Situated at 3000 feet in Costa Rica's Cordillera de Talamanca, Rancho Naturalista has long been regarded as one of the country's finest birding lodges. Comfortable rooms, personal service, and delicious home-cooked meals combined with great birding and easy access to other habitats make the lodge a wonderful place to stay.
One of the pleasures of being at Rancho is starting the day on the lodge's balcony, a hot cup of coffee in hand and a myriad tropical species parading below. Over the years, more than 200 species have been seen from the balcony, and hummingbird feeders and flowers in the garden attract a host of beauties, including the incredible Black-crested Coquette and Snowcap. It's a memorable show that one never tires of watching.
Just behind the cabins, several trails allow access to the lodge's 120-acre private forest reserve, a mix of primary and secondary foothill forest habitats that host a variety of species. Specialties include Tawny-chested Flycatcher, Bicolored Hawk, Carmiol's Tanager, Zeledon's Antbird, and a trio of manakins.
We'll also bird at several other sites, from the mid-elevation cloudforest at Tapanti National Park to the Caribbean lowlands at Centro Manu, a small private rainforest reserve. And we'll visit Irazu Volcano National Park, home to the stunningly beautiful Resplendent Quetzal and high-elevation specialties such as Fiery-throated Hummingbird and Volcano Junco.
Note: If you'd like to visit Costa Rica at a different time of year, we offer other tours in January and March.
Select the KEY INFO tab or click here for our itinerary plus space requests, status, fees, limits, and guides for any departure.
Client comment "I can't say enough great things about the tour. Our guides, Megan Edwards Crewe and Harry Barnard, far exceeded my expectations on finding and identifying all the beautiful birds that we observed; these two guides worked great individually and as a team, and they were respectful and professional. It was truly an experience that I will never forget and will be a challenge to top. Caroline Lewis in your office was great, she answered all our questions and was always available. So glad you are an employee-owned company; I wish more companies were; employee attitudes reflect their employment satisfaction." D.Y., COSTA RICA: RANCHO NATURALISTA
ITINERARIES • TOUR STATUS • DETAILS • SPACE REQUESTS
ITINERARIES • We issue a separate itinerary for each year, typically at least 9 months before that year's first departure. Most itineraries don't vary much year to year, but there may be small or rarely more substantive changes. A sample previous-year itinerary is usually available even if the one for your chosen departure is not. We do not require any deposit for provisional bookings until the itinerary for the departure is ready.
DEPARTURES • We have 6 departures currently scheduled through 2026, with details including limits, guides, fees, and space available listed below.
2024
Dec 20-28, 2024 Guided by: Jay VanderGaast & local guide Tour Manager: Caroline Lewis Tour Limit: 12 Status: Open - This tour has enough participants registered to insure its operation, but it is not yet full. Click below to book one or more spaces. Tour Fee: $3950 Deposit: $400 REQUEST SPACE OR MORE INFO
Dec 28, 2024 - Jan 5, 2025 Guided by: Megan Edwards Crewe & local guide Tour Manager: Caroline Lewis Tour Limit: 12 Status: Provisionally full; waitlist available - This tour is full, and all those booked have made deposits. Click below to be waitlisted for this tour with no obligation; if you are waitlisted, we will also notify you in case of an added departure of this tour. Tour Fee: $3950 Deposit: $400 REQUEST WAITLIST OR MORE INFO
2025
Dec 19-27, 2025 Guided by: Megan Edwards Crewe & local guide Tour Manager: Caroline Lewis Tour Limit: 12 Status: Provisionally full; waitlist available - The itinerary has not been finalized for this tour. The trip has provisionally filled but, if you are interested, we can waitlist you for the trip. As we do not require deposits until the itinerary and price are finalized, we often have folks drop off a tour when the deposit is required, and so space opens up! Click below to be waitlisted for this tour with no obligation; if you are waitlisted, we will also notify you in case of an added departure of this tour. Tour Fee: Fee TBD / 2024=$3950 REQUEST WAITLIST OR MORE INFO
Dec 27, 2025 - Jan 4, 2026 Guided by: Megan Edwards Crewe & local guide Tour Manager: Caroline Lewis Tour Limit: 12 Status: Open - Space is still available on this tour, and we are accepting provisional bookings. No deposit is required until you receive the itinerary. Click below to book space. Tour Fee: Fee TBD / 2024=$3950 REQUEST SPACE OR MORE INFO
2026
Dec 18-26, 2026 Guided by: Jay VanderGaast & local guide Tour Manager: Caroline Lewis Tour Limit: 12 Status: Open - Space is still available on this tour, and we are accepting provisional bookings. No deposit is required until you receive the itinerary. Click below to book space. Tour Fee: Fee TBD / 2024=$3950 REQUEST SPACE OR MORE INFO
Dec 26, 2026 - Jan 3, 2027 Guided by: Sam Wilson & local guide Tour Manager: Caroline Lewis Tour Limit: 12 Status: Open - Space is still available on this tour, and we are accepting provisional bookings. No deposit is required until you receive the itinerary. Click below to book space. Tour Fee: Fee TBD / 2024=$3950 REQUEST SPACE OR MORE INFO
ABOUT OUR TRIPLISTS • After every tour we issue an annotated triplist of the birds recorded on the trip, illustrated with wonderful images (and sometimes video clips) from the tour's participants and guides.
Enjoy looking through the 8 most recent Field Guides triplists for this tour linked below!