Hanging Bridges · Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica

Birding Heliconias, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica

A community reserve on the slope of Volcán Tenorio, with three hanging bridges, a steep trail up to Laguna Danta and 488 bird species on eBird.

Plan Your Day →What You’ll See →

Quick answer

Heliconias is a community-run reserve and lodge in the Tenorio Rainforest, on the slope of Volcán Tenorio next to Tenorio Volcano National Park, with three hanging bridges and a steep trail up to Laguna Danta. Its eBird hotspot holds 488 species on 3,823 checklists, with at least 97 complete checklists in every month. The Tody Motmot is on 38% of complete checklists, and on about half of them from July to November. We bird it as a private full day from the Guanacaste, Costa Rica coast.

Three hanging bridgesTody Motmot all yearPrivate full dayLunch included

Last verified October 2026 by Miller Contreras, naturalist guide and wildlife photographer

30+Years in Tourism

20+Years Guiding

488Bird Species on eBird

100%Private Groups

Why Heliconias

A Forest the
Families Kept

The Tenorio Rainforest sits in the gap between Volcán Tenorio and Volcán Miravalles, where the dry Pacific side of Costa Rica meets the wet Caribbean side. In 1985 the land of Heliconias was set to be cleared and divided among families in need. Twenty-three local families formed an association, ABIPA, to protect it, and today eight local families run the lodge and its trails. The reserve climbs from about 700 m to more than 1,150 m at Laguna Danta, so lowland and foothill birds share it: the reserve reports more than 400 species, 18 of them hummingbirds. Three hanging bridges put you at canopy level, and the steep Laguna Danta trail takes fit birders higher, into the primary forest around Laguna Danta, where the Yellow-eared Toucanet and the Ocellated Antbird turn up about twice as often.

Heliconias

The Hanging Bridges loop is 2.5 km with three bridges that put you at canopy level, with views into the treetops.

At a glance

Heliconias, in one look

Where	In the Tenorio Rainforest, near Bijagua de Upala, Alajuela, on the slope of Volcán Tenorio, next to Tenorio Volcano National Park
Pickup	Timed so you reach Heliconias between 6:30 and 7:00; leave about 2 hours before from Playas del Coco and the RIU hotels, 2½ hours from Las Catalinas, 2¾ hours from Tamarindo and 1 hour from Liberia
Who runs it	ABIPA, an association of twenty-three local families formed to protect the land after it was set to be cleared in 1985; eight families run the lodge and the trails today
Size and height	About 73 hectares, more than 175 acres, from about 700 m at the lodge to more than 1,150 m at Laguna Danta
Trails	The Heliconias loop, 1 km; the Hanging Bridges loop, 2.5 km with three bridges; and the Laguna Danta trail, 2.5 km and steep, climbing more than 500 m
Birds recorded	More than 400 species reported by the reserve, 18 of them hummingbirds; 488 species on 3,823 eBird checklists at the lodge and hanging bridges
Wildlife	White-faced capuchins, and the Baird’s tapir, danta in Spanish, which gives Laguna Danta its name
Best months	July to November for the Tody Motmot; October to May for the Black-crested Coquette and the Keel-billed Motmot; October for the Black-eared Wood-Quail
eBird hotspots	Las Heliconias Lodge and hanging bridges, at least 97 complete checklists in every month; and the Laguna Danta trail, with 139 complete checklists, so we quote only yearly figures for it

Last verified October 2026 by Miller Contreras, naturalist guide and wildlife photographer

Figures are the share of complete eBird checklists that report each species at each hotspot, as a yearly average or by month. Source: eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, read October 2026. Reserve facts from Birding for Conservation.

Month by Month

Which month is best for Heliconias?

The Tody Motmot is there all year and on about half of checklists from July to November. The Black-crested Coquette and the Keel-billed Motmot are October-to-May birds that almost vanish from June to September.

Tap a bird to see its months

Tody Motmot: best in July, on 57% of checklists.

See all the numbers as a table

Bird	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Tody Motmot	22%	32%	35%	38%	47%	46%	57%	50%	53%	48%	51%	27%
Keel-billed Toucan	27%	36%	47%	48%	41%	41%	41%	43%	27%	51%	39%	29%
Black-crested Coquette	7%	6%	4%	10%	11%	1%	1%	1%	1%	5%	7%	13%
Keel-billed Motmot	10%	12%	10%	15%	13%	4%	1%	5%	6%	19%	19%	13%
Ocellated Antbird	9%	9%	8%	9%	6%	9%	17%	16%	9%	8%	15%	12%
Black-eared Wood-Quail	3%	5%	4%	4%	5%	11%	5%	3%	4%	18%	11%	4%
Ornate Hawk-Eagle	6%	7%	4%	6%	4%	11%	2%	6%	10%	8%	17%	6%
Checklists	310	352	368	271	140	97	110	101	116	141	148	199

Share of complete eBird checklists that report each species at the Las Heliconias Lodge and hanging bridges hotspot, by month; the three best months of each bird are highlighted. Source: eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, read October 2026.

Tenorio Rainforest

The Tenorio Rainforest sits between Volcán Tenorio and Volcán Miravalles, where the dry Pacific side meets the wet Caribbean side.

The Birds

Which birds can you see at Heliconias?

You will see birds on every visit. What we can’t promise is which ones, so here they are sorted honestly.

Most often

The birds on the most checklists, all year.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird · 52%
Spotted Antbird · 40%
Keel-billed Toucan · 39%
Tody Motmot · 38%, 57% in July
Yellow-throated Toucan · 38%
Crested Guan · 27%

Best in their month

Pick the month and the odds turn in your favor.

Broad-billed Motmot · 16%, 41% in October
Keel-billed Motmot · 11%, 19% in October and November
Great Curassow · 11%, 19% in May
Ornate Hawk-Eagle · 7%, 17% in November
Black-crested Coquette · 6%, 13% in December

The specialties

Higher on the Laguna Danta trail. Never promised.

Ocellated Antbird · 10%, 18% on the trail
Yellow-eared Toucanet · 9%, 19% on the trail
Black-eared Wood-Quail · 6%, 18% in October
Zeledon’s Antbird · 3%
Lattice-tailed Trogon · 1%

If you come for one bird, tell us before the day. The forest has the last word, but we will put you in the right place at the right hour.

From the Field

Birds and Bridges of the Tenorio Rainforest

Real photographs from the reserves we bird on the slope of Volcán Tenorio, where Heliconias sits.

Ocellated Antbird holding an insect in its bill beside a mossy trunk, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Ocellated Antbird**Follows army-ant swarms · 18% of checklists on the Laguna Danta trail

Yellow-eared Toucanet perched among leaves, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Yellow-eared Toucanet**9% of checklists at the lodge, 19% on the Laguna Danta trail

Canopy observation platform on the Heliconias hanging bridges, Tenorio rainforest, Costa Rica — **The Hanging Bridges**Three bridges put you at canopy level

Tody Motmot perched on a mossy branch, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Tody Motmot**38% of checklists, 57% in July

Keel-billed Toucan perched on a thin branch, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Keel-billed Toucan**39% of checklists

Bicolored Antbird with bare blue skin around its eye, perched on a branch, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Bicolored Antbird**Another army-ant follower of the understory

Miller Contreras photographing wildlife from a hanging bridge in the Tenorio rainforest, Costa Rica — **Miller Contreras**Naturalist guide and wildlife photographer, on a hanging bridge

Spotted Antbird clinging to a thin vertical stem in the understory, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Spotted Antbird**40% of checklists

Close-up of a Spotted Antbird showing its gray head and spotted breast, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Spotted Antbird**Up close: the spotted breast that names it

Barred Antshrike with its crest raised, perched on a branch, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Barred Antshrike**Barred black and white, with a crest it raises

Black-cheeked Woodpecker clinging to a tree trunk, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Black-cheeked Woodpecker**A woodpecker of the Caribbean slope

Visitor crossing a canopy hanging bridge on a Tenorio rainforest tour in Costa Rica — **Crossing a Bridge**The Hanging Bridges loop is 2.5 km

Golden-olive Woodpecker perched on a horizontal branch, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Golden-olive Woodpecker**Gray crown, red nape and barred underparts

Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush singing from a thin branch, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush**Singing from a low perch

Keel-billed Motmot in the forest understory, Tenorio rainforest, Costa Rica — **Keel-billed Motmot**19% of checklists in October and November

Yellow-throated toucan on a rainforest birding & photography tour at Tenorio, Costa Rica — **Yellow-throated Toucan**38% of checklists

Blue-black Grosbeak perched on a thin stem among large leaves, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Blue-black Grosbeak**Deep blue, with a heavy seed-cracking bill

Crested Guan in a rainforest tree showing its red throat wattle, Tenorio rainforest, Costa Rica — **Crested Guan**27% of checklists

Wildlife photographer on a hanging bridges canopy tour in the Tenorio rainforest, Costa Rica — **Into the Treetops**The bridges bring the canopy birds closer

Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant perched on a thin branch, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant**A tiny flycatcher with a scaly crest

Ocellated Antbird facing the camera on a mossy branch, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Ocellated Antbird**Face to face in the understory

Ocellated antbird spotted on a hanging bridges birding tour in the Tenorio rainforest, Costa Rica — **Ocellated Antbird**10% of checklists at the lodge

Tody Motmot perched on a thin branch in the understory of the Tenorio rainforest, Costa Rica — **Tody Motmot**A small motmot of the understory

Golden-olive Woodpecker clinging to a slender trunk, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Golden-olive Woodpecker**Working a slender trunk

Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush with orange bill, legs and eye-ring, standing on a mossy branch, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush**Orange bill, legs and eye-ring

Laughing falcon (guaco) perched in the Tenorio rainforest, Costa Rica birding tour — **Laughing Falcon**A snake hunter of the forest edge

Spectacled owl in the Tenorio rainforest on a Costa Rica birding tour — **Spectacled Owl**Roosts by day in the forest

Ocellated Antbird with its bill open, perched on a curved branch, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Ocellated Antbird**Caught mid-call

Tody Motmot looking up from a mossy branch, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **Tody Motmot**Looking up from the understory

Group birdwatching with binoculars on the rainforest trail between the hanging bridges in Tenorio, Costa Rica — **Binoculars Up**Birding the trail between the bridges

Miller Contreras, founder and lead naturalist guide, with a telephoto lens on a canopy platform in the Tenorio rainforest — Guanadreams CR — **On the Platform**Miller with a telephoto lens in the canopy

Two wildlife photographers with tripods on a trail in the Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica — **On the Trail**Time to set up the tripod and wait for the bird

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Your Day

A private full day at Heliconias

We leave early to be in the forest for the first, busiest hours. Heliconias is one of the two reserves of our Tenorio Rainforest birding day, together with Tapir Valley. The day is spent at one reserve, the one you choose; if the hours allow, we close it with a second walk in the Tenorio Rainforest.

Private · Full day

A day at Heliconias

The usual rhythm of the day. We adjust it to your hotel, your fitness and your target birds.

Before dawn · Pickup

Timed so you reach Heliconias between 6:30 and 7:00, when the birds are most active. The exact time depends on your hotel.

Morning · Trails and bridges

The Heliconias and Hanging Bridges loops, or the steep Laguna Danta trail for fit birders, with snacks in the field.

Couple spotting wildlife on a rainforest trail on a Tenorio canopy tour, Costa Rica

Midday · Lunch

Lunch is included.

Afternoon · A second walk

If the hours allow, a second birding walk to close the day, then the drive back to your hotel.

PriceFrom $700 per private group of 2

Good to know

What the day includes

Everything is private: your group never joins strangers.

Included

A private naturalist guide specialized in birds, private transportation, park entrances, binoculars and a spotting scope, bottled water, snacks and lunch. Taxes included.

Naturalist guide and birders with a spotting scope on a forest trail in the Tenorio rainforest, Costa Rica

Not included

Gratuities.

Bring

Light clothes, long pants, closed shoes with good grip, insect repellent and a rain jacket all year: this is the wet side of the volcano.

Cancellation

Seventy-two hours before your birding day begins, counted from your pickup time and not the day: cancel before that for a full refund.

More Birding

More birding sites near Guanacaste

Each site has its own season. See where to bird in Guanacaste, Costa Rica and the best time for birding, month by month.

Caribbean rainforest

Tapir Valley

A Tenorio Rainforest reserve, with the Snowcap on 56% of eBird checklists and three toucans.

Explore

Volcano foothills

Rincón de la Vieja

The top eBird hotspot in Guanacaste, Costa Rica: manakins, motmots and magpie-jays below the volcano.

Explore

Cloud forest

Valle de los Quetzales

The Resplendent Quetzal on 85% of eBird checklists in May, and the endemic Coppery-headed Emerald.

Explore

Common Questions

Birding Heliconias,
Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica

Where is Heliconias in Costa Rica?+

In the Tenorio Rainforest, near Bijagua de Upala, in Alajuela, on the slope of Volcán Tenorio and next to Tenorio Volcano National Park. We bird it as a private full day from the Guanacaste, Costa Rica coast.

What birds can you see at Heliconias?+

The most reported are the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, on 52% of complete eBird checklists, the Spotted Antbird on 40%, the Keel-billed Toucan on 39%, and the Tody Motmot and the Yellow-throated Toucan on 38% each. The reserve reports more than 400 species, 18 of them hummingbirds.

When is the best time to bird Heliconias?+

July to November for the Tody Motmot, on about half of checklists. October to May for the Black-crested Coquette and the Keel-billed Motmot, which almost vanish from June to September. October is the best month for the Black-eared Wood-Quail (18%) and the Broad-billed Motmot (41%).

Is the Laguna Danta trail worth it for birders?+

If you are fit, yes. It is 2.5 km and steep, climbing more than 500 m to Laguna Danta, and its eBird hotspot reports the Yellow-eared Toucanet on 19% of complete checklists and the Ocellated Antbird on 18%, about twice the rate at the lodge. It has only 139 complete checklists, so these are yearly figures.

Are the hanging bridges good for birding?+

Yes. The Hanging Bridges loop is 2.5 km with three bridges that put you at canopy level, with views into the treetops.

Can you see the Bare-necked Umbrellabird or the Three-wattled Bellbird at Heliconias?+

Rarely. Both are on eBird checklists at Heliconias, but on less than 1% at the lodge and on only a few checklists on the Laguna Danta trail. The Resplendent Quetzal has no eBird record there.

Who runs Heliconias?+

Local families. In 1985 the land was set to be cleared and divided; twenty-three families formed ABIPA to protect it instead, and eight local families run the lodge and its trails today.

How much does a private birding day at Heliconias cost?+

From $700 per private group of 2 guests, that is $350 per person, taxes included. It is a full day and 100% private: your naturalist guide, transportation and route are yours alone. The price includes a private naturalist guide specialized in birds, private transportation, park entrances, binoculars and a spotting scope, bottled water, snacks and lunch.

What time is pickup?+

We time it so you reach Heliconias between 6:30 and 7:00 in the morning, when the birds are most active. That means leaving about 2 hours before from Playas del Coco and the RIU hotels, 2½ hours from Las Catalinas, 2¾ hours from Tamarindo and 1 hour from Liberia. For other hotels we confirm the time when you book.

What is the cancellation policy?+

Seventy-two hours before your birding day begins, counted from your pickup time and not the day. Cancel before that and you get a full refund. We ask for three days because the reserve, your private guide and lunch are booked for your group alone. If we cancel for safety or weather, you get one hundred percent back.

Plan Your Birding

Send Us Your Dates
and Your Target Birds

Tell us when you are coming and which birds you are after. We will tell you honestly what is realistic for your dates and plan the day around it.

Send Your List on WhatsApp Design Your Trip

Private groups only · Hotel and LIR pickup · Based in Playas del Coco, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

By the Guanadreams team, led by Miller Contreras — naturalist guide and wildlife photographer, born and raised in Guanacaste.

Birding Heliconias, Tenorio Rainforest, Costa Rica

A Forest the
Families Kept

Heliconias, in one look

Which month is best for Heliconias?