If Bird Watching is on your itinerary during your tropical vacation, you've come to the right place. Costa Rica is a birdwatcher's paradise! There are abundant opportunities to see interesting birds everywhere you travel. Whether you choose the busy Central Valley, the wild Caribbean Coast, Central or Southern Pacific Coast, the Nicoya Penninsula,  the Northern Zone and visit the many National Parks, bring your binoculars and be prepared for an adventure!

Scarlet Macaws are frequently seen in the area of the Osa Peninsula in the Southwestern Costa Rica lowlands. You can here their presence with raucous calls that echo in the dense Rainforest. The nearby Corcovado National Park offers some protection to this endangered species. but privately held land reserves in the Cabo Matapalo area are vital as they provide buffer zones near the park where the birds can feed.

A Swainson's Toucan (Ramphastos swainsonii) was spotted on the dusty coastal road between Dominical and Uvita, on the Southern Pacific Coast.

This lovely Blue-Headed Pionus was photographed snacking on some palm-fruit on the grounds of a small hotel near Cahuita on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica near the Panamanian border. We spotted many Parrots as well as Toucans in this area. With a rainier climate, there's plenty of luscious fruit and ample food to eat.  

One of the most beautiful birds in the world is also one of the most elusive: the Resplendant Quetzal. This gorgeous bird lives only in high altitude cloud forests in Central America. Bird watchers from around the world attempt to make a sighting of this rare species. With the help of a local expert, a small group of us got to observe the feeding trees of this species and we were amply rewarded! Monteverde is the area famous for spotting these beauties especially during mating season.

This is only a small glimpse of the incredible bird life of Costa Rica. With approximately 840 species of birds recorded in this small country, it is truly a world class bird-watching destination.