Costa Rica:  March 25 to 31, 2007 with April 1 Extension   for Resplendent Quetzal with Bill Schmoker and Great Local Guides Trip Description:  Costa Rican birding is fantastic, and the country offers numerous opportunities for family outdoor adventure. This trip begins with a visit to Carara Biologic Reserve where we will likely find Scarlet Macaws, Fiery-billed Aracari, and Slaty-tailed Trogan, and we will look for Orange-collared Manakin, Great Tinamou, and nearly 400 other species.  As we move on to enjoy Arenal Volcano and hot springs, we will also have a chance to share with our children birds, such as Emerald Toucanet, Azure-hooded Jay, Chesnut-headed Oropendola, Olive-backed Euphonia, Bay-headed Tanager, Blue-and-gold Tanager, Violaceous Trogon, Rufous Motmot, White-necked Puffbird, and Keel-billed Toucan.  The children and adults will enjoy hummingbirds, such as Violet Sabrewing, White-crested Coquette, Green Thorntail, Green-crowned Brilliant, and Snowcap.  We will also visit Cano Negro National Park, and La Selva Biological Reserve.    Every day, productive early morning bird hikes will be offered from the door steps of our eco-lodges.  Two river boat trips at different locations will provide enjoyable wildlife and bird watching for the whole family.  We have hired one of the best local bird guides to join us throughout the trip.  Our plans also include a number of night birding and wildlife hikes, as we seek Crested Owl, Spectacled Owl (to name a few birds) and other nocturnal wildlife.  Our American educational staff will provide some opportunities for parents to bird alone while their children enjoy other educational and recreational opportunities.   Our likely bird list exceeds 220 species, and we suspect our trip list will near 300 species.  In addition, the children will enjoy seeing 3 species of monkeys, sloths, numerous frog species, lizards and other tropical wildlife.  A one day extension to this trip is possible to a location nearly guaranteed to produce Resplendent Quetzal and another 20 species.

Nestling Tour's Itinerary for Costa Rica:  Days 1 and 2:   Carara Region Saturday (March 24, 2007):  Transfer to Carara Region and First Night Hike Ideal air travel day to San Jose and transfer to lodge near Carara Biological Reserve. Evening birding on the lodge grounds for those who are not too tired.  This will be an opportunity for one of two parents and will be one of many after dark wildlife and birding opportunities.  We will try to find Striped Owl, Spectacled Owl, and Common Paraque, and we should find other interesting wildlife Sunday (March 25, 2007):  Carara Biological Reserve and Other Birding and Outdoor Opportunities Early morning bird walk (starting right before sunrise) on lodge grounds with Costa Rican guide.  This may be a great opportunity for the parent who missed the Saturday night bird walk, and this will again be one of many sunrise bird walks. After breakfast, our bird guide will lead a family birding trek at Carara Biological Reserve.  This bird trek will be with children and adults, and we should find Scarlet Macaws, Fiery-billed Aracari, Slaty-tailed Trogan, and some of the other 400 bird species in the area.  The children will enjoy both the tropical birds and other wildlife (Lesser Anteater, Spider Monkey, Howler Monkey, Coati and many others).  We may even find a Poison Dart Frog. After a few hours of treking as a full group, the Outdoor Instructors will bring the children and interested parents back to the lodge for a morning recreation and/or craft activity.  The rest of the group can continue birding until about shortly after noon. After lunch, we will have a full group orientation, reviewing our plans and answering any additional questions you may have. In the afternoon, we will offer several choices for family adventure and exploration. Starting at about 2:30, family birding and trekking can continue on the sky walk hanging bridge system.  This 1.5 miles trek will be fun for the children as we cross bridges and pathways through the forest.  We should also see incredible wildlife and birds.  Some bridges are over 300 feet across.  The bird guide will be available to identify birds as we walk through the forest canopy.   Other Nestling staff will be available to help meet the needs of children and parent participants.   As an alternative, the family may want to enjoy together (and without the rest of the group) some of the other activities at or near the lodge.  The lodge has other private trails which you can enjoy at your own pace. You may also want to go to one of the nearby beaches (about 15 to 20 minutes away).  The lodge also offers other activities (please contact us for more details). At 4:30 PM, we will offer additional alternatives for families and children. The Outdoor Instructor will offer an arts and crafts activity for the children at the lodge. Snacks will also be available at this time. From 4:30 until 6 PM, parents will be able to do additional birding around the lodge with our bird guide and without the children. After our long first day, some children may just want to spend more time with their parents. An early dinner is also possible.  See below. Dinner is served from 4:30 PM until 9 PM.  We suspect most children will be hungry and most families will have completed dinner by 7 PM.  Dinner includes an optional cultural and dance show which many children and family members will enjoy.    Late PM Birding:  At 7 PM, we will offer children and parents a late night wildlife and birding trek on the lodge grounds.  We will listen for, and hope to find, many of the same species from the first night and will also try for Pacific Screech-Owl.  Other wildlife which we may encounter includes various frogs species, various bat species and other nocturnal creatures.

Target Birds in Carara Region:  Amongst the 400 species in the area, some of our target bird species during our bird walks in the Carara Region include Scarlet Macaws, Orange-chinned Parakeet, White-crowned Parrot, Slaty-tailed Trogan, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Blue-throated Goldentail, Steely-vented Hummingbird, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Baird's Trogon, Black-throated Trogon, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Fiery-billed Aracari, Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Great Antshrike, Black-hooded Antshrike, Chestnut-backed Antbird, Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, Piratic Flycatcher, White-winged Becard, Orange-collared Manakin, Long-billed Gnatwren, Scrub Greenlet, Golden-hooded Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Yellow-crowned Euphonia, Blue-gray Tanager, Palm Tanager, Gray-headed Tanager, White-throated Shrike-Tanager, White-shouldered Tanager, Orange-billed Sparrow, and Montezuma Oropendola (just to name a few).

Nestling Tour's Itinerary for Costa Rica:  Days 3 to 5:  Greater Arenal Region Monday (March 26, 2007):  Early Morning Birding and Off to Arenal for Hot Springs, Volcanos and More Wildlife Gathering 15 minutes before sunrise (about 5:15 AM), we will begin to walk towards our starting point for a guided early morning bird walk on the Sky Walk.  This will allow a 1.5 mile hike through the forest canopy.   Birding is always productive in the early morning at ground level, and this trip at tree branch level will allow us great looks at birds we may have missed the day before.   This birding opportunity is early in the morning so please let the children sleep and catch up on their rest unless they want to join us at 6:30 AM (see below).  At least one parent must stay with their children back at the lodge, as most children will not be comfortable with the Outdoor Instructors this early in the trip.   For parents staying at the lodge with the children, some good birding will be possible near the front door of your room in the gardens surrounded by tropical rainforests. At 6:30 AM, the morning bird walk will rendezvous with any interested children or late rising adults.  We may split into two groups.   One group will bird (and check out other wildlife) other local trails at the lodge.  The other group will take another walk on the Skywalk. Breakfast may be taken earlier, but the full group will have breakfast around 7:30 AM.  Breakfast (buffet style) is served from 6 AM until 8:30 AM at the lodge’s restaurant; however, we ask everyone to be ready to leave by 8:15 AM for Arenal. At 8:15 AM, we will head to the Arenal.  This trip can take up to 4 hours depending upon traffic around San Jose.  We will take stops along the way for birding and to meet the needs of children and other participants.  This is our longest ground transport day, but we will see an active volcano, enjoy hot springs, and see terrific birds and other wildlife. Between noon and 1:30 PM, we will enjoy lunch at the lodge’s restaurant.  The lodge and its grounds are surrounded by bird feeders, and I suspect most participants will pick up a few lifers while we enjoy the noon meal.   Feeders offer great opportunities for children to study birds as well. The Outdoor Instructors will be prepared with identification cards to help the children learn to identify some of these species. After lunch, we will head to the Tabacon hot springs.  Children and parents will enjoy lounging and playing in the hot springs.  From the hot springs, the volcano can be observed blowing out debris and booming loudly. At 3:30 PM, several family choices will be offered. Children’s activities will be offered by the Outdoor Instructor back at the lodge. Parents will have the opportunity to go birding with our bird guide from 3:30 PM until about 5:30 PM. Some families may choose to continue to enjoy the hot springs and volcano watching.  We will arrange transport back to the lodge at a later time. Other families may enjoy going back to the lodge and enjoying some of the private trails on their own pace. Dinner (buffet style) can be enjoyed from 6 PM to 9 PM at the lodge.  As an alternative, some families may enjoy dinner at the Tabacon Hot Springs.  The group will not dine together this evening, allowing time for the family to spend time together. At 7 PM, we will offer a night time wildlife and bird walk on the Observatory grounds. Not to be forgotten for a long time, every family member will enjoy volcano gazing from their room at the lodge.  At night, lava can be seen flowing down the edge of the volcano. Tuesday (March 27, 2007):  Cano Negro National Park by Boat and Other Birding and Wildlife-Watching Activities The morning will begin with a number of pre-breakfast family options. An early morning bird walk will begin at 5:20 AM and last until 6:30 AM.  This will be for one of two parents. From 6:30 AM until 7:30 AM, our bird guide and Outdoor Instructor will lead a series of short walks on the observatory ground so that children and parents can enjoy wildlife and bird watching together. Some families may be weary from watching the volcano and may choose to sleep in. Breakfast is served from 7 AM until 8:30 AM, but we will be leaving at 8:15 AM to go to Cano Negro National Park. At 8:15 AM, we will leave for Cano Negro National Park.  Our trip begins with a drive to the small town of Los Chiles near the Nicaraguan border. We will stop along the way for birding. At Los Chiles (at around 10 AM), we will begin our three-hour boat ride up the Rio Frio in search of sloth's, several species of monkeys, other mammals, caimans, lizards, tropical birds and many other interesting creatures who inhabit the surrounding lush rainforest and wetlands. The guide will teach parents and children more about wildlife, vegetation, ecology and culture of this tropical paradise. After an enjoyable day at the National Park, we will return to the lodge. If we get back to the lodge by 4 PM (and this may not be possible as birding opportunities may present themselves throughout the day and delay our return), additional trekking and birding can be had on the lodge grounds until it gets dark. TUESDAY DAYTIME ALTERNATIVE:  Though most children and parents will enjoy the boat ride and the fantastic wildlife and bird watching opportunities at Cano Negro, some families may choose to take it easy and enjoy the private trails around the lodge.   We can also arrange for further lounging and recreation at the Tabacon Hot Springs. Dinner will be served from 6 PM and 9 PM. We will again offer an evening birding and wildlife exploration trek at about 8 PM. We will all continue to enjoy volcano watching thoughout the evening. Wednesday (March 28, 2007):  Trek at Volcan Arenal National Park and off to La Selva Area The morning will begin with a number of pre-breakfast family options. An early morning bird walk will begin at 5:20 AM and last until 8:30/9 AM. Starting at 6:30 AM and then 7:00 AM, children can join our birding and wildlife expedition or enjoy some early morning activities with the Outdoor Instructor.   Our bird guide and other adults will welcome children into what will become a family bird trek for about one half to one hour until about 7:30 AM.   The Outdoor Instructor will join the family bird trek until 7:30 AM.  At 7:30 AM, children can enjoy a breakfast and a morning educational and craft activity with the Outdoor Instructor on the lodge’s grounds until about 9 AM. Some families may be weary from watching the volcano and may choose to sleep in or join these activities later. Breakfast can be enjoyed from 7 AM until 8:30 AM.  On this day, most children will eat starting at 7:30 AM.  The adults from the morning bird walk will have breakfast served during the morning bird hike (yoghurt, snack bars, cereal, fruit, maybe sandwiches), and they will have snack along the way during the 3.5 hour morning bird hike.  Adults who want to eat at other times must do so before 8:30 AM. At 9:00 AM, we will all enjoy a trek at Arenal National Park through the diverse flora and fauna to the famous lava wall where you will walk on lava rocks (cooled long ago from decades and centuries earlier) and observe lava boulders tumbling down the flanks of Arenal. You could get the chance to see the glowing cinders (depending upon the weather) from the crater, and you will hear the booms from gas eruptions.  Professional guides will provide information on the natural history of the area and the  history of Volcan Arenal. At 10:30, we will begin our trip to Selva Verde Lodge, about 1 to 1.5 hours away.  We may stop for some birding along the way, depending up our actual schedule.

Birds Likely to be Found in Greater Arenal Region: Double-toothed Kite Tiny Hawk Semiplumbeous Hawk White Hawk Roadside Hawk Short-tailed Hawk Laughing Falcon Gray-headed Chachalaca Black Guan Red-billed pigeon Ruddy Quail-Dove Orange-Chinned Parakeet White-Crowned Parrot Red-Lored Parrot Squirrel Cuckoo Stripped Cuckoo Spectacled Owl Short-tailed Nighthawk White-collared swift Gray-Rumped swift Band-tailed Barbthroat Violet Sabrewing Brown Violet-ear Green Violet-ear White-crested Coquette Green Thorntail Snowcap Green-crowned Brilliant Slaty-tailed Trogon Violaceous Trogon Amazon Kingfisher Green Kingfisher Rufous Motmot Rufous-tailed Jacamar White-necked Puffbird Emerald Toucanet Keel-billed Toucan Chesnut-mandibled Toucan Lineated Woodpecker Pale-billed Woodpecker Olivaceous Woodcreeper Spotted Woodcreeper Red-faced Spinetail Fasciated Antshrike Great Antshrike Barred Antshrike Slaty Antwren Dotted-winged Antwren Bare-crowned Antbird Bicolored Antbird Spotted Antbird Ocellated Antbird Masked Tityra Long-tailed Tyrant Tropical Kingbird Piratic Flycatcher Golden-bellied Flycatcher Gray-capped Flycatcher Social Flycatcher Great Kiskadee Yellowish Flycatcher Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher Yellow-olive Flycatcher Yellow-margined Flycatcher Common Tody-Flycatcher Mountain Elaenia Slaty-capped Flycatcher Olive-striped Flycatcher Blue-and-white swallow Mangrove Swallow Brown Jay Azure-hooded Jay Plain wren Bay wren Black-throated wren Song Wren White-throated Robin Clay-colored Robin Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush Tropical Gnatcatcher Long-billed Gnatwren Yellow-throated vireo Yellow-green Vireo Bananaquit Slate-throated Redstart Chesnut-headed Oropendola Montezuma Oropendola Scarlet-rumped Cacique Yellow-billed Cacique Yellow-crowned Euphonia Yellow-throated Euphonia Olive-backed Euphonia Golden-hooded Tanager Plain-colored Tanager Rufous-winged Tanager Bay-headed Tanager Red-legged Honeycreeper Blue-and-gold Tanager Blue-gray tanager Scarlet-rumped Tanager Olive Tanager Black-and-yellow tanager Common Bush-Tanager Black-headed Saltator Grayish Saltator Black-faced Grosbeak Slate-colored Grosbeak Black-thighed Grosbeak Yellow-faced Grassquit White-colored Seedeater Variable Seedeater Orange-billed Sparrow Black-striped Sparrow Rufous-collared Sparrow

Nestling Tour's Itinerary for Costa Rica:  Days 5 (continued) to 7:  La Selva Region Wednesday (March 28, 2007) Continued:  An Afternoon at Selva Verde Lodge for Birding and More Family Fun We will have lunch at Selva Verde Lodge around noon. Selva Verde is very family friendly and a number of good options will be available for the afternoon. A family birding trek will be offered at Selva Verde in the afternoon.  Our  Outdoor Instructors will be available to support differential pacing, allowing adults to bird while children enjoy birds and other wildlife. For families who need a break from birding, the lodge offers a number of other fun, recreational and wild life oriented options for the afternoon.  We can arrange for any of the following options:  (1) butterfly garden and insect museum, horseback riding, botanical gardens with 70 varieties of Heliconia, nature walk (seperate from the main group), waterfall hikes, rainforest aerial tram through Braulio Carillo National Park, or cultural   exchange and community work. Later in the afternoon (starting from 3PM to 4 PM), the Outdoor Instructors will offer a snack, outdoor crafts and education workshop at so adults can enjoy one or two hours of birding in the private reserve. At 6 PM, the group will dine together at the Selva Verde Lodge.  We will have a brief planning meeting to determine morning plans and child comfort level for the next day. At  8 PM, we will offer a night birding and wildlife expedition to the La Selva Biological Station trails. Thursday (March 29, 2007):  La Selva Biological Reserve for Extensive Bird Trip and More Family Fun in the Afternoon at Selva Verde Lodge Starting at 5 AM, we will offer a 6 to 7 hour guided bird walk at La Selva Biological Station.  This bird trek will be without children.  We will have several options to keep the children busy while we enjoy a great early morning of birding. Waking up for children and going to breakfast will be different for every family.   Some parents will need to stay with their children until they wake up.  At this point, the parent or parents can walk the children to breakfast and join the 7:15 shuttle to La Selva and the guided bird tour. In some cases, we will be able to arrange for the Outdoor Instructor to meet the children as they wake up and bring them to breakfast. Breakfast will be served buffet style, and most children will dine between 7 AM and 8 AM. After breakfast, the children will have a great time together with the Outdoor Instructor.  These plans are tentative and will be improved so that children have a really great time. At 8 AM, the children will enjoy an exploration of the private grounds at Selva Verde. At  9:30 AM, the children will enjoy an educational conservation presentation on saving sea turtles and the rain forest. Arts and crafts will be offered at 10:30 AM. Snack will be served at 11 AM. Note:  Some families may prefer to spend the morning together, and a number of activities based from the lodge can be arranged. Children will start lunch at noon, and parents should arrive back from La Selva by 12:30. Afternoon Activities for Family Fun:  The lodge offers many good choices for the family to spend some time together.   Options for family activities this afternoon include: Butterfly Garden and Insect Museum Horseback Riding Botanical Gardens with 70 Varieties of Heliconia Nature Walk Waterfall Hikes Rainforest Aerial Tram through Braulio Carillo National Park Friday (March 30, 2007):  Sarapique Wildlife and Birding Boat Expedition, Family Nature Trek to Magia Blanca Waterfalls The morning will begin with a number of pre-breakfast family options. An early morning bird walk will begin at 5:20 AM and last until 8:15 AM.  This morning will start by birding the extensive trails across the Selva Verde lodge.  This will be a trip for interested adult and child birders; however, we suspect in many cases one parent will need to stay with the children if the children want to sleep in.  The Outdoor Instructor will come along. Starting at 7:15 AM, nearly all children will want to join our birding and wildlife expedition or enjoy some early morning activities with the Outdoor Instructor.   Our bird guide and other adults will welcome children into what will become a family bird trek for about one hour until about 8:15 AM. The Outdoor Instructor will join the family bird trek until 7:45 AM.  At 7:45, children can enjoy breakfast and a morning educational and craft activity with the Outdoor Instructor on the lodge’s grounds until about 8:45 AM. Interested children (and most will be at this point), should remain birding with the full group until 8:15 AM. Breakfast:  Adult birders will eat a snack as we start birding early.  The children should have a snack before joining the bird trek.  A few children will enjoy a full breakfast at 7:45 AM, and the rest of the birders will enjoy breakfast around 8:15 AM.  For folks taking a more leisurely pace, breakfast is available at the lodge from 7:00 AM until 8:45 AM. At 8:45 AM, we will take a short ride (about 15 minutes) to the boat dock on the Sarapique river. Starting at 9 AM, we will begin our boat trip up the Sarapique river.  This 3 hour boat trip will be enjoyed by all the family naturalists, as we will see a great abundance of wildlife, and pick up a few more birds who are fond of riparian areas. Though we will enjoy a snack on the boat trip, we will have lunch around noon at the Selva Verde Lodge. Afternoon Options and Brief Departure Notes For folks with Saturday morning flights from San Jose (this will be nearly everyone who is flying out Saturday), we will head back towards San Jose and stop for wildlife watching and a hike to the Magia Blanca waterfalls (the largest falls in the area) on the way back.  The waterfalls are in the La Paz Gardens (a nature preserve), adding an additional chance to pick up a few target birds.  The Gardens also features one of the largest indoor butterfly gardens in the world.  The waterfall hike will also break up the 2 or 3 hour drive back to San Jose.  After a Friday night stay at a San Jose hotel, we will arrange a morning transfer to the airport. For folks flying out Saturday afternoon, they can have the options of spending another afternoon enjoying the many recreational, wildlife watching and educational opportunities at the Selva Verde Lodge.  We can then arrange for a morning transfer from Selva Verde to San Jose for their flight out on Saturday. For families choosing to take the one day Quetzal extension trip, the departure from the main tour will be at about 2 PM from La Paz Gardens.  At this time, the Quetzal extension group will go on to the Savegre Lodge (another 2.5 to 4 hours of travel, depending on San Jose traffic).  The Quetzal extension trip requires a flight out on Sunday.

To check out the Bird List for the La Selva area click here.

To learn about our other great trips, click here. For information about the the price of these services, click here. For more information, contact us at 1-888-203-7464 or by email at travel@nestlingtours.com.

To learn about our 1 Day Quetzal Extension, click here.