Birding Tour
Discover rare and vibrant bird species as you explore the lush forests and farmlands of Turrialba on a guided birdwatching tour.
What’s Included
Expert, local guides will lead you through a variety of tropical habitats as you search for more than 650 different species of birds found in the Turrialba area.
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This tour offers a great introduction to birding in Costa Rica — and Costa Rican culture and cuisine — at a wonderfully affordable price. It includes five nights lodging, and all meals, transportation and guide services once we pick you up in San Jose.
Lodging on nights 2 through 5 are based at Pablo’s farm, where there are good birds, dining facilities, lounge space, 7 very comfortable ‘glamping’ style cabinas, along with a wonderfully designed bath house with hot showers and toilet facilities.
Airfare to Costa Rica, guide tips and alcoholic beverages are not included in the price.
Pablo and U.S.-based nature guide Bill Sedivy will lead the trips, but we also hire additional, local expert bird guides to make sure you see as many species as possible.
Participants typically see between 150 and 250 different species during our tours!
We will need at least 4 participants to make each trip viable, and we cap the number of attendees at six to allow for more personalized service.
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Custom trip dates can be arranged, but right now we’re taking reservations for the following 2026 dates:
• Janurary 11 – 16
• January 18 – 23
• January 25 – 30
• February 8 – 13
• February 15 – 20
• February 22 – 27
• March 1 -6
• March 8-13
• March 15 - 19
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• At booking — $300 deposit payment due.
• One month prior to trip date — pre-trip questionnaires (medical, food preference and travel questionnaires) and liability waiver returned.
1. Sunday — Arrive in San Jose, check in at Hotel LaRiviera.
2. Monday — Eat complimentary breakfast at hotel, pick up by Tour staff at hotel, 9 a.m. Stop for lunch and birding along way to Aventuras El Ceibo. Afternoon, settle in at Aventuras El Ceibo. Late afternoon/evening bird stroll. Final trip payment due.
3. Tuesday — Up early, guided birding at the world famous El Copal Reserve, a community organized and operated nature preserve. We could see between 80 and 100 different bird species on this morning, including the Snowcap and several other species of hummingbirds, and several types of tanagers and warblers. Lunch at the Reserve.
4. Wednesday — Up early, guided birding at Lake Agnostura for water birds, hawks, kites and songbirds. Lunch at a fabulous, family-run, hillside restaurant overlooking the lake.
5. Thursday — Up early, guided birding on Turrialba Volcano. Expect a stunning sunrise and cool temperatures as we search for the Resplendent Quetzal, Black Guans and several endemic, high-elevation species.
6. Friday — Up early, guided birding at Catié — a research center, graduate school campus, botanical garden and World Seed Bank site. Looking for Great Potoo, boat-billed herons and other wading birds at Catié. Lunch in the town of Turrialba, then departure for a San Jose hotel, or, we say goodbye to you as you head off on the next leg of your adventure.
We strongly recommend spending Friday night in San Jose before flying back home – you’ll need two to three hours at the airport before your flight. Your post-trip San Jose hotel room is not included in your trip fee, although we suggest Hotel LaRiviera because of its free airport shuttle and excellent service. We’re happy to assist with reservations.
This is a sample itinerary . -
Passport
Printed copy of airline itinerary (this is useful at customs)
Printed copy of passport
Cash, credit cards, check if you decide to make final payment that way
Personal medications
Toiletries
Glasses, sunglasses, extra pair of glasses
Flashlight/headlamp
Small day pack
Water bottle
Wet ones
insect repellent (I’ll have some)
Sunscreen
Binoculars
Camera
Spotting scope if you choose (we will have one or two to share)
Lens wipes
Bird book (although we will have them, too)
Good rain coat
Good hiking shoes (low cut okay)
Sandals or sneakers for off times
Light weight long pants (two pair)
Light weight long-sleeved shirts (two)
Quick dry T’s or other short-sleeved shirts
Shorts for lounge time
Lightweight jacket or hoodie for cool mornings
Socks – I bring over the ankle for bugs, and, shorties for walking in town
Underwear
Ballcap or visor
Sun hat
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Your $1,500 per person price tag is a real value among birding tours in Costa Rica. The price includes five nights of lodging, meals, transportation and guide services once we pick you up at the San Jose airport and escort you to a wonderful little B&B hotel in San Jose. Airfare to Costa Rica, guide tips and alcoholic beverages are not included in the price.
WHAT OUR GUESTS ARE SAYING
“Birding 101 with Aventuras El Ceibo exceeded all my expectations! We birded habitats from lakes to high elevation and saw hundreds of species of birds. The hiking and birding was well-paced, allowing you to experience a slice of your bird's life, not just glimpse it. Our guides were excellent - focused on birds but also touching on culture, history, geology, reptiles and biology. Meals at the lodge were fresh and delicious, and restaurant lunches and stops to recharge offered beautiful views and added to our understanding and enjoyment of Costa Rica. One of the best parts of the trip was staying at the eco lodge — we would wake to birds and go to sleep with occasional rain on the roof. Every aspect of our trip was carefully thought out and stress-free. Birding 101 is truly a bargain, as promised, and it was my best week of birding ever.”
-Denise DeCoster | Hailey, Idaho
Meet the Team
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FounderIt all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.
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Item descrBill Sedivy has been traveling and birdwatching in Costa Rica for more than 40 years. Born and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio area – Bill is a veteran adventure trip leader and has guided river trips and nature tours in the U.S. and Costa Rica for nearly three decades. A former journalist, Bill published in 1995 a collection of short stories about river running called River’s End: A Collection of Bedtime Stories for Paddlers. Over the years he’s also worked hard in various capacities to protect the rivers, birds, fish and the wild places he has grown to love. From 1999 to 2015 Bill worked as executive director of Idaho’s only statewide river conservation group, Idaho Rivers United (IRU). During his tenure at IRU, Bill led fundraising river trips to Costa Rica, which is where he met Pablo and the rest of the Leiba family. Upon his retirement in 2015, he was named a national “River Hero” for his work across the U.S. by River Network, a nationwide association of river conservation groups. Since then, Bill has worked as a river ranger for the U.S. Forest Service and guided multi-day trips on various rivers. He now spends summers birding along the shores of Lake Erie — near family and his childhood home — and winters in Costa Rica, rafting, practicing Spanish and working with Pablo on Aventuras El Ceibo bird tours. iption
Photography by Natassia Wilde.
View more of their work at NatassiaWilde.com or follow on Instagram.