Birding tour Curi cancha

Our family of 4 (2 kids ages 11 and 14) took the 4.5 hour bird tour at the beginning of August in 2026 and had a fantastic time! We were joined by tow other individuals and it was nice to have a small group and a couple additional pairs of eyes. Our guide was Jose and he was very knowledgeable, friendly and funny. We started in the parking lot and saw several species before we entered the reserve. We had a brief rainstorm at 6:45 so we waited briefly for the rain to pass and had a quick cup of coffee. He asked us what we were hoping to see and by the end of the morning, we found every bird on our list. I will admit that my family and I are not avid birders, but like wildlife in general. I will also admit that I was a little nervous taking the family on a 4.5 hour tour looking for birds, but everyone was pleasantly surprised and very excited to see the animals. We wanted to see the Three Wattled Bellbird and the Quetzal and found both by 9am. The Bellbird was amazing as we could hear him from a long distance. Fortunately, we was in a good viewing location. Another guide found a Quetzal and I don't think I have ever seen 4 guides scramble to get their scopes set up so quickly. We had a great view of a male for a couple of minutes before he flew off. I used a Nikon Z8 with a 180-600mm lens. This worked very well, but would recommend bringing a tripod given that most of the birds were some distance away and the lighting was challenging with the forest and overcast skies. We ended up seeing over 30 different species with a couple of toucans, many hummingbirds, a Trogon and Mot-Mot. Jose' was awesome, everyone had a great time and we will definitely do it again the next time we are in Monteverde.

We spent 9 days in CR doing a lot of stuff. This tour was my favorite. As you can see, Esteban has 5 stars and raving reviews. And somehow that seems like it is not enough. He has the ability to see birds that would otherwise be hidden. His excitement is palpable. He is as happy to see these things as you are. After the tour, he sat down with me and google maps to help me route out the best way to where we were going next--showing up where to stop for gas and supplies, etc. And he knows everything about the nature there. Not just the birds. Every question we had was answered like an encyclopedia. 5 stars and then some.

Curicancha is an amazing place, full of possibility. Our guide, Esteban, was so knowledgeable and enabled us to see so much than we would have seen on our own. Real privilege to visit this reserve.

Esteban is an expert with whom you will know everything there is to know about birds and with whom you can observe spectacular species. Just for the tour, it is already worth coming to Monteverde. A 10 out of 10.

Esteban was the greatest guide we have met so far in Latin America! Not only super knowledgeable about local birds, he was also very helpful and encouraging, making the experience at Curi Cancha really enjoyable. I would definitely recommend him for anyone interested in birds or simply the local nature in Monteverde area.

You are in great hands with Esteban. He’s the real deal . Knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and dedicated. I see him giving advice to the other “guides”. He’s the best bird expert in town . We were a family of 4 , the youngest being 9 years old. Let’s just say waking up at 5am to go bird watching wasn’t his thing. But for those early risers , this is a great morning spent . Be prepare to do a lot of hilly walks . Definitely not recommended for people with mobility issues.

Everything everyone else has said about our guide Esteban is correct! He was a great tour guide and really knew his bird! Highly recommend!

Our 4 plus hour birding tour of Curo Cancha Reserve with Esteban was a pleasure. We are NOT serious birders, but are wildlife enthusiasts and he was quite accommodating to that. His knowledge base was vast for the area and his English was excellent. His assistance with photographing our finds for us was invaluable. I had mentioned my hope to find a keel toucan and he was able to do so! I would recommend the adventure.

Johnny was a very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and Friendly guide. He is great at what he does! We saw over 30 birds including the Bell bird and a keel billed toucan actively at the nest. We also saw a couple of Agouti, 2 pigs and a few Coati and went home with many videos and pictures that he took thru the scope!

We had such an excellent tour and saw at least 30 different birds. Justin was our guide and he was so knowledgeable and very friendly. He had a really great telescope for getting a close up view and had good binoculars for us to borrow. We would highly recommend requesting Justin as your guide!!