SELVA VERDE LODGE
COSTA RICA
LOCALE
| # Species: | 464 |
| # Excl Vagrants: | 464 |
| # Endemics: | 1 |
| # Near Endemics: | 8 |
| Habitat: Highland deciduous forest, river | |
ABOUT THE BIRDING
Aside from wonderful accommodations, Selva Verde is best noted among birders as the easiest place in Costa Rica to see the Sunbittern, a strange bird that is the only species in its family. A pair of Sunbitterns occupies a territory along the Rio Sarapiqui adjacent to the lodge and are regularly seen from the riverbank below the dining room as well as from the suspension bridge across the river.
The private reserve across the river is accessible only in the company of an authorized guide. The reserve offers some excellent lowland rainforest birding, but the same birds can also be seen at nearby La Selva Biological Station as well. Birding outside the reserve on the lodge property can also be productive. The endangered Great Green Macaw is regularly seen as it roosts nearby, and several other species can be found in the gardens and forest.
LOCATION OF SITE
Selva Verde is a private bird sanctuary across the Rio Sarapiqui from the Selva Verde Lodge. The lodge is located about 5 miles west of Puerto Viejo along Highway 4 on the Caribbean slope of northern Costa Rica. It's about 1¾ hours north of San Jose and just 10 minutes from La Selva Biological Station.