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CR06 · Costa Rica · Complete Wildlife

Complete Wildlife

Sarapiquí · Caño Negro · Arenal · Monteverde · Carara National Park · Tarcoles · Osa Peninsula
Duration
14 Days · 13 Nights
The route
Sarapiquí · Caño Negro · Arenal · Monteverde · Carara National Park · Tarcoles · Osa Peninsula
Style
Rainforest, cloud forest, wetland and the wild Osa
Best season
December – April · best
The route

13 nights, 7 stops — rainforest, cloud forest, wetland and the wild osa.

Sarapiquí → Caño Negro → Arenal → Monteverde → Carara National Park → Tarcoles → Osa Peninsula.

Round trip · returns to Sarapiquí

SarapiquíCaño NegroArenalMonteverdeCararaTarcolesOsa Peninsula
What you're tracking

What you'll see

Keel-billed toucan
At the fruit feeders.
Hummingbirds
At the nectar feeders.
Great green macaw
In the lowland forest.
Brown-throated sloth
In the canopy.
Day by day

The journey, one day at a time

01Arrive Sarapiquí

Arrive Sarapiquí

The journey begins.

Arrive in Sarapiquí, met and transferred to your accommodation. Sarapiquí's feeders bring toucans and hummingbirds to within camera range — a flying start to any trip.

02Sarapiquí

Sarapiquí

A full day in the field.

A full day of lowland Caribbean birds along the Sarapiquí. Feeders, frogs and rainforest trails for macaws and sloths.

03Sarapiquí → Caño Negro

To Caño Negro

On to the next.

Transfer to Caño Negro. A slow boat safari for jabirus, herons and caiman.

04Caño Negro → Arenal

To Arenal

On to the next.

Transfer to Arenal. Walk the hanging bridges, then a night walk for frogs. Rainforest birding and a soak in the hot springs.

05Arenal

Arenal

A full day in the field.

Rainforest birding and a soak in the hot springs. Arenal's iconic volcano, wrapped in rainforest, is one of Costa Rica's signature sights.

06Arenal → Monteverde

To Monteverde

On to the next.

Transfer to Monteverde. Cloud-forest birding for quetzals and bellbirds. Hummingbird gallery and canopy bridges in the mist.

07Monteverde

Monteverde

A full day in the field.

Hummingbird gallery and canopy bridges in the mist. Monteverde's misty reserves are the archetypal cloud forest — a place of quetzals, bellbirds and dripping green.

08Monteverde → Carara National Park

To Carara National Park

On to the next.

Transfer to Carara National Park. Watch scarlet macaws and bird the transition forest. Trails for trogons, motmots and macaws.

09Carara National Park

Carara National Park

A full day in the field.

Trails for trogons, motmots and macaws. Carara's daily scarlet-macaw flights are among the great wildlife sights of the Pacific coast.

10Carara National Park → Tarcoles

To Tarcoles

On to the next.

Transfer to Tarcoles. A river boat safari for crocodiles and waterbirds. Mangrove birding and the giant Tárcoles crocodiles.

11Tarcoles → Osa Peninsula

To Osa Peninsula

On to the next.

Transfer to Osa Peninsula. Hike Corcovado for tapirs, macaws and monkeys. Rainforest trails for the Osa's big wildlife.

12Osa Peninsula

Osa Peninsula

A full day in the field.

Rainforest trails for the Osa's big wildlife. A full day in the wild Corcovado forest. Corcovado on the Osa is, by some measures, the most biologically intense place on the planet.

13Osa Peninsula

Osa Peninsula

A full day in the field.

A full day in the wild Corcovado forest.

14Depart Osa Peninsula

Departure

The journey ends.

A final morning in Osa Peninsula — a last outing or a slow start as time allows — before the transfer onward and the journey home.

When to travel

The season changes what you see.

December – April

Peak season

The dry season — easiest access and reliable feeder activity.

May – November

Good season

The green season — lush, with excellent birding and fewer visitors.

Wildlife you may see
Birds Primates

Make it yours.

Add nights, swap a park, extend to the coast — this route is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Tell us how you travel and we'll route the rest.

Field notes, now and then.

Where to go · When to go · Wildlife in season

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