Photo: Volcano Hummingbird, Chris Jimenez

When: December 2-9.
Where: Costa Rica
Fee: See registration page through Holbrook Travel for pricing information

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If you’ve always wanted to go birding in Costa Rica— or never taken a birding trip abroad at all —this program is a great introduction to the neotropical birds of Central America. Join ASNV to spend time in the Caribbean lowlands and the mountainous southern highlands, seeking out species typical of the differing elevations and habitats. Our local birding guides are experts at identification by both sight and sound, and they’ll help ensure your group spots as many of the country’s 900-plus species as possible. Combine that with its accessibility and friendly people, and Costa Rica is a perfect destination for beginners and more advanced birders alike. Plus, you’ll discover wildlife like frogs, monkeys, bats, and sloths.

Highlights:

• Search for the Resplendent Quetzal, Slaty Flowerpiercer, Ruddy Treerunner, and other high-elevation species in the cloud forests of the Talamanca Mountains.

• Visit Nectar & Pollen Reserve, a private reserve adjacent to Braulio Carrillo National Park, where some interesting possibilities include the Snowcap, Long-tailed Tyrant, Cinnamon Woodpecker, and White Hawk.

• Ascend the 328-foot suspended walkway at Tirimbina Biological Reserve for the chance to see species that spend their time high within the forest canopy layer.

• Take guided hikes in the private, 500-acre rainforest reserve at Selva Verde Lodge, which provides habitat to more than 350 bird species, including the endangered Great Green Macaw.