
Tirimbina

Days 3 to 4 · 2 nights

Sarapiquí

Tirimbina, Sarapiquí

Tirimbina. The Sarapiquí nights on this route.

  1. Day 3
    To SarapiquíAbout 2 hours north over the mountains to Tirimbina. By road: about 2 hours
  2. Day 4
    Early birding at Selva VerdeA guided dawn walk on Selva Verde's trails beside the river.

At Sarapiquí, Great Green Macaw country, with Great Potoo and Sunbittern on the list and the Keel-billed Toucan of the Caribbean lowlands.

Arenal Observatory Lodge

Days 5 to 7 · 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.

  1. Day 5
    To ArenalWest to Arenal Observatory Lodge, next to the national park.
  2. Day 6
    The hanging bridgesA guided morning on the bridges, tanagers and hummingbirds at eye level.
  3. Day 7
    Caño NegroAbout 2 hours to the wetland for a guided morning on the water.

At Arenal, the Bare-necked Umbrellabird, Lovely Cotinga, 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.

Hotel Punta Leona

Days 8 to 10 · 3 nights

Tárcoles and Carara

Hotel Punta Leona, Punta Leona

Hotel Punta Leona. A beach resort in one of the country's last transition forests, where the wet Pacific forest meets the dry, with Carara and the Tárcoles river a short drive away.

  1. Day 8
    To the PacificSouth to Hotel Punta Leona, near Carara.
  2. Day 9
    Carara National ParkA guided morning in the park with a local birding guide.
  3. Day 10
    The Tárcoles mangrove by boatA guided boat morning through the channels for the water birds.

At Carara and on the Tárcoles, the Scarlet Macaw and Collared Aracari in the park, and from the mangrove boat Boat-billed Heron and Keel-billed Toucan along the river.

11
Day 11 · Fly home. To San José airport, timed to your flight.

Birds to look for

At Sarapiquí, Great Green Macaw country, with Great Potoo and Sunbittern on the list and the Keel-billed Toucan of the Caribbean lowlands.

At Arenal, the Bare-necked Umbrellabird, Lovely Cotinga, 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 Carara and on the Tárcoles, the Scarlet Macaw and Collared Aracari in the park, and from the mangrove boat Boat-billed Heron and Keel-billed Toucan along the river.

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, and December to April is driest at Carara.
  • No quetzal. This is a lowland route; add two nights at San Gerardo de Dota if the quetzal must be on it.
  • Two boat mornings. The Río Frío at Caño Negro and the Tárcoles mangrove, both on flat water.
  • Hot and humid. The mornings are the work, and 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 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.”
Burr B., Shopper Approved, 10 May 2022. Read it on Shopper Approved
“This year My Costa Rica assisted me in planning my fourth birding tour to Costa Rica.”
bsweettours, TripAdvisor, 30 March 2019. Read it on TripAdvisor
“They also understand birding travel versus other types of travel and found lodges that catered to birding.”
jprentice2017, TripAdvisor, 6 May 2017. Read it on TripAdvisor

Questions travellers ask

Can we add the quetzal?

Yes, and one of the two trips like this did: two nights at San Gerardo de Dota at the start, which makes it twelve nights.

When should we go?

Any month. Caño Negro is fullest from April to November; December to April is driest at Carara.

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. Selva Verde Lodge in place of Tirimbina, Macaw Lodge or Cerro Lodge in place of Punta Leona, or one night near the airport instead of two.

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 Central and Southern Pacific Lowlands. Each zone page has its parks, its birds and every lodge we use there.

Trips like this one

Or see all twenty-three birding trips, or every lodge we use, on one map.

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