Rancho Naturalista

Turrialba valley > Costa Rica

Rancho Naturalista Lodge has the longest checklist among the eBird hotspots of Costa Rica – over 55 % of the nation’s total, including about 40 hummingbirds.

Added* by Dragan Simic
Most recent update 11 September 2023

Description

More than 500 bird species were recorded in 140 ac / 60 ha of Rancho Naturalista's private premontane forest reserve, at 3,000 ft / 900 m above sea level and belonging to the Caribbean (Talamanca’s) foothills biome: Sunbittern , hummingbirds such as Snowcap and Purple-crowned Fairy ; Broad-billed Motmot and Rufous Motmot , Spotted Antbird , Lovely Cotinga ...

You can start your morning in a relaxed manner, with a coffee and sweets among the hummingbird feeders at the communal balcony of the lodge, observing Violet Sabrewing , White-necked Jacobin , Green Hermit , Green-breasted Mango , Crowned Woodnymph , Rufous-tailed Hummingbird , etc.

Or, you can hike and bird the four ranch trails (ranging from 0.3 mi / 400 m to 1.6 mi / 2.5 km, and totalling 4 mi / 7 km) on your own, or with Rancho's in-house guides, Mercedes and Harry. On a guided walk, it is possible to observe 120 to 140 species in a single morning, including Snowcap , Tawny-chested Flycatcher , Purplish-backed Quail-Dove ; White-collared Manakin (lek), White-crowned Manakin and White-ruffed Manakin ; Dull-mantled Antbird , Thicket Antpitta , Black-throated Wren-Babbler , Black-crested Coquette , Tawny-throated Leaftosser and the Gray-headed Piprites . Also a chance of Paint-billed Crake .

Nearby lies the Irazu Volcano National Park, reaching 11,000 ft / 3,400 m a.s.l. and offering a new set of birds, e.g. endemic Volcano Hummingbird and Flame-throated Warbler , Costa Rican Ground Sparrow, a chance of Resplendent Quetzal and Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge , and up near the crater, Volcano Junco and Timberline Wren .

Details

Access

From San Jose to Turrialba by bus, the rest by taxi. Zoom in on the map and click on the "P" (parking) sign in the map by the main lodge building for driving directions.

Terrain and Habitat

Forest , Mountain , Scattered trees and bushes , River

Conditions

Hilly

Circular trail

Yes

Is a telescope useful?

Can be useful

Good birding season

All year round

Best time to visit

Spring migration , Autumn migration

Route

Wide path , Unpaved road

Difficulty walking trail

Average walk

Accessible by

Foot

Birdwatching hide / platform

Yes

Extra info

The weather in the Turrialba valley is moderate year-round: not too hot and not too cold.

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