Birdwatching Tour in Monteverde

Curi Cancha with Jean Carlo

We had a great tour with Jean Carlo. He was so knowledgable about all the birds and could spot them so easily for us. He was very pleasant and we appreciated his expert insights. He was even nice enough to give us a ride back to our hotel. Thank you!

via Tripadvisor

Best bird watching ever!

Jean Carlo was absolutely fantastic! Incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and clearly passionate about nature in a way that was absolutely infectious. Our tour was about 5 hours, and it was amazing. We are so grateful that we booked with Jean-Carlo—it was our favourite experience in Costa Rica. The pacing was perfect for our group of three, and we enjoyed the flexibility of the day and the opportunity to appreciate beautiful scenery in addition to many, many birds and animals. Couldn’t recommend more highly!

via Tripadvisor

Great experience!

Jean Carlo was amazing! He was very knowledgeable and helpful at pointing out birds, as well as telling us about the local ecosystems! We got 56 species, with a lot of new ones for me!

via Tripadvisor

Great Guide, but avoid Viator.

Jean Carlos is excellent. He helped us see many of the most desirable species, including the Three Wattle Bell and the beautiful Toucans and Toucanets. However Viator is a terrible business, and I will NEVER book with them again. I was led to believe that our guided tour included the park admission, so that expense was very unwelcome when detailed in the fine print. Also Very bad impression when we had to rent binoculars at $10 per day. At the Curicancha desk i inquired what admission plus a standard tour costs. It would be $55 pp for a 3 hour tour, also with an excellent guide. So im walking around the park knowing that our day for 4 people plus tip is about $465, and we could have had nearly the same tour booked directly wirh Curicancha for about half. No surprise this is the worst day of our 2 week trip. Viator communicated very poorly; i wiil avoid using them at all costs. And you ruined one of my vacation days wirh my family.

Response from the operator: Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review and for your kind words about my guiding. I truly appreciate your comments about the birding experience and I am very happy that we were able to find many special species, including the Three-wattled Bellbird, Lessons Motmot, toucans and toucanets. At the same time, I am genuinely sorry to hear that parts of the experience left you feeling disappointed. I completely understand that unexpected costs during a family vacation can be frustrating. I would kindly like to clarify a few points for future travelers. The booking platform clearly details what is included and not included in the tour, including park entrance fees. Since reservations are made through a third-party platform, I always encourage guests to review the tour details carefully, and I am also available through the platform messaging system before the tour to answer any questions. Regarding binoculars, many birdwatchers travel with their own equipment, but I understand that not everyone does. For this reason, I recently purchased extra pairs so guests have the option to rent binoculars if needed and still enjoy the best possible birding experience. This service is entirely optional and intended as a convenience for visitors. I would also respectfully clarify the comparison with the reserve’s standard tour. The price you were quoted at the reception refers to a general natural history walk, while our experience was a specialized birdwatching tour focused specifically on finding target species, bird identification, behavior, and maximizing sightings. Additionally, our tour duration was longer and fully customized around your interest in birds. As someone who has birded in many countries and guided many visitors to Costa Rica, I always aim to provide a high-quality and memorable experience. I truly regret that some aspects did not meet your expectations, though I am glad we were able to enjoy excellent birding together and successfully find many of the species you hoped to see. Thank you again for your feedback, and I sincerely wish you and your family wonderful future birding adventures.

via Viator

70+ Bird Species w/ Jean Carlo

We had six birder friends from Houston & Dallas visit Costa Rica in April. We hired three guides for various cities/habitat/regions in CR. Jean-Carlo was the best overall and well worth the cost, time, and effort. We saw over 70 species of birds in three locations in 5-6 hours, including drive time. Jean-Carlo interviewed us and asked all the right questions, even considering age, fitness, and photography equipment. He is experienced and quick for sight, sound, movement, and even offered to double check our eBird and photos in follow up. We saw monkeys and other mammals too. If we could give him more than 5 stars, we would. Some bird species that we photographed - Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, Trogons, Hook-billed Kite, Three-wattled Bellbird, Keel-billed Toucan, Masked Tityra, Long-tailed Manakin, and so many more beauties. Thank you and Pura Vida!

via Tripadvisor