The 14 Best Birdwatching Tours in Costa Rica

1.Flamingo Family Fun Catamaran Snorkel:Comfortable shaded seating

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 238 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $98Our pick

From Playa Flamingo, you spend about four hours cruising past rock formations and quiet beaches, swimming, snorkeling, using the waterslide, and watching the sunset. Bilingual guides serve lunch, tropical juices, and alcoholic drinks. The catamaran has shaded seating and returns to the marina.

“Great customer service with good food and unlimited drinks , activities , music and entertainment by crew”

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2.Birdwatching Tour at Mistico Park

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 79 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $66

Start at 6:00 a.m. for a guided walk through Mistico Park’s 600-hectare rainforest reserve. With no more than eight people per guide, you’ll search the canopy for toucans, parrots, motmots, monkeys, reptiles, and more from the park’s hanging bridges. Guides such as Donald, Gabriel, Christian, and Indira are praised for sharp wildlife spotting.

“One of the best guided tours of our vacation. Our tour guide (Anderson) was very knowledgeable and patient. It rained for most of the walk so we did not see a ton of birds, but he pointed out multiple birds, lizards, bats, snakes and frogs. Walking across the hanging bridges made it even better. Thank you Anderson!”

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3.Monteverde Birdwatching Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 68 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $80

Start at 7:00 a.m. for a four-hour walk through Curi-Cancha Reserve with a bilingual naturalist guide. Jason, Beto, Jacob, or Jesus may lead the outing, using a high-definition scope to show quetzals, toucans, hummingbirds, and other forest life.

“Myself and my friend are avid birds and were looking to see as much as we could. Jason was an amazing guide with extensive local and ecological knowledge and the ability to spot any bird in the bush! Thanks Jason for helping us see 40 bird species in 4 hours. My only regret is not booking you for the day or asking more questions about the local birds in the region.”

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4.Jaco Birdwatching and Photography with Sergio

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 65 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $101

Sergio picks you up in Jacó for a private morning of birdwatching and photography around Carara National Park and nearby habitats. Expect easy trails, a spotting scope, local wildlife knowledge, and chances to photograph macaws, toucans, motmots, manakins, monkeys, and more.

“A terrific and personal one-on-one birdwatching trip in the vicinity of Jaco. Sergio was excellent, and I was able to see macaws, toucans and many other species through the spotting scope.”

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5.Night Walk Experience at Natura Eco Park, (frogs snakes mammals insects birds)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 57 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $56

At Natura Eco Park near La Fortuna, a professional guide leads you through rainforest trails after sunset. Expect frogs, snakes, insects, nocturnal birds, and possible sloths or armadillos. The small group is limited to 10, and guides such as Noelia and Juan have been praised for spotting wildlife.

“Our guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. She found insects, frogs, snakes all over the place. The tour was a little too long for me although she worked hard to make it interesting the whole time. The organization was excellent, and everything ran very smoothly.”

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6.ATV Zipline Tour from Tamarindo or Flamingo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 55 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $145

From Tamarindo or Flamingo, you will ride an ATV through Guanacaste backroads, villages, dusty trails, and possible creek crossings before a canopy course with seven cables, bridges, and a tree climb. Guides such as Jason, Fernando, Cesar, and Alan are praised for patient instruction.

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Incredible Adventure! The ATV and zip line tour was awesome! We rode through local areas, small villages, and scenic backroads — a great way to see real Costa Rica. The guides were fun and professional, and the zip lines were exciting with beautiful views. Everything ran smoothly and felt safe. Highly recommend this experience!”

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7.3 Hour ATV Secluded Beach Tour from Tamarindo, Flamingo, Conchal & Grande

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 54 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $125

Drive an easy-to-handle ATV through Guanacaste’s forest, farmland, rivers, and dirt roads to Playa Mina, Pirate Beach, and Puerto Viejo near Conchal. Guides such as Jason, Roberto, and Mike are praised for careful instruction. You can ride a single ATV or share a double, then swim at quiet beaches.

“We had an excellent tour and our tour group leader Mike was awesome! He was very accommodating, pleasant and helpful. He was also very safety minded. We enjoyed the tour route going down dirt roads thru the country with 3 secluded beaches along the way. We have a 4 wheeler but I have very rarely rode it. I was skeptical at first not knowing what terrain to expect but it was no problem for me on the tour. I would recommend this tour if you want to have a little adventure and fun. We got some rain during part of our trip but it was all good. We went to…”

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8.Flamingo Beach Full-Day Package Rental

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 53 reviews · 2 to 10 hours (approx.) · from $48

Settle into a private beach setup on Playa Flamingo, choosing the south side by Coco Loco Restaurant or the north side by Margaritaville Resort. Your package includes shade, zero-gravity chairs, tables, towels, water, beer, ice, cornhole, and a Bluetooth speaker, with food and extra drinks available from Coco Loco.

“If you want a relaxing 0 hassle day at the beach, this is yoir one-stop shop! The man in charge is extremely friendly and knowledgable. The amenities were perfect and staff provided EXACTLY what we asked for in the cooler(waters and various drinks). Definitely worth it!”

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9.Monteverde Wildlife Walk & Hummingbird Encounter

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 52 reviews · from $45Best value

Walk Monteverde’s cloud forest for 2 to 2.5 hours with guides such as George or Roy, using a telescope to find birds, mammals, orchids, mosses, and ferns. Finish at the Hummingbird Sanctuary, where dozens of species gather close to the feeders.

“George is incredibly knowledgeable, patient and kind. We saw a quetzal, many other birds, and a bat, all while learning so much information about the environment and animals. This was a highlight of our trip! He went over and above and even let us take his SUV for a slight medical emergency for a child. Book with George- you will not regret it!”

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10.Private Sailing Tour from Playa Flamingo – Explore Costa Rica’s Gold Coast

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 51 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $180

Board Pegasus, a restored 52-foot French sailing yacht, from Playa Flamingo for a private four-hour cruise toward Las Catalinas. Crew members Rodrigo, Jose, and Caleb can arrange snorkeling, paddleboarding, fishing, lunch, drinks, and a sunset stop, with hotel transfers available for an added fee.

“This was hands down our favorite day in Costa Rica and truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. From start to finish, the entire crew went above and beyond. The three crew members were incredibly kind, attentive, and fun. Lunch was delicious—freshly made shrimp and grilled chicken tacos, the best homemade guacamole we’ve ever had, and fresh fruit. Drinks were always flowing with plenty of options, and they were happy to grab us anything whenever we asked. They took us to a private cove where Jose helped us snorkel and pointed out the most amazing fish. We swam to the beach to explore, and Caleb even swam out to us with waters and…”

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11.Private Snorkeling Tour by boat in Flamingo Beach

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 51 reviews · 3 hours (approx.)

Meet Frank, Carlos, Stuart, or Pablo at Playa Flamingo Marina for a private morning aboard the 28-foot Beluga. You’ll visit two quiet snorkeling spots, look for tropical fish, rays, turtles, dolphins, and whales, then enjoy fruit, guacamole, drinks, and lunch before returning around 11:30.

“Captain Frank was AMAZING! Super knowledgable and FUN! We went to two snorkeling spots and felt very safe with Frank. He provided us with snacks, including fresh cut up fruit and guacamole that he made on the boat! It was an incredibly fun experience on a perfect day. We could not recommend Pura Vida Snorkeling more and especially Captain Frank!!!”

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12.Resplendent Quetzal-Tucans- Tropical Birdwatching Tour Monteverde

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 51 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $100

Start around 6 a.m. with guides such as Olman, Almon or Jorge, then walk Ficus Trails and nearby birding spots in search of quetzals, toucans, hummingbirds and more. The small group, spotting scope and guide’s sharp ears matter here. Binoculars are not included.

“We had a wonderful morning bird tour with Orlan. He had a spotting scope, knew where to find the species of interest and could answer our questions. We highly recommend a tour with Orlan.”

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13.Birdwatching Tour: unlock the wonder, whether beginner or advanced

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 51 reviews · from $175

Join a naturalist guide such as Marcos or Felix for an easy, mostly flat walk in Monteverde. Choose the Monteverde Reserve, Curi Cancha, or SkyWalk bridges, then learn to spot birds, plants, nests, and forest life. Entrance fees and transport cost extra.

“Fabulous. We had a great trip and saw the amazing hummingbirds and the highlight actually stood underneath a tree where we photographed a quetzal.”

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14.Tamarindo Birdwatching Crocodiles and Monkey Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 51 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $50

From Tamarindo’s National Park station, take an easy two-hour boat trip through Las Baulas mangroves with guides such as Juan Carlos or Moises. Expect birds, crocodiles, monkeys, iguanas, crabs, fresh pineapple, and clear lessons about this fragile wetland. Wildlife sightings vary.

“Moises, our guide, was fantastic. It was the off-season, so he gave us a personal tour and took us deep into the mangrove by boat where we saw crocodiles, herons, regrets, raccoons and other fauna. Most impressively he offered us to join him on a turtle migration event a couple hours south where he would have us follow him and his colleagues in our own rental car. Sadly, the road conditions were not great. While other guides may have pressed the issue to make more money, he had the integrity to prioritize our safety. If the other guides are as knowledgeable, friendly and trustworthy as he is, there is no…”

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