PRICE of Parrot Ecotour.
$4450 per person sharing a double/twin room $450 single supplement DEPOSIT $1200 Balance to be paid 60 days before the start of the trip. Includes all road transfers within Costa Rica, accommodation, meals (from dinner on 23rd November to breakfast on 7th December), water, transport including drivers, English speaking guide, and all entry fees to National Parks and private ranches. Also includes a boat trip on the Tarcoles River. NOT included:- International flights, insurance, drinks, souvenirs, tips, any additional activities not mentioned in the itinerary. 
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ITINERARY
23rd November - Arrive at San Jose International Airport with a transfer to our Hotel. Depending how early we are, there may be some time to do some birding around the grounds of the Hotel and possibly see our first Parrots of the trip the Crimson fronted Conures. Overnight in San Jose 24th November - San Jose to Cedrela Lodge in the Talamanca Mountains These mountains hold a whole new range of Birds and Parrots that are different from the lowland areas that we visit during the remainder of the trip. We will be looking for Barred Parakeets, Red-fronted Parrotlets and Sulphur-winged Conures amongst the huge amount of bird species that we can see here. Overnight at Cedrela Lodge 25th November - Cedrela Lodge Early morning looking for the Parakeets and Parrotlets here again before starting our journey down into the valley of Savegre in search of the Sulphur-winged Conure – although rare it is fairly easy to see around the apple orchards but we have to be observant and patient which can be rewarded with some stunning photos. Late morning and through the afternoon is the best time to see the Sulphur-winged Conures but all the time we are looking for these we should see lots of bird species that we will not see in any other place on this trip due to the different habitat. Overnight at Cedrela Lodge 26th November - Another day in the Talamancan mountains. During the day we should be able to see the Sulphur-winged Conures again as well as many more bird species. Hummingbirds are great to see in the gardens of the lodge and we can also see the Emerald Toucanet and the Acorn Woodpecker. Near the lodge is an area to see the much sought after Respendant Quetzal. If you have never seen this bird before you will be amazed at the iridescent colours of the birds and in particular the Male who has some really long feathers that are attached to its back but look like long tail feathers. In the afternoon we travel back up to the top of the valley to look out for the Barred Parakeets again. These are best seen in the early morning or late afternoon. Overnight at Cedrela Lodge 27th November - Cedrela Lodge to Esquinas Rainforest Lodge Very early morning before breakfast we have another chance to see the Barred Parakeets followed by a transfer to explore the Golfito area and see what Parrots we have here as well as all the other birds and wildlife. One favourite is the Fiery-billed Aracari. The Brown-throated Conure can be found here as well. Overnight at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge 28th November - A full day in the Golfito area looking for all the parrots here including Scarlet Macaws, Crimson-fronted Conures, Orange-chinned Parakeets, Brown-hooded, Blue-headed and White-crowned Parrots as well as Red-lored and Mealy Amazons not forgetting the Toucans and many more birds. This is an area where the Panamanian sub-species of the Yellow-crowned Amazon can be found. It has recently extended its range from Panama into Costa Rica along this coast. In fact so recent that it is not recognised in most of the Bird Guide Books yet. Overnight at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge 29th November - Esquinas to Las Cruces Early morning looking for the Parrots again or any of the other birds. After breakfast we start our journey towards the southern Mountains to Las Cruces to explore the rarer species of Parrots – Red-fronted Parrotlet and Barred Parakeet (both very rarely photographed in the wild). I have seen the Parrotlets on a previous trip but the photo has eluded me however I have never seen the Barred Parakeet in Costa Rica yet but after several trips to this country my guide and myself have made many enquiries as to where we will be able to see them so hopefully we will have some rare sightings and photos from this trip. Overnight at La Cruces Research Station 30th November - Las Cruces and Wilsons Botanical Gardens are home to over 400 Bird species, 2000 Plant species, 113 Mammals, 70 species of reptiles, and much more than 1,000 species of insects including 800 species of butterflies. We are here to see as many as possible with emphasis on the Parrots, of course. Overnight at La Cruces Research Station 1st December - Today we will visit Wilsons Botanical garden in search of the Red-fronted Parrotlet and Barred Parakeet also known as the Lineolated Parakeet in aviculture which has been so common in bird collections around the world – I really wonder how they even found this Parakeet in the wild in the first place. Still our search goes on. The Brown-throated Conure is also not far from here. Overnight at La Cruces Research Station 2nd December - La Cruces to Villa Lapas Jungle Village We now set off North again coming out of the mountains and onto the Pacific coastal road on our way to our next lodge. At a place called Jaco we will have the chance to see Pelicans flying close by as well as the Scarlet Macaws either along the roadside or in the village eating their favourite almonds. We also have possibilities of lots of other birds and Parrots as we make the transfer by road with lots of stops along the way. A favourite place is the Tarcoles river bridge where the huge crocodiles which can grow up to 6 metres in length. Overnight at Villa Lapas Jungle Village 3rd December - Villa Lapas to Laguna del Lagarta We have an early morning start to be on the river by day break as we are going on a boat trip to the mangroves at the mouth of the River Tarcoles where we can see Orange-fronted Conures as well as Mealy and Yellow-naped Amazons amongst a vast amount of wading and water birds. The giant crocodiles will also be on the river and we may be able to get a little closer than on the bridge. If we have time we will check out the beach at Jaco again for the Scarlet Macaws. Mid-morning we start our transfer to Laguna del Lagarta Lodge near the Nicaraguan border stopping for lunch at the Iguana restaurant. We will also stop at several places to observe more birds as we travel including several nesting trees of Great-green Macaws. Red-lored Amazons can sometimes be seen as we make our way to the lodge. Overnight at Laguna del Lagarta Lodge 4th December - Our first full day at Laguna del Lagarta lodge where we shall soon settle in to the relaxed atmosphere of this smaller lodge with close views and ideal photo opportunities of Great Green Macaws, Red lored and Mealy Amazons, White crowned Pionus, Brown hooded Parrots, Orange chinned Parakeets as well as Olive throated and Crimson fronted Conures - most of these within 100 metres of the Lodge including the Macaws. Many of the Parrots can be seen coming down to the feeders close to the dining room along with the many other birds including Toucans and Aracaris as well as Woodpeckers and Honeycreepers – it is so difficult to concentrate on eating your breakfast or lunch whilst all these birds are around. It is a spectacle to savour. Overnight at Laguna del Lagarta Lodge 5th December - Another full day at Laguna del Lagarta and while we are here we will also take a short walk through the forest to a clearing where there is an amazing tree with 3 Great green Macaw nests as well as a Scarlet Macaw nest and several Crimson fronted Parakeet nests - ALL IN THE ONE TREE!! Also more close up encounters of more of the Parrots around the dining area. Overnight at Laguna del Lagarta Lodge 6th December - Early morning around the Laguna Lodge and then after breakfast we start our journey towards the city of San Jose - stopping in Sarapiqui for lunch where there is a chance of more Great-green Macaws. The last time I was in Costa Rica four Great-green Macaws landed and sat eating almonds in the tree opposite the restaurant where we were having lunch. Overnight in San Jose 7th December - We will be taken to the airport for our flights home. Nicaraguan EXTRA This will have been quite an adventure but for anyone wanting to further their enjoyment of Parrots, I will be joining a Parrot Pilgramage to the island of Ometepe in Nicaragua to watch a conservation group for the Yellow-naped Amazons operate and you are welcome to join me on this experience straight after for a few days. |
Parrots that can be seen on this trip
Great-Green Macaw - Ara ambiguus Scarlet Macaw - Ara macao cyanopterus Crimson-fronted Conure - Psittacara finschi Olive-throated Conure - Eupsittula nana astec Orange-fronted Conure - Eupsittula canicularis Brown-throated Conure - Eupsittula pertinax ocularis Sulphur-winged Conure - Pyrrhura hoffmanni Barred Parakeet (lineolated) - Bolborhynchus lineola Orange-chinned Parakeet - Brotogeris jugularis Red-fronted Parrotlet - Touit costaricensis Brown-hooded Parrot - Pyrilia haematotis Blue-headed Parrot - Pionus menstruus rubrigularis White-crowned Parrot - Pionus senilis White-fronted Amazon - Amazona albifrons nana Red-lored Amazon - Amazona autumnalis autumnalis Red-lored Amazon - Amazona autumnalis salvini Mealy Amazon - Amazona farinosa virenticeps Yellow-naped Amazon - Amazona ochrocephala auropalliata Yellow-crowned Amazon - Amazona ochrocephala panamensis Please note:- I cannot guarantee seeing all or any of these Parrots however we will have a great guide to help us in every way possible. We will see lots of other bird and animal species. 
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