Southern Costa Rica Cloud Forest to Coast

Overview

Team 399 has proudly partnered with Costa Rican native Mauricio Fonseca and Rainforest Expeditions to bring you this highly curated tour of southern Costa Rica.

This is an action-packed tour looking for many of Costa Rica's 930 species of birds, primates, sloths, amphibians and, if we are lucky, big cats.

Costa Rica is clean and safe, the people are wonderful and the fresh food is just the best.

We start in San Jose. After a restful night we head south along the spine of the Talamanca Mountains in the cloud forest. We stop for lunch in Quetzales National Park where the resplendent quetzal is a resident. We continue south to the Savegre Hotel where we spend two nights looking for quetzals, hummingbirds and whoever else grants us an audience.

From there were continue to the edge of La Amistad International Park. The Talamanca Nature Reserve has seen 347 species of birds on the property along with pumas and the rare melanistic jaguar.

After two nights in the cloud forest we descend to the Pacific Coast, the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park. We spend a total of five nights here enjoying a birding walk along Playa Blanca, a visit to a sloth rescue and Danta. Our raised bungalows at Finca Kobo have resident monkeys peaking in your window in the morning while you are serenaded to sleep by frogs and macaws each night.

We move over to the Drake Bay side of the Osa for three nights at the Corcovado Wilderness Lodge. Accessible by boat there have been 336 species of birds sighted on the property along with big cats, tapirs and sloths. We can take a short boat ride around San Pedrillo in to Corcovado National Park proper, take a boat tour of the Drake Bay mangrove swamps, tour Punta Rio Claro National Wildlife Refuge or go snorkeling.

From Drake Bay we head north to Manuel Antonio National Park. We will have resident scarlet macaws. Our local birding expert, Sosio, takes us birding each morning where we end up in the hills above Manuel Antonio for breakfast at Donde Luz. While it redefines "Hole in the wall" it's some of the best food I've ever had. After returning to our lodge for a siesta we head out to Manuel Antonio National Park in the afternoon to see the iconic three-toed sloths lazing about in the heat. After the park closes we try to catch the capuchin monkeys making their rounds around town before having dinner near the beach.

We continue north to the Tarcoles River and Carara National Park, staying inside Carara at the Macaw Lodge we are in a transitional forest at about 1800 feet above sea level. 431 species of birds have been seen at the Macaw Lodge. Capuchin, howler and spider monkeys all call Carara National Park home. Both two-toed and three-toed sloths are here as well along with amphibians and reptiles.

We will tour the mangrove swamp along the Tarcoles River and certainly see American crocodiles along with several species of shorebirds.

On our last full day in Costa Rica we spend the morning watching and photographing wildlife before making the short afternoon drive back to San Jose for your departing flights the next day.

We use local guides in all of our locations along with the expert Rainforest Expeditions staff.

Great people, great food, more wildlife than you can take in. Cool nights in the Costa Rican cloud forest to your toes in the Pacific. Please join us for this outstanding experience.

March 27:
Arrive in San Jose. We meet you at the airport and take you to the Hotel Martino for a relaxing evening.

March 28 - 29:
Drive south from San Jose toward Parque Nacional Los Quetzales. Stop for lunch at Mirador de Quetzales for our first opportunity to see the resplendent quetzal. Continue on to Savegre in the afternoon. Enjoy ample birding from the lodge as well. We will make morning and evening excursions for the next two days in search of quetzals and hundreds of other species of birds.

March 30 - 31:
Drive the Panamerican south passing through the town of San Isidro for provisions. Continue toward the mountains of the Brunka Region. We have lunch along the Río Terraba. Arrive at Casa Botánica for our first night. We spend time in the mountains then drive to Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula for access to Parque Nacional Corcovado. Stay at Aguila de Osa Inn.

April 1 - 2:
Morning and evening excursions in Corcovado including hiking in the park and boat tours on the surrounding rivers and ocean. Scarlet macaws, tapirs, monkeys and crocs are all possible.

April 3 - 4:
Boat to Puerto Jimenez. Drive north toward Manuel Antonio. Arrive at the Arenas Del Mar for a relaxing afternoon. Manuel Antonio in on the western coast and features spectacular beaches. The Manuel Antonio National Park features three-toed sloths, white-faced capuchin monkeys and a wide array of birds. Sunrise photography opportunities are amazing.

April 5:
Drive back to San Jose for flight home.