Arrive To: Arrive in San José's Juan Santamaria International Airport.

Proceed through Immigrations, Baggage Claim and Customs before exiting the secured area of the airport. Please use the exit door on the right. The Road Scholar representative will be waiting outside the exit door with a Road Scholar sign (only applies to Road Scholar group flights).

Transfer to the hotel and check-in, followed by time at leisure.

Please note that this is an international travel day; no meals or program activities are scheduled on this day. Hotel check-in usually begins at 3 p.m.

Lodging: Hotel Buena Vista

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Program orientation.
Lecture: Introduction to Birding in the Tropics.
Transfer to the Carara area.
Arrive at the hotel and check-in.

Lunch: Lunch at the hotel

Afternoon: Birding field trip via boat on the Tárcoles River.

The Tárcoles River basin is one of the most important in the Pacific coastal region virtually draining the entire Western side of the Central Valley. Tarcoles hosts an amazing diversity of wildlife along its banks and on the extensive mangrove areas near its estuary. Perhaps the most famous of all its inhabitants are the enormous crocodiles that live on its banks. These crocodiles (Crocodilus acutus) have been studied by numerous local and foreign specialists and featured in TV specials, including several of National Geographic Brady Barr’s Wild Reptiles.



Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Villa Lapas Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Early morning coffee and cookies at the hotel.

Morning: Early morning birding at the Villa Lapas private reserve (lodge trails) including the Skyway -- which is a walk through the rainforest crossing through 5 hanging bridges 200 ft high.

Return to the lodge for a late morning breakfast.
The remainder of the morning will be at your leisure to enjoy the hotel grounds.

Lunch: Lunch at the hotel.

Afternoon: Field trip to Carara National Park.

Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Region is one the most ecologically diverse areas of the country. The intersection of the Northwestern Tropical Dry Forest habitats with the Humid Rain Forests of the South Pacific region, in a relatively small area, produces a very interesting combination of species from both ecosystems. In addition, the mountain ranges are very close to the coast resulting in an array of elevations and some peculiar climatic conditions that contribute to the abundance of wildlife.

The rich variety of habitats in this area makes an ideal home for a large variety of birds including the endemic Mangrove Hummingbird and the Yellow Billed Cotinga.

Return to the hotel.
Lecture: The Ecology and Conservation of the Scarlet Macaw.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Villa Lapas Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Early morning birding.
Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Transfer to Gulf of Nicoya area (Tempisque).

Arrive at the lodge and check-in. This region of Northwestern Costa Rica is characterized by an endangered life zone known as semi-deciduous or Tropical Dry Forest. Little used trails throughout the property make for excellent birding in the forest around the lodge.



Lunch: Lunch at the lodge.

Afternoon: Birding along the lodge’s trails.

Product of a huge tectonic depression, the Gulf of Nicoya is a somewhat closed water inlet, fed by the waters from the major rivers in Guanacaste region. The sediments carried by the rivers, estuaries and deltas, contributed to the creation of extensive mangrove habitats inside the gulf. Here many marine species have found a perfect nutrient-rich environment for breeding. Mollusks, crustaceans and many species of fish are attracted to the natural crib offered by the Gulf of Nicoya, and with them, hundreds of marine birds.



Dinner: Dinner at the lodge.

Evening: Night birding walk.

After dinner, venture into the reserve. Use powerful lights to spot eyes. We will be looking for nocturnal species such as owls, nightjars, potoos and thick-knees.

Lodging: La Ensenada Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Early morning birding.
Breakfast at the lodge.

Morning: Boat ride in the Gulf of Nicoya for birding and exploration of the fringing mangrove forests.
Return to the lodge.

Lunch: Lunch at the lodge.

Afternoon: Afternoon cart ride (pulled by a tractor) and birding around the lodge grounds.

Dinner: Dinner at the lodge.

Lodging: La Ensenada Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Early morning birding.
Breakfast at the lodge.

Morning: Depart for Caño Negro.



Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant en route.

Afternoon: Continue to Caño Negro with birding en route.
Arrive at the lodge for afternoon birding on trails around the lodge.

Often described as Costa Rica’s Everglades, Caño Negro acts as an expansive drainage basin for numerous rivers in the country’s northern section. Like the Everglades, this large “water filter” attracts numerous species of birds and waterfowl and has been protected as a wildlife reserve. During the dry season, much of the flooded estuary dries up and many of the birds migrate only to return with the rain. Caño Negro’s most common visitors are birds, leaving much of the area to be explored by the few who venture to this frequently overlooked corner.

Lecture: Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge and Wetlands

Dinner: Dinner at the lodge.

Lodging: Caño Negro Natural Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Early morning coffee and cookies at the lodge.


Morning: Boat field trip though the wetlands with a site lecture on wetland bird species.

This remote 22,000 acre tropical wetland teeming with wildlife is one of Costa Rica’s undiscovered gems. Here, we explore a portion of Costa Rica that is considered by many the best example of Mesoamerican wetlands. Explore the lagoons and canals by boat to look for some of the 350 species of birds found in the refuge. In addition, spot caiman, crocodiles & a variety of monkeys. Birdlife dominates the area, boasting the largest colony of neotropic cormorants in Costa Rica and a colony of Nicaraguan grackle. Egrets, anhingas, Roseate Spoonbills and other waterfowl gather by the thousands.

Return to the lodge for a late morning breakfast.
The remainder of the morning will be at leisure.

Lunch: Lunch at the lodge.

Afternoon: Excursion to the town of Caño Negro, followed by an afternoon boat ride and site lecture.
Return to the lodge.

Dinner: Dinner at the lodge.

Lodging: Caño Negro Natural Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the lodge.

Morning: Transfer to Sarapiqui with birding en route.

Situated in the Caribbean lowlands, 40 miles from San José, Sarapiquí is one of the richest sites for birds in Middle America with well over recorded 400 species. Nearby, the La Selva Protection Zone and the Braulio Carrillo National Park form the only significant corridor of forest on the Caribbean slope linking the highlands with the lowlands - a corridor crucial to birds and animals that undertake seasonal altitudinal migrations.

Arrive at the lodge and check-in.

Lunch: Lunch at the lodge.

Afternoon: Orientation to the lodge.
Birding in the on-site rainforest reserve.

Tropical Rainforests are found only in a restricted area around the Equator that covers less than 20% of the Earth’s surface. Within the rainforests are more than one third of all species in the planet. Every year scientists surprise the international community with the discovery of new species in both well known and unexplored areas of rainforest. The importance of rainforests for the human community is immense in terms of biodiversity, eco-tourism, oxygen production, water production, new drugs and medicines, etc. These delicate and specialized ecosystems are also the most susceptible to changes in the global weather patterns and air temperature variations.



Dinner: Dinner at the lodge.

Evening: Lecture: The Birds of the Sarapiqui Region.

Lodging: Selva Verde Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Early morning birding and a site lecture on rainforest species at the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) La Selva Biological Field Station.
Breakfast at La Selva Biological Field Station.

Morning: The Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) is a non-profit consortium that includes 63 universities and research institutions from the United States, Latin America and Australia. In the early 1960's, scientists from U.S. universities forged working relationships with colleagues at the Universidad de Costa Rica in the interest of strengthening education and research in tropical biology. Intense interest led to the founding of OTS, to provide leadership in education, research and the responsible use of natural resources in the tropics.



Lunch: Return to Selva Verde Lodge for lunch.

Afternoon: Continue birding field trip in La Selva Field Station.

La Selva was originally established, as a farm dedicated to experimentation on mixed plantations for the improvement of natural resources management. It was purchased in 1968 by the Organization for Tropical Studies and declared a private biological reserve and station. La Selva has become one of the most important sites in the world for research on the tropical rain forest. Over 240 scientific papers are published yearly from research conducted at the site. La Selva comprises 3,900 acres of tropical wet forests and disturbed lands. Located within the tropical and pre-montane wet forest, the Station is the home for more than the half of the 886 species of birds in Costa Rica.

Transfer back to the lodge.


Dinner: Dinner at the lodge.

Lodging: Selva Verde Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Early morning birding on lodge grounds.
Breakfast at the lodge.

Morning: Transfer to San Gerardo de Dota with birdwatching en route.

Journey from the rainforest up into the Talamanca Mountain range. Watch foothill and montane rainforests give way to oak-dominated cloud forest, and then to Andean-type sub-alpine vegetation on Cerro de la Muerte (the highest point in Costa Rica). With five distinct “life zones” from 4,000 to 11,500 feet, this is a rich area for endemic birds and boasting a large population of quetzals.



Lunch: Lunch en route.

Afternoon: Arrive to San Gerardo de Dota and check-in at hotel.

This small village is situated in the Talamanca Mountain range, which provides habitat for a number of species including the resplendent quetzal. This high elevation cloud forest property is situated on a working apple orchard and is home to a diverse ecosystem

Enjoy the rest of the afternoon birdwatching during a short hike on the property's trails.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Savegre Mountain Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Early morning birding.
Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Birding along forest trails in search of the elusive Resplendent Quetzal.

The Resplendent Quetzal is less elusive and present in greater numbers in this region than in the cloud forests of Monteverde and Santa Elena to the north. This tropical icon is considered to be the most beautiful bird in the Western Hemisphere and was sacred to ancient Mayas and Aztecs. Streams trickle through the region on their way to the Rio Savegre and colorful hummingbirds dart to and fro in search of food.

Birding en route back to the hotel.

Lunch: Lunch at the lodge.

Afternoon: Time at leisure.
Birding around the hotel grounds.

The few families that inhabit the valley are mostly dedicated to the production of trout, apples and peaches, which grow well in the cool, moist elevations of the Talamanca Range. Pioneers in many aspects, the Chacon family was the first to settle in this area. They built the first hotel (Cabinas Chacon, now named Savegre Mountain Hotel) and the first to set out to conserve the magnificent high elevation and oak forests that covered the entire valley. The patriarch of the family, don Efrain Chacon, has transmitted his love for this land to his children and grandchildren. They now share his passion and devotion for the preservation of the pristine forests.

Lecture: The Chacon Family and the Resplendent Quetzal.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Savegre Mountain Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Early morning birding.
Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Depart for San José. Enjoy en route birding with stops along the way, including in the Cerro de la Muerte region.

Cerro de la Muerte is the highest point in the Costa Rican section of the Inter-American Highway. Its name means "Mountain of Death", since in the path crossing the mountains from the Valle Central meant a three or four day journey, on foot or on horseback, and many ill-prepared travelers succumbed to the cold and rain. However, the peak is now easily accessible since the highway runs close by.

Lunch: Lunch at local restaurant en route.

Afternoon: Arrive in San José and check-in at hotel.
Time at leisure.
Final bird count with group leader.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at local restaurant.

Lodging: Ramada Plaza Herradura

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Depart From: Transfer to the Juan Santamaria International Airport for flight to U.S.

Note: Participants with independent travel arrangements and/or scheduled on later flights can keep their hotel rooms until check-out time on this day. Except for breakfast, all other meals are on your own on this day.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel (depending on flight departure time).

Meals Included: Breakfast