Skip to main content
ToursCR
Braulio Carrillo Bird Watching Full Day Pass

San José · Central Valley & San José

Braulio Carrillo Bird Watching Full Day Pass

4.8from 12 traveler ratings9h

Ratings aggregated by Viator. ToursCR does not collect its own reviews.

About this experience

A must-see for bird-watchers: Catch aviary action on this day trip to a private nature sanctuary just outside of San Jose. With 365 different species of birds identified here, you’ll see plenty with and without your binoculars. Follow a naturalist guide into open areas and the rainforest, and fly high over the canopy on an aerial tram, to optimize your aviary sightings. Macaws, hummingbirds and motmots are just a few of the birds you can check off your list.

Description supplied by the tour operator via Viator.

Getting there

Hotel pickup in San José

Picks up at 8 listed locations, including:

  • Hotel En Remodelacion
  • Hotel La Merced
  • Hotel Grano de Oro
  • Nuevo Hotel Rialto
  • Soluxe El Sesteo
  • Park Inn by Radisson San Jose, Costa Rica
  • +2 more

Pickup details are confirmed with the operator during booking.

Pickup begins about 60 minutes before departure.

Or meet the group at

If you selected the option Tour Only (No transfers ), the starting point will be at the Park.

Where

Near San José

What you'll do

After early morning hotel pickup in San Jose, take a pleasant drive northeast and arrive less than an hour later at Rainforest Adventures Costa Rica Atlantic, an ecotourism reserve spanning 1,174 acres (475 hectares) of waterfalls, rivers and dense tropical forest. During your bird-watching journey, you'll walk a total of 3 miles (5 km) on paved paths and flat dirt trails located in the Caribbean foothills, as well as primary and secondary tropical rainforests. Set up your tripod on the pavement, and have fun checking off the different birds you see from a list provided by your naturalist guide. Follow your guide across a hanging bridge over Molinete River, where kingfishers usually are found snapping prey into their long, dagger-like beaks. Then board an aerial tram and take a peaceful glide through the canopy. During this hour-long ride in an open-air gondola, see a bonanza of birdlife, with your guide explaining what you see along the way. The tram stops every so often to give you optimal opportunity to study birds and snap pictures. See if you can make out the resplendent plumes of a trogon, often missed as it usually perches very still in the mid-canopy. Disembark deep in the rainforest and continue with your guide on a trail to an overlook point, where you’ll take a break and enjoy a box breakfast. (Breakfast typically includes rice and beans, scrambled eggs, sausages, bread, cereal, fresh fruit, juice, coffee or tea.) Afterward, your guide takes you down a trail to catch more birds in their habitat, which might include a blue-crowned motmot, with its telltale bare feather shaft, and the keel-billed toucan with its multicolored beak. Perhaps you’ll hear parakeets and macaws before seeing them. Continue your aviary adventure with your guide on another path toward the reserve’s observation center, a spectacular site with plants that attract hummingbirds. Maybe the lovely blue-gray tanager will flutter into view. After a marvelous day of bird-watching, enjoy transport back to your San Jose hotel. Note: Click on the 'View additional info' below to ensure your hotel is included in the pickup and drop-off zone.

What's included

Included

  • Expert certified naturalist bilingual guide
  • Bird Watching Tour
  • Aerial tram tour
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off (if option selected)
  • Breakfast (if option selected)

Not included

  • Gratuities
  • Binoculars and/or spotting scope

Good to know

  • Moderate fitness needed
  • Public transport nearby
  • Infants sit on laps

Guided in en, es.

  • Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
5 more notes
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
  • Minimum age is 12 years
  • It is recommended that you wear comfortable clothes and hiking shoes
  • A good level of fitness is required
  • A minimum of 2 passengers per booking is required. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund

Cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

The operator may cancel for poor weather, with a full refund or reschedule.

Nearby, or in the same category.