Costa Rica Photo Tour

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About the Tour

Costa Rica, an ecological gem nestled in the heart of Central America, dazzles with its unparalleled biodiversity. From the majestic peaks of its mountains to the expansive tropical rainforests and white-sand beaches, the country presents a stunning natural backdrop.

Home to 5% of global biodiversity, Costa Rica harbors an astonishing variety of wildlife, from the resplendent quetzal to the the most famous frog in the world.

Numerous national parks and reserves safeguard unique habitats, while volcanoes like the imposing Arenal add a dimension of grandeur. A pioneer in sustainability, Costa Rica is a natural sanctuary that captivates with its rich wildlife and breathtaking landscapes.

Date

May 4th - 14th, 2026

Activity level

Easy

Available spaces

Itinerary

Day 1 | May 4: Arrival day

Arrival at the Juan Santamaria Intl. Airport, Costa Rica.

You will be welcome at the airport by your guide and driver. Immediately we will start the drive around 45 minutes to the hotel in San Jose city.

Once at the hotel we will look for the Blue-sided Leaf Frog: Agalychnis annae.

Accommodation: Bougainvillea Hotel

Day 2-3 | May 5-6: Boca Tapada

After breakfast you can departure to the next hotel (2-3 hour drive), this is one the best hotels for bird photography in Costa Rica as it has a unique deck with a bird feeder that is absolutely spectacular for Yellow-throated, Keel-billed Toucan and Collared Aracari. Is also a great feeder for parrots like Orange-chinned Parakeet, Brown-hooded and White-crowned Parrot. Red-legged and Shinning Honeycreepers, Golden-hooded and Passerines Tanagers provide so much fun and the interactions of all these birds for the best bananas always gives unique photos opportunities. We will have lunch here and spend the rest of the afternoon birding around the hotel.

Next day you can take advantage of the early morning at the deck for bird photography and then explore the surroundings. The trails are great for Red-capped Manakin displays (depends on rain pattern) and also taking a paddle canoe is a great option to explore the rainforest in the extensive systems of canals, Agami Heron and Sungrebe are good possibilities. And also we will go to the King Vulture Hide.

Herping at night (optional).

Accommodation: Laguna del Lagarto Lodge.

Day 4-5 | May 7-8: Caribbean Rainfores

We will arrive at lunch time and spend the rest of the afternoon in the gardens. Collared Aracari, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Brown-hooded and White- crowned Parrot, Black-capped Pygmy Tyrant, Great Curassow, Great Green Macaw are likely to be a common sighting in this location.

In the night we will do herping, looking for Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas), oophaga pumilio, Dendrobates auratus, Basiliscus plumifrons, among others.

Early morning to the next day, we will drive to Cope Wildlife Center to birding, owls, white bats and herping there.

Afternoon drive to Centro Manu for Pied Puffbird, White- fronted Nunbird and Great Potoo.

Late afternoon we will be herping for Tripion Spinosus, Oedipina carablanca,

Sachatamia ilex, among others.

Accommodation: Selva Verde Lodge.

Day 6-7 | May 9-10: Talamanca Highlands

As we drive to the highlands (5-hour drive) we will stop one or twice in the way to get some birds like Red-headed Barbet, Green Hermit, Emerald Toucanet among others.

Once in the highlands we will stop in the highest point of this road to bird the Paramo. A shrubbery ecosystem with three restricted endemics, the Volcano Junco, Timberline Wren and Fiery-throated Hummingbird

Next day in the early morning you will give it a chance to one of the most elusive species of the country, the Resplendent Quetzal. Known for many as the most beautiful bird of the world.

Later you can bird around the hotel and the gardens and open roads that can produce species like Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Black-thighed Grosbeak, Large-footed Finch, Yellow-thighed Finch, Slaty Flowerpiercer, Peg-billed Finch, Spangle-cheeked Tanager, Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager, Black Guan, Sulphur-winged Parakeet, White-throated Mountain-Gem, Black-faced Solitaire, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Sooty Thrush and Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher.

Accommodation: Gema del Bosque

Day 8-9 | May 11-12: Central Pacific

Breakfast at 7 am and then we will start heading to our next location in the Central Pacific. We will arrive at the next hotel around midday and we will have lunch at a restaurant on the seaside.

Then we will check in at our hotel and take a short break. When the heat goes down we will continue birding around our hotel. This place has a strong dry forest influence so White- throated Magpie Jay, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Hoffmann’s Woodpecker, Fiery-billed Aracari, Rufous-and-white Wren and Crane Hawk among others are likely in a close hike from the hotel. At night we will try for Pacific Screech-Owl near the rooms.

Next morning we will start early at 5:30 am for a very productive boat tour in the mangroves and hopefully get Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, 3 species of Kingfishers, Mangrove Vireo, and Mangrove Hummingbird. Later in the morning (or maybe in the afternoon depending on time and heat) we will invest some time exploring the Carara National Park looking for Tropical Royal Flycatcher , Collared Forest Falcon, Red-capped and Blue-crowned Manakins, Slaty-tailed, Baird’s, Black-throated and Gartered Trogons. Rufous-tailed Jacamar and White-whisked Puffbird inhabit this forest too. Scarlet Macaw is very likely to be everywhere all the time we spend in the Central Pacific and the photographic opportunities are usually numerous.

Accommodation: Villa Lapas Jungle Village or similar

Day 10 | May 13: San Jose area

After the breakfast we will drive to the San Ramon area for around 2 hours. We will arrive in the morning to a local farm for Three-wattled Bellbird and Sunbittern.

Afternoon, we will drive for 1 hour to the Robledal Hotel and we will look for the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Spot- breasted Oriole.

Accommodation: Robledal Hotel

Day 11 | May 14: Flight back home

Eleven fascinating and amusing days will be saved in photographs and our memories. These will serve as evidence of our time together in a place where biodiversity has no limits.

It is time to say, “see you soon.” We trust that we will be able to share another adventure together.

After a comfortable rest and a delicious breakfast, we are ready to return to our homes.

Featured sightings

Quetzal

Birds

Amphibians & Reptiles

Hummingbirds in flight

USD: 5,250 P.P

Included

Double accommodation to share.
All meals (except dinner day 1).
Expert photographer guide.
Private transportation.
Multi-flash.
Reserves fee.
Apply supplement for single room.

Not included

National and International air tickets and airport taxes.
Additional nights.
Alcoholic beverages, snacks and beverages that are not part of the meals.
Laundry service.
Personal expenses.
Travel insurance (we recommend having one).
Tips.
Any other service not specified in the document.

General tips

For a better experience, it is important to know a couple of factors which will facilitate your stay in Costa Rica:

If you’d like to take home a couple of souvenirs, we recommend bringing a little extra cash in order to acquire these at the different locations we will be staying at (Local currency is the Costa Rican colón)
. We recommend exchanging around USD 200, or equivalent in your local currency, at the airport. Any other expense we recommend payments by credit card.
Mosquito repellent.
Sunblock.
Hats.
Flashlight (a headlamp is preferable).
Bags to store wet clothes.
Water bottle.
Trekking shoes.
Warm clothes for the Andes area.

Photographic equipment

As photographers, we know how difficult it is to decide how much equipment to take on trips, as we always want to take all of our equipment with us so that we can take advantage of our experiences. Here is a list of equipment we recommend bringing:

Wide angle lens
Zoom lens, range 100-600
Equipment protector for the rain
Tripod
Flash
Batteries
Battery chargers
Cleaning equipment
Plug adaptor

Clothing

We will experience three types of climates.

In the first part of the trip, we will have a mild climate.

On the second part, we will have warm weather, we recommend bringing long pants, shirts or long-sleeved shirts and a lightweight material that help perspire less.

For our last destination, Talamanca, we will have a Cold weather, so it is important to wear warm and waterproof clothing.

Daniel Mideros

tour leader

He graduated in advertising career at the San Francisco de Quito University.

He worked on his career until 2017, since then he made the decision to live from his passion, nature photography. In the same year he started his own business, Photo Wildlife Tours, in which it is dedicated to wildlife photography tours, and conservation. In addition to other audiovisual projects.

In the year 2022 he became the first Ecuadorian to win a category of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, “Animals in their environment”.