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Jim Peterson discovered a quick and easy way to bird Costa Rica from the States. Leave Dallas, Texas at 8am and be watching Motmots by noon!

My wife and I recently found a package sale by charter plane (Champion Airline – Boeing 727) direct to Liberia, Costa Rica. The travel package was actually hosted by a company called MLT My wife and I recently found a package sale by charter plane (Champion Airline – Boeing 727) direct to Liberia, Costa Rica. The travel package was actually hosted by a company called MLT Vacations http://www.mltvacations.com These Charter flights depart DFW on Saturdays only. Thankfully, Liberia is not a big city like San Jose, but it does have a nice airport that can handle charters. Currently, the major airlines will not fly to Liberia because there are not enough hotel rooms close by to make it worth landing there for them (trust me, there are plenty of places to stay for birdwatchers) . So only charters come to Liberia from the U.S.

Sometimes these web sales can last only about 72 hours, sometimes a few weeks. Most of the sales involve summer (off-season) travel. We booked about two months in advance, and we had to go in July. Getting a sale is the only work you have to do. Once booked everything else went like clock work for us..

The sale package involved seven nights at an oceanside Hotel (El Ocotal- http://www.crica.com/hotels/ocotal.html) - 30 minutes from the Liberia airport. The package included roundtrip airfare and hotel for $517.00 [in 2002, we chose to do air-only and find our own place to stay. the round-trip air fare for two people was $485.00 ] and all travel to and from the airport to the hotel. This price is undoubtedly fluid as we met several people who paid a little more and one person who paid less. Food was not included. We rented a 4-wheel drive vehicle for $60.00 a day for long trips out, but there are some good birds at this out-of-way diving resort for people uncomfortable with driving. The hotel was excellent, and the food was good. Santa Rosa, Rincon de Vieja, and Guanacaste National Parks are within a two-hour drive of the hotel. Palo Verde Refuge is 2.5 hours from the hotel and Lomas de Barbudal Refuge is about 1.5 hours from the hotel. Monteverde Refuge can be done in one day although it is a long trip.

El Ocotal hotel also offers day trips to various locations (non-birding) by van or bus from the hotel starting at about $60.00 a day. We were told a birding guide could be arranged with transportation for about $150.00 a day. We didn't do this, although we did get a natural history guide for one day around Guanacaste NP at $50.00 using our rental vehicle. We found out about this guide who lives in Liberia from a friend - he was not part of the hotel guide connections. We personally felt that it would be good to have someone who knew some of the unpaved backroads in Guanacaste NP. If you ask at the hotel for a birding guide with transportation at the $150.00 price tag, you should not expect great birding expertise with this deal. However, it might be worth it if you want someone else driving and spotting

People can get an air-only price on the charter from MLT and then maybe find their own accommodations. If my wife had not been interested in a beach experience, I might have chosen to do this and stay at the Hotel Las Espuelas in Liberia - a quick jumping off point right on the Pan-American Highway and where many birding tour groups stay. I stayed in this hotel in 1990 and thought it quite nice then. If you stay at Las Espuelas, you are right down the street from a Burger King (not my cup of tea) and a great local restaurant called Brahmaderos. Las Espuelas also has its own restaurant.

Our charter flight left DFW at about 8:00. The flight was a little over 3.5 hours long. We arrived and were processed through the airport in record time (20 minutes). An escort from the MLT Holidays company steered us toward a bus containing the group to go to El Ocotal (many others on the flight had booked slightly different sales at nearby locations). A 30 minute trip then ensued to the hotel. The drive to the hotel takes you through mostly uneventful farm land and ranch land. On the way, there is one water treatment area by the side of the road where - on our way back to the airport a week later - there were two Jabiru standing in the shallow water less than 100 yards from the road. The bus driver was kind enough to stop. Although seeing the Jabiru was just plain luck, this water treatment area generally has egrets, spoonbills and a few Northern Jacanas that you can see from the road.

The hotel is just outside a little community called Playa del Cocos directly west of Liberia. Driving through this little town will make you wonder if you didn't make the wrong vacation plans. This community is occupied by the very rich and the very poor, and as Americans, we have a tendency to stare too shamelessly at the poor and too admiringly at the rich. If you visit the town often enough (a $5.00 cab drive from the hotel), you will eventually begin to feel quite comfortable in this town. The road from the town to the hotel is unpaved, but it's only about a 4 mile stretch.

The hotel was largely occupied by deep-sea fishermen and divers with only a few true tourist types seen on our stay. There's quite a few trees around El Ocotal, and there are some decent birds around the grounds. An hour in the morning can produce the following birds in July: Crane Hawk, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Orange-fronted Parakeet. Inca Dove, Common ground-Dove, Groove-billed Ani, Plain-capped Starthroat, Hoffmann's Woodpecker, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Tropical Kingbird, Great Kiskadee, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Banded Wren, Rufous-naped Wren, White-throated Magpie Jay, Blue Grosbeak, Blue-black Grassquit, and Streak-backed Oriole. On one day, we also observed a Bare-throated Tiger Heron near the beach, and on another day a White-necked Puffbird hung out on a telephone wire over the road. The beautiful Variegated Squirrel was common around the hotel, and Howler Monkeys were seen on three different days. Get used to seeing the very big Guanacaste lizards - you won't walk 10 feet without running into one.

Click here to go my web page to see a bird list. I include trips to Santa Rosa NP, Guanacaste NP, Lomas Barbudal Refuge and birding along the Road to Upala.More about the trip. Liberia and the surrounding area lie within the state of Guanacaste. Unlike most of the tropics during summer, Guanacaste can remain somewhat dry even during June and July. We saw a light rain during one afternoon of our seven day stay. If it's raining in Guanacaste, rest assured it's raining much harder in every other part of Costa Rica. If you are traveling to any of the mountainous national parks like Rincon de Vieja, you should expect clouds and perhaps a little rain at all times of the year. September and October on the other hand can be quite rainy even in Guanacaste, and there are very few tours anywhere in Costa Rica during these months.

Renting a vehicle: At El Ocotal, they will contact Budget Rent-a-Car for you. A comfortable 4-wheel drive vehicle (Chevrolet Tracker - trust me, you want 4WD) will be brought to the hotel for you. Isn't that nice! You can fill out the forms in the lobby of the hotel and be off on the road in 30 minutes. The guy at Budget who brought me the car spoke good English. Most 4WD vehicles are stick shift with AC and run about $60 a day depending on the size you want. Ours performed admirably. We rented one for 4 straight days and the price included taxes and insurance and unlimited mileage.

Food at the hotel was quite good (although over-priced). FYI, there is a little American owned seafood restaurant in Playa del Cocos ($5.00 cab fare each way from the hotel) called Papgayo's where we spent many nights. The price break at the restaurant was a wash-out when you added the cab fare, but when we had the rental car, we ate there every night.

I have never known anyone to get sick in Costa Rica. It is always possible with some people, but I have now been there on three different occasions at different locations each time, sometimes with tours, and have never been sick or seen anyone else suffer from "revenge-type" problems. I drink the tap water there. If you're wondering, I don't have an iron stomach. I get a little sick every time I travel to Mexico, and have been sick in Belize, Guatemala, and Venezuela.

People are generally friendly all through CR and negotiating the language is not impossible. They are used to seeing tourists around those parts. Getting gas by the side of the road was hassle-free and getting your dollars turned into "colones" at the hotel and then paying for things with your new currency was hardly brain surgery.

My biggest disappointment was there were no hummingbird feeders at the hotel.

If you have other specific questions, you may contact me directly at jpeter@airmail.net .

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Birdwatching in Costa Rica via Dallas/FW Airport Using a Chartered Package Tour By Jim Peterson Jim Peterson discovered a quick and easy way to bird Costa Rica from the States. Leave Dallas, Texas at 8am and be watching Motmots by noon! My wife and I recently found a package sale by charter plane (Champion Airline – Boeing 727) direct to Liberia, Costa Rica. The travel package was actually hosted by a company called MLT My wife and I recently found a package sale by charter plane (Champion Airline – Boeing 727) direct to Liberia, Costa Rica. The travel package was actually hosted by a company called MLT Vacations http://www.mltvacations.com These Charter flights depart DFW on Saturdays only. Thankfully, Liberia is not a big city like San Jose, but it does have a nice airport that can handle charters. Currently, the major airlines will not fly to Liberia because there are not enough hotel rooms close by to make it worth landing there for them (trust me, there are plenty of places to stay for birdwatchers) . So only charters come to Liberia from the U.S. Sometimes these web sales can last only about 72 hours, sometimes a few weeks. Most of the sales involve summer (off-season) travel. We booked about two months in advance, and we had to go in July. Getting a sale is the only work you have to do. Once booked everything else went like clock work for us.. The sale package involved seven nights at an oceanside Hotel (El Ocotal- http://www.crica.com/hotels/ocotal.html) - 30 minutes from the Liberia airport. The package included roundtrip airfare and hotel for $517.00 [in 2002, we chose to do air-only and find our own place to stay. the round-trip air fare for two people was $485.00 ] and all travel to and from the airport to the hotel. This price is undoubtedly fluid as we met several people who paid a little more and one person who paid less. Food was not included. We rented a 4-wheel drive vehicle for $60.00 a day for long trips out, but there are some good birds at this out-of-way diving resort for people uncomfortable with driving. The hotel was excellent, and the food was good. Santa Rosa, Rincon de Vieja, and Guanacaste National Parks are within a two-hour drive of the hotel. Palo Verde Refuge is 2.5 hours from the hotel and Lomas de Barbudal Refuge is about 1.5 hours from the hotel. Monteverde Refuge can be done in one day although it is a long trip. El Ocotal hotel also offers day trips to various locations (non-birding) by van or bus from the hotel starting at about $60.00 a day. We were told a birding guide could be arranged with transportation for about $150.00 a day. We didn't do this, although we did get a natural history guide for one day around Guanacaste NP at $50.00 using our rental vehicle. We found out about this guide who lives in Liberia from a friend - he was not part of the hotel guide connections. We personally felt that it would be good to have someone who knew some of the unpaved backroads in Guanacaste NP. If you ask at the hotel for a birding guide with transportation at the $150.00 price tag, you should not expect great birding expertise with this deal. However, it might be worth it if you want someone else driving and spotting People can get an air-only price on the charter from MLT and then maybe find their own accommodations. If my wife had not been interested in a beach experience, I might have chosen to do this and stay at the Hotel Las Espuelas in Liberia - a quick jumping off point right on the Pan-American Highway and where many birding tour groups stay. I stayed in this hotel in 1990 and thought it quite nice then. If you stay at Las Espuelas, you are right down the street from a Burger King (not my cup of tea) and a great local restaurant called Brahmaderos. Las Espuelas also has its own restaurant. Our charter flight left DFW at about 8:00. The flight was a little over 3.5 hours long. We arrived and were processed through the airport in record time (20 minutes). An escort from the MLT Holidays company steered us toward a bus containing the group to go to El Ocotal (many others on the flight had booked slightly different sales at nearby locations). A 30 minute trip then ensued to the hotel. The drive to the hotel takes you through mostly uneventful farm land and ranch land. On the way, there is one water treatment area by the side of the road where - on our way back to the airport a week later - there were two Jabiru standing in the shallow water less than 100 yards from the road. The bus driver was kind enough to stop. Although seeing the Jabiru was just plain luck, this water treatment area generally has egrets, spoonbills and a few Northern Jacanas that you can see from the road. The hotel is just outside a little community called Playa del Cocos directly west of Liberia. Driving through this little town will make you wonder if you didn't make the wrong vacation plans. This community is occupied by the very rich and the very poor, and as Americans, we have a tendency to stare too shamelessly at the poor and too admiringly at the rich. If you visit the town often enough (a $5.00 cab drive from the hotel), you will eventually begin to feel quite comfortable in this town. The road from the town to the hotel is unpaved, but it's only about a 4 mile stretch. The hotel was largely occupied by deep-sea fishermen and divers with only a few true tourist types seen on our stay. There's quite a few trees around El Ocotal, and there are some decent birds around the grounds. An hour in the morning can produce the following birds in July: Crane Hawk, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Orange-fronted Parakeet. Inca Dove, Common ground-Dove, Groove-billed Ani, Plain-capped Starthroat, Hoffmann's Woodpecker, Turquoise-browed Motmot, Tropical Kingbird, Great Kiskadee, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Banded Wren, Rufous-naped Wren, White-throated Magpie Jay, Blue Grosbeak, Blue-black Grassquit, and Streak-backed Oriole. On one day, we also observed a Bare-throated Tiger Heron near the beach, and on another day a White-necked Puffbird hung out on a telephone wire over the road. The beautiful Variegated Squirrel was common around the hotel, and Howler Monkeys were seen on three different days. Get used to seeing the very big Guanacaste lizards - you won't walk 10 feet without running into one. Click here to go my web page to see a bird list. I include trips to Santa Rosa NP, Guanacaste NP, Lomas Barbudal Refuge and birding along the Road to Upala.More about the trip. Liberia and the surrounding area lie within the state of Guanacaste. Unlike most of the tropics during summer, Guanacaste can remain somewhat dry even during June and July. We saw a light rain during one afternoon of our seven day stay. If it's raining in Guanacaste, rest assured it's raining much harder in every other part of Costa Rica. If you are traveling to any of the mountainous national parks like Rincon de Vieja, you should expect clouds and perhaps a little rain at all times of the year. September and October on the other hand can be quite rainy even in Guanacaste, and there are very few tours anywhere in Costa Rica during these months. Renting a vehicle: At El Ocotal, they will contact Budget Rent-a-Car for you. A comfortable 4-wheel drive vehicle (Chevrolet Tracker - trust me, you want 4WD) will be brought to the hotel for you. Isn't that nice! You can fill out the forms in the lobby of the hotel and be off on the road in 30 minutes. The guy at Budget who brought me the car spoke good English. Most 4WD vehicles are stick shift with AC and run about $60 a day depending on the size you want. Ours performed admirably. We rented one for 4 straight days and the price included taxes and insurance and unlimited mileage. Food at the hotel was quite good (although over-priced). FYI, there is a little American owned seafood restaurant in Playa del Cocos ($5.00 cab fare each way from the hotel) called Papgayo's where we spent many nights. The price break at the restaurant was a wash-out when you added the cab fare, but when we had the rental car, we ate there every night. I have never known anyone to get sick in Costa Rica. It is always possible with some people, but I have now been there on three different occasions at different locations each time, sometimes with tours, and have never been sick or seen anyone else suffer from "revenge-type" problems. I drink the tap water there. If you're wondering, I don't have an iron stomach. I get a little sick every time I travel to Mexico, and have been sick in Belize, Guatemala, and Venezuela. People are generally friendly all through CR and negotiating the language is not impossible. They are used to seeing tourists around those parts. Getting gas by the side of the road was hassle-free and getting your dollars turned into "colones" at the hotel and then paying for things with your new currency was hardly brain surgery. My biggest disappointment was there were no hummingbird feeders at the hotel. If you have other specific questions, you may contact me directly at jpeter@airmail.net . RECOMMENDED GUIDES TO COSTA RICA A Guide to the Birds of Panama with Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras Robert S. Ridgeley & John A. Gwynne, Jr GO to Regional Guides section of boosktore A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica F. Gary Stiles & Alexander F. Skutch GO to Regional Guides section of boosktore A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America Go to our Regional Guides section of the bookstore. Travel & Site Guide to Birds of Costa... Sekerak GO to Regional Guides section of boosktore Lonely Planet Costa Rica GO to Regional Guides section of boosktore

Birdwatching in Costa Rica via Dallas/FW Airport

Using a Chartered Package Tour

By Jim Peterson