The progamme for 2020 will be visiting the following desinations but in a different order
Day 1: London / San Jose
Depart London Gatwick at
08:05 hrs on a British Airways direct flight to San Jose arriving at 13:40 hrs.
On arrival, transfer to the Buena Vista Hotel where one night is spent. Buena
Vista is a delightful, perfectly situated boutique hotel near to the
international airport, located in the lush mountains of Alajuela with
incredible views of the volcanoes Poas, Barva and Irazú, the central valley,
tropical forest and coffee plantations.
Day 2 - 4: San Jose / Arenal
After a relaxed start,
we travel to Arenal Observatory where three nights are spent. Set high on a
ridge facing Costa Rica's most spectacular volcano and the only lodge located
within the Arenal Volcano National Park, the Arenal Observatory Lodge offers
travellers good standard accommodation and a truly unique experience. The lodge
itself is within 870 acres of land including 270 acres of primary rainforest
fitted with well-marked trails and the feeding station at the Observatory is
also a magnet for a range of birds. The extensive trails take us through a wide
range of habitats, from gardens to more open pasture to dense rainforest and
this provides an equally varied range of bird species. This mid-elevation area
is an excellent spot for Crimson-collared, Bay-headed, Silver-throated and
Hepatic Tanagers, Red-legged and Green Honeycreepers, Tropical Pewee,
Band-backed Wren, Black-thighed Grosbeak, Buff-rumped Warbler and a range of
raptors including Ornate Hawk-eagle and White Hawk.
Day 5 - 7: Sarapiqui
Today we travel,
birdwatching along the way, to Hotel Sueño Azul in the tropical lowlands of
Sarapiqui where three nights are spent. Sueño Azul is surrounded by forest,
lakes, rivers and abundant wildlife. It is also close to La Selva Biological
Research Station which has a truly amazing range of flora and fauna. The
combination of tasty food and comfortable air-conditioned accommodation, makes
this an ideal centre from which to explore the area. This lowland rain forest
region at the base of the Caribbean slope is well-known for hosting the
greatest diversity of tropical flora and fauna in the country. Here the
Sunbittern, Black-faced Grosbeak, and Grey-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. Also lurking in the forest are two-
and three-toed sloths, 3 different species of monkeys, and peccaries.
We make a couple of
visits into La Selva Biological Station run by the Organization for Tropical
Studies (OTS), clearly a highlight of the tour. The station is among the four
most famous tropical research facilities in the world and home to more than 420
bird species, 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. There are also 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 camera shy, so
there will be ample photo opportunities. Peccaries (wild pigs), agoutis,
coatis, sloths, and monkeys frequent the area. We will also be taking a boat
ride on the river Sarapiqui with chances of Bat Falcon, Green Ibis and
Rufous-tailed Jacamar.
Days 8 -10: Saturday 9th – Monday 11th February Sarapiqui/ Savegre
After breakfast we set
off for Cerro de la Muerte, arriving at our accommodation for lunch. The rest
of the afternoon is spent around the gardens and grounds where Resplendent
Quetzals have been seen as well as Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Black-and-yellow
Silky-flycatcher, Large-footed Finch, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Sooty
Robin and Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager to name a few. Eighty-nine kilometres south
of San Jose, in a private natural reserve of 400 hectares and just 9 km from
Los Quetzales National Park, Savegre Hotel is the perfect starting point for
exploring Costa Rica's magnificent tropical cloud forest in all its beauty.
Nicely appointed cabins and excellent food add to the enjoyment of our
three-night stay in the fresh mountain climate.
We spend the next two
days exploring the gardens, riparian highland habitats, and old growth tropical
oak cloud forests surrounding the Savegre Hotel. Walking through the gardens
and along the Savegre River, we can hope to see Flame-colored Tanager, Collared
Trogon, Torrent Tyrannulet, Volcano Hummingbird, and White-throated 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 aptly named Resplendent Quetzal.
Day 11 - 13: Carara
We now travel to Hotel
Villa Lapas where three nights are spent. As close as it is possible to get to
Carara National Park Hotel Villa Lapas combines comfortable air-conditioned
accommodation and tasty cuisine with stunning surroundings, packed with flora
and fauna. Just by walking along the beautiful flowing river which goes through
the grounds of the hotel it is possible to see an amazing number of rainforest
species. Our route will deliberately take us initially south where we will be
looking for Turquoise Cotinga, Pearl Kite and Fork-tailed Flycatcher which are
on the northern edge of their range. We will take lunch en route. At Villa
Lapas we will explore the bird-rich grounds, and hope to see Scarlet Macaws and
Tiger Herons, Long-tailed Manakin, and Baird’s Trogon. We also visit the nearby
Playa Azul where some of the species we will look for are Yellow-crowned
Night-Heron, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Melodious Blackbird, Bare-throated
Tiger-Heron, Pacific Screech-Owl, Spectacled Owl, Crane Hawk, and many species
of shorebirds.
We spend the next two
days in and around the Carara Biological Reserve, 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. It is also a great
location to spot antbirds, up to five different species of trogons,
Rufous-tailed Jacamar, and even Royal Flycatchers. During our time here we will
be taking a boat trip on the river Tarcoles which gives us close encounters
with birds of the mangroves such as Mangrove and Prothonotary Warblers, Panama
Flycatcher, potentially five species of kingfishers, Zone-tailed and Mangrove
Black Hawks plus an array of waders including Collared Plover.
Day 14: Carara/San Jose
Return to San Jose for a
farewell dinner. Check-in to the Bougainvillea Hotel where one night is spent.
This excellent hotel draws birdwatchers from far and wide, not only for the
high standard of accommodation and food but also the 4 hectares of tropical
gardens which provide ample chances to see a range of central valley species.
Only 45 minutes from the international airport it is ideally placed for a
relaxed final stop.
Day 15: San Jose / London
Transfer to San Jose
International Airport for a direct British Airways flight to London Gatwick
departing at 15:30 hrs.
Day 16: London
Arrive at London Gatwick
at 07:45 hrs.
