Costa Rica | Birding and Photography with Award-Winning Photographer Krisztina Scheeff

Upon arrival in San José this afternoon, you will be met at the airport and taken to the hotel. Enjoy dinner at the hotel this evening. Check-in starts at 3 pm.

This morning, check out of the hotel and start your journey to Selva Verde Lodge & Rainforest Reserve in the Caribbean lowlands, with elevations ranging from 180 to 220 feet. Founded by the Holbrook family in 1985, the lodge is renowned for its commitment to ecological preservation and sustainability. En route, visit Mirador Cinchona, known for its beautiful views and the many birds that visit its feeders. Arrive at Selva Verde for a late lunch and spend time settling into your room and going on a walk around the property. This evening, receive a welcome orientation by your guide prior to dinner. The reserve is home to a large assortment of avian life, including several types of herons, egrets, hawks, falcons, macaws, hummingbirds, flycatchers, warblers, sparrows, and tanagers. Specific species often spotted at Selva Verde include the Keel-billed Toucan, Sunbittern, Crimson-backed Tanager, Wood Thrush, Crowned Woodnymph, and Grey-cowled Wood-Rail. Selva Verde is also home to the endangered Great Green Macaw, which can occasionally be found feeding on the giant fruiting almond trees in the rainforest.

Begin the day with optional birding around Selva Verde grounds and reserve. Today visit the home and private reserve of Costa Rican naturalist and wildlife artist José Alberto Pérez, also known as Cope. Cope's property is designed to maximize opportunities for birding and photography. Have lunch and return to Selva Verde in the afternoon with time for a short break. This evening after dinner, join your guide for a photography walk.

Depart early this morning for a chance to see and photograph Great Green Macaws. Return to Selva Verde for breakfast before taking a leisurely boat ride on the Río Sarapiquí. While winding down the river, which is bordered with forests and cultivated fields, look for aquatic animals, birds, and reptiles in their natural habitat. You may also see residents going about their daily lives and witness the impact local banana plantations have on this watershed. Return to Selva Verde for lunch, and then in the afternoon, visit a nearby cacao farm to learn about the cultural significance and history of chocolate in Costa Rica. Then, take a nature walk on the property. Later this afternoon during free time, enjoy optional zip lining or river rafting at an additional cost.

Early this morning, check out of the lodge and depart for San Gerardo de Dota. En route, stop at Nectar and Pollen Reserve, where some interesting possible observations include the Snowcap, Long-tailed Tyrant, Cinnamon Woodpecker, White Hawk and others. Have lunch at Gema del Bosque, which has feeders for great photography opportunities. Check in at the hotel in San Gerardo de Dota, a small community in the Talamanca Mountains that sits at an elevation of about 7,220 feet. The forest surrounding the hotel is home to massive oaks, colorful plants, and an incredible variety of animal life: birds, insects, mammals, and amphibians. The famous valley is a paradise for birdwatchers, with more than 170 species recorded here. The crown jewel is the magnificent Resplendent Quetzal, which lives in the region year-round. After settling in at the lodge, spend some time walking around the lodge trails.

Spend the morning traveling in a 4x4 vehicle to Savegre Reserve's upper trails and looking for the Spotted Wood-Quail, Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl, Collared Trogon, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Ruddy Treerunner, Ochraceous Pewee, Barred Becard, Wrenthrush, and Golden-browed Chlorophonia. Savegre's mostly virgin forest filled with hundred-year-old trees, multicolored plants, mushrooms, insects, amphibians and mammals is a paradise for birders and known as one of the best places in the country to observe the Resplendent Quetzal, which will be your target species this afternoon.

Today, visit Batsú Gardens, a garden designed to help photographers capture the beauty and grace of birds that inhabit the Costa Rican Highlands. Later today, explore the surrounding high-elevation area, which can reach up to 10,400 feet, in search of Volcano Junco and other species that live in this habitat.

After some early morning birding around the lodge, have breakfast and depart for San José. En route, stop at Paraíso Quetzal Lodge for lunch and some great photo opportunities. Upon arrival at Hotel Bougainvillea, check in and take some time to freshen up and relax. Attend a farewell dinner this evening.

Travel to the airport for your flight home. Check-out is at 12 pm.