Itinerary

Day 1: ARRIVAL SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Arrive at Juan Santamaria International Airport. Complimentary transfer to the hotel.

Accommodation: HOTEL BOUGAINVILLEA (view website)

Day 2: SAN JOSE / TURRIALBA

Monday, February 09, 2009

After breakfast, depart for Turrialba and arrive at Rancho Naturalista in time for lunch. Rancho Naturalista is considered one of the finest birding lodges in Central America. Rancho is known for its peaceful forest surroundings, comfortable well-kept rooms, family style atmosphere, extensive trail system in pre-montane rainforest, banana and hummingbird feeders, bird bathing pools, and a bird list of over 400 species. (B,L,D)

Accommodation: HOTEL RANCHO NATURALISTA (view website)

Day 3: RANCHO NATURALISTA

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Full day to explore the area. Look for Sunbittern, Snowcap, Green Thorntail, Purplish-backed Quail-Dove, Lanceolated Monklet, Rufous Motmot, Brown-billed Scythebill, Checker-throated Antwren, Spotted Antbird, White-crowned Manakin and Tawny-chested Flycatcher. (B,L,D)

Accommodation: RANCHO NATURALISTA (view website)

Day 4: RANCHO NATURALISTA

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Another full day to explore the area. Continue looking for Sunbittern, Snowcap, Green Thorntail, Purplish-backed Quail-Dove, Lanceolated Monklet, Rufous Motmot, Brown-billed Scythebill, Checker-throated Antwren, Spotted Antbird, White-crowned Manakin and Tawny-chested Flycatcher. (B,L,D)

Accommodation: RANCHO NATURALISTA (view website)

Day 5: TURRIALBA / CERRO DE LA MUERTE

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Alter breakfast, drive to Cerro de la Muerte and the Savegre Mountain Hotel. Here you will find a deep cloud forest filled with massive oaks and other native species. The woods serve as a sanctuary for a large number of mammals and innumerable species of insects, amphibians, plants and colorful birds, a paradise for birdwatchers. As you wind around Cerro de la Muerte on the Interamerican Highway, you will see the lush vegetation become stunted and then diminish. Lunch at the Savegre hotel. This afternoon, we explore the area with our guide. (B,L,D)

Accommodation: SAVEGRE MOUNTAIN HOTEL (view website)

Day 6: CERRO DE LA MUERTE

Friday, February 13, 2009

Full day of birding. Savegre Mountain Hotel's Private Biological Reserve is located in the environs of the Cerro de la Muerte in the Talamanca Mountain Range. It consists of Cloud Forest with elevations varying between 1,220 and 2,560 meters above sea level. The annual rainfall is 2550 millimeters and the temperature vary between -2.2 and 26 degrees centigrade (28 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit). The relative humidity is 70% year-round. The reserve is made up of 400 hectares of forest, 80% of which is virgin, while the remainder is newer growth, including reforestation programs using native species - especially laurels. The area is frequently visited by eco-tourists from around the world who come to enjoy the large diversity of plant life, including oak and laurel trees, orchids and bromelias. This animal life includes more than 170 species of birds - including the magnificent Quetzal - as well as numerous mammals, amphibians, and insects. (B,L,D)

Accommodation: SAVEGRE MOUNTAIN HOTEL (view website)

Day 7: CERRO DE LA MUERTE

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Another full day of birding. The reserve is used as a living research laboratory by institutions from around the world. These include The Institute of Systematic Botany (New York) and The Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago) - both of which study mushrooms endemic to the area, while the German Universities of Gottingen and Kassel have joined with the University of Costa Rica and the Costa Rican National Institute of Biodiversity in a program researching epiphytes and their influence on the hydrogen cycle in the region. (B,L,D)

Accommodation: SAVEGRE MOUNTAIN HOTEL (view website)

Day 8: SAVEGRE / CARARA

Sunday, February 15, 2009

After breakfast, depart for the central Pacific coast and Carara. Upon arrival, enjoy lunch at the hotel,then take an afternoon boat tour down the Tárcoles River, home to one of the world’s largest crocodile populations, with individuals up to 15 feet long. In addition, over 397 different species of birds can be seen,including the very rare Scarlet Macaw and a great variety of resident and migrant waterfowl. Iguanas and Jesus Cristo lizards are very common as well. (B,L,D)

Accommodation: HOTEL VILLA LAPAS (view website)

Day 9: CARARA N.P.

Monday, February 16, 2009

After breakfast, depart on the short drive to Carara National Park. Wildlife here includes 100 pairs of Scarlet Macaws. Around dusk each day, these spectacular birds can be seen returning to their roosts in the mangrove swamps at the mouth of the River Tárcoles. Some of the birds we may see here include the Black Guan, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Laughing Falcon, Anhingas, Blue-winged Teal, Roseate Spoonbill, Mexican Tiger-bittern and Boat-billed Heron. The reserve also provides shelter for howler monkeys and white-headed capuchins, white-tailed deer, red brocket deer, collared peccaries and pacas. (B,L,D)

Accommodation: HOTEL VILLA LAPAS (view website)

Day 10: CARARA / SAN JOSE

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Mid-morning, drive back to San Jose, stopping for bird watching en route. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner at the hotel. (B,D)

Accommodation: HOTEL BOUGAINVILLEA (view website)

Day 11: SAN JOSE / USA

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Depart for the airport for flights home. (B)