JALC’s Central American Adventure
The Birds and Natural History of Costa Rica
January 2 - 9, 2009
Land Package Tour Price, 2,625.00 (not including airfare) includes: Airport Transfers at San Jose - Guided Ground Transportation - Meals and Accommodations - Accompanied by an Expert English Speaking Costa Rican Naturalist Guide - Taxes, Service Charges, Gratuities (except for Local Naturalist Guide and the Driver on the Entire Tour which is left to your discretion.)
*Tour price is based on double-occupancy and a minimum of ten paying participants. Prices are subject to change without notice.
For current airfare and further information: contact Life Science Faculty, Prof. Nelda W. Hinckley at (618) 549-5588 or 457-7676 ext. 8323, Room C255, or neldahinckley@jalc.edu.
Students register for Biology 240, 3 hours credit.
Send $100 deposit check, payable to Caligo Ventures, Inc., to Nelda Hinckley, John A. Logan College, 700 Logan College Road, Carterville, IL 62918.
Costa Rica is a bird watcher’s dream. Few places in the world can boast of so many different birds in such a small area, 820 species of birds – more than all of the United States and Canada combined – have been reported in Costa Rica, a country the size of West Virginia.
Bird watchers are delighted when they hear that there are 75 bird families represented here that include 51 species of hummingbirds, 48 warblers, and 45 tanagers. Not only is Costa Rica’s avifauna diverse, but also well protected by a world-renowned national park system, and well studied by scientists from around the world.
Lying between two great continents, each with its peculiar avifauna, Costa Rica is a land bridge where the faunas of the two continents meet and intermingle. Largely due to its geographical position and the diversity of its habitats, Costa Rica’s avifauna is exceptional and its interesting and diverse mammal population is equally exciting.
This tour will introduce you to the incredible range of habitats present in this small nation…lowland rainforest, cloud forest, elfin forest, paramo, and humid coastal forest.
This tour will explore the diverse Natural History and birdlife of Costa Rica – its lush rainforests, highlands, paramo, and wetlands. You will stay at two intimate family-run lodges – Rancho Naturalista in the mid-elevation Caribbean Slope and Savergre Lodge in the Highlands. And you will spend two nights at Villa Lapas on the Pacific coast where you could see Scarlet Macaw fly to their roost in Carara National Park while lounging in the pool.
January 2 Upon arrival, we will be met at the airport and immediately drive westward to Carara, and the Villa Lapas. The Carara Biological Preserve offers great diversity, as it is located in the transition zone between the northern dry tropical forest and the southern humid forest. Its forest hosts numerous exciting birds, and our hotel, the Villa Lapas, is located in the same habitat. We will have the afternoon to explore its riverine habitat for Amazon Kingfisher, and its trails for regional specialties such as Baird’s Trogon, Collared Aracari, and Golden-naped Woodpecker. There will be time for a refreshing dip in the pool. In the evening, we should be treated to the sight of Scarlet Macaw passing overhead as they return to their roost in Carara. Night at Villa Lapas Hotel.
January 3 Today, we will depart early for Carara Biological Preserve. We will have a full day to bird its trails for Turquoise-browed Motmot, endemics like the Yellow-billed Cotinga, and Black-hooded Antshrike, along with Golden-collared Manakin, Silver-throated Tanager, and Red-crowned Ant Tanager, and Scarlet-thighed Dacnis. We have a good chance of seeing coatimundi, armadillo, numerous monkeys, as well as the endangered crocodile. We will return to the Villa Lapas in the late afternoon. Night at the Villa Lapas Hotel.
January 4, 5, 6 Today we will have an early morning boat trip in the Tarcoles River and Mangroves. Besides the famous Giant Crocodiles, we should see Mangrove specialties such as Mangrove Black Hawk, Mangrove Vireo, Mangrove Yellow Warbler and American Pygmy Kingfisher as we explore this unique ecosystem. We will then depart for our trip to the highlands and our mountain hotel, Savegre Lodge. Located in the Central Highlands of the Talamanca Mountains, these cozy cabins are located on a remote, highland farm nestled in the San Gerardo Valley, surrounded by gorgeous scenery at every turn. The farm has extensive grounds and trails, and there is a good chance of seeing a Resplendent Quetzal only a few steps from your cabin. In the nearby cloud forest, we should have the opportunity of viewing Highland Tinamou, Black Guan, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Violet Sabrewing, Green Violet-ear, Silvery-throated Jay, and one of the loveliest birds in the world, the Resplendent Quetzal.
One of our days we will start out early for our trip to Cerro de la Muerte, where we will ascend to the highest point on the pan American Highway (11,000 feet) into montane and paramo habitat. In the highlands, we will look for Long-tailed and Black-and-Yellow Silky Flycatcher, Sooty and Mountain Robin, Flame-throated Warbler, Sooty-faced and Yellow-thighed Finch, Timberline Wren, and if we’re lucky, Barred Parakeet. In the alpine-like paramo, we will look for Volcano Hummingbirds, Slaty Flowerpiercer, Black-cheeked Warbler, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Peg-billed Finch, and Volcano Junco. We will return to our hotel in time for dinner. Nights at Savegre Lodge.
January 7, 8 This morning after breakfast, we will drive to Turrialba, and a very special lodge, Rancho Naturalista, where we will spend the next two days. This “birder’s paradise” has one of the richest concentrations of birds, butterflies and plants to be found in Costa Rica, with over 400 species of birds found on the 125 acre ranch, and over 200 species seen from the lodge balcony. It is located in the pre-montane rain forest of the Caribbean slope, at a 3,000-foot elevation, looking out on spectacular, unobstructed views of both Irazu and Turrialba Volcanoes. During our stay, we will bird for such specialties as Great Tinamou, Barred Forest Falcon, Sulphur-winged Parakeet, Yellow-eared Toucanet, Immaculate Antbird, White-ruffed Manakin, Snowcap, Purple-crowned Fairy, Scarlet-rumped Cacique, and such beauties as Emerald, Golden-headed, Bay-headed and Black-and-Yellow Tanager. Nights at Rancho Naturalista.
January 9 Following breakfast, we will return to the airport for our flight home.
- 700 Logan College Road
- Carterville, Illinois 62918
- (618) 985-3741 All Telephone Numbers