How to Choose the Best Bird Photography Tour in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a fantastic place for bird photography. Fancy hummingbirds, glittering tanagers, macaws, Resplendent Quetzals and more- you can't go wrong! You can also photograph birds in Costa Rica on your own but it's much easier on a tour.

One of those glittering tanagers from Costa Rica- the beautiful Speckled Tanager.

Take the right bird photo tour and you'll get more than your fair share of magnificent bird photos and won't have to worry about logistics either. But which bird photography tour to pick? It seems like every tour agency offers something, how can we recognize the best tour?

The "best" tour depends on what you or your group hope to see and if the birds cooperate. However, some tours are undoubtedly much better than others. To find the best bird photography tour in Costa Rica, here are some questions and answers to look for:

How Much Experience Does the Company Have with Bird Photo Tours?

Bird photography tours aren't the same as birding or general natural history tours. They require acting knowledge of bird photography, spending enough time at the best sites, guides who know where to find good photo opportunities for rare species, and excellent local logistics.

A company with at least a few years of experience in bird photo tours will know the ins and outs of running a smooth, successful tour. In this case, "success" translates to a well-coordinated, appropriately paced tour with fantastic guiding, and an abundance of excellent captures.

How Often Do They Photograph Quetzals, Emerald Tanager, Manakins, and Snowcap?

Costa Rica is like any places for bird photography except that it also has hundreds of avian subjects. Some birds are easier to photograph than others, a handful are very rare, and some species are just very difficult to photograph.

There's also special birds that top the bucket list of every bird photographer in Costa Rica. When looking into a tour, ask how often they get pictures of Resplendent Quetzal, Emerald Tanager and other tanagers, Manakins, and Snowcap. If the agency can immediately show photos of these and birds like Three-wattled Bellbird, hawk-eagles, and Ocellated Antbird, they obviously know how to get captures of these choice, challenging birds.

If they can also show good shots of Yellow-eared Toucanet,

 and Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, that's another very good sign!

Which Sites do They Visit

Do their tours visit Cope's Place, the Arenal area, the Boca Tapada area, Cano Negro, and sites near Carara? These aren't the only places for bird photography in Costa Rica but they are some of the better and easier ones. Of course, there's lots of other good sites too and the places you visit are also determined by the birds you want to photograph.

A King Vulture from Laguna del Lagarto.

Ask where the tour goes, what birds to expect, and if they have a gallery of images from past tours.

Do They Get Pictures of Owls and Potoos?

Several pictures of owls and potoos is another good sign. These nocturnal birds can be challenging and usually require, in-depth local birding knowledge. A tour that routinely gets shots of several nocturnal species is a good one!

The Crested Owl is one of the more difficult owls.

Ask a Trick Question

Not to be disingenuous but there's an easy way to weed out agencies that know very little about birds, or that would lie to sell a tour. To discard such poor choices, ask the agency if they expect to photograph the "Alfaro's of Guanacaste Hummingbird". If they say, "yes", just say thanks and goodbye and never talk to them again. This hummingbird species is an ornithological mystery that has never been seen or photographed in life.

At Lifer, we should know, we have gone on expeditions in search of this lost mystery bird!

Another good question to ask is if you can see a Gray-headed Piprites. If they say, "Yes, no problem.", that could be a bad sign. This species is extremely local and rare and is not easy to photograph. However, if they say you can see it and then explain where they hope to find it but that chances are still low, they are being honest with you.

These inquiries can help connect you with the best bird photography tour in Costa Rica. Which birds do you want to photograph? Tell us at sharpbill@lifertours.com !