Costa Rica Birding Reviews

5 Rating 20 Reviews

Jan 11 - 27, 2026 | Costa Rica is a birding destination unlike any other. On our Costa Rica birding tour, we’ll visit all major habitats, sampling an astonishing variety of birds. From the beautiful cloud forests to the incredibly bird-rich foothills and Caribbean lowland forest to iconic Arenal Volcano National Park. We also visit the Osa Peninsula and the Caño Negro wetlands. We will see a large diversity of birds from quetzals to cotingas and toucans to antbirds. As many participants comment, each day is better than the last!

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“Best birding tour ever with Blair Dudek as the best tour guide ever. Blair knew every bird we encountered by sight, sound, or both. Blair had a wonderful and fun personality that resulted in every member of the tour group having fun and working as a team to see and enjoy as many species possible. I highly recommend Costa Rica Birding to all birdwatchers.”

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Posted 1 month ago

Thank you, Charles, for sharing your wonderful experience. We’re thrilled Blair made your Costa Rica Birding trip unforgettable and that the group had as much fun as you did. We’d be delighted to have you back for more birding adventures in the future. Warm regards, Team Eagle-Eye Tours

Posted 1 month ago

“Costa Rica earns its reputation as a world-class birding destination. The diversity is extraordinary, with species piling up across lowlands, foothills, and cloud forest, often within a single day. Just as you focus on a difficult skulker (and there are many), a trogon or toucan calls. Much of the success of the trip was due to the guiding. Blaire was outstanding: calm, collected, and quietly encyclopaedic in his knowledge of calls, habitats, and species. He had an easy way of keeping the pace relaxed even as the species list grew at a rapid rate. Costa Rica does not make you work hard to find birds, although some were less cooperative than others. You leave with fuller memory cards, a longer list, and the uneasy sense that birding further north in the Americas may now feel slightly underpowered.”

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Posted 1 month ago

Thank you, Simon, for sharing your fantastic Costa Rica Birding experience. We’re thrilled the diversity and the guiding—especially Blaire’s calm, encyclopedic knowledge—made the trip memorable. It sounds like it was an incredible journey! Here’s to more amazing birding adventures in the future. Kind regards, Team Eagle-Eye Tours

Posted 1 month ago

“Fabulous tour of great birding sites across Costa Rica, with a small group of 12 birders and 2 very experienced and talented guides. The group encountered 500 species, many of which gave us great photo opportunities. We travelled in a modern coach with an excellent driver, and stayed in some wonderful lodgings. I had an excellent time and brought home some great memories of this wonderful country.”

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Posted 11 months ago

Wow! We’re thrilled you had such a great experience on the Costa Rica Birding tour. The number of species your group encountered is truly incredible, and we’re so happy you were part of this adventure. We are thrilled to take part of the wonderful memories made and can’t wait to bird with you again!

Posted 11 months ago

“The lodgings were good and the food was good. It was incredible how all the hotels and most restaurants had feeding stations that were especially helpful in photographing the birds. Olivia and Blair were outstanding. Both are extremely knowledgeable birders that can incredibly detect birds by sight and sound. Then they have the patience to point out the birds to the group and repeat and repeat its name. The guides stuck to the identified schedule and when there was a variation they explained why. I couldn't be more pleased with the tour. It was chincy of Eagle Eye to not pick us up at the airport citing logistic concerns. There were a hundred other people that were at the airport to pick up different people but Eagle Eye saved a few bucks but not organizing a pick up. The birding list required many write ins which indicated that the person who made the list was not familiar with the birds of Costa Rica. Even the bus driver was a rock star getting us over problematic roads and also spotting some birds. Otherwise I could not be happier with the tour.”

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Posted 11 months ago

Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed review! We're thrilled to hear that you had such a positive experience on your tour. It’s wonderful that you enjoyed the lodgings, food, and the fantastic birding opportunities at the feeding stations along the way. We also appreciate you recognizing our skilled guides and driver who made your birding adventure even more special! We regret that the airport pickup logistics didn’t meet your expectations. We previously offered this service on the Costa Rica tour, but due to logistical challenges with the local operators, we found it was not the smoothest option for travelers in this particular destination. While we do provide airport transfers on most of our tours, in some locations, taxis tend to be more efficient. That said, we truly value your feedback and will take it into consideration as we continue refining our tours. Regarding the birding checklist, we aim to provide the most comprehensive lists possible, and are continually updating them for future tours. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and will review the checklist to enhance its accuracy. Thank you again for your review and for joining us on this birding adventure. We hope to welcome you on another tour in the future!

Posted 11 months ago

“Excellent selection of diverse birding habitats that included montane forests, boat tours and walking. Spacious and very clean accommodations. Good pacing of activities and breaks”

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Posted 11 months ago

We’re so glad you enjoyed the Costa Rica Birding trip! From the diverse landscapes to the incredible bird sightings, it’s always a joy to explore that destination. Thanks for your 5-star review—we hope to see you on another adventure soon!

Posted 11 months ago

“This is a great birding trip. You will be birding everyday of the 17 days if you want to. Every evening you will meet as a group before dinner and go over that days bird sitings. If you decide you do not want to go birding one day or a part of a day you are welcomed to stay back at the hotel, provided it is not a travel day to a new lodge or location. The walking/hiking is not too strenous, but you will be doing some walking, mostly on walking paths or trails. Walking sticks can be very helpful... We sure to bring your camera, no matter what kind it is, the photos will be worth it.”

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Posted 1 year ago

Thank you for sharing your experience and insights! We're so glad you enjoyed the immersive birding opportunities and the flexibility to tailor the experience when possible. The evening bird checklists are always a highlight, bringing everyone together to relive the day’s sightings. Great tip about the walking sticks and cameras—there’s so much beauty to capture! We appreciate your thoughtful review and hope to see you on another birding adventure soon!

Posted 1 year ago

“I found this tour to be one of the best thus far. The guides (Ernesto Carman and Paz Angulo Irola) were the two of the best and were most familiar, prepared, knowledgeable, informed, professional, and courteous than you could ever imagine. They knew and shared their vast knowledge of their country with an enthusiasm you could only hope for. They went to many extremes to locate and show us all, the many birds and wildlife Costa Rica has to offer. They truly believe in what they do and are very involved in the preservation of the many diverse types of Costa Rican wildlife. This was money well spent and we have absolutely no regrets. If you go on the (17) day Costa Rican tour, get on the wait list for these two guides. It will not be a mistake. We plan on going on a few other tours and will look for these guides. The special demonstrations of knowledge they shared were incredible. Ernesto took the time to open a tiny fruit from a fig tree on the ground to show us the tiny wasps that live there. It was amazing. We had to use the macro lens to video this. Anyone that ask any questions, (I mean anyone) were provided an answer immediately. They ranged from the many, many plants, trees and fruits to animals and birds. If they did not have the immediate answer, they would research it and share. The questions were vast and diverse from the participants that I could not even keep up with them all, but the guides did. The guides and bus driver were there for our every need during this tour. It may have been more bathroom stops, a moment longer to capture a shot, or just simple get an opportunity for the photo, but they accommodated us all. They were tireless and never slowed down to rest as far as I saw. We were on the same tour in 2024, and it does NOT compare to this one. The bus driver (Rodrigo) was so dedicated to the tour and his work, that you never questioned your safety while on the road. He was always watching the roads as he drove for the unexpected. Some of the places he drove may make you a little hesitant, but his ability settled that moment. Rodrigo was just as attentive to our needs as the guides. He would watch everyone and assist in locating the wildlife for a photograph. He would walk with us and was always watching out for our safety. If you had a special need, he would ensure it was there, like my Cokes during the entire trip. I rate Rodrigo as a 5-Star member of this tour. The lodging ranged from the normal (beautiful) at Bougainvillea and Arenal Springs Resort to the remote jungle environmental Danta Corcovado Lodge of the Osa peninsula. In fact, the Osa lodge was the most natural and interesting of them all. You were in magnificent lodges with screen windows over most of the unit, making it so open to the jungle; you truly felt part of it. No air or fancy stuff, just a natural feel. The bathroom was an eye catcher with the open wall to the outdoors where anything could climb in. But, you felt no concern just a wonder of the place. This was such a bonus for the trip. All of the lodging was great and I cannot say enough for them. All of the food and lodgings were good and we enjoyed them all. The people were very friendly, courteous, and nice with all of the guests. Don’t change a thing with this tour, it is perfect as is.”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

**Wow, what an incredible review! We are absolutely thrilled to hear that this was one of your best tours yet. Ernesto and Paz are truly exceptional guides, and we’re so glad their passion, knowledge, and dedication made your experience unforgettable. We also appreciate your kind words about Rodrigo—his skill, attentiveness, and care for both safety and guest experience make him an invaluable part of the team! Your descriptions of the accommodations, landscapes, and immersive jungle experience truly capture the magic of this tour. We’re delighted that every aspect—from the wildlife encounters to the lodging and food—met your expectations. Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed feedback. We can’t wait to welcome you on another Eagle-Eye adventure in the future!**

Posted 1 year ago

“Best guides we've ever had! Best opportunity for seeing and photographing colorful birds. Good intro to various climates of Costa Rica. Guides shared excellent knowledge of birds, flora, fauna, insects, geology, history, and culture of Costa Rica. We birded in the jungles, mountains, forests, lowlands, and farmland of both the Pacific and Caribbean sides of the country, coming up with a total of 443 bird species sighted!”

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Posted 1 year ago

Wow, thank you for the 5-star rating! We are so glad you had an incredible experience with us in Costa Rica. We are thrilled to hear that our guides were able to share their knowledge and deliver an amazing experience. Thank you for sharing the great photo and we hope to create more unforgettable memories with you.

Posted 1 year ago