Pacific Rainforests

Day 1: Arrival to San Jose – Juan Santamaria’s International Airport.

Day 2 & 3: San Gerardo de Dota

Day 4, 5, 6 & 7: Central Pacific, main location Carara National Park.

Overview.

San Gerardo Valley.

San Gerardo de Dota is a true sanctuary found deep in the Talamanca Mountains of southern Costa Rica. The small village is a center for apple and peach farms along the Savegre River.
Among birders, the area is treasured as the best place in Costa Rica to see arguably the world’s most beautiful bird, the extraordinary Resplendent Quetzal. Quetzals nest in the cloud forests covering the valley walls and are easily seen during breeding season. The cloud forests also harbor a fine mix of high elevation specialty birds reminiscent of western Panama. A visit to this area is high on the wish list of every knowledgeable birder touring Costa Rica. Around the lodges high elevation hummingbirds are attracted to feeders. These include Gray-tailed Mountain-gem, Scintillant Hummingbird, and Volcano Hummingbird among others.

Carara National Park.

The Carara Carara National Park, which in the Huetar indigenous language means «River of Lizards», has the only transition forest in the Central Pacific, which translates into a diversity of flora and fauna, where species typical of dry and humid forests converge. .
This National Park is an ornithological destination known worldwide since it has a very diverse birdlife, where the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) stands out, a species that is in danger of extinction, being the second largest species of Psittacine in Costa Rica. Insects, frogs and reptiles are also easily spotted which converts Carara one of the best sites in the area for macro-photography.