I have signed up for a customized birding tour in Costa Rica to be led by Pieter Westra, owner of Aratinga Tours (http://www.aratinga-tours.com/English/index.html). The tour starts on the morning of November 23, 2013, and ends on the afternoon of November 30.
I would like to have one person join me on this tour, as a small group would be more advantageous for birding. However, if you travel as a couple, I could ask for a quote with the two of you in your separate hotel rooms.
If you are a male, we could do a double occupancy or separate hotel rooms if desired, and if you are a female, you will have your own room at each location. Either way, the cost of the tour would be significantly reduced (the cost for me going it alone is $2700) by splitting the car, fuel and guide costs.
A larger vehicle (Hyundai Tucson 4 x 4) would be used if I have a companion or two.
For a male companion doing double occupancy, the total price would be $1885 each. Pieter Westra has given me this price, which would vary a little, depending upon your pickup and drop-off points. For a female companion, or a male companion who wants a separate hotel room at each location, the price would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $2200 (just my guess). If you are sincerely interested in joining my tour with separate hotel rooms, I can ask Pieter for such a quote.
The itinerary (as prepared by Pieter for me) is shown below:
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November 23rd: Pick up at hotel in San José. Travel to the Talamanca mountains. Underway making several interesting stops to pick up local specialties; at Quetzal Paradise Lodge you will look for the stunning Fiery-throated Hummingbird at the feeders; after that you will visit the paramo-vegetation around 3200 m and look for Volcano Junco, Volcano Hummingbird and Timberline Wren. You will end your day in Hotel Savegre at the edge of the cloud forest. The garden of the hotel has sugar feeders attracting 5 species of highland hummingbirds (magnificent Hummingbird, White-throated Moungtain-gem, Green Violetear, Scintillant and Volcano Hummingbird). BLD
November 24th: you will spend the entire day birding in San Gerardo de Dota looking for the highland specialist like Collared Redstart, Black Guan, Emerald Toucanet, Yellow-thighed Finch, Flame-throated Warbler, Black-faced Solitaire and many more...they are also famous for the presence of the spectacular Resplendent Quetzal, one of the pretiest birds of the world...Hotel Savegre BLD
November 25th:You will descend the Talamanca mountains and end up in the green valley of the El General River. You will spend the following nights in the small Talari Mountain Lodge surrounded by nice gardens and semi-open pasture lands. The fruit feeders attract colourful tanagers like Green Honeycreeper, Red-legged Honeycreepers, Golden-hooded Tanagers and with some luck even Speckled Tanager...also Fiery-billed Aracari’s, Streaked Saltators and White-crowned Parrots might be around...BLD
November 26th: Visit to the Los Cusingos Reserve: the gardens and forest edge are often full with colourfull tanagers and is one of the best spots of the country for the endangered Turqoise Cotinga...you will walk a small forest trail, where you can spot red-capped and Blue-crowned Manakins, Pale-billed Woodpeckers and Black-throated Trogon among others...Talari Mountain Lodge BLD
November 27th: you will travel down to the coastline of the Pacific. Underway we will make a few stops in order to pick up some interesting birds...we will try for Swallow-tailed Kites, Long-billed Starthroat and Slaty Spintail at Finca Los Suisos and will stop to enjoy the beautiful flight of Brown Pelicans and Magnificent Frigate birds...we end our day at Hotel Villa Lapas: nice hotel with swimming pool at the edge of the rainforest at about 2 kms from Parque Nacional Carara.
November 28th: We will have the entire day to explore the trails of Parque Nacional Carara and look for local specialties like Streak-chested Antpitta, Royal Flycatcher, Orange-collared Manakin, Great Tinamou, Black-faced Antthrush, Baird’s Trogon and Rufous-tailed Jacamar, among others.
November 29th: In the morning we will visit the “Guacimo road” in search of some birds of the tropical dry forest like White-fronted Parrots, Orange-fronted Parakeets, Stripe-headed Sparrow, Turqoise-browed Motmot, and Black-headed Trogon...there is also a quite reliable spot for the elusive but spectacular Long-tailed Manakin. In the afternoon we will make a boat-tour on the Tarcoles river looking for waterbirds like Wood Stork, Roseatte Spoonbill, Yellow-crowned Night-heron, Boat-billed Heron; you will also enter the mangroves in search of mangrove specialists like the edenmic Mangrove Hummingbird, but also Mangrove Cuckoo and the tiny American Pygmee Kingfisher are possibilities...Hotel Villa Lapas BLD
November 30th: transfer to Herradura port after breakfast. B
1. What is included ?
· Accommodations in single rooms
· Meals as mentioned above: B = breakfast; L = lunch; D = dinner
· Tours / activities as mentioned above
· Myself as your personal guide / driver (I will be equipped with a Swarowski spotting scope, I-pod with birdcalls, laserpointer + birdbook + swarowski binoculars); including expenses underway (lodging, meals + entrance fees)
· All transportation from pick-up till drop-off with Suzuki Jimmy 4 x 4; including insurance + gasoline costs
· Entrance fees
2. Extra costs
· International flight
· Departure tax when leaving Costa Rica: 29 usd pp
· Extra activities / tours not mentioned
· Extra meals not mentioned
· Personal expenses
· Tips
///////////////////////
thanks for your interest,
Ersten
I would like to have one person join me on this tour, as a small group would be more advantageous for birding. However, if you travel as a couple, I could ask for a quote with the two of you in your separate hotel rooms.
If you are a male, we could do a double occupancy or separate hotel rooms if desired, and if you are a female, you will have your own room at each location. Either way, the cost of the tour would be significantly reduced (the cost for me going it alone is $2700) by splitting the car, fuel and guide costs.
A larger vehicle (Hyundai Tucson 4 x 4) would be used if I have a companion or two.
For a male companion doing double occupancy, the total price would be $1885 each. Pieter Westra has given me this price, which would vary a little, depending upon your pickup and drop-off points. For a female companion, or a male companion who wants a separate hotel room at each location, the price would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $2200 (just my guess). If you are sincerely interested in joining my tour with separate hotel rooms, I can ask Pieter for such a quote.
The itinerary (as prepared by Pieter for me) is shown below:
////////////////////////
November 23rd: Pick up at hotel in San José. Travel to the Talamanca mountains. Underway making several interesting stops to pick up local specialties; at Quetzal Paradise Lodge you will look for the stunning Fiery-throated Hummingbird at the feeders; after that you will visit the paramo-vegetation around 3200 m and look for Volcano Junco, Volcano Hummingbird and Timberline Wren. You will end your day in Hotel Savegre at the edge of the cloud forest. The garden of the hotel has sugar feeders attracting 5 species of highland hummingbirds (magnificent Hummingbird, White-throated Moungtain-gem, Green Violetear, Scintillant and Volcano Hummingbird). BLD
November 24th: you will spend the entire day birding in San Gerardo de Dota looking for the highland specialist like Collared Redstart, Black Guan, Emerald Toucanet, Yellow-thighed Finch, Flame-throated Warbler, Black-faced Solitaire and many more...they are also famous for the presence of the spectacular Resplendent Quetzal, one of the pretiest birds of the world...Hotel Savegre BLD
November 25th:You will descend the Talamanca mountains and end up in the green valley of the El General River. You will spend the following nights in the small Talari Mountain Lodge surrounded by nice gardens and semi-open pasture lands. The fruit feeders attract colourful tanagers like Green Honeycreeper, Red-legged Honeycreepers, Golden-hooded Tanagers and with some luck even Speckled Tanager...also Fiery-billed Aracari’s, Streaked Saltators and White-crowned Parrots might be around...BLD
November 26th: Visit to the Los Cusingos Reserve: the gardens and forest edge are often full with colourfull tanagers and is one of the best spots of the country for the endangered Turqoise Cotinga...you will walk a small forest trail, where you can spot red-capped and Blue-crowned Manakins, Pale-billed Woodpeckers and Black-throated Trogon among others...Talari Mountain Lodge BLD
November 27th: you will travel down to the coastline of the Pacific. Underway we will make a few stops in order to pick up some interesting birds...we will try for Swallow-tailed Kites, Long-billed Starthroat and Slaty Spintail at Finca Los Suisos and will stop to enjoy the beautiful flight of Brown Pelicans and Magnificent Frigate birds...we end our day at Hotel Villa Lapas: nice hotel with swimming pool at the edge of the rainforest at about 2 kms from Parque Nacional Carara.
November 28th: We will have the entire day to explore the trails of Parque Nacional Carara and look for local specialties like Streak-chested Antpitta, Royal Flycatcher, Orange-collared Manakin, Great Tinamou, Black-faced Antthrush, Baird’s Trogon and Rufous-tailed Jacamar, among others.
November 29th: In the morning we will visit the “Guacimo road” in search of some birds of the tropical dry forest like White-fronted Parrots, Orange-fronted Parakeets, Stripe-headed Sparrow, Turqoise-browed Motmot, and Black-headed Trogon...there is also a quite reliable spot for the elusive but spectacular Long-tailed Manakin. In the afternoon we will make a boat-tour on the Tarcoles river looking for waterbirds like Wood Stork, Roseatte Spoonbill, Yellow-crowned Night-heron, Boat-billed Heron; you will also enter the mangroves in search of mangrove specialists like the edenmic Mangrove Hummingbird, but also Mangrove Cuckoo and the tiny American Pygmee Kingfisher are possibilities...Hotel Villa Lapas BLD
November 30th: transfer to Herradura port after breakfast. B
1. What is included ?
· Accommodations in single rooms
· Meals as mentioned above: B = breakfast; L = lunch; D = dinner
· Tours / activities as mentioned above
· Myself as your personal guide / driver (I will be equipped with a Swarowski spotting scope, I-pod with birdcalls, laserpointer + birdbook + swarowski binoculars); including expenses underway (lodging, meals + entrance fees)
· All transportation from pick-up till drop-off with Suzuki Jimmy 4 x 4; including insurance + gasoline costs
· Entrance fees
2. Extra costs
· International flight
· Departure tax when leaving Costa Rica: 29 usd pp
· Extra activities / tours not mentioned
· Extra meals not mentioned
· Personal expenses
· Tips
///////////////////////
thanks for your interest,
Ersten
