Our tour started in Cerro de la Muerte, a mountain that´s part of the Talamanca Cordillera, where a hummingbird-filled week gave us views of the near-endemics Volcano Hummingbird, White-throated Mountain-Gem and Fiery-throated Hummingbird. But Cerro de la Muerte is notorious not only for its unique tanagers and hummingbirds but also for hosting a healthy population of the incomparable Resplendent Quetzal. Thanks to the effort of Marco and Santiago, you got to see not only a female but also an adult male throughout the scope.
The second part of our tour focused in theCosta Rican Caribbean side and included a visit to the buffer zone of Braulio Carrillo national park. We took a gondola ride along the aerial tram and we were welcomed with views of orchids, epiphytes and canopy feeding flock, at eye level! Add to such list of wildlife a view of the Bare-necked Umbrellabird, a member of the Cotingidae only found in Costa Rica and Western Panama and also the rare Baird’s Tapir.
In the lowlands we visited the famous La Selva (OTS) station. This impressive land mixes tropical humid forest with edge habitat and covers approx. 3,900 acres. As we were in a relaxed and easy style, we birded the entrance area and walked the flat trail along the river edge.
To complement the mix of habitats, we took a boat trip to the Sarapiqui and San Juan rivers. From the starting point we were exposed to seeing new species, from the common Mangrove Swallow to the less common and hard-to-find American Pygmy Kingfisher. We came across Buff-rumped Warbler, trogons and found a tree packed with figs where 4 males Snoy Cotingas were pulling fruits continuously. On our way back to the dock we saw something jumping into the water: a neotropical otter! This magic moment wrapped-up a tour that I am sure will take many days for you to digest, once you´re back home, in a cooler but drier environment.