BIRDING HIGHLIGHTS(SOUTHERN ZONE) 15 day tour Call for price Group rates available Based on double occupancy Single supplement an additional $500 Tour Includes: 14 nights of lodging All meals from Dinner on day 1 - Breakfast on day 15 All Transportation in Country Professional Guide Resident Guides(certain locations) All Accommodations All Fee's and entrances (national parks, reserves, etc…) Dates: 2009 Jan. 23 - Feb. 6(FULL) Day 1: Arrive in San Jose where you will be warmly welcomed by your guide and chauffer and escorted back to your hotel. Spend the afternoon relaxing by the poolside or taking a walk in the lovely gardens to recuperate from your long day of travel. If you feel like getting some exercise, there are lighted tennis courts available to you at the hotel. Depending on arrival time, you may also be able to do some birding with your guide on the hotel grounds. This is a good place to see the White-eared Ground-sparrow, the Blue-crowned Motmot, some colorful hummingbirds, and maybe even the Prevost’s Ground-sparrow. Day 2: Travel to Talari Mountain Lodge, situated on the banks of the General River in the San Isidro del General Valley. Here we will spend the day looking for species that are specific to the Southern Pacific zone of Costa Rica as well as many others, including Olivaceous Piculet, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Speckled Tanager, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Smoth-billed Ani, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Scaled Pigeon, Mottled Owl, Striped Owl, Fiery-billed Aracari, Pearl Kite, and Snowy-bellied Hummingbird to name a few. On our way to the lodge we will make a few stops to look for White-tailed Emerald, Scaled Antpitta, Costa Rican Pygmy Owl, Black-breasted Wood-Quail, Timberline Wren and Volcano Junco. Day 3 & 4: Travel to Las Cruces Biological Station home to Robert and Katherine Wilson Botanical Garden, run by the Organization for Tropical Studies. The station boasts an impressive collection of tropical and subtropical plants from around the world, including rare and endangered species from Costa Rica. Among the 1000 genera and 212 plant families represented at the station there is an astounding compilation of ferns, aroids, bromeliads, gingers, heliconias, marantas, and palms. The gardens and surrounding rainforest attract a wide variety of birds, many of which are exclusively found in the southern zone of the country. Some of our target birds while at the station include: Turquoise Cotinga, Fiery-billed Aracari, Masked Yellow-throat, Marbled Wood-Quail, Garden Emerald, White-bellied Emerald, Charming Hummingbird, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Speckled Tanager, Thrushlike Manakin (Thrushlike Schiffornis), Golden-naped Woodpecker, and Pale-breasted Spinetail, If we are lucky we may even see Crested Oropendula and Wattled Jacana. Day 5 & 6: Travel to Esquinas Lodge on the outskirts of Golfito where you will spend the next two days. The lodge is surrounded by dense lowland rainforest, bordering on the the Piedras Blancas National Park. This a great area to look for Ruddy-breasted Seed-eater, Red-breasted Blackbird, Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager (endemic), Baird’s Trogon, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Blue-crowned Manakin, Brown-chested Martin, Scrub Greenlet, and Thick-billed Euphonia among many others. We might even spot Pearl Kite and Uniform Crake. Day 7: Travel day to Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula,. On our way, we will travel by boat through the Sierpe Mangroves. This is the largest mangrove habitats in Costa Rica, excellent for seeing waterbirds, crocodiles, caimans, and turtles. We will arrive at our lodge for a delicious lunch in the open air restaurant overlooking the beach, where Scarlet Macaws often come to feed on the beach almond trees. After lunch we will explore the forest surrounding the lodge where we will look for Blue-crowned Manakin, Turqoise Cotinga, Yellow-billed Cotinga, Marbled Wood-Quail, Fiery-billed Aracari, Tawny-winged Woodcreeper, Riverside Wren, Baird’s Trogon, White-crested Coquette, and Red-crowned Ant-Tanager among many others. We will even keep our eyes open for the Harpy Eagle which has been seen in the area a few times in recent years. We hope to see whales and dolphins along the shore, as well. Day 8: Travel by boat to Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula. This is one of the richest areas in the country in terms of biodiversity. Here we can see all four species of Costa Rican monkeys. This is also the largest nesting grounds for Scarlet Macaws in the country. We will explore one of the largest patches of primary rain forest in the South Pacific region. This is the most likely place along the trip to see a Tapir or Jaguar or other types of wild cats. One of the few endemics to Costa Rica resides in the area: the Black-cheeked Ant-Tananger. Here among the 400+ bird species in Corcovado, we may see the Great Curassow, antbirds, tinamous, toucans, Fiery-billed Aracari and many others. Snakes may also be a part of the adventure. Day 9: Travel to San Gerardo de Dota, stopping for lunch in the San Isidro area. Spend the remainder of the afternoon exploring the bird rich habitat in the Savergre River Valley. Walking through the gardens and along the Savegre river, we can hope to see Flame-colored Tanager, Collared Trogon, Torrent Tyrannulet, Volcano hummingbird, and Gray-tailed Mountain Gem, to name a few. In the evening after a delicious dinner, we will go over the birds, reptiles, mammals, and any other wildlife seen that day. Day 10: We will spend the morning exploring the misty highland cloud forest reserve at the Finca Mirador de Quetzales, where up to 20 pairs of quetzals have been seen. Some of the other highland species we will be looking for include: Black-and-yellow Silky-flycatcher, Peg-billed Finch, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Sooty Robin, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, and Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager among others. Before returning to our lodge for lunch, we will visit the Paramo habitat at approximately 3500m above sea level in search of the Volcano Junco. We will have lunch and overnight at the Albergue de Montana Savegre, nestled in a quaint highland valley nearby, also home of the Resplendent Quetzal. Day 11, 12, 13: Travel to Sarapiqui. This lowland rain forest region at the base of the Caribbean slope is one of the areas well-known for hosting the greatest diversity of tropical flora and fauna in the country. Here the Sunbittern, Black-faced Grosbeak, and Gray-necked Wood-Rail are a few of the inhabitants of the area. This is the most likely spot on the trip to see the Great Green Macaw, an endangered species that depends on the Dipteryx tree for feeding and nesting. This is one of the emergent trees commonly found in Sarapiqui. We will be staying at the La Selva Biological Station run by the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), clearly a highlight of the tour. We will spend the next 3 days at the station which is among the four most famous tropical research facilities in the world. We will see an outstanding abundance of wildlife. The station is home to more than 420 bird species, more than 500 species of butterflies, 55 species of snakes, and 120 species of mammals. A vast variety of different species of trees can be seen in the arboretum. This is the most likely place to make your tinamou dream come true. There are three species of Tinamou that inhabit La Selva. We will be looking for Rufous Motmot, Trogons, Caciques, Purple-throated Fruit Crow, and Snowy Cotinga, among many others. Animals here are not camara shy, so there will be ample photo opportunities. Peccaries (wild pigs), agoutis, coatis, sloth, and monkeys frequent the area. All of which makes for an unforgettable experience. Day 14: Return to San Jose for a farewell dinner and an overnight stay, to rest up for departing flights the next day. En route to San Jose, we will visit the Virgen del Socorro area, stopping along the way for lunch at the lovely Waterfall Gardens on the edge of the Braulio Carrillo National Park, where we will enjoy the extensive butterfly and hummingbird gardens. Up to 12 different species of jeweled hummingbirds visit the garden as well as a variety of colorful butterflies, including the giant blue Morpho. We will walk along the river, experiencing close-up views of 5 spectacular waterfalls. After lunch we walk through the serene river valley called Virgen del Socorro, where we may be lucky enough to see the Lanceolated Monklet. Day 15 Breakfast before departing for the airport to return home. *Each morning we will be getting an early start to make the best of our time, and maximize our opportunities to see the most species of birds possible. As an optional outing, one night in each location, we will go owling. Each evening there will also be an optional meeting after dinner to go over the bird list. Tour includes all lodging and meals starting with lunch on Day 1 and ending with breakfast on Day 15; all transportation in Costa Rica in a modern and spacious air-conditioned vehicle with clear glass windows ideal for wildlife viewing; full time private bi-lingual professional guides specializing in birds and natural history; entrance fees to parks and reserves; and taxes. (Airport taxes ($26.00), alcoholic beverages, and tips to local staff, guide and driver not included) Price based on double occupancy. Single supplement fee of $500 What sets us apart from other tours. Why Costa Rica is one of the worlds best birding and natural history destinations. Things to Know Policies and general information. In addition to our scheduled itineraries listed above we offer customized small-group birding tours with maximum time in the field, tours for the serious naturalist, as well as fun tours for the everyday nature lover. 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