Quote: BIRDING HIGHLIGHTS SEMI-PRIVATE TOUR

Private Lodge Transfers & Shared Lodge Guiding

March 15 - 24, 2024

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Discounted Rate (for payment by check or bank transfer)

Price per person (based on 2 participants in double occupancy): $2,952

Single supplement: $845

 

Regular Price (payments by credit card)

Price per person (based on 2 participants in double occupancy): $3,055

Single supplement: $873

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*Prices in US dollars*

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Please note: This tour does not include full-time guiding or transportation. This tour includes private lodge transfers and shared, guided activities as listed below.

 

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Tour includes: 

• 9 nights of lodging and all meals (pre-arranged) starting with Breakfast on day 2 and ending with breakfast on Day 10 (lunch not included day 10)

• 1 private transfer from SJO international airport to Hotel Buena Vista on Day 1

• 1 private transfer from Buena Vista to Savegre Lodge on Day 2

• 1 private transfer from Savegre Lodge to Hotel Villa Lapas on Day 4

• 1 private transfer from Hotel Villa Lapas to Arenal Observatory Lodge on Day 6

• 1 private transfer from Arenal Observatory Lodge to Selva Verde Lodge on Day 8

• 1 private transfer from Selva Verde Lodge to SJO international airport on Day 10

• Entrance fees to the parks and reserves specified above

• Taxes (airport taxes and tips to local staff, guide and driver not included)

• Meals are pre-arranged. All rooms are comfortable, clean and have en suite bathrooms.

 

Tours and Entrances included:

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• Full access to the Savegre Reserve Trails

• 1 full day - shared, guided birdwatching tour at Savegre Lodge

• 1 2-hr - shared, guided quetzal tour

• 1 4-hr - shared, guided tour of Carara National park with transportation

• 1 shared, guided Tarcoles River Mangrove Boat Tour with transportation

• 1 3-hr - shared, guided Birdwatching Tour around Lake Arenal with transportation

• 1 shared, guided complementary garden walk while at Arenal Observatory lodge

• Full access to the Arenal Observatory Reserve Trails

• 1 full day entrance to La Selva with lunch and transportation

 

 

DETAILED ITINERARY

Mar 15: Arrive in San Jose where you will be warmly welcomed by your chauffeur 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. This is a good place to see the White-eared Ground-sparrow, the Blue-crowned Motmot, Rufous-capped Warbler and Hoffman’s Woodpecker.

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Mar 16: Travel to Cerro de la Muerte, arriving for lunch. The area is home to Resplendent Quetzal as well as fiery-throated hummingbird, Black-and-yellow Silky- flycatcher, Large-footed Finch, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Sooty Robin, Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager, Peg-billed Finch to name a few. Before returning to our lodge for dinner, we will also visit the Paramo habitat at approximately 3500m above sea level in search of the Volcano Junco. 

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Mar 17: Today you have a full-day shared, guided tour with a local lodge guide and other lodge guests. Walking through the gardens and along the Savegre river, you can hope to see Flame-colored Tanager, Collared Trogon, Torrent Tyrannulet, Volcano hummingbird, and Gray-tailed Mountain-Gem, among many others. Some of the other species we will be looking for include Black-faced Solitaire, Spotted Wood-Quail, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Ochraceous Wren, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, and of course the Resplendent Quetzal.

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Mar 18: In the early morning, you will have a shared, guided Quetzal tour. Afterwards, travel to the Central Pacific lowlands where your lodge is situated at the edge of the Carara Biological Reserve on the banks of the Tarcoles River near the Pacific coast. Arrive for lunch and enjoy the lodge grounds.

 

Mar 19: Today you have a shared 4 hour guided tour at Carara National Park with roundtrip transporation. Spend the morning exploring Carara National Park, a unique climatological zone where the ecosystem of the humid southern coastal region joins the dry climate of the northern Pacific area, becoming a rich meeting ground for species from both regions. This is truly one of the highlights of the tour, where we hope to find the Orange Collared Manakin dancing in their lek. This is a great location to spot antbirds, up to five different species of Trogons, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, and even Royal Flycatchers. We will also take time to visit Playa Azul where some of the species we will look for are Gray-necked Wood-Rail, Yellow- crowned Night-Heron, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Melodious Blackbird, Bare-throated Tiger- Heron, , Spectacled Owl, and many species of shorebirds.

 

Today in the afternoon you will enjoy a shared, guided two-hour mangrove tour by boat along the Tarcoles River with a local guide. During the tour we will not only be impressed by the giant crocodiles that inhabit the area but also the variety of shorebirds, water birds, and raptors.

 

Mar 20 & 21: Spend two nights in the Arenal area, which offers breathtaking views of the jungle-covered Arenal Volcano. This is a birding and wildlife hotspot, and the stunning natural beauty will astound you. The extensive trails at the lodge allow for tremendous opportunities to view the Crimson-collared Tanagers, White Hawk, Brown- hooded Parrot, and the Golden-olive Woodpecker, along with an array of colorful hummingbirds, and three species of Toucans. On March 21, you have a shared 3 hour guided birdwatching tour around Lake Arenal with transportation included. 

 

Mar 22: In the morning, enjoy a complementary shared, guided garden walk with a lodge guide. Afterwards, travel to the tropical lowlands of Sarapiqui. Spend the afternoon exploring the wildlife-rich riparian zone along the banks of the Sarapiqui River. This rain forest region at the base of the Caribbean slope is well known for hosting the greatest diversity of tropical flora and fauna. Here the Sunbittern, Black-faced Grosbeak,an d 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. Also lurking in the forest are two- and three-toed sloth, 3 different species of monkeys, and peccaries. 

 

Mar 23:  Spend the next day at La Selva Biological Station run by the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), clearly a highlight of the tour.  You have a full day, shared, guided tour with lunch and transportation included. The station 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 Fruitcrow, and Snowy Cotinga, among many others. Animals here are not camera shy, so there will be ample photo opportunities. Peccaries (wild pig), agoutis, coatis, sloth, and monkeys frequent this area. All of which makes for unforgettable days. 

 

Mar 24: Transfer to the airport for departing flights. It is important to arrange late afternoon flights. If you prefer to fly out early, please schedule your flight date for March 25th and we will help you coordinate a hotel reservation for the night of March 24th. 

 

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Important Notes & Conditions:

 

• Meals are pre-arranged and prepaid so if the group wishes to make changes to the schedule that result in missing a pre-arranged meal, there will be no refund for the missed meal and guests will assume the additional cost of the missed meal elsewhere for themselves, the guide and driver.

• We encourage guests to bring reusable water bottle and refill water bottles at filtered water dispensers in lodges and on the bus to reduce our use of plastic

• Any additional airport transfers that are not on the arrival or departure date for this tour have an additional charge of $56.50 per transfer. If you need another transfer that is not included in this quote, we will quote you separtely. 

• Airport exit taxes are not included and are approximately $30 per person (Most airlines are including them now, so please check with your airline for details.)

• International airfare not included

• Early check-in (usually before 3pm) and late check-out (usually after 10am) fees are not included. If an early check-in or late check-out is requested, the client will pay the corresponding charge per hotel policy. 

• Cotinga Tours will not cover any additional costs that could result from flight changes such as schedule changes, flight cancellations, airstrip closures, flight rerouting or other situations that are out of our hands, including extra costs in transfers, lodging, or costs due to missed/rerouted flights that may result from these changes.  All additional costs due to flight related changes will be covered by the client

• Non-smokers preferred. Costa Rica has strict laws on smoking in public. Smoking is only permitted in designated smoking areas away from the main public amenities. This means that there is no smoking on public property, inside the hotel facility, trail systems or reserves. 

• Physical Fitness Disclaimer: This tour has moderate daily fitness activity. Participants will need to be able to stand for periods of time out in the field. Anticipate walking a daily total of 1-2 miles at a slow pace on fairly flat ground. If there are inclines they will be slight and gradual. Minimal amount of stairs. If this could be an issue please let us know.

• No refund for any unused entrances or tours

• Tips to guides and hotel staff not included Guidelines are available upon request

• Alcoholic beverages and costs of a personal nature are not included

• We highly recommend purchasing comprehensive travel insurance that covers trip
  cancellation, trip interruption, and loss or damage to optics and equipment, in order to protect your investment.

• A non-refundable booking deposit of $650 will be collected upon booking

• Cancellations and respective refunds are according to the following schedule (all cancellations must be received in writing):

  • Cancellations received before 90 days prior to the arrival date, the client receives a full refund less the non-refundable deposit.

  • Cancellations received between 90 and 75 days prior to the arrival date, the client receives a 50% refund of the total less the non-refundable deposit.

  • Cancellations received between 74 and 66 days prior to arrival date, the client receives a 25% refund of the total less the non-refundable deposit.

  • Cancellations received at 65 days or less prior to the arrival date, there will be no refund available.