Birding Watching tour from San José

San Jose, Costa Rica

8 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Visit the Braulio Carrillo National Park on this bird-watching tour from San José. Located northeast of the city in the Caribbean lowlands, the park boasts an average of 365 species of birds from 50 different families; 72 species are considered to be abundant and common. For avid birders, the park is a must-see destination when visiting Costa Rica.

Possible bird sightings include tanagers, wood quails, anthrushes, and more
October and November is the best time to spot migratory birds
Since you’ll be in a dense rainforest all day, bring a raincoat
Hotel pickup and drop-off is included

What's Included

Breakfast
Lunch
Tour Guide
Round trip transportation from San Jose
Tour operate with a minimum of 4 people.

Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Tour departs from hotels in San Jose. You must indicate the hotel’s name in order to confirm the booking. Please confirm the pick up time at least 24 hours before the tour by contacting us

Operating hours
.6:00 am

Itinerary

Rainforest Adventures

6 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
WHAT TO BRING: Rain coat or sweater, Comfortable Shoes, Camera.
Contact line available for handling hotel pick-up reconfirmations and day-to-day operational matters. +506 8813 4239.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Reviews

4.5

based on 4 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Great birding

Christine_Z, Jan 2026

Spent a day birdwatching with our guide Marvin (with time for breakfast and lunch that was included in price). Saw over 30 species of birds + 3-toed sloth, coaties, a local squirrel species and more. Learned a lot about the local forrest ecosystem.

Much more than a bird tour

Douglas_S, Mar 2025

Outstanding. It was much more than birds! James was an entertaining encyclopedic naturalist—we learned about plants, animals, birds, history. He was able to make every bird call to attract them. He saw things we NEVER would have spotted. Included a spectacular hour long gondola over forest canopy. James was amazing!

Response from Host, Mar 2025

Thank you for your very positive feedback. Your comments are very important for us to improve our services and I am glad you had a lovely experience with us and we met your travelling expectations. We hope to be your choice for your future holiday destinations. Kind regards, Customer Service team

Beautiful Park!

Sharon_S, May 2022

An excellent experience! A one hour drive from San Jose brought us to this reserve. On arrival we saw a coati, two types of toucans and a sloth. With the help of our guide we saw a manakin, two types of trogons, wood creepers, tanagers, hummingbirds, eyelash pit vipers and a myriad of plants, spiders, insects and flowers. You would not likely see the quetzal here as they are usually resident at much higher elevations in the cloud forests. Our guide Marvin was extremely knowledgeable about all of the flora and fauna of the reserve, he "talks" to the birds in more ways than one. He was professional, courteous and was a pleasure to talk to, ask for Marvin. We went off the beaten path to look for some of these creatures (the high point for me). The aerial tram took us through the treetops and into the valleys, a perspective you would not normally get otherwise. There is a restaurant where were had a lovely breakfast and lunch, there are also bathrooms, and a gift shop. Walk with insect repellent, long pants and good sturdy walking or hiking shoes that can get dirty especially if you're going off path into the bush. If you stay on the paved path you can get by in shorts, but still wear shoes. The pathways are easy enough for children and older people, however if you go onto the unpaved paths these two groups may find it challenging as the path can get a bit steep and slippery sometimes. This was a thoroughly enjoyable outdoor experience!

Response from Host, May 2022

Thanks so much for your feedback!, we really appreciate the time you took to write such a review!. Hope soon you come back to Costa Rica!!

We booked this tour because of its...

Ruth C, Mar 2018

We booked this tour because of its title, Birding Tour and because Braulio Carrillo National Park got very good reviews in our Costa Rica travel book. However, that day all the birds had gone somewhere else as had all of the animals except bullet ants. We saw very few birds flying at a great distance from one of the viewing platforms and a couple of toucans at the very tops of trees, so high that you only saw them if they flew. On a more positive note, our guide, Jorge, was knowledgeable about plants and the rain forest generally and very friendly and helpful. The aerial gondola ride was very nice, and the butterfly garden, snake and frog exhibits were interesting. I was really hoping to see a quetzal and an umbrellabird, listed as very prominent in the park in my Open Roads Guide Book. But Jorge was very discouraging about that and rightly so. Our driver from San Jose was on time and also gave us some information during the ride to the park, which took far longer than expected, given the 12 miles stated in the same book. Overall this excursion was a letdown, since we saw no animals or birds, somewhat counterbalanced by our guide and the views from the gondola and the platforms.