Bird watching in La Fortuna Costa Rica

Bird watching in La Fortuna Costa Rica is a fascinating experience. Enjoy it with a professional birding tour guide, and make it unforgettable.

The dramatic topography makes the abundance of species extremely high, combining sightings from diverse climatic zones, habitats, and microclimates, resulting in a festival for bird watchers.

Bird-watching tours in La Fortuna

For bird lovers, La Fortuna is the place to be. While it is true that La Fortuna is located in the plains of San Carlos, in the hot lowlands influenced by the Caribbean, it is also surrounded by rainforest-covered mountains that descend from the cloud forests of Monteverde.

This dramatic topography makes the abundance of species extremely high, combining sightings from diverse climatic zones, habitats, and microclimates, resulting in a festival for birdwatchers.

Peñas Blancas Safari and Birding

This exciting kayak tour is one of the most popular tours we offer. It provides the opportunity to travel along a jungle river surrounded by tropical rainforests with large jungle trees. Most of them are home to many species of birds. We recommend booking in the early morning or late afternoon hours.

Additionally, it is an ideal tour to see other species of fauna, such as sloths, reptiles like snakes and iguanas, basilisks, and river turtles among others species.

Birding tour in Caño Negro

The Caño Negro Refuge and its extensive wetlands are almost completely flooded during the rainy season. It is one of the most important places to watch birds in Costa Rica.

Although it is not close to La Fortuna, the refuge can be reached in 90 minutes. Once there, it can be explored in several ways, from canoe tours, silent motorboat tours, or the classic boat tour (Pontoon).

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El Burrito Hike

The El Burrito hike takes you to the top of a relatively high mountain, which is located to the east of Cerro Chato. Because there is a difference in altitude between the lower part and the summit, and therefore the weather is changeable, the number of birds is equally varied and interesting.

In addition, you travel through diverse habitats and ecosystems, from forests, charrales (scrubland, an area of land that is covered in low bushes or trees; thicket, dense growth of small trees) to grasslands and open fields, which makes birding easier while being able to see species from different habitats.

In conclusion

If you’re a bird enthusiast or simply appreciate nature, La Fortuna, Costa Rica is an excellent destination for birding tours. The region’s diverse bird species and natural habitats make it an ideal spot for observing and photographing these beautiful creatures, and there are various guided tours available to make the most of your experience. Furthermore, the area offers a variety of other activities and attractions, making it a well-rounded destination for travelers. So, if you’re planning a trip to Costa Rica, be sure to consider La Fortuna for your birding adventure.

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Tour Operator in La Fortuna – Costa Rica

Canoa Aventura is a tour operator located in La Fortuna de San Carlos, at the foot of the Arenal Volcano. The company was born 20 years ago, and today is one of the most stable, professional, and strongest tour operators in the region.

Canoa Aventura started with the canoe tour, which is the name origin. Canoeing down the rivers of the area, especially the Peñas Blancas River, an arm of the San Carlos River, as well as other rivers in the northern region.

Another tour that soon became popular was the canoe trip through the Caño Negro wetland.

The years went by, and due to the great satisfaction of the clients, word-of-mouth recommendations as well as the integration of several national and international travel agencies as well as hotels in the area which started to send clients, the company grew rapidly.

Today, Canoa Aventura offers a smartly chosen selection of tours which includes the canoe tours at Rio Peñas Blancas, canoe tours at Caño Negro, but additionally, with the incorporation of inflatable rafts as well as land transport units and several Pantoon-type boats, the option of excursions grew even more.

Star tours of Canoe Adventure

• Cerro el Burrito Trekking
• Canoe in Caño negro
• Caño Negro by boat
• Guided hike to the volcano and hot springs
• Combined Tours
• Floating tour in Rio Peñas Blancas
• Kayaking in Lake Arenal

Canoa Aventura today also contributes to the local economy of La Fortuna, as it has a fairly large staff, including office personnel for reservations, operations department, as well as guides, transporters, boat captains, concierges and more.

While the company grew in size it never lost its sense of personal service to the client. Another important point that differentiates us is that we always offer unique tours, thus showing our clients the beauties of the northern region and La Fortuna, both famous destinations but also unique and authentic destinations, which is to the liking of many people.

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Monkey species in La Fortuna Costa Rica

In the region of La Fortuna, there are three of the four species of monkeys that exist in Costa Rica.

The howler monkey, the white-faced monkey, and the spider monkey.

Just a few kilometers away from La Fortuna, go to the forested areas of the slopes of Arenal Volcano and Cerro Chato, or go into the plains and wetlands of the lowlands of Caño Negro and Boca Tapada, and you can see the Howler Monkey, the White-faced Monkey, and the Spider Monkey.

Howler Monkey

The Howler Monkey is an icon of the rainforests, precisely because of its howl, which can be heard from miles away.

This large monkey, with dark brown and black fur, usually walks in large groups, among which there are several males, one of them a leader, several females, and almost always a juvenile or even a newborn monkey.

They feed on the leaves and fruits of the forest and like to choose a residential area, where they usually stay for a long time.

They have a sometimes almost predictable ritual, and it is easy to hear them early in the morning, when it rains, or also with the sunset, in the evenings, when the sun is not so hot.

The White-faced Monkey

The White-faced Monkey also moves in groups, which move quickly through the treetops.

It is smaller than the Howler Monkey, however, Howler Monkeys and Spider Monkeys tend to fear the White-faced Monkey because of its fearless and to some extent aggressive attitude towards other monkey species.

Its fur is a combination of black and white, and its face is very distinctive, with white and dark spots in distinct patterns.

Contrary to the howler monkey, the White-faced Monkey is omnivorous and eats everything from fruits and leaves to animals, including reptiles such as basilisks, iguanas, birds, and even other monkeys.

They are often heard from a distance because of their high-pitched sounds, similar to those of screeching birds or other animals.

The Spider Monkey

The Spider Monkey is extremely agile thanks to its long arms and long tail. It is the longest of the monkeys, although the Howler Monkey is usually the heaviest. It has a brownish-brown color, with some dark and light spots. Like the Howler Monkey, it eats fruits and leaves and usually walks in groups not as numerous as the Howler Monkey. Its movements are less electric than those of the White-faced Monkey, and it also has a more timid attitude.

Where to see monkeys in La Fortuna

If you are staying in or around La Fortuna, it is very likely that from your hotel you will have the chance to see monkeys, especially the Howler Monkey. The creeks and interconnected forest areas are often frequented by Howler Monkeys, although they do require certain rurality and abundance of nature.

That is why the best areas to see monkeys from La Fortuna are usually the areas that are visited on ecotourism and nature tours, including the Peñas Blancas River Safari, and especially the tour in Caño Negro.

In Caño Negro it is very common to see monkeys, and in this area, there is a particularity, which is that there are orange howler monkeys, which, it is assumed, are the result of the abundance of chemicals that once existed in the area surrounding the wetlands.

During the tour to Cerro el Burrito, it is also possible to see monkeys in the trees, which always attracts the attention of the hikers who take the tour with us.
The riverbanks, especially the Rio Tres Amigos, the Peñas Blancas, and the Rio San Carlos are excellent areas to see various species of monkeys among other wildlife.

The best thing to do during any of our tours is to keep your eyes open and listen to the sounds emanating from the jungles. Especially during the morning hours, between 5 and 8 am as well as the afternoon hours, after 4:30 PM until 6:00 PM are ideal times to see some or several species of monkeys in La Fortuna and the area around the Arenal Volcano.