NATURE · COSTA RICA
Bird Watching in Costa Rica
Costa Rica packs more than 900 bird species into a famously small country, and the country's northwest is where several of these worlds meet. In a single region you can move from misty cloud forest to flooded wetlands to lowland rainforest — and each one holds a completely different cast of birds. We run these as small, private, photography-friendly mornings led by a local guide who knows the fruiting trees, the colonies, and the leks, so your time goes to the birds, not the logistics.
Below are the three habitats we bird across northwest Costa Rica: the Monteverde cloud forest, the Guanacaste wetlands, and the Tenorio rainforest. Pick the one that calls you, or combine them across a few days — their peak seasons complement each other, so there's always a great morning of birding to be had.
Choose Your Habitat
Three habitats, three different mornings of birds — start with one, or combine them across your trip. Each is fully private and photography-friendly.
Cloud Forest Birding
Monteverde’s misty canopy and the Valle de los Quetzales — resplendent quetzal, three-wattled bellbird, hummingbirds. Best April–May.
Wetlands, Dry Forest & Mangrove
Palo Verde, the Tempisque rice fields and Papagayo mangroves — jabiru, spoonbills, herons, the endemic mangrove hummingbird. Peak Dec–March.
Rainforest Birding
Tenorio and Río Celeste — toucans, Montezuma oropendola, motmots, manakins, trogons, and a wealth of hummingbirds. Great at dawn, year-round.
Ready to go birding in Costa Rica?
Tell us your dates and target birds, and we’ll build the private morning — or a multi-habitat trip — around them.
Short on time, or just want a relaxed taster? Our Wildlife Photography Experience is a 2-hour add-on focused on mixed wildlife.
Part of our Nature Experiences
Several of our guides have personally logged hundreds of Costa Rica's bird species on eBird — some more than 600. Meet our guides and see their eBird profiles →