Rainforest Bird Watching (Short or Long Tour)
Price Range: $36 per person for 3 hour tour; $57 per person for 6 hour tour
Departure Time: 6:00 a.m. (Previous reservation required)
Min 2 guests / Max 8 guests per tour
Bird watching tour begins just after daybreak. Take advantage of the early morning and spot frequent visitors such as hawks, tanager, toucans and flycatches. The hike will take you through a stand of old cacao plantations.
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The 6 hour long tour will take you further into the dense forest which provides unlimited hiding places, and with a little luck you will see some of the more elusive rainforest birds such as trogons, motmots, antshrikes, manakins, tinamous, curasows and others. At the campsite, enjoy a delicious typical Costa Rican breakfast. Bring hikis shoes, binoculars, sunblock, hat, camera, water bottle and bug spray.
bird watching tours
Hacienda Baru
Since January 2006, more than 350 species of birds have been identified in the National Wildlife Refuge of Hacienda Barú, mainly due to the great diversity of habitats found on the 330 hectares (815 acres) reserve. These include primary forest, secondary forest, swamp vegetation, mangrove forest, river bank, wetlands, coastal zones, old cocoa plantations and open grasslands. Primary forest is found in the highlands and lowlands rest of the estate.
The walk starts with birding tower like the long version. From there you can visit the lowland trails and beach.
You will see birds during the early morning hours when they are more active. Breakfast is not included.
Birding in Lowlands
Price Range: $36 per person for 3 hour tour; $52 per person for 5 hour tour
Duration: 3-5 hours
Departure Time: 6:00 a.m. (Previous reservation required)
Min 2 guests / Max 8 guests per tour
Bird watching in lowlands begins early, when the birds are just waking up. The first activity is a visit to a tower located on top of a hill. The upper deck positioned at a similar height to the top of the trees to a visual level respect the birds. This is an ideal place to find tanagers, honeycreepers, toucans, jumpers, vireos and others. From there, make a short walk through the forest with your expert guide side with a sharp view up to La Casona, the old house of Hacienda Baru where you can enjoy a delicious typical Costa Rican breakfast.
From "La Casona", is on the river where you will have opportunity to watch water birds: petrels, skuas, gulls, and more animals that are very likely to be found there, and with a little luck, an fisher osprey can make an appearance. From there on rookeries, during the rainy season you can see egrets, herons, ibis and other water birds from the mangrove estuary.
The last part of the tour includes secondary forest and beach, your best chances to observe shore birds like egrets, plovers, fala ropos, runs limos and sandpipers, pelicans and frigates. From the beach is a short walk back to the center of Tours, where we started.