Costa Rica Wildlife Photography Tour
March 1-11, 2024
$5895
SOLD OUT – GET INFO & SIGN UP for November 2025 Tour
Diverse Wildlife
The wildlife diversity of Costa Rica is well-known and stunning to behold. In a very small country (about the size of West Virginia) Costa Rica contains over 500,000 species of plant and animal, including more than 900 species of birds. This Costa Rica wildlife photo tour promises to get you into position to photograph as much of this diversity as possible.
Immersive Experience
The photo opportunities we’ll have in Costa Rica will be unparalleled! We’ll photograph colorful birds of all sizes, unique mammals, reptiles, endemic frogs, insects, flowers and more. We’ll spend time with local guides who know exactly where the wildlife is and you’ll be either led to the animals or the animals will be led to you. We shoot a variety of both wildlife set-ups and natural situations on this tour. You’ll return home with tons of amazing images and lots of wildlife photography knowledge.
Costa Rica Guided Wildlife Photo Tour Quick Menu
March 1, 2024
Fly into Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose, Costa Rica arriving sometime during late afternoon or early evening. Our driver will be waiting for you with a sign so you know who to go with for your transfer to the hotel. We meet at 6pm in the evening at the designated hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica.
March 2-3, 2024
Drive to our first lodge located in the Caribbean lowlands area. Access to amazing feeding platforms, jungle canoes, and a special ground-level blind for photographing the gorgeous King Vulture. Also a special offering of a night photography session with nectar bats in flight.
March 4-5, 2024
Drive to our second lodge located in the Cano Negro area. We’re after 6 species of Kingfishers here and we’ll likely photograph them all – perched, diving, with fish, etc. Amazing opportunities of these usually difficult birds. Plenty of other birds and unique wildlife as well.
March 6-7, 2024
Drive to our third lodge in the Sarapiqui area. Overnight at Sarapiqui each night. At least 2 wildlife photo sessions scheduled each day. Highlights include a special tropical frog photo session of treefrogs and poison dart frogs, handled by professional wildlife guides. We’ll also have access to special bird feeding platforms where the action of dozens of species is non-stop. Also included is a special photo day with a true jungle guide who will lead us to some nearly impossible-to-find species.
March 8-10, 2024
Transfer to the Tarcoles River area where we’ll photograph tons of water birds, huge crocodiles, Scarlet Macaws and so much more. In this area we’ll have private, guided boat tours to get us close to the wildlife action. We stay in a great eco-lodge very close to the river in order to maximize our chances to see and photograph all the animals. We’ll also have access to special feeders, a private jungle guide who’ll take us to look for owls and more.
March 11, 2024
A final breakfast together and then flights home today from San Jose to your hometown.
- Tour begins and ends in San Jose, Costa Rica (airport code SJO).
- You should arrive into San Jose as early as possible on March 1 in order to attend the initial meet/greet at 6pm that evening.
- A professional driver with a tour sign will meet you just outside the San Jose airport. He/She will take you to the first hotel.
- A travel Visa in not currently required for citizens of the US or Canada to visit Costa Rica as a tourist.
- Outbound flights should be booked for March 11th anytime.
- Low- mid.
- Most photo locations are within 1/2 mile of our lodging.
- Jungle trails can be wet and slippery – bring proper hiking boots.
- Tropical heat can be tiring for those not acclimitized.
- Drinking plenty of water or energy drinks helps. – Bring a refillable water bottle.
- Variable skies, some sunny, some cloudy, some rainy with daytime temperatures in the 80’s Fahrenheit.
- Early morning/nighttime temperatures generally in the 50’s – 70’s Fahrenheit.
- Rainstorms can (and will) hit anytime in the tropics, and this means wet, slippery trails, boardwalks and walkways.
- Digital camera body or 2 in order to have a backup
- Wildlife zoom lens such as a 200-600mm, 100-400mm or similar
- Wide angle scenic lens such as a full frame equivalent of 28-200mm or 17-40mm
- Close-up or macro lens such as 100mm or 105mm (extension tubes or a proper diopter filter can be substituted for macro lens)
- 1 flash unit that attaches to the hotshoe of your camera and works with your camera system
- Sturdy tripod with appropriate ballhead or gimbal-type head
- Polarizing filter for your wide angle lens
- At least 2,3, or 4 extra batteries and battery charger – Costa Rica uses the same plug type as North America
- Plenty of memory cards – you might shoot up to 10,000 images/day
- A small laptop or tablet is optional for organizing, backing up and looking at images
Includes
- 10 nights accommodations.*
- Airport pick-up and drop off.
- All ground transportation with professional driver throughout the tour.
- All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) from dinner on March 1 to breakfast on March 11th.
- Entry fees into all photography sites.
- Time with local guides and wildlife handlers/experts who will lead us to the best wildlife photo opportunities.
- Guided photo sessions including a King Vulture session, endemic frog session and numerous bird sessions.
- Group and/or one-on-one critique and photo sharing sessions.
- In-depth wildlife photo instruction and leadership from a professional photographer.
- Tons of fun and a true small group tour with a maximum of 6 participants.
*Accommodations/tour prices are based on double occupancy. For those not traveling as a couple or with a friend, the single supplement will apply.
Not Included
- Air fare from your hometown to San Jose, Costa Rica and return (airport code SJO).
- Alcoholic or soda-based drinks.
- Tips to local guides and drivers.
- Optional extra photo sessions such as close-up with snakes, additional frog session, bat photo session, Manikin session, etc.
- Passport or visa fees (visas are not required for citizens of USA or Canada).
- Travel insurance.
- Gifts and items of a personal nature such as phone calls, laundry etc.
