Private Tour

Arenal Half-day Birding and Photography

Overview

Available languages

English

Spanish

5 hours

Mobile ticket

During this exciting birdwatching adventure, you will be initially looking for many species of birds that visit the feeders located next to the restaurant, such as, tanagers, oropendolas, woodpeckers, jays, guans; while you enjoy the most stunning view to the Arenal Volcano (if weather allows it). After seeing the colorful birds that's usually come to the feeder, you will walk around the property with your private guide, looking for other species like, toucans, parrots, woodpeckers, flycatchers and more. Then, at 8:00am you will have a pause to enjoy the breakfast (you can bring your own food, or you can also enjoy a delicious breakfast at the restaurant of the lodge). After breakfast you will continue visiting the trails of the lodge to find more exclusive species that hide in the middle of the forest such as, antbirds, motmots, jacamar, trogons and much more. The tour will finish at 12:00md.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Not recommended for pregnant travelers

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Cancellation Policy

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

What To Expect

Arenal Observatory Lodge & Trails

This is definitely the top birding spot in Arenal area. The lodge is located in a beautiful property on the base of the Arenal Volcano and Cerro Chato. It has several trails to walk along the property, special to find many species of birds, many of them uncommon to find in the area. Besides that, there is a very nice observatory deck where you can see tons of birds coming to the feeders. Also, there are beautiful gardens where normally you will see a lot of different hummingbirds species visiting the flowers.

5 hours • Admission Included

What‘s Included

Private guide

Spotting scope

Entrance fee

Transport

Breakfast

Options

Arenal Half-day Birding and Photography

Reviews

5.00

4 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Unforgettable experience
Niekfer,,Nov 24, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Weve had an amazing day around arenal. Gustavo knows so much about the wildlife and found so many new species for us. All in all it was an amazing day i will never forget.
Great guide service! Thank you Great Wings!
862noahh,,Sep 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a fantastic time with Gustavo! He took us on two birding outings and a night hike. We saw far more than we could have imagined, including some truly difficult to find birds and reptiles. Gustavo's knowledge and enthusiasm made each trip a success. Highly recommended. We will be back!
By far the best tour guide we had!
N9251ZWemilyh,,Aug 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I cannot recommend Tavo enough. We booked a half day tour at Arenal Observatory lodge and loved him so much that we basically booked him for the rest of our stay in La Fortuna. We had many nice guides whilst in Costa Rica but Tavo was BY FAR the best. It felt like he really cared not only about us, our enjoyment but us having the best experience we could whilst we were with him and after. His knowledge of birds is exceptional and we got many lifers whilst with him. He is also a good laugh and was very accommodating and interested in my random macro insect photography hobby. Please, please don’t hesitate to book him. When we’re back in Costa Rica we will be booking him for the entire trip! Thanks Tavo! You’re an absolute star ⭐
Amazing guide & birder
mattsJ1747IN,,Jul 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
My ideal trip to Costa Rica included seeing as many new life birds as I could and experiencing the world class area of Arenal Observatory Lodge. As I was researching my trip, I stumbled upon recommendations for private guides, and I found Tavo's info. I feel fortunate that I did. Not only was he very accommodating leading up to my arrival, but was also a top class private guide. Tavo is a very knowledgeable birder & guide and I literally could not recommend him enough. We ended up seeing over 90 species and I wouldn't have seen half as many or been able to identify them without him and his local knowledge, 10/10 rating.