Monteverde cloud forest
Several listings centre on Monteverde, where Resplendent Quetzal and hummingbirds such as Violet Sabrewing appear among the stated targets.
Birdwatching destination guide
Compare guided birding in Costa Rica, from Monteverde cloud-forest walks to itineraries that cross from the Caribbean mountains to the coast. Day trips and longer programmes are listed with their route and inclusions.
Plan by trip style
Monteverde concentrates several of the current listings and suits travellers based around the cloud forest who want a focused guided session. San Jose departures are practical when you are starting from the Central Valley.
Multi-day itineraries connect more than one region, and pace differs between dedicated birding and mixed wildlife-photography programmes, so compare the route, duration and inclusions on each tour page before you inquire.
Routes represented on BirdWatch
Several listings centre on Monteverde, where Resplendent Quetzal and hummingbirds such as Violet Sabrewing appear among the stated targets.
San Jose serves as the practical starting point for day trips and for longer itineraries that continue toward the mountains or either coast.
Multi-day programmes descend the Caribbean slope, trading cloud forest for lowland rainforest habitats, with the exact route described on each tour page.
Birds named on these tours
The species most often listed as targets across the 21 published tours. Each profile shows every tour where the bird is a target.
Where tours start
Who runs them
Compare trip formats
Start with these cloud-forest and multi-region options, then check the individual tour page for the exact route, inclusions, pricing status and current availability.
An 11-day Pacific-slope birding route from Carara and the Tarcoles mangroves to Golfito, the Osa region, Las Cruces and Talamanca.
From the cloud forests of Tapanti Reserve to the sandy shores of Cahuita, up to the rolling foothills, our Costa Rica: Caribbean birding tour takes in some of the most exciting birdwatching sites this country has to offer.
A nine-day Costa Rica birding circuit from Caribbean lowland forest to the highlands of San Gerardo de Dota, with toucans, hummingbirds and Resplendent Quetzal among the possible highlights.
A 12-day Costa Rica birding route with Peregrinus Expeditions linking lowland rainforest, wetlands, dry forest, cloud forest and El Copal.
Costa Rica hosts an incredible range of habitats and birds along with very good infrastructure. If you have limited time or want a shorter birding tour, this tour takes in the birding highlights of the country.
Costa Rica is a birding destination unlike any other. On our Costa Rica birding tour, we’ll visit all major habitats, sampling an astonishing variety of birds. F
A nine-day Costa Rica birding journey through Arenal, northern border wetlands and Tenorio foothill forest, with boat excursions and targets such as Three-wattled Bellbird and Tody Motmot.
A four-day small-group extension pairing Monteverde's cloud forest and Selvatura canopy birding with the drier woodland and open-country habitats of La Ensenada.
A small-group 20-day Costa Rica birding circuit spanning both slopes and the far north, with an estimated 550-625 species across a wide habitat range.
A small-group 16-day circuit through Costa Rica's Pacific, southern, highland and Caribbean birding regions, with an estimated 475-525 species.
Planning questions
The current BirdWatch selection includes Monteverde-based guided outings, day trips, private and custom formats, and multi-day itineraries of up to seventeen days.
Stated targets across the current listings include Resplendent Quetzal, Keel-billed Toucan, Collared Aracari, Lesson's Motmot and Violet Sabrewing. Each tour page lists its own targets.
No wildlife sighting can be guaranteed. Guides plan around the route, habitat, current conditions and guest priorities described on each tour page.
Use the BirdWatch inquiry form on the tour page. Most Costa Rica listings currently confirm their price in response to an inquiry rather than publishing a fixed rate.