itinerary

Day#1 [Friday, 1 July]:
Arrival and transfer to Hotel Bougainvillea. Birding on the grounds is excellent with good chances to see Blue-gray and Palm Tanagers, Blue-and-white Swallow, Rufous-tailed and Steely-vented Hummingbirds, Canivet's Emerald, and Blue-crowned Motmot. Hoffmann's Woodpeckers play among the trees and Groove-billed Anis pluck insects from the lawns. The birding here is a good reason to plan an early arrival!
[overnight Bougainvillea Hotel; meals not included].

Day#2 [Saturday, 2 July]:
We've scheduled an early morning departure so that we can visit Braulio Carrillo National Park en route to the Selva Verde Lodge. This huge park is one of the birdiest places I've ever seen. In numerous visits, I have not failed to get lifers. Look for Blue-and-gold, Bay-headed, and Emerald Tanager. Rufous-winged Tanager will be a bonus, if we are lucky. Other specialties might be Tufted Flycatcher, Immaculate Antbird, Violet-crowned Woodnymph, Green Thorntail, Purple-crowned Fairy, or Slaty-tailed Trogon!

After scooping all the birds we can, our plan is to eat lunch before arriving at the Selva Verde Lodge near the village of Chilamate. Birding on the grounds and gardens is exciting. You can expect to see Chestnut-backed Antbird, Rufous Motmot, Long-billed Starthroat, or White-collared Manakin. Gray-necked Wood-Rails often walk right across the walkways!
[overnight Selva Verde Lodge; all meals included].

Day#3 [Sunday, 3 July]:
After a hearty breakfast, our group will depart for a day of exciting birding on the trails of La Selva Field Station of the Organization for Tropical Studies. Here students from around the world research ornithology, botany, herpetology, and many other scientific disciplines. Lunch will be at the La Selva Station so we won't have to miss anything. The bird list for the station is extensive. There are always new birds for our lists: Great Green Macaw, Great Currasow, Keel-billed and Chestnut-mandibled Toucans, Snowy Cotinga, Montezuma and Chestnut-headed Oropendolas, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Great and Fasciated Antshrikes, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Little Tinamou and more!
[overnight Selva Verde Lodge; meals included].

Day#4 [Monday, 4 July]:
After breakfast we will make a short visit to Virgen del Socorro en route to the Trogon Lodge at a higher elevation. Birds at La Virgen might include Black Phoebe, Smoky-brown Woodpecker, Emerald Toucanet, Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, or Green Honeycreeper. This might be a good place to find a Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth as well. Climbing toward the Cerro de la Muerte, roadside birding might bring us Green Violet-ear, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher, Sulphur-winged Parakeet, or Yellow-bellied Siskin.
[overnight Trogon Lodge; all meals included].

Day#5 [Tuesday, 5 July]:
Our whole day will be spent studying the unique birdlife of the Río Savegre headwaters. Look for the spectacular Resplendent Quetzal amid the fruiting aguacatillo trees. Of course, other birds up here will catch our eyes – Buffy Tuftedcheek, Hairy and Acorn Woodpeckers, Ochraceous Pewee, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Sooty Robin, or maybe even the elusive Silvery-throated Jay! Cool temperatures and roadside apple orchards give the area a feel of the Rocky Mountains rather than the tropics.
[overnight Trogon Lodge; all meals included].

Day#6 [Wednesday, 6 July]:
This will be a travel day as we drive across Costa Rica's highest elevation area of the Pan-American Highway and down to the region of the border with Panamá. The terrain is varied and interesting. At the upper elevation paramo, we'll search for Timberline Wren and Volcano Junco. Evening will find us at El Ceibo in San Vito.
[overnight El Ceibo; all meals included].

Day#7 [Thursday, 7 July]:
Our day will be devoted to birding the Wilson Botanical Gardens, a research station of the Organization for Tropical Studies, and the area around San Vito. Birdlife down here is considerably different from that of the Caribbean slope where our trip began so new birds might include White-crested Coquette, Garden Emerald, Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, White-throated Robin . . . maybe even Red-breasted Blackbird.
[overnight El Ceibo; all meals included].

Day#8 [Friday, 8 July]:
We will have an easy-going day of travel and roadside birding on our way to the Pacific lowland area around Golfito. This will be new territory for me so our species list might offer some real surprises. [overnight Esquinas Lodge; all meals included].

Day#9 [Saturday, 9 July]:
Our whole day will be devoted to exploring the trails around the lodge. Here we might find Blue-crowned Manakin, Black-bellied Wren, Long-billed Gnatwren, or Golden-naped Woodpecker. Who knows what other birds might be found!
[overnight Esquinas Lodge; all meals included].

Day#10 [Sunday, 10 July]:
Roadside birding up the Pacific coast will be the order of the day. We could find Magnificent Frigatebird, King Vulture, Plumbeous Kite, Blue Ground-Dove, Fiery-billed Aracari.
[overnight Villa Lapas Resort; all meals included].

Day#11 [Monday, 11 July]:
We'll have the whole day for visiting the fabulous Carara National Park and the estuary of the Río Grande de Tarcoles. Some birds for this day could be: Golden-hooded Tanager, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Cherrie's Tanager, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Magnificent Frigatebird, Boat-billed Heron, Yellow-headed Caracara, and Laughing Falcon. Other highlights for would include: Scarlet Macaw, Little Hermit, Mangrove Hummingbird, Band-tailed Barbthroat, Green-breasted Mango, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Steely-vented Hummingbird, Beryl-crowned Hummingbird, White-throated Magpie-Jay, Baird's Trogon, Black-hooded Antshrike, Black-faced Antthrush, just to mention a few. This will be our last full day and we want to make the most of it.
[overnight Villa Lapas Resort; all meals included].