MONTEVERDE &
SANTA ELENA
Anyone
who has birded Costa Rica has heard of Monteverde,
the famous cloud forest reserve, and our visit to the country would not be
complete without including this as one of our side trips. The biological reserve
straddles the upper slopes of the Cordillera de Tilaran, the continental divide.
Access on the last section of mountain roads is difficult, but doable, and once we are there we will be staying at a comfortable hotel with easy access to the hiking trails in the reserve. Because of its distinct biotical communities – Elfin Forest, Cloud Forest, Middle Zone Forest and Tall Multi-layered Forest - Monteverde offers an incredible variety of bird species, listing more than 450 here alone. To a birder who has not visited the tropics, the names themselves are titillating: Coppery-headed Emerald, Brown-billed Scythebill, Three-wattled Bellbird, Bare-necked Umbrellabird.
This side trip starts from San Jose and in route we will visit birding sites at Puntarenas and Chomes, close to the Gulf of Nicoya on the Pacific Ocean. The mangroves and mudflats here will be quite a contrast to what follows later in the day. Wouldn’t it seem strange to see a Black Storm-Petrel offshore on the same day as we hear a Silvery-fronted Tapaculo at the highland forest at Monteverde! In fact, we will have a pretty view of Gulfo de Nicoya from the hotel.
Our hotel is within walking distance of the Monteverde reserve
and we can also visit the nearby cloud forest at Santa Elena Reserve, less than
8 mi. away. We'll have a highly recommended local guide for our daytime and
nighttime birding at the reserve. Even with a 3-day 2-night stay we’ll wish we could explore more, but
then we also have lots of other great places left on our itinerary.
Common birds of Monteverde
| Black Guan | White-throated Spadebill |
| Barred Hawk | Golden-bellied Flycatcher |
| Ruddy Pigeon | Long-tailed Manakin |
| Green Hermit | Blue-and-White Swallow |
| Fork-tailed Emerald | Azure-hooded Jay |
| Fiery-throated Hummingbird | Rufous-and-White Wren |
| Steely-vented Hummingbird | Ochraceous Wren |
| Green-crowned Brilliant | Black-faced Solitaire |
| Magenta-throated Hummingbird | Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush |
| Orange-bellied Trogon | Mountain Robin |
| Resplendent Quetzal | Black-and-Yellow Silky-Flycatcher |
| Prong-billed Barbet | Brown-capped Vireo |
| Hoffman's Woodpecker | Three-striped Warbler |
| Spotted Woodcreeper | Spangle-cheeked Tanager |
| Red-faced Spinetail | Scarlet-thighed Dacnis |
| Spotted Barbtail | Golden-browed Chlorophonia |
| Streak-breasted Treehunter | Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager |
| Plain Antvireo | Yellow-thighed Finch |
| Olive-striped Flycatcher | Yellow-throated Brush-Finch |
| Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant | White-eared Ground-Sparrow |
Accommodations We will be staying at Fonda Vela Hotel . Here's how they describe themselves,
"On the 35-acre property, you will find lush forests and verdant pastures that are excellent for birding and hiking. In this tranquil setting, you may see parrots and emerald toucans that come to feed in the fruiting trees, occasionally. During certain months the Fonda Vela is excellent for seeing Resplendent Quetzal, Three-wattled Bellbird and Keel-billed Toucans. Horses graze in the pasture below. A 15-minute walk away is the world famous 10,500-hectare Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve."
Standard rooms have private bath, hot water, telephones and
television.
[Note, lunch & dinner meals are not included in this package, but are available
at the hotel and in town].
birding at Puntarenas and Chomes.
birding at Monteverde and Santa Elena.
entrance fees (3 days/nights).
3 guided daytime tours of Monteverde or Santa Elena.
guided nighttime tour of either Monteverde or Santa Elena.
2 nights accommodation at Fonda Vela.
2 breakfast meals at Fonda Vela.
services of caravan birding guide and social director.
$229 per person (double occupancy), $327 (single occupancy),
$211 (triple occupancy)
Price and package features subject to change.