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Tour Leader/s: Abelardo José Benavidez Murillo with 8 participants Day 1: Arrive San José Saturday 24 February 2018 The clients arrived and after passing through customs and collecting their baggage, we gathered everyone together for the drive to the hotel. Various aspects of the trip were discussed en-route to the hotel, before checking in and retiring to our rooms for a good nights’ sleep. Weather: 30 degrees Day 2: La Paz Waterfalls Garden & Arenal Observatory Lodge Sunday 25 February 2018 We began our day with a delicious breakfast at 0700 and then left the hotel at around 0800 to make our way towards La Paz Waterfalls Garden, where we enjoyed an excellent hike. It gave us the chance to see many birds surrounded by a wonderful landscape. Around noon we had lunch and early afternoon were on our way to the Arenal Observatory Lodge. On the way to the hotel, we made a few stops and this gave us the opportunity for some great sightings of birds. We arrived late afternoon and shortly afterwards completed our bird checklist, before dinner at the hotel. It was an incredible day; everything was “Pura Vida”. Weather: Warm at 30 degrees Day 3: Misticos Hanging Bridges & Arenal 1968 Monday 26 February 2018 It was an early start to the morning as we needed to be awake at 0530 for a walk around the Observatory Lodge Hotel. The hour and a half walk afforded us the opportunity to see an abundance of birds and different animals. At 0700, we had a delightful breakfast and then left for the Misticos Hanging Bridges where we walked for three and a half hours, observing the flora and the fauna of the area. We had lunch here, then started the next walk in the Arenal 1968 where we strolled for around two hours. Early evening, we did our checklist, followed by dinner at the hotel. Again it was an exceptional day! Weather: 27 degrees, a slightly cooler day Day 4: Sarapiquí Selva Verde Lodge Tuesday 27 February 2018 We were awake at around 0530 again this morning and went for a walk around the hotel. A well-deserved breakfast was served at 0700, after which we continued exploring the area, which is truly a wonderful place to see the many bird species of the region. We then made our way to the Sarapiquí Selva Verde Lodge where we had an exquisite lunch. The group had some free time in the early afternoon and enjoyed a refreshing dip in the pool, before heading out for another walk, during which we were again treated to an array of birdlife. Weather: 29 degrees Day 5: La Selva Estación Biológica, Isla Heliconias Restaurant Wednesday 28 February 2018 With an even earlier start today (0500), we decided to kick of the morning with a good Costa Rican coffee, before heading to the OET La Selva Estación Biológica where we took one of the best hikes of the trip. After stopping for breakfast, we continued our tour of this incredible place; the amount of birds seen was really surprising. An early lunch in a restaurant called Isla Heliconias was exquisite, then we enjoyed a boat ride early afternoon, where a great diversity of wildlife was spotted, such as birds, alligators, iguanas, etc. It was an awesome day! Weather: 30 degrees Day 6: Turrialba and Hotel Rancho Naturalista Thursday 1 March 2018 It was to be another superb day, starting with an extraordinary typical Costa Rican breakfast, a hearty Gallo pinto with coffee. We left Selva Verde Lodge at around 0815 to drive to Turrialba, stopping for lunch en route and eventually arriving at Rancho Naturalista Hotel at 1540. Within the hour we were hiking in the area and once again
we had the opportunity to see a considerable amount of local birdlife. An early dinner, and reviewed what we had seen that day. Another day in paradise! Weather: 32 degrees Day 7: Rancho Naturalista Hotel, Paraíso Del Quetzal & Savegre Lodge. Friday 2 March 2018 Today we woke up at 0500 in Rancho Naturalista. We started the day with a nice cup of coffee and by 0520, we were already exploring the beautiful scenery surrounding the hotel, after which a very appetizing breakfast was waiting for us. After breakfast we continued to Paraiso del Quetzal and to our next adventure. Making a couple f stops en route for birding, we arrived at Paraiso del Quetzal in time for a very nice lunch. Then, we went hiking on the trails of Paraiso Del Quetzal where we observed several birds, before continuing to Savegre Lodge in the afternoon, where we completed our checklist and had dinner. On such a great day, we had the opportunity to see more than 200 species of birds. Weather: 29 degrees Day 8: Paraiso Del Quetzal, El Roble forest Saturday 3 March 2018 Today we had a special challenge and awoke with great anticipation! Our quest was to find the quetzal, one of the most beautiful birds on Earth. At 0500, we were drinking coffee, and left the hotel by 0515 and it wasn’t long before we achieved our goal! To celebrate that incredible moment, we returned to the hotel for much deserved breakfast, and then the rest of the day was spent in search of the various species common around the lodge. We had lunch at the hotel and then went for an unforgettable hike in the El Roble Forest, returning to the lodge for dinner. What an amazing day! We observed more than 200 species of birds again! Weather: 29 degrees Day 9: Aventura Pacifico Central Rio Tarcoles, Villa Lapas Sunday 4 March 2018 We started the day with a nice breakfast, before departing on our next adventure which was Aventura Pacifico Central Rio Tarcoles, stopping twice along the way to observe more birds. At 1100, we boarded the boat for our trip on the Tarcoles River where we saw many different types of birds and other animals as well. We arrived at the restaurant Nozavar in time to enjoy a delicious lunch, before continuing to Villas Lapas and a lovely hike around the hotel. It was a particularly hot day but it was also full of great discoveries. Weather: 30 degrees Day 10: Carara National Park, Tabaris Restaurant, Ensenada Lodge Monday 5 March 2018 It was to be another early start this morning in Villa Lapas. We went for an hour walk in the birding area of the hotel and then returned for breakfast at around 0640. After breakfast we drove to Carara National Park where we had an incredible three and a half hour hike, during which we saw many species of birds, as well as the other flora and fauna common to this area of Costa Rica. We then headed to the restaurant Tabaris for a delicious lunch with a fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean. Afterwards, we drove to the Ensenada Lodge, stopping on the way near the coast to observe birds. It was a very rewarding drive! Despite the tiring walk in the warm Costa Rican weather, which took its toll on some of the group, this was another fantastic day, full of joy! Weather: 29 degrees Day 11: Manglar Tour, Hacienda Salimar Tuesday 6 March 2018 The sunrise at Ensenada Lodge was incredible and waking up early to watch birds that morning was just a gift from God. We woke up at 0445 to have coffee and cookies and at 0515 we were on the boat ready for a tour of the mangrove, which resulted in an impressive amount of birds, and the sunrise was gorgeous. After three hours, we returned to the hotel for breakfast: a delightful Gallo pinto. After breakfast, we continued to hike around the Lodge, and then made our way to Hacienda Solimar where a delicious lunch awaited us. Then, we did some
incredible and unforgettable birding in this amazing place which was brimming with birds, before finally returning to Ensenada Lodge for dinner and the all important checklist. Today had to be one of the best of this trip. Weather: 27 degrees Day 12: Ensenada Lodge, Bougainvillea/San José Wednesday 7 March 2018 Today was a little more relaxed with breakfast at 0700 and then a hike in the surroundings of the Ensenada Lodge, where we were able to tick off many more birds on the list. Mid-morning we drove back to San José towards the Bougainvillea Hotel, stopping for lunch on the way, and arriving at the hotel at 1730. We had the chance to see 322 species of birds which is a really impressive number. Here is a list of the most beautiful birds we saw: Great kiskadee Passerini’s tanager Swallow-tailed tit Spectacled owl Pacific Screech owl Ferruginous pygmy-owl Sunbittern Jabiru Resplendent quetzal Scarlet macaw Orange-billed sparrow Yellow-throated toucan Collared redstart Fiery-throated hummingbird Montezuma oropendola Summer tanager During dinner, the group agreed that they had enjoyed every day of the trip and were surprised that they had the chance to see more than 300 species of animals, every day being different and extraordinary. Weather: 30 degrees Day 13: Return home Thursday 8 March 2018 We left the hotel at around 1400 to drive to the airport. Sadly, it was time to say goodbye but we parted happy, knowing that everyone had had an incredible trip. Weather: Sunny, 30 degrees