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Photography hides · Costa Rica

Boca Tapada

Lowland rainforest of photography hides and great green macaws — built for the patient camera.

Getting there

~4 hr from San José, in the remote northern lowlands

Best for

Bird photography hides, great green macaws, toucans, lowland rainforest, hummingbirds

The land

Remote Caribbean-lowland rainforest near the Nicaraguan border

Good to know

The lodges here run purpose-built photography hides for macaws, toucans and more

What it is

Boca Tapada is a photographer's lowland rainforest — purpose-built hides and a stronghold of the endangered great green macaw.

Deep in the northern lowlands, Boca Tapada (home of the Laguna del Lagarto lodge) is built for the camera: photography hides set up for ground birds, raptors and hummingbirds, and a key stronghold of the endangered great green macaw, with toucans, tanagers and rainforest species in abundance.

PhotoBoca Tapada — photography hides.

The reason to come

The photographer's forest

Boca Tapada is all about the image — hides, macaws and lowland birds.

Photography hides

Purpose-built hides for ground birds, raptors and hummingbirds.

Great green macaws

A stronghold of the endangered macaw.

Lowland birding

Toucans, tanagers and rainforest species at close range.

Worth knowing

Built for the camera

Boca Tapada's hides and macaws make it one of Costa Rica's premier bird-photography sites.

PhotoA great green macaw at Boca Tapada.

When to come — honestly

A year-round photography base.

December – April

Best

The dry season — easiest access to the remote lodges.

May – November

Good

The green season — wet but superb for hide photography.

Year-round

Good

Hides and feeders are productive throughout the year.

It is remote and the roads can be rough, especially in the green season; this is a destination for dedicated photographers.

Context

The photographer's lowland

Boca Tapada is the dedicated bird-photography base, with hides and great green macaws.

It anchors the photography-focused itineraries.

We base photographers at Boca Tapada's lodge for its hides and great green macaws.

Beyond the obvious

More to Boca Tapada.

PhotoPhotography hides

Photography hides

Ground birds, raptors and hummingbirds.

PhotoGreat green macaws

Great green macaws

The endangered macaw up close.

PhotoLowland forest

Lowland forest

Toucans and tanagers.

Why Wild Voyager

We pack the wildlife in.

Costa Rica's habitats sit close together but each needs the right base and guide. We sequence them so you see the most — quetzals, macaws, tapirs — with no wasted miles.