We went for my 60th birthday and had a great time. Erick Castro, our guide, went out of his way to find as many birds as possible for us. He could call a lot of them in himself by imitating calls. He always tried to be sure everyone saw every bird. He handled the different birding expertise levels in the group with never ending patience. He was truly a great all-round guide. We saw over 340 species. Jack, our driver, got the bus in and out of spots I never thought the bus could go! The places we stayed were interesting. The food was good. It was a great 1st trip with Road Scholar! Kelly at Holbrook was very pleasant to work with too for making flight arrangements, etc. The trip exceeded my expectations! (The only caveat-if you have any back problems-a couple of the places have long bumpy dirt roads leading up to them-be sure to sit at the front of the bus to try to minimize back discomfort!!!!)

This was a fantastic trip. One feature, and there were many, that I especially liked was that we spent 2 nights at each destination and each one was a "birdy" place on its own. This meant we had time to do lots of birding with less time traveling to find birds. The guide, Gilberto or Chito as we called him was very knowledgable not only about the birds but about other aspects of the flora & fauna we encountered. Our group saw over 300 birds and I added over 200 to my life list. (First time in tropics birding--hopefully not the last).

The advance materials provided were very helpful and informative. Road Scholar & Holbrook Travel have created partnered to create a trip of a lifetime.

Terrific trip, well organized to see birds in a variety of habitats, and with an outstanding guide who was knowledgable about the history, culture, flora etc. of Costa Rica as well as the birds.

This is an excellent birding adventure, well organized and led by a very knowledgeable guide. The accomodations were spectacular, set in the midst of jungle, mountain, coastal and other scenic habitats. We saw over 300 species of birds and learned much about their conservation, lives and habitats, and also much about the beautiful country of Costa Rica.

If you love birds, this trip is for you. Guide Erick Guzman brought great enthusiasm, energy and remarkable birding skills to our group of friendly participants. We birded in various habitats ranging from dry Pacific coast to northern wetland jungle to rain forest and high mountain valley. In each location we saw many new species, some really spectacular. All together we listed well over 300 bird species. Accommodations were also excellent, reflecting the character of the locale. This was an awesome, very fun adventure. It was, as they say in Costa Rica, "pura vida".

I think Jane and Kay summed it up well. Wonderful guide, birds that were beautiful beyond description (yes, even the king vulture), gorgeous flowers, towering trees, flowing water, exotic creatures all added up to an unforgettable tropical adventure. And kudos also to our intrepid bus driver, Carlos, who kept us safe on some scary roads!

I was awed by our guide, Erick, who was so energetic and a fabulous spotter but also so patient with those less so. The program itself was very well thought out and managed with 90% comfortable (even luxurious) lodgings, and a minimum of time wasted on the bus.

A fun guide, great birds, very good acommadations and usually nice weather. You'll love it if you enjoy the outdoors and nature and birds.

Our trip "Birding the Hot Spots of Costa Rica" was the trip of a lifetime for us. It was well planned, the birding was outstanding and our guide was the best I have ever had the pleasure to bird with. The lodging and food were also excellent. We highly recommend the trip for novice or serious birders. We saw over 300 species and over 220 were new or "life-birds" for me. The rest of the flora and fauna were also very interesting.

With each event of this adventurous trip, we kept asking ourselves, "Can anything top this?" Sure enough, just around the bend, or later in the day, day after day, this trip provided wonderful experiences. And if you're lucky enough to get Roger Melendez as your guide, you are fortunate indeed! He's knowledgeable, compassionate, energetic and organized.

Birding the Hot Spots of Costa Rica really lived up to its name. It was a wonderful trip and very exciting. So 277 species in 11 days. Had a terrific guide, Gilbreth, who was so knowledgeable and a lot of fun to be with. Small group (12) so got to know everyone, two nights in each place and birding between sites! Just an amazing country to learn about. Truly a great birding trip!

I just got back from the BIRDING THE HOT SPOTS of Costa RICA, and I absolutely loved every minute of it. Our guide, Gilbreth, was exceptionally good with his birding skills, plus being a pleasure to be with. And our bus driver did a great job, too. Can't wait to already start thinking about my next trip with Road Scholar.

Really easy to find trips of interest and details regarding those trips. Considering how many trips are contained & explained on this site, it is very facile. It would be nice to be offered a checklist of interests, destinations, range of durations & costs, trip types, etc. and have the site return a selection of all trips that qualify. For example, can I very simply locate all birding AND biking excursions in Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, Western or Northwestern USA? Or do I have to poke around selecting by location or by interest, or by duration, etc.

Great program; great birding. The itinerary was well thought out so that we were able to visit several very diverse habitats and thus see many different birds (group total was over 300). Our guide (Roger)worked very hard to find as many birds as he could and really tried to have everyone get a look at each bird. He was a very enthusiastic, helpful leader. I especially enjoyed the birding trips that we did by boat. We got great looks at many birds. One comment: if you are considering a trip to Costa Rica to bird this will fill the bill. If you want to see the sights and learn about the culture, you may want to consider one of the other programs in Costa Rica. Just as the catalog stated, this program was planned and carried out for birders.

Ann Number programs 5: A great trip for BIRDERS. If you have not seen the sights of Costa Rica before, you won't see them on this trip and I think that is too bad because the country is wonderful. For the serious, focused birders in our group, it was heaven. Roger, the guide, was great and did his job with knowledge and enthusiasm. We, however, were disappointed. One lodge was not up to Road Scholar standards with an extremely poor room.

This was great--weather, people and leader. We saw over 270 species and I enjoyed the hunt. The birds were plentiful and our Guide (Roger) was tops. This was a total bird trip with very little free time and no shopping.

This was a wonderful, wonderful trip! We visited many different habitats - tropical, dry forest; Pacific foothills; Caribbean foothills; mountains; rainforest. The birds were extraordinary - over 300! And, the scenery and vegetation magnificent. I can still hear the mountain stream. Our leader, Erick Castro, was first rate and helpful with everyone, regardless of skill level.

This is an active trip! Morning birding begins at 6. And, there are several long drives over bumpy roads and one boat trip over choppy water.

I highly recommend this trip!