Esquipulas Rainforest - Private Birding - Fully Customizable Tour
Description
As stated in the tour title, this activity can be personally customized to suit any lineage of tour preference based on your birding experience, knowledge, priority target species request, bird photography or just to have an excellent day of organic bird watching in Costa Rica. You are free to spend more or less time photographing birds at the bird feeders (breakfast area), spend the full 4 hours bird watching to create a "large numerous" list of observed species, or spend time searching for any missing personal target species. Today, we are proud to operate a birding tour geared toward satisfied travelers with any level of birdwatching experience, for those simply looking to see their first macaws and toucans in the wild. Ornithophiles looking to observe and complete any personal record of missing species "LIFERS", or to develop a professional tour for the intense bird watcher with solid and vast knowledge in the field of ornithology and tropical biology.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The Esquipulas Rainforest is located 45 minutes by car from the Manuel Antonio and Quepos hotels, the road conditions are excellent until the town of Villa Nueva, from that point the roads are rural, gravel and muddy in certain areas. A 4x4 or 4x2 vehicle is required if we are NOT providing transportation.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- A light cotton t-shirt, tanktop, leggings or shorts are ideal to wear during the walk, comfortable clothing is recommended (long-sleeved shirts and long pants are not necessary) Dress in muted colors (brown, green, etc.) Think blending in!
- Closed-toe footwear (sneakers, hiking boots, Keens or Tevas) is required to participate in the tour (No beach sandals or flip flops allowed)
- Pack sunscreen, and bug repellent, (try to find an organic one)
- Please bring rain protective gear for your camera and optics, rain jacket, and umbrella (early May to late December)
Reviews(33)
We had booked a guide for a private tour of 6 hours and this one does not present at the meeting point and impossible to reach the service provider. No return from him.
Would like to leave zero stars! Tour operator did not show up, did not respond to messages. Waited over an hour and nothing. Do not book this tour as they will waste your time!
No response from the tour operator the days before or on the day of. When we found the tour company, it was closed and there wasnt anyone there. We texted and called and still have not received a call from the company. We have also not been issued a refund yet from Viator. We were sad to miss this experience.
We will never know how good a tour it was because no one picked us up. We got up at 0415 to be ready for our 0500 pick up. We called and left a message but nothing. Thankfully Viator was able to refund us our money. The tour company didn’t even bother to return our message to give an explanation or apology. Find another tour.
Great tour! I am a wildlife biologist and birding enthusiast so this was a must for me. Manuel is a very knowledgable guide who put us on a lot of great birds and shows a lot of pride in all the flora, fauna, and natural beauty that Costa Rica has to offer. He and the driver Carlos were very friendly and accommodating. Highly recommend!
Dylan, our guide was amazing and very enthusiatic about his job. He persevered several times in finding/locating different species of birds. We finally saw the Michael Jackson bird in action (red capp!ed manakin). Highly recommend doing this tour!!!!
This was an extraordinary adventure and I definitely recommend! At first I was a little surprised at the price (tho most birding trips in the area are priced this high) but it was worth it, we’ll never forget it. I booked the trip the day before and someone from the tour company called and asked what we wanted to see. We gave him our list, and the next day, the wonderful guide and driver went out of their way to drive to different areas to seek out what we were looking for - macaws, toucans, parrots, etc., and we saw it all! The guide was so knowledgeable. Once out of the car, the walk was gorgeous. The traditional Costa Rican breakfast was delicious! Def recommend! I did feel bad I didn’t have a tip for the woman who made us breakfast, I was saving it for the guide.
A day of great birding from Manuel Antonio. We were two bird enthusiasts and our guide Dylan Serrano was excellent. He had known a few spots to look for some interesting birds on the way to Esquipulas rainforest. Enjoyed looking for birds at the reserve and photographing some colourful species at the feeder as well. Very much recommended for any nature and birdlovers visiting Manuel Antonio.
We were scheduled for 5:00 am and at 5:30 he still hadn't shown up. We called and he was very honest and apologetic and said it just hadn't made it into the calendar. He scrambled and picked us up at 8. Other than that, we had a great experience. Manuel is extremely knowledgeable about birds, plants, and other animals. With his guidance we were able to say a large number of birds, including some really fascinating ones like the sickle-billed hummingbird. He took photos through his scope and sent them to him (the attached are his photos). Unfortunately he then promised a log of the names of the birds we had seen and despite repeated messages he never sent it.
It’s true that you have to get up early in the morning for this tour. Birds have their own timeline! This was an amazing tour, our guide was so knowledgeable, he had 20 years in the business and had swivel eyes. He could see and spot birds in an instant. He also uses a spotting scope and was the fastest at setting it up so that even the non-birder Could see and appreciate. Wonderful local breakfast in a home that was cozy and felt like you were in someone’s kitchen. So much fun, so informative, and so many birds! Our guide was so enthusiastic, we felt like we were all drawn along by his enthusiasm and knowledge. Highly recommend
