Five Benefits of a Last Minute Costa Rica Birding Tour

An international birding tour is a big deal. Heck, any birding tour is a big deal, even ones much closer to home. No matter where you take a birding tour, what's not to like about sharing fantastic birds in beautiful surroundings? It's a tried and tested recipe for some happy and exciting days! The same goes for birding tours in Costa Rica, especially because you can so easily and comfortably witness quetzal resplendence, glittering tanagers, fancy aracaris, mega magpie jays, toucans, and more, always more.

Part of the excitement about taking a birding tour to Costa Rica is knowing that once you step off the plane, you put yourself in reach of hundreds of bird species.

Many birds, including this Scarlet Macaw, are just an hour or two drive from the airport!

There's a lot of birds to consider and it's worth studying well in advance however, if you have a chance to sign up for a last minute birding tour to Costa Rica, you can't go wrong. There are some fantastic benefits of taking a last minute birding tour, especially these five considerations.

No time to study? Not a problem on a guided birding tour

It's good to study before any birding tour but honestly, when you work with excellent, highly experienced local guides, they'll identify every peep, song, and bird that flies into view. Essentially, they've taken care of the studying in a constant learning environment and love to share their knowledge.

The best guides won't just find birds for you; they'll help you see them and point out essential field marks. They'll also give you a heads up on what to expect and guide you to the best spots for better bird photography.

You will see a lot of incredible birds

Whether that birding tour to Costa Rica is 10 months away or tomorrow, one thing's for certain; you'll see a lot of birds. It depends on where you go but even a quick five day trip can easily yield 300 plus species, most of which don't live anywhere near your usual birding patch.

We're talking eye-catching and unreal birds like Keel-billed Toucans,

Golden-hooded Tanagers,

Purple-throated Mountain-Gem, and yes,

Resplendent Quetzals too!

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Take advantage of the free time you have

Have a week off or a sudden two week vacation? Why not take a birding tour to Costa Rica? For birders from the USA or Canada, Costa Rica is a quick one or two flights away. You'll be picked up upon arrival and can start watching motmots and Blue-vented Hummingbirds as soon as you want.

But...shouldn't you be more prepared to travel abroad? Well, yes for many places but Costa Rica is amazingly easy, a lot more than most folks realize (see the next section).

Costa Rica is super easy, especially on a guided tour

Costa Rica might be one of the easiest countries to visit. As long as you don't need a visa (you don't if you're from North America, most of Europe and various other places), and have a valid passport, you can come to Costa Rica for anywhere from 30 to 180 days. Here's some other reasons why Costa Rica is super easy to visit:

• Customs are typically easy and quick- Waiting times can vary but recently, many of our birding clients have been flying through customs. Tourism plays a big role in our economy, the country is happy to have you visit.

• Yes, you can drink the water- Unlike so many other places, you can actually drink tap water in Costa Rica! You can also stick with bottled water but know that water sources are routinely tested.

• Excellent, varied birding sites in close proximity- In other words, it doesn't take long to move between sites with radically different sets of birds. This major birding bonus makes it easy to see more bird species in less time!

• Good roads and excellent, experienced tourism infrastructure- In Costa Rica, it's easy to get to those different birding areas and there's lots of lodging that caters to birders. An experienced local company will also know about feeders and other local set-ups with easy trails and situations that bring in the birds.

• All places take cards and US dollars- Don't worry about changing money at the airport, it's much easier to use cards.

An experienced local agency can quickly set up a custom tour or take a classic route

But where to go? Which birds to see? No matter how you want to do a birding trip, even a last-minute adventure, an experienced local agency will make it happen. For example, if clients have target birds, we set up the trip with those birds in mind along with others the clients may not have taken into account. We also have easy, well traveled routes that provide a robust taste of Costa Rica's avian offerings as well as photo-focused itineraries.

Most importantly, the reason we can set any tours up on a moment's notice is because we know the itineraries (and other birding sites) extremely well, and do it all the time.

Thinking of birding in Costa Rica? If you get some free time, a quick trip could be easier than you think. Tell us about your target birds and Costa Rica birding dreams at sharpbill@lifertours.com. Until then, happy birding!