Volcano Foothills · Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Birding Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

The richest eBird hotspot in the province, on the lower slopes of an active volcano, where the dry forest meets the foothill forest.

Plan Your Day →What You’ll See →

Quick answer

The Las Pailas sector of Rincón de la Vieja is the top eBird hotspot in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, with 449 species on 1,705 checklists. The Long-tailed Manakin is on 65% of checklists there and on 79% in May, the White-throated Magpie-Jay on 68% and the Keel-billed Toucan on 43%. The Las Pailas sector opens at 8:00 and is closed on Mondays, so our private full day starts on the forest edge at dawn and moves onto the trails when the gates open.

#1 eBird hotspot in the provinceLas Pailas closed MondaysPrivate full dayBest May – June

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

30+Years in Tourism

20+Years Guiding

449Species at Las Pailas

100%Private Groups

Why Rincón de la Vieja

Where the Dry Forest
Meets the Volcano

Rincón de la Vieja is a national park on an active volcano whose rivers drain to both the Pacific and the Caribbean, part of the Área de Conservación Guanacaste, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At Las Pailas the trail runs past boiling mud pots and fumaroles, and the forest changes as you climb: dry-forest birds such as the White-throated Magpie-Jay share the same morning with foothill birds such as the Keel-billed Toucan. The national tourism board names Las Pailas and Santa María as the two best birding sectors of the park; we bird Las Pailas, the one with the longest public record (449 species). Santa María, on the more humid north-eastern side, has 347 species of its own, with the Keel-billed Toucan on 59% of its checklists.

Rincón de la Vieja

On the lower slopes of an active volcano, where the dry forest meets the foothill forest.

At a glance

Rincón de la Vieja, in one look

Where	Las Pailas sector of Rincón de la Vieja National Park
Pickup	Timed so you reach the forest edge outside the park gates between 6:30 and 7:00; leave about 1½ hours before from Playas del Coco and the RIU hotels, 2½ hours from Las Catalinas and Tamarindo, and 30 minutes from Liberia
Protection	National park inside the Área de Conservación Guanacaste, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999
Habitat	Dry forest grading into foothill forest, with volcanic mud pots and fumaroles along the trail
Park hours	Tuesday to Sunday, 8:00 to 15:00; closed on Mondays
Entrance	About US$17 per foreign adult, sold online only; included in our price
Best months	May for the Long-tailed Manakin (79%); June for the Turquoise-browed and Lesson’s motmots (62% each)
eBird hotspot	Rincón de la Vieja–Las Pailas: 449 species on 1,705 checklists, the top hotspot in the province

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 that hotspot. Source: eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, hotspot data as of July 2026.

Las Pailas

Past the mud pots and through the forest on the Las Pailas trail.

The Birds

Which birds can you see at Rincón de la Vieja?

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

Reliable

Reported on most visits, all year.

White-throated Magpie-Jay · 68%
Long-tailed Manakin · 65%
Keel-billed Toucan · 43%
Lesson’s Motmot · 40%
Banded Wren · 40%

Best in their month

Pick the month and the odds turn in your favor.

Long-tailed Manakin · 79% in May
Orange-fronted Parakeet · 63% in May
Turquoise-browed Motmot · 62% in June
Lesson’s Motmot · 62% in June

Possible, never promised

We will look hard. We will not promise.

Great Curassow · 30%
Lesser Ground-Cuckoo · 30%
Tody Motmot · 12%
Elegant Trogon · 7%

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 of Rincón de la Vieja

Real photographs from the dry forest and the forest edge at Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

White-throated Magpie-Jay with its curled crest on a treetop, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **White-throated Magpie-Jay**On 68% of checklists

Group of White-throated Magpie-Jays perched in a treetop, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Magpie-Jays**A noisy group in the treetops

Male Long-tailed Manakin seen from behind, with its sky-blue back and long tail streamers, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Long-tailed Manakin**79% of checklists in May

Male Long-tailed Manakin with its red crown perched on a branch, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Long-tailed Manakin**The red crown of an adult male

Turquoise-browed Motmot perched on a mossy branch, showing its racket-tipped tail, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Turquoise-browed Motmot**62% of checklists in June

Lesson's Motmot with a blue crown and red eye perched among leaves, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Lesson's Motmot**62% of checklists in June

Lesson's Motmot perched on a thin branch in the backlit forest, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Lesson's Motmot**In the backlit forest

Black-headed Trogon facing the camera, with its yellow belly and pale blue eye-ring, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Black-headed Trogon**Yellow belly, pale blue eye-ring

Black-headed Trogon calling from a dry-forest branch, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Black-headed Trogon**Calling from the dry forest

Black-headed Trogon seen from behind, showing its yellow belly and white-barred tail, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Black-headed Trogon**The white-barred tail from behind

White-fronted Parrot perched on a branch, showing its red wing patch, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **White-fronted Parrot**Red wing patch

Laughing Falcon with its black mask perched beside a tree trunk, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Laughing Falcon**Named for its loud, laughing call

Laughing Falcon facing the camera from a branch, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Laughing Falcon**Face to face

Collared Forest-Falcon perched on a branch, with white underparts and a barred tail, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Collared Forest-Falcon**Perched below the canopy

Close-up of a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl with bright yellow eyes, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl**A small owl active by day

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl perched among dry-forest branches, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl**In the dry-forest branches

Squirrel Cuckoo perched on a branch with its long rufous tail, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Squirrel Cuckoo**Long rufous tail

Male Summer Tanager perched on a branch, Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — **Summer Tanager**A winter visitor from North America

Drag or swipe to see more.

Your Day

A private full day at Rincón de la Vieja

The park opens at 8:00, but the birds start earlier. We use the first hours on the forest edge outside the gates.

Private · Full day

A day at Las Pailas

The usual rhythm of the day. We adjust it to your hotel and your target birds. Not available on Mondays.

Before dawn · Pickup

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

Around 6:30 · Forest edge

Birding the roads and forest edge below the park while it is cool.

From 8:00 · Las Pailas trail

Into the park when the gates open, past the mud pots and through the forest, with snacks on the trail.

Hiker walking under a strangler fig arch on the Las Pailas trail, Rincón de la Vieja National Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Midday · Lunch

Lunch is included.

Afternoon · A second walk

If the hours allow, a second birding walk for the birds you came for, in the park until it closes at 15:00, 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.

Not included

Gratuities.

Bring

Closed walking shoes, long pants, a hat, sunscreen and insect repellent; a rain jacket from May to November.

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 in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

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

Wetland

Palo Verde & the Tempisque

A boat through Cipancí, then the marsh of Hacienda El Viejo, where the Jabiru is on 38% of eBird checklists.

Explore

Caribbean rainforest

Tapir Valley

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

Explore

Close to the hotels

Near Coco & Papagayo

Dry forest close to the Coco and Papagayo hotels, with the Elegant Trogon on 72% of eBird checklists in May.

Explore

Common Questions

Birding Rincón de la Vieja,
Guanacaste, Costa Rica

What birds can you see at Rincón de la Vieja?+

At the Las Pailas sector, the top eBird hotspot in Guanacaste, Costa Rica with 449 species, the White-throated Magpie-Jay is on 68% of checklists, the Long-tailed Manakin on 65%, the Keel-billed Toucan on 43% and Lesson's Motmot on 40%. The Great Curassow and the Lesser Ground-Cuckoo, each on 30%, are possible but never promised.

Is Rincón de la Vieja National Park open every day?+

No. The Las Pailas sector opens Tuesday to Sunday from 8:00 to 15:00 and is closed on Mondays. Tickets are sold online only; we buy them for you and they are included in the price.

When is the best time for birding at Rincón de la Vieja?+

May and June. The Long-tailed Manakin reaches 79% of eBird checklists in May, and the Turquoise-browed and Lesson's motmots 62% in June, when the first rains wake the forest up.

Are there toucans at Rincón de la Vieja?+

Yes. The Keel-billed Toucan is on 43% of eBird checklists at Las Pailas and on 59% at the Santa María sector.

How much does a private birding day at Rincón de la Vieja 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 the forest edge outside the park gates between 6:30 and 7:00 in the morning, when the birds are most active. That means leaving about 1½ hours before from Playas del Coco and the RIU hotels, 2½ hours from Las Catalinas and Tamarindo, and 30 minutes 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 Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Where the Dry Forest
Meets the Volcano

Rincón de la Vieja, in one look