Costa Rica " 16 day birding trip "

Jan 27, 2010, 8:53 PM

We met our guide, Frederique Vanhove (Belgian who speaks French, English and Spanish) with Amazilia Tours 
www.amaziliatours.com at the airport in San Jose, CR. He had a minivan and that is what we used for whole tour with the exception of a rented 4×4 in Corcovado.

We simply cannot say enough about the care Fred and Jean Jaques Gozard, his boss/partner took in planning the details of where we stayed, how we got there, etc. Everything was equal to or more than what we

were expecting. Fred is an expert birder and lister and has guided around the world.

Our lodging was so-so to wonderful but what was most important to

us was the bird sightings, not the lodging. However, we were pretty comfortable in most lodges selected. Below is our itinerary:

COSTA RICA TOUR Jan 3-20

Jan 4 Arrival in San Jose. Transfer to the hotel ( Zaida Bed and Breakfast). REVIEW: Very comfortable, nice and clean. About 30-45 mins from airport when traffic not real heavy. Zaida and Lyle were great hosts and very friendly. Wireless internet, large room with bath and nice shower with hot water. Breakfasts were more than adequate for us....mainly fruit.

Jan 5th La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Gavilan Lodge http://www.gavilanlodge.com REVIEW: Gavilon Lodge hosts a lot of birds and has a feeder, food is very good. Accommodations are lacking. No hot water, luke warm at best. La Paz Waterfall Gardens were a delight and a great introduction to what we were going to see.

Jan 6th Gavilan Lodge
 REVIEW: Las Selva was very birdy but was continuous rain at the time we were there. If it had not been raining

we think we would have been delighted even more....awesome birding.

Jan 7th Arenal Area , Hotel Linda Vista del Norte. http://www.hotellindavista.com/
 REVIEW: Could not see volcano or lake but no ones fault that the weather was horrible. Hotel was nice but poorly designed. Newer, nice restaurant but not a lot to chose from and service lacking.

Jan 8th La Ensenada Lodge. http://www.laensenada.net REVIEW: Nice place, rustic, noisy fan, great food, great view, nice family hosts.

Jan 9th Cerro Lodge. http://www.cerrolodge.net/ REVIEW: Nice place, road very bumpy, newer, great food, great views of valley and distant Pacific Ocean. Great open air showers but could do without the shower curtain.

Jan 10th Trogon Lodge http://www.grupomawamba.com/trogonlodge/index.html

REVIEW: Upgraded to suite here, was at the top of the buildings and is quite a hike but views are great. Great birding, this is where we saw the Resplendent Quetzal. Nice newer place but kind of empty and lots of unused space. Great food. Fresh trout from their own ponds. People and staff tend to business.

Jan 11th Trogon Lodge

Jan 12th Trogon Lodge

Jan 13th Rancho Naturalista http://aboutcostarica.biz/ranchonaturalista/

REVIEW: Kathy was an excellent hostess and food was superb and plenty of it. Excellent birding and trails. Bedding very comfortable (down comforters). Room very spacious (had 12 & 15).

We really felt like we were in the CR jungle here but were very comfortable.

We loved it.

Jan14th Rancho Naturalista

Jan 15th Zaida B&B

Jan 16th Flight to Puerto Jimenez . Luna Lodge http://www.lunalodge.com/. Upgraded to honeymoon suite with king size bed. Views of forest were not expansive but were awesome and it was here that we really got in to the jungle. Cicadas, howler monkeys and scarlet macaws were abundant and were easily heard. Pool is great. Great trails. Hostesses Lana and Mom Willy were terrific and accommodating. Food is a lighter fair and very good. Very peaceful and quiet (most of the time) setting.

Jan 17th Sirena by air. Luna Lodge
 This flight was really enjoyed and is recommended. Private charter flight, trails were great. Pilot was terrific.

Jan 18th Luna Lodge

Jan 19th Flight San Jose . Zaida B&B

Jan 20th Departure

Note: We flew first class US Airways to and from San Jose, CR from San Francisco and everything ok...food..ok... Seats do not recline fully, 6 hours from Phoenix, AZ...most of attendants were ok. Most flights on time with the exception of Phoenix to San Francisco, weather related. Again, we

cannot say enough about Amazilia Tours and Fred. We really had an excellent trip and did not have any problems. We had a lot of laughs and a lot of birds....just what we ordered... Great Job Amazilia! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!