Costa Rica Photo Tour

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About the Tour

Costa Rica, an ecological gem nestled in the heart of Central America, dazzles with its unparalleled biodiversity. From the majestic peaks of its mountains to the expansive tropical rainforests and white-sand beaches, the country presents a stunning natural backdrop.

Home to 5% of global biodiversity, Costa Rica harbors an astonishing variety of wildlife, from the resplendent quetzal to the the most famous frog in the world.

Numerous national parks and reserves safeguard unique habitats, while volcanoes like the imposing Arenal add a dimension of grandeur. A pioneer in sustainability, Costa Rica is a natural sanctuary that captivates with its rich wildlife and breathtaking landscapes.

Date

May 4th - 14th, 2026

Activity level

Easy

Available spaces

Itinerary

Day 1 | May 4: Arrival day

Arrival at the Juan Santamaria Intl. Airport, Costa Rica.

You will be welcome at the airport by your guide and driver. Immediately we will start the drive around 45 minutes to the hotel in San Jose city.

Once at the hotel we will look for the Blue-sided Leaf Frog: Agalychnis annae.

Accommodation: Bougainvillea Hotel

Day 2-3 | May 5-6: Boca Tapada

After breakfast you can departure to the next hotel (2-3 hour drive), this is one the best hotels for bird photography in Costa Rica as it has a unique deck with a bird feeder that is absolutely spectacular for Yellow-throated, Keel-billed Toucan and Collared Aracari. Is also a great feeder for parrots like Orange-chinned Parakeet, Brown-hooded and White-crowned Parrot. Red-legged and Shinning Honeycreepers, Golden-hooded and Passerines Tanagers provide so much fun and the interactions of all these birds for the best bananas always gives unique photos opportunities. We will have lunch here and spend the rest of the afternoon birding around the hotel.

Next day you can take advantage of the early morning at the deck for bird photography and then explore the surroundings. The trails are great for Red-capped Manakin displays (depends on rain pattern) and also taking a paddle canoe is a great option to explore the rainforest in the extensive systems of canals, Agami Heron and Sungrebe are good possibilities. And also we will go to the King Vulture Hide.

Herping at night (optional).

Accommodation: Laguna del Lagarto Lodge.

Day 4-5 | May 7-8: Caribbean Rainfores

We will arrive at lunch time and spend the rest of the afternoon in the gardens. Collared Aracari, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Brown-hooded and White- crowned Parrot, Black-capped Pygmy Tyrant, Great Curassow, Great Green Macaw are likely to be a common sighting in this location.

In the night we will do herping, looking for Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas), oophaga pumilio, Dendrobates auratus, Basiliscus plumifrons, among others.

Early morning to the next day, we will drive to Cope Wildlife Center to birding, owls, white bats and herping there.

Afternoon drive to Centro Manu for Pied Puffbird, White- fronted Nunbird and Great Potoo.

Late afternoon we will be herping for Tripion Spinosus, Oedipina carablanca,

Sachatamia ilex, among others.

Accommodation: Selva Verde Lodge.

Day 6-7 | May 9-10: Talamanca Highlands

As we drive to the highlands (5-hour drive) we will stop one or twice in the way to get some birds like Red-headed Barbet, Green Hermit, Emerald Toucanet among others.

Once in the highlands we will stop in the highest point of this road to bird the Paramo. A shrubbery ecosystem with three restricted endemics, the Volcano Junco, Timberline Wren and Fiery-throated Hummingbird

Next day in the early morning you will give it a chance to one of the most elusive species of the country, the Resplendent Quetzal. Known for many as the most beautiful bird of the world.

Later you can bird around the hotel and the gardens and open roads that can produce species like Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Black-thighed Grosbeak, Large-footed Finch, Yellow-thighed Finch, Slaty Flowerpiercer, Peg-billed Finch, Spangle-cheeked Tanager, Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager, Black Guan, Sulphur-winged Parakeet, White-throated Mountain-Gem, Black-faced Solitaire, Black-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Sooty Thrush and Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher.

Accommodation: Gema del Bosque

Day 8-9 | May 11-12: Central Pacific

Breakfast at 7 am and then we will start heading to our next location in the Central Pacific. We will arrive at the next hotel around midday and we will have lunch at a restaurant on the seaside.

Then we will check in at our hotel and take a short break. When the heat goes down we will continue birding around our hotel. This place has a strong dry forest influence so White- throated Magpie Jay, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Hoffmann’s Woodpecker, Fiery-billed Aracari, Rufous-and-white Wren and Crane Hawk among others are likely in a close hike from the hotel. At night we will try for Pacific Screech-Owl near the rooms.

Next morning we will start early at 5:30 am for a very productive boat tour in the mangroves and hopefully get Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, 3 species of Kingfishers, Mangrove Vireo, and Mangrove Hummingbird. Later in the morning (or maybe in the afternoon depending on time and heat) we will invest some time exploring the Carara National Park looking for Tropical Royal Flycatcher , Collared Forest Falcon, Red-capped and Blue-crowned Manakins, Slaty-tailed, Baird’s, Black-throated and Gartered Trogons. Rufous-tailed Jacamar and White-whisked Puffbird inhabit this forest too. Scarlet Macaw is very likely to be everywhere all the time we spend in the Central Pacific and the photographic opportunities are usually numerous.

Accommodation: Villa Lapas Jungle Village or similar

Day 10 | May 13: San Jose area

After the breakfast we will drive to the San Ramon area for around 2 hours. We will arrive in the morning to a local farm for Three-wattled Bellbird and Sunbittern.

Afternoon, we will drive for 1 hour to the Robledal Hotel and we will look for the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Spot- breasted Oriole.

Accommodation: Robledal Hotel

Day 11 | May 14: Flight back home

Eleven fascinating and amusing days will be saved in photographs and our memories. These will serve as evidence of our time together in a place where biodiversity has no limits.

It is time to say, “see you soon.” We trust that we will be able to share another adventure together.

After a comfortable rest and a delicious breakfast, we are ready to return to our homes.

Featured sightings

Quetzal

Birds

Amphibians & Reptiles

Hummingbirds in flight

USD: 5,250 P.P

Included

Double accommodation to share.
All meals (except dinner day 1).
Expert photographer guide.
Private transportation.
Multi-flash.
Reserves fee.
Apply supplement for single room.
USD: $550

Not included

National and International air tickets and airport taxes.
Additional nights.
Alcoholic beverages, snacks and beverages that are not part of the meals.
Laundry service.
Personal expenses.
Travel insurance (we recommend having one).
Tips.
Any other service not specified in the document.

General tips

For a better experience, it is important to know a couple of factors which will facilitate your stay in Costa Rica:

If you’d like to take home a couple of souvenirs, we recommend bringing a little extra cash in order to acquire these at the different locations we will be staying at (Local currency is the Costa Rican colón)
. We recommend exchanging around USD 200, or equivalent in your local currency, at the airport. Any other expense we recommend payments by credit card.
Mosquito repellent.
Sunblock.
Hats.
Flashlight (a headlamp is preferable).
Bags to store wet clothes.
Water bottle.
Trekking shoes.
Warm clothes for the Quetzal area.

Photographic equipment

As photographers, we know how difficult it is to decide how much equipment to take on trips, as we always want to take all of our equipment with us so that we can take advantage of our experiences. Here is a list of equipment we recommend bringing:

Wide angle lens
Zoom lens, range 100-600
Equipment protector for the rain
Tripod
Flash
Batteries
Battery chargers
Cleaning equipment
Plug adaptor

Clothing

We will experience three types of climates.

In the first part of the trip, we will have a mild climate.

On the second part, we will have warm weather, we recommend bringing long pants, shirts or long-sleeved shirts and a lightweight material that help perspire less.

For our last destination, Talamanca, we will have a Cold weather, so it is important to wear warm and waterproof clothing.

Daniel Mideros

tour leader

He graduated in advertising career at the San Francisco de Quito University.

He worked on his career until 2017, since then he made the decision to live from his passion, nature photography. In the same year he started his own business, Photo Wildlife Tours, in which it is dedicated to wildlife photography tours, and conservation. In addition to other audiovisual projects.

In the year 2022 he became the first Ecuadorian to win a category of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, “Animals in their environment”.

Do you need more information?

"One amazing experience, Jaime and Daniel are exceptional teachers, they take care of all details and make the time so enjoyable.  I was travel from another country and even when was my responsibility before the workshop all the logistic, Daniel took care of recommendations and all information worthy for the staying.  They create this immediate atmosphere of friendship that I appreciate a lot.  The places they choose where to show us, are awesome, the people they work with stick to their mission of conservation, teaching and sustainable development.  I can’t wait to take another adventure with them."

Ana Loáiciga Costa Rica

"I first met Jaime when he guided my group in the Amazon in 2015. The experience and the amount we learned was phenomenal. Jaime’s knowledge and enthusiasm when it comes to conservation shows in every part of the experience. He is able to display the perfect balance between education and adventure. I would recommend his services and I hope to be able to experience his unique way of showing you South America again."

Blake Freeman Canada

"While co-leading a personalized trip to Yasuni, Jaime was extremely friendly and enthusiastic, enhancing the trip with his attitude almost as much as by all the snakes (and occasional caimans) he found for me, despite less than ideal weather. We’ve remained friends for the three years, and I’m keen to join Jaime on future adventures and take even more advantage of his knowledge of Ecuador’s species and his skills as a photography teacher, as the Yasuni trip allowed me to take some of the best reptile and amphibian photos I’d obtained in over a decade as both a herpetologist and a photographer."

Phil Bowles England

"Jaime you were the best field guide we could ever have asked for and you made the experience very memorable, comedic and insightful. We learned many things about the reptiles and amphibians of the jungle. You were great!! "

Gioby Suero USA

"Photo wildlife tours transformed my trip to Ecuador from a cool trip to an unforgettable photography experience. I spent my first few days in Ecuador with various other tour guides and companies, and while I got good pictures with them, it was not until meant Daniel for my photo wildlife tour that I realized how incredible his tours were. I was able to get up close and personal with birds and other animals in ways that I could have only dreamed of previously. I was no longer shooting through tree canopy’s for washed out pictures of birds, instead I was taking the most gorgeous pictures I have taken in my entire life! The accommodations were well above my expectations, and the food was fantastic! I do not think I will ever book a photography trip with any other company if possible. Daniel not only helped me improve my wildlife photography technique, but he spotted for me so I never missed a shot, and helped me gain a better understanding of how to capture the best pictures possible. I cannot recommend his tours enough. He was able to tailor my experience to exactly what I wanted out of my time in Ecuador."

David Baydush USA

"Daniel from Photo Wildlife Tours plans the perfect trips, with incredible attention to detail offering the best services available. Searching for the top local guides for maximizing the opportunities of great photos, as well as offering the best lodging and meal options. The trip couldn’t have been better, if you’re an avid photographer searching for intense days packed with activity this is your best choice (bring plenty of storage 😂)"

Lior Berman Costa Rica

"Amazing with amazing people. I love this trip, everything was wonderful."

Sebastian Valverde Ecuador

"Very enjoyable trip photographing stunning birds in Colombia. Our guide Daniel was superb. He made great efforts to get me in the right place to get the pictures I wanted. He 'focussed' on me, not his own photography.He was also very helpful with my wife who is not a photographer. I am sure that I will travel with him again. 5star!"

Philip Marazzi UK

"This trip was amazing. So much wildlife and a extremely knowledgeable and fun loving guide! Can't wait to book our next tour with Jaime!"

Matthew Kirby USA

"I had a good time. The lodging was great as well as all of the food provided. Javier was knowledgeable and very helpful. He was able to provide us with plenty of locations to photograph a great number of birds. I would recommend this trip for anyone interested in bird photography."

Ona G USA

"We were very happy to work with Carlos as our guide. He is a highly competent guide and adapted to our needs, helping us get the best possible photos. We truly appreciate his willingness to adjust the plan to suit us, and I would certainly be happy to work with him again. The driver, Louis, is excellent — he prioritizes safety and drives very carefully on difficult roads. We never had any incidents. Carlos and Louis make a great team, and we had a lot of fun at the end of the day."

Teng Ma China

"Overall it was a great trip and we all got some great photos at the end and also learnt a lot from the trip, that will make our next trip better."

Junan Chen USA

"Very knowledgeable tour guide and great driver too. We saw everything we wanted including watching the condors from above which was awesome."

Xu Liqing USA

"Overall, the tour met the stated goals of finding and photographing birds, reptiles, and mammals in Ecuador. Our guide, Daniel, is an expert on Ecuadorian wildlife and knew the answers to any questions we asked. He is also very knowledgeable about the photographic aspect of the tour, including equipment, setup, and preparing guests for animal behavior, angles, and settings to achieve the best shots. My main desire was to create beautiful images, not just documentary photos, and Daniel proved to be an excellent teacher with great personal talent. He is also a very nice person with a great personality, sense of humor, and deep knowledge of his subjects. Safety was always paramount throughout the tour, whether photographing a viper or standing on a cliff to photograph the condor. Daniel did an excellent job tying together all the elements of a great photographic wildlife tour, and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a wildlife photography adventure in Ecuador."

Carl Waxman USA

"If it is a very memorable trip to shoot birds in Ecuador, I hope the next arrangement will be better! The bird guide Carlos is very professional and patient, thank you very much!"

Yuying Zhu China

"Very knowledgeable tour guide and great driver too. We saw everything we wanted including watching the condors from above which was awesome."

Wang Jun China

"Sebas really taught me a lot about photographing animals. It was very obvious from the beginning that he knew he wanted me to get better at shooting in full manual mode and he was very good at explaining the different aspects of photography. As a teacher myself I was very impressed with how he didn’t just tell me what to do to improve my photos, he guided me to figure it out for myself how to get more impressive photos."

Bert Austin UK

"I was on a 12 nights herping tour with herpetologist Jaime Culebras. I enjoyed every single part of the trip. Ecuador is an amazing biodiverse country. Jaime was a very respectful guide for both me and all the reptiles and amphibians we found. The food was so tasty. I visited Yasuni NP, Mindo and Canandé Reserve - all of this places were beyond my expectations. After that tour I can highly recommend Photo Wildlife Tours. I booked a new tour already. Can‘t wait to go…"

Daniel Doll Germany

"I traveled to Ecuador and saw more birds than I expected with photowildlifetours and Diche Mideros. Highly recommended."

Lenny Ferguson USA

"I had a wonderful photography tour to Chile and Brazil organized by Photo Wildlife Tours, led by Daniel Mideros. Every aspect of the trip was very thoughtfully planned and executed to optimize my time there. Daniel worked extra hard to ensure that I got the best sighting and great photographic opportunities. He also gives immense support on the field on both technical side of photography as well as post processing and presentation. I got a lot out of this tour, which will help me in my own journey of photography."

Kriti Waila Dubái