Bird Watching

With more than 850 species of resident and migrant birds identified throughout the country, Costa Rica abounds with great bird-watching sites. Lodges with the best bird-watching include Savegre Lodge, in Cerro de la Muerte, off the road to San Isidro de El General (quetzal sightings are almost guaranteed); La Paloma Lodge in Drake Bay, where you can sit on the porch of your cabin as the avian parade goes by; Arenal Observatory Lodge, on the flanks of Arenal Volcano; La Selva Biological Station, in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí; Aviarios del Caribe and Selva Bananito Lodge, both just north of Cahuita; Lapa Ríos and Bosque del Cabo, on the Osa Peninsula; Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, along the Golfo Dulce; La Laguna del Lagarto Lodge, up by the Nicaraguan border; and Tiskita Lodge, down by the Panamanian border.

Some of the best parks and preserves for serious birders are Monteverde Biological Cloud Forest Reserve (for resplendent quetzals and hummingbirds); Corcovado National Park (for scarlet macaws); Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge (for wading birds, including jabiru storks); Wilson Botanical Gardens and the Las Cruces Biological Station, near San Vito (the thousands of flowering plants here are bird magnets); Guayabo, Negritos, and Pájaros Islands biological reserves in the Gulf of Nicoya (for magnificent frigate birds and brown boobies); Palo Verde National Park (for ibises, jacanas, storks, and roseate spoonbills); Tortuguero National Park (for great green macaws); and Rincón de la Vieja National Park (for parakeets and curassows). Rafting trips down the Corobicí and Bebedero rivers near Liberia, boat trips to or at Tortuguero National Park, and hikes in any cloud forest also provide good bird-watching opportunities.

In San José your best bets are to head toward the lush grounds and gardens of the University of Costa Rica, or to Parque del Este, a little farther east in the foothills just outside of town.

Costa Rican Tour Agencies

In addition to the agencies listed below, check in with the Birding Club of Costa Rica (costaricabirding@hotmail.com), which runs monthly outings and provides you with the opportunity to connect with local English-speaking birders.

Costa Rica Expeditions (tel. 257-0766; www.costaricaexpeditions.com) and Costa Rica Sun Tours (tel. 296-7757; www.crsuntours.com) are well-established companies with very competent and experienced guides who offer a variety of tours to some of the better birding spots in Costa Rica.

U.S.-Based Tour Operators

Field Guides (tel. 800/728-4953 or 512/263-7295; www.fieldguides.com) is a specialty bird-watching travel operator. Its 16-day tour of Costa Rica costs $4,275 (£2,138), not including airfare. Group size is limited to 14 participants.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (tel. 800/328-8368, or 512/328-5221 in the U.S.; www.ventbird.com) is a well-respected small-group tour operator specializing in bird-watching trips. Their 12-day "Best of Costa Rica" trip costs $3,850 (£1,925).

WINGS (tel. 888/293-6443 or 520/320-9868; www.wingsbirds.com) is a specialty bird-watching travel operator with 30 years of experience in the field. Its 14-day Costa Rica trip covers the major bird-watching zones in the country and costs around $4,590 (£2,295), not including airfare. Group size is usually between 6 and 14 people.

Where to Spy the Resplendent Quetzal

Revered by pre-Columbian cultures throughout Central America, the resplendent quetzal has been called the most beautiful bird on earth. Ancient Aztec and Maya Indians believed that the robin-size quetzal protected them in battle. The males of this species have brilliant red breasts; iridescent emerald green heads, backs, and wings; and white tail feathers complemented by a pair of iridescent green tail feathers that are more than .5m (1 3/4 ft.) long.

The belief that these endangered birds live only in the dense cloud forests cloaking the higher slopes of Central America's mountains was instrumental in bringing many areas of cloud forest under protection as quetzal habitats. (Since then, researchers have discovered that the birds do not, in fact, spend their entire lives here.) After nesting between March and July, resplendent quetzals migrate down to lower slopes in search of food. These lower slopes have not been preserved in most cases, and now conservationists are trying to salvage enough lower-elevation forests to help the quetzals survive.

Although for many years Monteverde Biological Cloud Forest Reserve was the place to see quetzals, throngs of people crowding the reserve's trails now make the pursuit more difficult. Other places where you can see quetzals are in the Los Angeles Cloud Forest Reserve near San Ramón, in Tapantí National Wildlife Refuge, and in Chirripó National Park. Perhaps the best place to spot a quetzal is at one of the specialized lodges located along the Cerro de la Muerte between San José and San Isidro de El General.