Get ready to experience Costa Rica through your camera on this epic 13-day bird photography tour. Home to over 900 species, this unique journey offers incredible opportunities to photograph a spectacular diversity of birds, focusing on the country’s most iconic species—including the Resplendent Quetzal, Three-wattled Bellbird, Black-crested Coquette, White-crested Coquette, Keel-billed Toucan, and Fiery-billed Aracari.
Our expertly crafted itinerary takes you to the best photography hotspots. Along the way we’ll enjoying private hides, fantastic feeder setups, and visit a diversity of incredible ecosystems.
Alongside capturing fantastic images, our photography guides will help sharpen your technical skills and increase your keeper rate. This trip is tailored for photographers of all levels eager to capture a wide variety of species while enjoying a relaxed, supportive atmosphere. From mastering challenging lighting to photographing fascinating bird behaviors, you’ll return with amazing photos and lasting memories. Get ready to fill your memory cards and fall in love with Costa Rica’s incredible birdlife!
Scroll down to see the full itinerary!
Dates: May 12th – 24th, 2026 (13 days/12 nights)
*Price: USD $6,850 per person/double occupancy
Single supplement: $635.00
*Based on double occupancy at lodgings with a minimum group size of 6 and a max of 8.
Note if you have requested a roommate we will try to find you one, but this is not a guarantee, if none is available you will be charged the single supplement fee.
Type: Photography
Length: 13 days / 12 nights
Starting city: San Jose, Costa Rica
Ending city: San Jose, Costa Rica
Pace: easy to moderate
Physical difficulty: easy
Focus: Bird Photography, Technical skills, composition, lighting, natural history
Max group size: 8 + 1 tour leader + local guide(s)
Costa Rica is a gorgeous country and a mecca for bird photography. Boasting a whopping 900+ species of birds, incredible eco-lodges, fantastic photography hotspots, and an impressive diversity of ecosystems, grab your camera and let’s go!
The official start of our amazing trip begins today. A driver will meet you at the airport and whisk you away to our fabulous hotel. The grounds are great for relaxing and taking in the awesome birdlife on site!
We will meet at around 4:00 PM for a short walk in the stunning hotel gardens where birds like Lesson’s Motmot, White-eared Ground-Sparrow and Mottled Owl, Crested Caracara, and many more are possible!
Official tour opening and intros will happen with dinner at 6:30 pm at the hotel.
*Please note that lunch is not included on arrival day so consider this if your flights arrive earlier than mid day. Also the hotel restaurant closes at 8:00pm so if your flight arrives later than this you might need to preorder a salad or a sandwich that will be served in your room.
Transfer & ON – Hotel Bouganvillea or similar
Day 2: Early morning breakfast at hotel, departure at 7 AM and 1.5 hour drive to the Cartago Foothills. With a mix of the Central Valley and Caribbean influence, our time in the region will feature a host of stunning birds. Our primary targets of the morning include Black-bellied Hummingbird, White-bellied Mountaingem, and Stripe-tailed Hummingbird. Lunch at the hotel where stunning birds like Elegant Euphonia, Scarlet-thighed Dacnis and Golden-browed Chlorophonia are possible!
We will enjoy the excellent photography opportunities on site which often include chances for, Montezuma Oropendola, Sunbittern and other gorgeous hummingbirds like Violet Sabrewing, Green Thorntail, and Green Hermit.
B – Hotel Bouganvillea L – En Route D & ON – Hotel Quelitales or similar
Day 3: Early morning breakfast at hotel, and photography session targeting local celebrities like the Scaled Antpitta, Green-fronted Lancebill, and Sooty-faced Finch. Afterwards we will load up and head into the Talamanca Mountains.
Arrive around midday at Paraiso Quetzal Lodge for lunch and to spend the afternoon at the feeders with White-throated Mountain-Gem, Lesser Violetear, Talamanca Hummingbird, Volcano Hummingbird and the stunning Fiery-throated Hummingbird .
Following our afternoon session, we’ll head a short distance to our hotel. Arrival around 5 PM for check in. Take a rest and dinner at 6 PM.
B – Hotel Quelitales L – En Route D & ON – Gema del Bosque or similar
After thoroughly enjoying our time with this species, we’ll head back for breakfast at the hotel.
With our stomachs full, we’ll explore the hotel grounds, gardens and along the open roads looking for a variety of birds such as Golden-browed Chrolophonia, Black-thighed Grosbeak, Large-footed Finch, Yellow-thighed Finch, Slaty Flowerpiercer, Peg-billed Finch, Spangle-cheeked Tanager, Sooty-capped Chlorospingus, Black Guan, Sulfur-winged Parakeet, White-throated Mountain-gem, Black-faced Solitaire, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Sooty Thrush, Costa Rican Pygmy Owl, and Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher.
In the early afternoon we’ll head to a nearby feeder setup which features chances for Acorn Woodpecker, Flame-colored Tanager, Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher, and Northern Emerald Toucanet. Afterwards we’ll head back for more time photographing Resplendent Quetzals.
Band-tailed Pigeon and Barred Parakeet are common sights at sunset as the flocks stream across the sky.
We’ll enjoy dinner at the hotel, and go over our highlights for the day!
B, L, D, ON Gema del Bosque or similar
This leg of the trip takes us to a rich, bird-filled area with beautiful gardens and plenty of easy, rewarding targets to enjoy. Over our two nights here we will enjoy being proximal to the coast along the Central pacific region. We will also be close to Esquipulas Rainforest Reserve the best place for the suave endemic White-crested Coquette, this seasonal endemic visit gardens sporadically and we will utilize the most recent information to know for sure where to look for it.
Our lodging will be located in areas where they occur regularly in several sites, each at about 30 minutes from our home base.
Then, depending on our success, we will try for other birds like Fiery-billed Aracari Marbled Wood-quail, Velvety Manakin, Crowned Woodnymph, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Turquoise Cotinga, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Charming Hummingbird, Thick-billed Euphonia, Spot-crowned Euphonia, Golden-naped Woodpecker, Band-tailed Barbthroat, among others.
B L D ON Foresta Nature Resort or similar
Today we’ve got an action-packed day kicking off with an 8:00 AM boat tour on the Tarcoles River, an unbelievable experience! Our private boat trip will be captained by a local expert, taking us to the best photography spots on the river.
On a recent boat tour here, we recorded a whopping 93 species in a mere 3 hours. This doesn’t always occur, but it shows how incredibly productive and diverse this section of the river is. Check out that checklist here.
The birds possible here include shorebirds, wading birds, kingfishers, parrots, raptors, and more! Some fantastic targets here include Yellow-naped Amazon, Roseate Spoonbill, Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Southern Lapwing, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Mangrove Hummingbird, and Boat-billed Heron. We will also look for a variety of the kingfishers that can be seen here, including: Ringed, Green,and American Pygmy.
Scarlet Macaws are also a common sight along the river!
Following lunch, we will drive to the Orotina area for more bird species like Long-tailed Manakin at their lek.
En route, we’ll make a couple of stop to visit other great photography sites. Upon arrival to Monteverde we’ll check-in to our hotel and have dinner.
B – Foresta Nature Resort L – en route D ON – Koora Lodge or similar
Downslope in a nearby valley we”ll spend the morning exploring a family run avitoursim project featuring some of the region’s best photo opportunities.
At their feeders, photography possibilities include Crimson-collared Tanager, Northern Emerald Toucanet, Red-headed Barbet, Yellow-throated Euphonia, Montezuma Oropendola, Blue-gray Tanager, Hoffman’s Woodpecker and others.
Among the colorful array of tropical birds on site, we will dedicate time to our primary target – the stunning male Three-wattled Bellbird. This altitudinal migrant is ostentatious, boisterous and and can put on a great show. Getting to see and photograph a calling male should be one of the 7-wonders of the birding world if isn’t listed already!
White-nosed Coatimundi can be seen here frequently.
Back to the hotel for dinner at 6:30 PM.
B L D ON – Koora or similar
Today, we will depart for the Arenal Volcano Area, one of Costa Rica’s most popular tourist destinations. You’ll enjoy stunning views of the volcano and have the opportunity to observe extraordinary birds during the journey. At the lodge gardens, we’ll seek out the stunning Black-crested Coquette.
The next day, after breakfast, you will visit the feeders of the Bogarin Trails in La Fortuna. Here, you can expect to see birds like Keel-billed and Yellow-throated Toucans, White-throated Crake, Gray-headed Chachalaca, Crested Guan, Green and Red-legged Honeycreepers, Boat-billed Heron, and the minute American Pygmy Kingfisher
B L D ON – Arenal Observatory Lodge or similar
After breakfast, we’ll head north with a stop at The Nest Nature Center to photograph White-collared Manakins displaying from a comfortable hide. We’ll have lunch on-site and spend the afternoon at the feeders, where Crested Guan, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Keel-billed and Yellow-throated Toucans, and Black-crested Coquette are regular visitors. The property also hosts roosting Spectacled and Striped Owls. In the late afternoon, we’ll continue to our hotel for dinner.
B L D ON: Maquenque EcoLodge
Early morning photo fun with coffee and food at the hotel. From the restaurant area, we can enjoy the bird feeder and photograph stunning birds like Collared Aracari, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Brown-hooded and White-crowned Parrot, Shining Honeycreepers, Golden-hooded and Scarlet-rumped Tanagers that provide dynamic photo ops as the variety of avian visitors jockey for the best bananas.
Around 9 AM, we will visit a King Vulture hide. This unique experience provides amazing up-close photography opportunities with Central America’s largest vulture!
We’ll have lunch here, then spend the afternoon at a nearby garden where a Cinnamon Woodpecker often visits to feed on coconut, and multiple hummingbird species, including Long-billed Hermit, White-necked Jacobin, and Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, can be seen frequenting the flowering plants.
Back to the hotel to have dinner at 6:30 PM.
B L D ON Maquenque
Lunch will be served on the road at Canopy San Luis, where their fantastic feeders can host a variety of tanagers and hummers. Here we’ll look for Silver-throated Tanager, Emerald Tanager, Blue-and-gold Tanager, Green Hermit, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, and Violet Sabrewing.
Afterwards, we’ll drive a few hours back to our hotel for the evening. Closing dinner, trip wrap, and goodbyes!
B L D ON – Hotel Bouganvillea or similar
Today, our incredible tour comes to a close, but not before a yummy breakfast. With your bags packed, you will take a short transfer to the airport to catch your flights back home.
B: At the hotel or the airport, depending on your flight time
Trip Reports & Blog Posts