Costa Rica Photography Tour: Quetzal, Hummingbird and Cloud Forest

Arrival transfers bring you from the airport to Hotel Bouganvillea in San Jose, a garden-filled property serving as the tour base. Once the group has gathered, a late-afternoon walk winds through the flowering hedges and trees of these grounds. Lesson's Motmot, White-eared Ground-Sparrow, Mottled Owl and Crested Caracara are all possibilities in this relaxed setting. The easy pace offers a gentle introduction to Costa Rica's birdlife before a generic dinner.

Leaving San Jose, a drive to the Cartago Foothills reaches a zone where Central Valley and Caribbean influences meet, offering rich birdlife. The morning is target-driven, working in good light for Black-bellied Hummingbird, White-bellied Mountaingem and Stripe-tailed Hummingbird. On-site photography may include Montezuma Oropendola, Sunbittern and hummingbirds such as Violet Sabrewing, Green Thorntail and Green Hermit, with lodge mealtimes carrying their own birding possibilities. Hotel Quelitales serves as the base for a cloud-forest session, including a hide where Scaled Antpitta is described as reliable. Breakfast is included; lunch and dinner are generic.

A morning photography session targets foothill specialties including Scaled Antpitta, Green-fronted Lancebill and Sooty-faced Finch. From the Cartago foothills, the route climbs into the Talamanca Mountains. After lunch, hummingbird feeders at Paraiso Quetzal Lodge draw White-throated Mountain-Gem, Lesser Violetear, Talamanca Hummingbird, Volcano Hummingbird and Fiery-throated Hummingbird. The journey continues to Gema del Bosque, a mountain lodge in the Savegre Valley highlands, where dinner and overnight rest follow.

Coffee, tea and snacks precede a short pre-dawn drive to seek the Resplendent Quetzal, followed by breakfast at the hotel. The grounds, gardens and open roads of Gema del Bosque then offer highland birding for species such as Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Black Guan and Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher. After lunch, a nearby feeder setup allows close early-afternoon photography of Acorn Woodpecker, Flame-colored Tanager and Northern Emerald Toucanet. Returning for more quetzal time, the day closes as Band-tailed Pigeon and Barred Parakeet cross the fading sky in loose flocks.

A morning breakfast precedes the transfer from the Talamanca Highlands to the Central Pacific lowlands. At Esquipulas Rainforest Reserve, the focus is a flexible search for the endemic White-crested Coquette, using current local information to choose the most promising gardens for this sporadic visitor. Two nights in the Central Pacific lowlands allow time to pursue targets such as 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 and Band-tailed Barbthroat. Foresta Nature Resort provides a garden-rich base near the coast and the reserve.

Breakfast is included before heading to Esquipulas Rainforest Reserve, considered the best site for the endemic White-crested Coquette. Since this seasonal hummingbird visits gardens unpredictably, recent local information guides where to search. Two flexible nights in the Central Pacific lowlands allow pursuit of 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 and Band-tailed Barbthroat. Lunch and dinner are available, and Foresta Nature Resort serves as a garden-rich base near the coast and reserve.

A private Tarcoles River boat tour with a local captain explores prime photography spots for shorebirds, wading birds, kingfishers, parrots and raptors, with possible Yellow-naped Amazon, Roseate Spoonbill and Bare-throated Tiger Heron. The journey then continues from Esquipulas Rainforest Reserve toward Monteverde, detouring near Orotina for a Long-tailed Manakin lek, where males perform their display. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included, and the night is spent at Koora Lodge, a cloud-forest lodge in Monteverde.

Breakfast is included before a morning at a family-run avitourism project downslope of Monteverde, where feeders attract Crimson-collared Tanager, Northern Emerald Toucanet, Red-headed Barbet, Yellow-throated Euphonia, Montezuma Oropendola, Blue-gray Tanager and Hoffman's Woodpecker. Dedicated time is given to the male Three-wattled Bellbird, an altitudinal migrant and a highlight of the birding world. Lunch is followed by an afternoon feeder session at Monteverde Reserve for Coppery-headed Emerald, Purple-throated Mountain-Gem, Green-crowned Brilliant, Violet Sabrewing and possibly Magenta-throated Woodstar, with White-nosed Coatimundi often present. Dinner and Koora Lodge, a cloud-forest lodge in Monteverde, complete the day.

After breakfast, transfer from Monteverde to the Arenal area and settle in at Arenal Observatory Lodge, the base for private-reserve trails and garden birding. In the lodge gardens, search for the Black-crested Coquette against volcano views, with Green Thorntail, Lovely Cotinga, Green Hermit, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Crowned Woodnymph and Scaly-breasted Hummingbird noted as garden or nearby possibilities; sightings are not guaranteed. Lunch and dinner are included as listed, and room plan and availability remain to be confirmed.

Photographers travel from Arenal toward Maquenque EcoLodge in the Northern Tropical Lowlands, stopping at The Nest Nature Center. From a comfortable hide, males White-collared Manakins work their display perches in good light. Later, the center's feeders draw Crested Guan, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Keel-billed Toucan, Yellow-throated Toucan and Black-crested Coquette, while roosting Spectacled and Striped Owls inhabit the property. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included before the transfer continues to Maquenque EcoLodge.

Photography centres on the busy bird feeder at the Maquenque EcoLodge hotel restaurant, where Collared Aracari, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Brown-hooded Parrot, White-crowned Parrot, Shining Honeycreeper and Golden-hooded and Scarlet-rumped Tanagers gather for bananas. A visit to a King Vulture hide offers close views of Central America's largest vulture, with lunch on site. In the afternoon, a nearby garden draws a Cinnamon Woodpecker feeding on coconut alongside Long-billed Hermit, White-necked Jacobin and Scaly-breasted Hummingbird. The day closes with dinner at the lodge in the Northern Tropical Lowlands.

Breakfast is included before the journey turns toward San Jose, with birding along the way shaped by whatever remains on the target list. The drive stays flexible, allowing stops where attention is still needed. Lunch and dinner are covered at a generic cost. The night is spent at Hotel Bouganvillea, a garden-filled San Jose property that also serves as the tour base on the opening evening, closing the route where it started.

A final morning at Hotel Bouganvillea includes breakfast as part of the package before the arranged transfer to the airport. The route moves from the hotel directly to the departure point, bringing the stay to a close with a straightforward journey. This experience centres on a relaxed meal and a smooth ride, without additional stops or activities. It is a simple conclusion focused on leaving the property and reaching the airport for onward travel.