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Worldwide Photography Tours since 1980

Costa Rica Birds & Wildlife

Resplendent Quetzals & Other Neotropical Delights

If good things come in small packages, tiny Costa Rica is a prime example. Roughly the combined size of Vermont and New Hampshire, this verdant Central American country preserves an incredible variety of habitats and a wealth of wildlife dwelling within its borders. In fact, tiny Costa Rica maintains the highest percentage of ecologically protected land of any country in the world.

aracari3

With so many incredible wild places to explore, and so many wonderful ecolodges to choose among, selecting from the best to include in a two-week-long bird photography itinerary is a difficult task. From the lush rain forests of Costa Rica’s Caribbean Lowlands—the country’s largest ecozone—to the epiphyte-laden cloud forests of the highlands, over 800 species of intriguing birds provide exceptional photo opportunities. These include several species of toucans, colorful tanagers, honeycreepers, parrots and macaws, a multitude of hummingbirds and, the star of the show, resplendent quetzal—considered by many to be the most beautiful bird in the Americas. Our trip is timed to photograph quetzals at the height of their nesting season, making their movements more predictable.

howler monkey

Birds aren’t the only banquet on our photographic menu. Our photo tour encompasses a broad range of photography styles and subjects, from close-up images of extraordinary tree and poison dart frogs, leaf-cutter ants (and a variety of other insects), to wide-angle shots of forest interiors and broad mountain vistas, and fast action photography of jewel-like hummingbirds. And—if conditions permit and the creatures of the night are accommodating—we also have the opportunity to photograph frogs and nectar-feeding bats after dark.

All of our selected lodges have well-established bird feeding stations where we are able to entice many species of dazzling birds onto attractive and photogenic natural perches. Sugar nectar feeders attract hummingbirds—numerous species and in big numbers—that we photograph “frozen” in flight with the aid of our brand-new multiple flash systems that allow high-speed shooting with a deep depth of field to capture the entire bird in sharp focus, with a light-balanced background.

quetzal4

Costa Rica is just a short hop from the United States. The country is politically stable—as many as 50,000 American retirees live there drawn by the country’s miles of unspoiled tropical beaches, its exceptional biodiversity, and relaxed lifestyle. For those who want to experience their first photography foray into the tropical Americas, Costa Rica is a great starting point!

On this trip we believe we have achieved the perfect combination of a thoroughly productive itinerary with carefully selected photography locales, a broad selection of target-rich habitats, and an ample amount of time at each place to fully capture their neo-tropical bounty with our cameras.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 (Apr 9, 2024)
Participants fly to San Jose, Costa Rica. Our hotel offers complimentary shuttle service from the airport. We meet this evening for dinner and an introduction to the days ahead. (D)

Days 2–4
We drive to our first lodge in the Caribbean Lowlands where we spend three days photographing a wide variety of subjects. This will be the warmest and most humid location on the tour, but we will be well rewarded for our mild discomfort. The fruit feeders regularly attract keel-billed toucan, black-mandibled toucan, collared araçari, Montezuma oropendola, brown-hooded parrots, red-legged honeycreeper, and more. The natural perches are often adorned in moss and bromeliads, and are changed daily so they are always fresh and new for our cameras. Here we have the unique opportunity to photograph the king vulture from a specially-constructed photography blind. By far the most magnificent of all of the vultures, the king vulture is much larger and more ornate than the more common black and turkey vultures. We also take a short drive to some well-stocked fruit feeders where we are likely to see and photograph three species of honeycreeper and a myriad of other small birds. In the afternoons we photograph a collection of macro subjects, such as the strawberry poison dart frog and red-eyed tree frog. We may even be able to photograph the beautiful eyelash viper and fer-de-lance, two very venomous denizens of the rain forest. Spider monkeys and coatis are also often seen on the lodge grounds. (BLD)

Days 5–6
After breakfast, we travel to our second Caribbean Lowlands lodge. The lodge is set alongside the Sarapiqui River on 500 acres of lowland rain forest preserve. Several well-stocked bird feeders bring a variety of colorful subjects close to our cameras. But birds aren’t the only attraction here. Colorful poison dart frogs are found throughout the grounds, making wonderful macro subjects for our cameras. The emerald basilisk lizard, iridescent green and sporting its three impressive dorsal crests, is frequently found here and is a very cooperative subject. The warm, wet climate of the lowlands is the perfect habitat for the red-eyed tree frog, another rain forest icon. In the evenings, we use special lighting techniques to photograph them as they come out to court and feed. Taking advantage of the morning light, the next day we head to a ranch where wild scarlet macaws and great green macaws come to feed. We will likely have the opportunity to capture incredible images of these beautiful birds in flight as well as perched in the nearby trees. We return to our lodge for lunch. In the afternoon we head to a nearby garden that has well-established fruit and hummingbird feeding stations where frequent visitors include the red-legged honeycreeper, green honeycreeper, blue-gray tanager, crimson-collared tanager, golden-hooded tanager, Passerini’s tanager, and a host of others. Howler monkeys, agoutis, coatimundis and neotropical river otters are among the interesting mammals we may encounter here as well. (BLD)

Days 7–8
After breakfast we drive to our next lodge in the Central Caribbean Foothills. We arrive in in time for lunch at our lodge situated at 3,000 feet in Costa Rica's Cordillera de Talamanca. If the birds are cooperative, we set up our hummingbird flash stations where everyone will get a chance to rotate/share the equipment to capture these cloud forest jewels frozen in flight. At the hummingbird feeders we are likely to see green thorntails, white-necked jacobins, green-breasted mangos, black-crested coquettes, snowcaps and rufous-tailed hummingbirds. Our setups overlook well-stocked fruit feeders where there is always the chance to see and photograph blue-crowned motmots, lineated woodpeckers, golden-hooded tanagers, scarlet-rumped caciques, keel-billed toucans, and many more. Toward dusk we relax on the lodge balcony with a drink, enjoying the view and watching the birds as they fly to their evening roosts. Conditions permitting, in the mornings we may opt to travel a short distance to a nearby lake and botanical park to photograph aquatic birds such as purple gallinules, anhingas, great blue herons, and more. After dinner, we have opportunity to photograph nectar bats in flight as they maneuver through the forest to feed. (BLD)

Days 9–10
Following breakfast on Day 9, we depart for the Central Highlands, our final ecosystem. Driving up the winding mountain roads we enter thick cloud forest. The area is home to the superlative resplendent quetzal—one of the world’s most spectacular birds! Our trip is timed for optimum quetzal activity during the nesting season. The aptly-named “resplendent” quetzal is like no other bird on earth. The brilliant red and green male has fantastic elongated upper tail coverts forming a feather train that make him three-and-a-half-feet long from head to tail. Our first highland lodge is located at nearly 8,700 feet in a habitat with a variety of high-country species, including monotypic and extraordinarily colorful fiery-throated hummingbirds. This afternoon we take our first trip to a nearby quetzal nest site. Our guides have full knowledge of all of the active nest sites in the area—and know what we are looking for as photographers. The next morning and afternoon are spent visiting the most active and accessible resplendent quetzal nest where we hope to capture this magnificent bird perching in the moss-covered branches. With a bit of luck we will also be able to capture the quetzal in flight as it flies back to the nest with food for its young. (BLD)

Day 11
Our next destination is San Gerardo de Dota where our lodge is located at 7,200 feet in a valley at the edge of mature oak forest and the Savegre River. While quetzals are regularly seen and photographed here, the lodge also has wonderful hummingbird feeders that regularly attract numerous species, including gray-tailed mountain gems, green violetears, and magnificent and volcano hummingbirds. Many species restricted to the high mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama are also found here, including sulphur-winged parakeets, Costa Rican pygmy owls, black-capped flycatchers, flame-throated warblers and flame-colored tanagers, to name a few. We shoot this afternoon at the gardens and feeders on the lodge property. (BLD)

Day 12
This morning we drive to a well-maintained bird feeding station located a short distance up the mountain. This location offers great opportunities to photograph acorn woodpeckers, long-tailed silky flycatchers, flame-colored tanagers, magnificent hummingbirds, volcano hummingbirds, and more. It is a wonderful way to end our Costa Rica adventure. We return to our lodge for lunch. After lunch we load up the bus and head back to our hotel in San Jose. (BLD)

Day 13 (Apr 21)
We depart for home. (B)

Tour Details

Apr 09 2024 – Apr 21 2024
Please Join Our Waitlist!
Join Waitlist
Fee: $6,895 from San Jose, Costa Rica
Deposit: $1,500
Limit: 8 participants
Activity Level: Moderate
Single Supplement: $840

Tour Highlights

  • Explore verdant moss-draped oak forest to shoot superlative resplendent quetzals during their nesting season
  • Photograph numerous hummingbirds using our new high-speed multi-flash systems
  • Stay in attractive ecolodges with well-stocked bird feeders amidst unspoiled natural habitats
  • Visit a broad spectrum of biomes from lush lowland rain forest to the stunted fairyland landscape of the high altitude páramo
  • Includes all meals, lodging, ground transportation, entrance fees, photo guide, use of flash units and instruction

Testimonials

The tour leader was great. He spent time with everyone and went out of his way to make this educational, productive, and fun! Everything was organized and planned.
—James S.

This trip provided photographers with a large range of bird photography opportunities. Each location was well organized. Both the food and lodging were excellent.
—Nancy D.

The trip was excellent. I saw more kinds of birds and frogs than I knew existed–and at close range for good photography.
—Richard S.

Tour Details

Apr 09 2024 – Apr 21 2024
Please Join Our Waitlist!
Join Waitlist
Fee: $6,895 from San Jose, Costa Rica
Deposit: $1,500
Limit: 8 participants
Activity Level: Moderate
Single Supplement: $840

If good things come in small packages, tiny Costa Rica is a prime example. Roughly the combined size of Vermont and New Hampshire, this verdant Central American country preserves an incredible variety of habitats and a wealth of wildlife dwelling within its borders. In fact, tiny Costa Rica maintains the highest percentage of ecologically protected land of any country in the world.

aracari3

With so many incredible wild places to explore, and so many wonderful ecolodges to choose among, selecting from the best to include in a two-week-long bird photography itinerary is a difficult task. From the lush rain forests of Costa Rica’s Caribbean Lowlands—the country’s largest ecozone—to the epiphyte-laden cloud forests of the highlands, over 800 species of intriguing birds provide exceptional photo opportunities. These include several species of toucans, colorful tanagers, honeycreepers, parrots and macaws, a multitude of hummingbirds and, the star of the show, resplendent quetzal—considered by many to be the most beautiful bird in the Americas. Our trip is timed to photograph quetzals at the height of their nesting season, making their movements more predictable.

howler monkey

Birds aren’t the only banquet on our photographic menu. Our photo tour encompasses a broad range of photography styles and subjects, from close-up images of extraordinary tree and poison dart frogs, leaf-cutter ants (and a variety of other insects), to wide-angle shots of forest interiors and broad mountain vistas, and fast action photography of jewel-like hummingbirds. And—if conditions permit and the creatures of the night are accommodating—we also have the opportunity to photograph frogs and nectar-feeding bats after dark.

All of our selected lodges have well-established bird feeding stations where we are able to entice many species of dazzling birds onto attractive and photogenic natural perches. Sugar nectar feeders attract hummingbirds—numerous species and in big numbers—that we photograph “frozen” in flight with the aid of our brand-new multiple flash systems that allow high-speed shooting with a deep depth of field to capture the entire bird in sharp focus, with a light-balanced background.

quetzal4

Costa Rica is just a short hop from the United States. The country is politically stable—as many as 50,000 American retirees live there drawn by the country’s miles of unspoiled tropical beaches, its exceptional biodiversity, and relaxed lifestyle. For those who want to experience their first photography foray into the tropical Americas, Costa Rica is a great starting point!

On this trip we believe we have achieved the perfect combination of a thoroughly productive itinerary with carefully selected photography locales, a broad selection of target-rich habitats, and an ample amount of time at each place to fully capture their neo-tropical bounty with our cameras.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 (Apr 9, 2024)
Participants fly to San Jose, Costa Rica. Our hotel offers complimentary shuttle service from the airport. We meet this evening for dinner and an introduction to the days ahead. (D)

Days 2–4
We drive to our first lodge in the Caribbean Lowlands where we spend three days photographing a wide variety of subjects. This will be the warmest and most humid location on the tour, but we will be well rewarded for our mild discomfort. The fruit feeders regularly attract keel-billed toucan, black-mandibled toucan, collared araçari, Montezuma oropendola, brown-hooded parrots, red-legged honeycreeper, and more. The natural perches are often adorned in moss and bromeliads, and are changed daily so they are always fresh and new for our cameras. Here we have the unique opportunity to photograph the king vulture from a specially-constructed photography blind. By far the most magnificent of all of the vultures, the king vulture is much larger and more ornate than the more common black and turkey vultures. We also take a short drive to some well-stocked fruit feeders where we are likely to see and photograph three species of honeycreeper and a myriad of other small birds. In the afternoons we photograph a collection of macro subjects, such as the strawberry poison dart frog and red-eyed tree frog. We may even be able to photograph the beautiful eyelash viper and fer-de-lance, two very venomous denizens of the rain forest. Spider monkeys and coatis are also often seen on the lodge grounds. (BLD)

Days 5–6
After breakfast, we travel to our second Caribbean Lowlands lodge. The lodge is set alongside the Sarapiqui River on 500 acres of lowland rain forest preserve. Several well-stocked bird feeders bring a variety of colorful subjects close to our cameras. But birds aren’t the only attraction here. Colorful poison dart frogs are found throughout the grounds, making wonderful macro subjects for our cameras. The emerald basilisk lizard, iridescent green and sporting its three impressive dorsal crests, is frequently found here and is a very cooperative subject. The warm, wet climate of the lowlands is the perfect habitat for the red-eyed tree frog, another rain forest icon. In the evenings, we use special lighting techniques to photograph them as they come out to court and feed. Taking advantage of the morning light, the next day we head to a ranch where wild scarlet macaws and great green macaws come to feed. We will likely have the opportunity to capture incredible images of these beautiful birds in flight as well as perched in the nearby trees. We return to our lodge for lunch. In the afternoon we head to a nearby garden that has well-established fruit and hummingbird feeding stations where frequent visitors include the red-legged honeycreeper, green honeycreeper, blue-gray tanager, crimson-collared tanager, golden-hooded tanager, Passerini’s tanager, and a host of others. Howler monkeys, agoutis, coatimundis and neotropical river otters are among the interesting mammals we may encounter here as well. (BLD)

Days 7–8
After breakfast we drive to our next lodge in the Central Caribbean Foothills. We arrive in in time for lunch at our lodge situated at 3,000 feet in Costa Rica’s Cordillera de Talamanca. If the birds are cooperative, we set up our hummingbird flash stations where everyone will get a chance to rotate/share the equipment to capture these cloud forest jewels frozen in flight. At the hummingbird feeders we are likely to see green thorntails, white-necked jacobins, green-breasted mangos, black-crested coquettes, snowcaps and rufous-tailed hummingbirds. Our setups overlook well-stocked fruit feeders where there is always the chance to see and photograph blue-crowned motmots, lineated woodpeckers, golden-hooded tanagers, scarlet-rumped caciques, keel-billed toucans, and many more. Toward dusk we relax on the lodge balcony with a drink, enjoying the view and watching the birds as they fly to their evening roosts. Conditions permitting, in the mornings we may opt to travel a short distance to a nearby lake and botanical park to photograph aquatic birds such as purple gallinules, anhingas, great blue herons, and more. After dinner, we have opportunity to photograph nectar bats in flight as they maneuver through the forest to feed. (BLD)

Days 9–10
Following breakfast on Day 9, we depart for the Central Highlands, our final ecosystem. Driving up the winding mountain roads we enter thick cloud forest. The area is home to the superlative resplendent quetzal—one of the world’s most spectacular birds! Our trip is timed for optimum quetzal activity during the nesting season. The aptly-named “resplendent” quetzal is like no other bird on earth. The brilliant red and green male has fantastic elongated upper tail coverts forming a feather train that make him three-and-a-half-feet long from head to tail. Our first highland lodge is located at nearly 8,700 feet in a habitat with a variety of high-country species, including monotypic and extraordinarily colorful fiery-throated hummingbirds. This afternoon we take our first trip to a nearby quetzal nest site. Our guides have full knowledge of all of the active nest sites in the area—and know what we are looking for as photographers. The next morning and afternoon are spent visiting the most active and accessible resplendent quetzal nest where we hope to capture this magnificent bird perching in the moss-covered branches. With a bit of luck we will also be able to capture the quetzal in flight as it flies back to the nest with food for its young. (BLD)

Day 11
Our next destination is San Gerardo de Dota where our lodge is located at 7,200 feet in a valley at the edge of mature oak forest and the Savegre River. While quetzals are regularly seen and photographed here, the lodge also has wonderful hummingbird feeders that regularly attract numerous species, including gray-tailed mountain gems, green violetears, and magnificent and volcano hummingbirds. Many species restricted to the high mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama are also found here, including sulphur-winged parakeets, Costa Rican pygmy owls, black-capped flycatchers, flame-throated warblers and flame-colored tanagers, to name a few. We shoot this afternoon at the gardens and feeders on the lodge property. (BLD)

Day 12
This morning we drive to a well-maintained bird feeding station located a short distance up the mountain. This location offers great opportunities to photograph acorn woodpeckers, long-tailed silky flycatchers, flame-colored tanagers, magnificent hummingbirds, volcano hummingbirds, and more. It is a wonderful way to end our Costa Rica adventure. We return to our lodge for lunch. After lunch we load up the bus and head back to our hotel in San Jose. (BLD)

Day 13 (Apr 21)
We depart for home. (B)

Tour Highlights

  • Explore verdant moss-draped oak forest to shoot superlative resplendent quetzals during their nesting season
  • Photograph numerous hummingbirds using our new high-speed multi-flash systems
  • Stay in attractive ecolodges with well-stocked bird feeders amidst unspoiled natural habitats
  • Visit a broad spectrum of biomes from lush lowland rain forest to the stunted fairyland landscape of the high altitude páramo
  • Includes all meals, lodging, ground transportation, entrance fees, photo guide, use of flash units and instruction

Testimonials

The tour leader was great. He spent time with everyone and went out of his way to make this educational, productive, and fun! Everything was organized and planned.
—James S.

This trip provided photographers with a large range of bird photography opportunities. Each location was well organized. Both the food and lodging were excellent.
—Nancy D.

The trip was excellent. I saw more kinds of birds and frogs than I knew existed–and at close range for good photography.
—Richard S.