Costa Rica Photo Workshop

This tour offers opportunities to photograph wildlife. We'll maximize our chances of encountering wildlife, but we want to remind you that we don't control wildlife and cannot guarantee encounters with particular species. Itineraries for wildlife trips are subject to change based on wildlife activity.

Day 1: Arrive in San Jose

Arrive at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) before 3:00 PM on this day. Air travel delays are possible, so please consider arriving early, possibly the day prior. We don't want you to miss out on trip activities. Airport transfer is included on arrival.

Check in to our hotel in San Jose, followed by a welcome dinner with the group, where we’ll discuss our upcoming adventure.

Day 2: Fly to Puerto Jimenez

We have a morning flight to Puerto Jimenez. We will be picked up at the airport and transferred to our hotel. This afternoon, we will have a guided tour of the resort property, which is inhabited by birds and monkeys.

After our photography session, we will gather in a boardroom, where your tour leader will conduct a presentation on photographing wildlife, camera settings, and the proper camera techniques we will use in these environments.

Day 3: Safari in Matapalo Rainforest

We will spend the day driving safari-style through the rainforest. Today, you will photograph the monkeys, sloths, birds, and other creatures en route to the waterfalls of Matapalo in the southern area of Corcovado National Park.

Day 4: La Tarde and macro photography

We will travel to Corcovado National Park, renowned for its birds and reptiles, to photograph wildlife. Our destination is La Tarde, a nature center where we’ll hone our macro photography skills using both artificial and natural light to capture images of colorful frogs, snakes, and lizards. During the journey, we’ll also have plenty of chances to photograph various monkeys, birds, and other wildlife that inhabit this area.

Day 5: Sloth sanctuary and safari

Today, we will drive through Matapalo and photograph its monkeys and birds.

Our destination is a sloth sanctuary on private property. While here, we can photograph a variety of sloths in the wild and enjoy some fabulous homemade food and drinks at this local farm.

When we return to our hotel, we will conduct an image review to give you feedback on the images you have taken and offer suggestions to help you during the rest of the trip.

Day 6: Sierper River cruise

After a picturesque drive through the rainforest, we’ll embark on a pontoon boat journey along the Sierper River, capturing photos of birds, snakes, primates, and crocodiles.

The boat we are using is very stable. We can walk around to get better positions and backgrounds when we encounter wildlife.

Day 7–8: Cloud forest at San Gerardo de Dota

This area is famous for the beautiful, Resplendent Quetzal. You can also expect to photograph species such as the Talamanca Hummingbird, Golden-Browed Chlorophonias, Emerald Toucanet, Flame-throated Warbler, Acorn Woodpecker, Volcano Hummingbird, and White-throated Mountaingem.

Day 9: Guided bird tour

This morning, we have a guided tour on the grounds of the remote resort in the rainforest. We will transfer you to the airport in the afternoon for your regional flight back to San Jose.

We will have a final image review of your favorite images from the tour tonight.

Day 10: Departure

You can book your return flight for anytime this day. Airport transfer is included on departure.