| Begins in San Jose Saturday evening |
 |
$TBA |
Jan 28 - Feb 5, 2012 (9 days, 8 nights)
Single Supplement = $TBA
Price includes airfare from San Jose to Golfito |
Our Southern Costa Rica photo tour visits the more tropical lowlands of southern Costa Rica near the border with Panama plus the highlands of the Talamanca Mountains south of San Jose. We'll spend three days at Wilson Botanical Gardens, a subtropical paradise where we'll photograph a variety of hummingbirds, tanagers, euphonias, and other birds. Special birds there include Fiery-billed Aracari, Red-headed Barbet, Turquoise Cotinga, and Cherrie's Tanager. In the mountains we'll photograph Resplendent Quetzal, Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher, a variety of hummingbirds, and other highland birds. We'll stay in comfortable accommodations throughout the tour.
DAY 1 - ALAJUELA
International flights arrive in the afternoon or evening. Participants gather at the Hotel Aeropuerto near Alajuela, a 5-minute taxi ride from the international airport. Everyone is met at the hotel by our tour leader, who will conduct an evening orientation about the tour. Night at Hotel Aeropuerto in Alajuela.
DAY 2 - WILSON BOTANICAL GARDENS
Catch an early morning flight from San Jose to Golfito. From there transfer to San Vito, unload our luggage, and stop for breakfast. After breakfast drive to Wilson Botanical Gardens, about 10 minutes from San Vito. Wilson Botanical Gardens was originally a private estate that has been converted into a research center operated by the Organization for Tropical Studies. It's much more than a botanical garden. Despite its name the large property is a nature preserve that protects both secondary and primary subtropical forest in addition to its extensive native plantings and orchid garden. Remainder of day at the gardens photographing a variety of birds.
The many flowering plants, shrubbery along the walkways, and trees in the gardens attract a nice variety of tropical birds. Among the many photogenic species are the uncommon but striking near-endemic (ie found only in southern Costa Rica and western Panama) Red-headed Barbet, several woodpeckers including Golden-naped, Red-crowned, and Golden-olive, a variety of tanagers including Cherrie's, Blue-gray, Silver-throated, Bay-headed, and Golden-hooded, and as many as 5 species of normally hard-to-photograph euphonias (Yellow-crowned, Thick-billed, Elegant, Spot-crowned, and White-vented) that sometimes perch fairly low in the shrubbery. We hope to see and photograph Turquoise Cotinga, a beautiful bird that moves around erratically and doesn't always appear. We also hope to photograph Crested Oropendola, a large oropendola that only recently expanded its range into southern Costa Rica and is now a regular resident at the gardens. Hummingbird feeders outside the dining room attract several species including Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Violet Sabrewing, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Garden Emerald, Violet-crowned Woodnymph, Garden Emerald, Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, White-tailed Emerald, Purple-crowned Fairy, and Long-billed Starthroat. Night at Hotel El Ceibo in San Vito.
DAY 3 - WILSON BOTANICAL GARDENS
Following an early breakfast in San Vito, return to Wilson Gardens and walk part of the Jaba Trail, which courses through secondary forest towards the river. The trail is wide, descends gradually downhill, and is easy walking. The walk gives us an opportunity to photograph a different set of birds than those present in the more open habitat of the botanical gardens. The forest is home to 5 species of trogons (Baird's, Northern Violaceous, Collared, Black-throated, and Slaty-tailed that we hope to photograph. We hope to find and photograph antbirds and antshrikes that live in denser forest understory. Possibilities include Black-hooded and Russet Antshrikes, Plain Antvireo, Slaty Antwren, and Bicolored Antbird. Tanagers found in the forest include Gray-headed, White-shouldered, and White-winged Tanagers as well as Red-crowned Ant-Tanager. Several hermits and other hummingbirds live in the forest, though they are difficult to photograph unless everyone is quiet and we come upon them perched. Species include Green Hermit, Long-billed Hermit, Stripe-throated Hermit, and White-tipped Sicklebill. After lunch we'll explore the gardens photographing birds we may have missed the preceding day. Night at Hotel El Ceibo in San Vito.
DAY 4 - WILSON BOTANICAL GARDENS
All day at Wilson Botanical Gardens. The gardens offer numerous opportunities to photograph birds, and this day will be spent photographing birds missed the previous two days or to get better photos of species we already photographed earlier. We'll walk some different trails and should encounter some new species not seen and photographed earlier. Night at Hotel El Ceibo in San Vito.
DAY 5 - TRANSFER TO THE TALAMANCA MOUNTAINS
Depart early for the Talamanca Mountains, stopping at several sites en route. Our first stop is the San Joaquin Wetlands near San Vito to photograph several wetland birds. Of special interest are Masked Duck, the very secretive but fairly common White-throated Crake, and the near endemic Chiriqui Yellowthroat. Lunch in San Isidro de el General. After lunch drive into the highlands, stopping at Georgina's Restaurant to view hummingbirds coming in to the feeders there. The local specialty is Fiery-throated Hummingbird, which we're very unlikely to see anywhere else on the tour. Time permitting we'll stop at several roadside sites in the highlands to look for and photograph highland birds such as Sooty Thrush and Mountain Thrush. Arrive late afternoon. Night at Savegre Mountain Hotel.
DAY 6 - TALAMANCA MOUNTAINS
The valley around Savegre Mountain Lodge is the best place in Costa Rica to see and photograph Resplendent Quetzals, a spectacular trogon with long streaming tail feathers during mating season. Our tour is timed for us to photograph quetzals in their full breeding regalia and before they're spending most of their time inside nest holes. We'll devote our first morning photographing these splendid birds. The quetzals nest in different places every year, so we'll rely on the resident guide at the lodge to give us directions on where they are. Sometimes they nest along the river trail down the road, which is fairly easy walking gradually downhill. In recent years they've been mostly up on the ridgeline because a squatter has been cutting down almond trees lower down, which is the main food source for quetzals. Reaching them on the ridgeline entails a moderate uphill hike with switchbacks.
After lunch photograph hummingbirds coming to the feeders outside the dining room. Highland hummingbirds we typically see and photograph include Purple-throated and Gray-tailed Mountain-gems, the very tiny, bee-like Scintillant and Volcano Hummingbirds, and the larger, more widely-distributed Green-crowned Brilliant and Magnificent Hummingbird. Also at the feeders and nearby flowering plants is Slaty Flowerpiercer, a slaty gray bird that makes a wonderful subject among the pink flowers. Night at Savegre Mountain Hotel.
DAY 7 - TALAMANCA MOUNTAINS
Early breakfast and then drive into the highlands on a private road to look for the near endemic Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl, a species we saw and photographed in 2010. After being dropped off, walk downhill back to the lodge photographing a variety of highland birds as we go. Likely possibilities include Black Guan, quite possibly Resplendent Quetzal, the subtly beautiful Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher, Mountain Thrush, Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager, Silver-throated Tanager, and the oddly different Yellow-thighed Finch. Afternoon walk the River Trail through riverine forest. Bird activity tends to be slower in the afternoon but we hope to photograph Tufted Flycatcher, Black-faced Solitaire, Collared Redstart, Black-faced Grosbeak, and other species. Night at Savegre Mountain Hotel.
DAY 8 - TRANSFER TO SAN JOSE
Depart mid-morning for San Jose, giving us some time before and after breakfast to photograph hummingbirds and other birds around the lodge. Early lunch at a restaurant in Cartago. After lunch visit Lankester Botanical Gardens, best known for its orchid collection. We'll have a couple hours to photograph birds and orchids (for those who have an interest) before continuing on to San Jose. Arrive at our hotel around 4:30 PM. Night at Hotel Aeropuerto in San Jose.
DAY 9 - END OF TOUR
Tour ends with breakfast at the hotel. International flights home.
For more information on the places we stay, please click on the ACCOMMODATIONS tab above. Feel free to call us any time at 877-247-3371 (inside US) or 303-325-5188 (outside US) with any questions you may have or to register for this memorable tour.
