Bright green bird with a colorful bill perches on a branch in the sunshine.
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Wondering about the best places to find birds in Monteverde? We spent weeks exploring the area and will share our secret spots with you!

Monteverde is a Bird Lover’s Paradise and my camera was shooting non-stop every day we went out. I shared a lot in my Birds of Costa Rica guide, but here are more specific details about the places to look for birds in Monteverde and what we found during our time staying there.

As world travelers and bird photographers, Bill and I have been lucky enough to see hundreds of birds on 5 different continents. But Costa Rica is right near the top of the list, and Monteverde is one of my favorite places here. Here are our recommended places to find birds in Monteverde:

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Birding in Monteverde

What birds you see at different times of the year will vary widely depending on which trees are bearing fruit – fig trees, avocado trees and many others. Some trees bear fruit every couple of years, some produce fruit multiple times per year. And it is pretty much impossible to predict.

I strongly recommend hiring a guide. You will for sure see more birds with a guide than without because they track where birds have recently been spotted and which types of trees are fruiting right now to attract them.

In Monteverde, we hired Dulce Wilson several times to take us birdwatching. She knows all the best spots, many that aren’t even on the map. She works Sunday – Friday (no Saturdays) and you can reach her on WhatsApp at +506 8739 4345.

Birds that we saw at each Park and Reserve

Now on to the places to find birds in Monteverde and the surrounding areas. Keep on reading!

Reserva Curi-Cancha

Resplendent Quetzal shows off his bright green and red plumage while sitting in the branches of an avacado tree at Curi-Cancha Reserve near Monteverde.
Click to watch video of the Male Quetzal

The small, private family-owned Curi Cancha Reserve is best known for frequent sightings of the Resplendent Quetzal in what is known as the “Million-dollar Tree”. It was pouring rain on the day we went so we didn’t look too hard for any other birds once we found the Quetzal.

They have over 200 species of birds and a variety of mammals and reptiles within the Reserve. Limited tickets are available each day so be sure to plan ahead and book your tickets. It is also known on some maps as “Curi-Cancha Refugio de Vida Silvestre”

Crested Guan
This green Stripe-tailed Hummingbird has his rusty wings expanded as he hovers.
Stripe-tailed Hummingbird

BIRDS SEEN: Resplendent Quetzal, Crested Guan, Strip-tailed Hummingbird

Curi Cancha Trail Map

Finca Ecologica San Luis Reserve

About 25 minutes southeast of Monteverde, the Finca Ecologica San Luis Reserve offers great birding opportunities with a number of covered feeding gardens (which is great when it’s pouring rain) and four different hiking trails.

We went there several times, both with and without a guide and I saw at least 20 new birds. They offer both guided tours and day passes for self-guided tours.

They also have a small restaurant on-site at Finca Ecologica where you can eat breakfast or lunch. Mostly traditional Costa Rican fare, but we had the pizza and it was pretty good.

Note, the road to get there is very bumpy for the last several miles. If you stop at the San Luis Mirador (Overlook) on a sunny day, you can see lots of soaring birds of prey.

A colorful Keel-billed Toucan sits on a wooden branch with his colorful bill, his yellow throat and black body.
Keel-billed Toucan
Bright green bird with a colorful bill perches on a branch in the sunshine.
Northern Emerald Toucanet
Lesson's Motmot on a wood branch is mostly green with a turquoise crown, black face mask and rufous collar.
Lesson’s Motmot
The rarely seen Ornate Hawk-Eagle soars over head, showing off his boldly barred plumage.
Ornate Hawk-Eagle
A black bird with a silver bill and bright red swatch on his rump perches on a wooden branch.
Scarlet-rumped Tanager
A multi-colored bird with hues of golden buff and shades of blue sits on a wooden branch
Golden-hooded Tanager
The Montezuma Oropendola flies with his brown feathers on top and the yellow tail feathers displayed.
Montezuma Oropendola
The Great Kiskadee Flycatcher is a brown with black and white stripings on his face and a bright yellow belly.
Great Kiskadee Flycatcher

BIRDS SEEN: Baltimore Oriole, Black-Hawk Eagle, Blue-gray Tanager, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Brown Jay, Buff-throated Saltator, Clay-colored Thrush, Crimson-collared Tanager, Golden-hooded Tanager, Gray-headed Chachalaca, Great Kiskadee Flycatcher, Hoffmann’s Woodpecker, Keel-billed Toucan, Lesson’s Motmot, Montezuma Oropendola, Northern-emerald Toucanet, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Palm Tanager, Scarlet-rumped Tanager, Squirrel Cuckoo, Tennessee Warbler, Yellow-crowned Euphonia, Yellow-throated Euphonia

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Bajo El Tigre

The Bajo El Tigre Reserve is one of the best places to find the Three-Wattled Bellbird and long-tailed Manakin. The shy Gray-Cowled Wood Rail is usually around, but can be hard to spot. The Reserve offers 4.5 kilometers of both easy and steep hiking trails through the secondary forest and several scenic overlooks. Going with a guide like Dulce will guarantee you the best birding experience, but they also have self-guided day passes available.

Stella’s Monteverde

A popular eating establishment in the heart of Monteverde, Stella’s offers covered outdoor seating and bird-friendly trees in their garden. While eating a delicious meal, you can observe a whole variety of birds (and monkeys too!). I believe if you go for breakfast, you’ll probably see a much wider variety of birds than we saw at lunchtime on a rainy day.

BIRDS SEEN: Blue-gray Tanager, Lesson’s Motmot, White-eared Ground-Sparrow and a variety of Warblers

A blue-gray Tanager eats red berries while perched amongst green leaves at Stella's restaurant in Monteverde, Costa Rica, a popular bird-watching place.
Blue-gray Tanager
The Lesson's Motmot has blue and turquoise coloring
Lesson’s Motmot
The white-eared Ground Sparrow has a gray body, black head with dramatic white spots and a yellow neck patch.
White-eared Ground Sparrow
A very chubby blue-gray tanager sits on a metal bar at Stella's Restaurant of Monteverde
A chubby Blue-gray Tanager

The Monteverde Humming Bird Gallery

Right next to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is the free Hummingbird Gallery. They appreciate it if you make a purchase at the gift shop or the Cafe there. Parking is very tight here along the road below the garden, but if you can snag a spot, it’s a great way to pass a few hours seeing the hummingbirds up close.

BIRDS SEEN: Bananaquit, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Green Hermit, Green-crowned Brilliant; Lesser Violetear, Magneta-throated Woodstar, Purple-throated Mountain-gem, Stripe-throated Hermit, Violet Sabrewing

The Lesser Violet Ear is a beautiful blue hummingbird, perched on a red and yellow hummingbird feeder.
Lesser Violetear
The Green Hermit is hovering near a feeder with his wings blurred to the rapid movement.
Green Hermit
The brightly colored Purple-throated Mountain-gem Hummingbird hangs out on the red feeder, showing us his orange chest, green back and feathers and bold black and white pattern on his face.
Purple-throated Mountain-gem
This small hummingbird has a green back, but a very colorful front side with shades of magenta and white and black.
Magneta-throated Woodstar
The male Green-crowned Brilliant sits on a tree branch with his green iridescent feathers glowing.
Green-crowned Brilliant
This large dark purple hummingbird is the Violet Sabrewing.
Violet Sabrewing

Kapi-Kapi Restaurant

We went to the Kapi-Kapi Restaurant up high in the hills west of Santa Elena with our Guide Dulce because a flock of the Collared Aracari were known to visit every day. They didn’t show up while we were there having lunch, but we enjoyed the Panini sandwiches and the other birds who visited us there. It’s a lovely restaurant with a large outdoor space, even if birds aren’t your interest.

BIRDS SEEN: Hoffmann’s Woodpecker, Lesser Violetear, Magneta-throated Woodstar, Rufous-collared Sparrow

A golden yellow woodpecker with black and white wings perches on the side of a tree trunk.
Hoffmann’s Woodpecker
A gray bird stands on the ground with a black band across his throat, and gray and black stripes on his head.
Rufous-collared Sparrow
The Magenta-throated Woodstar is a hummingbird with a bright red throat, white neck and green body.
Magenta-throated Woodstar
The bright green Lesser Violetear hummingbird sits quietly on a branch in a field of purple flowers.
Lesser Violetear
Beautiful views of the surrounding green countryside were visible from the restaurant's veranda.
Scenic countryside
Bill enjoys his enormous panini sandwich on a plate in front of him on the table.
The enormous Panini sandwich!

Cerro Plano Neighborhood

While not an “official” destination, the neighborhood we stayed in was where we saw a ton of birds in Monteverde. At the TucanTico Lodge, we had a huge tree in the yard that was visited every day by dozens of colorful birds – we could sit right on our veranda and take tons of photos.

Even if you aren’t staying in the neighborhood (although there are tons of lodging options), you could come wander around the streets and find a plethora of birds. There are several restaurants (such as Restaurante Delucía) and hotels (like Monteverde Country Lodge or Cala Lodge) in the area to put into your GPS. We took the liberty of wandering around those properties too! And Mariposa Road had tons of birds in the trees.

A screenshot of a map showing the area I recommend to go for birding. Hotels and restaurants are marked with pins and labels.

BIRDS SEEN: Baltimore Oriole, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-gray Tanager, Blue-vented Hummingbird, Brown Jay, Buff-throated Saltator, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Clay-colored Thrush, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Gray-capped Flycatcher, Gray-headed Chachalaca, Great Kiskadee Flycatcher, Great-tailed Grackle, Hoffmann’s Woodpecker, Lesson’s Motmot, Masked Tityra, Northern Emerald-Toucanet, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ruddy Pigeon, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Social Flycatcher, Summer Tanager, Townsends Warbler, Tropical Kingbird, Western Kingbird

Colorful blue and green bird with a dark eyepatch sits on a branch in a tree.
Lesson’s Motmot
Colorful green bird blends in with the tree leaves surrounding it - only his colorful yellow, red, white and blue bill makes him visible.
Northern Emerald Toucanet
Bright red Summer Tanager perches on a branch in a tree.
Summer Tanager
The Male Baltimore Oriole hangs out on a tree branch, fanning his yellow tail-feathers behind him.
Male Baltimore Oriole
The medium sized Rose-breasted Grosbeak has a white belly with a bright red patch at the throat beneath a black head.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
The Social Flycatcher has a bright yellow belly, brown backside and black and white stripes on his head. He is smaller than the great kiskadee flycatcher.
Social Flycatcher
A dramatic warbler sits in a tree with bold black and yellow marks on the face and a yellow belly.
Townsend’s Warbler
The mostly white Masked Tityra stands out against the green leaves of the tree it's sitting in.
Masked Tityra

Monteverde Art House

Dulce took us to the Monteverde Art House because they have trails through the woods where sometime there are lots of birds present. There is also a mistletoe tree across the street from there which can attract different birds. The day we went, we only saw the Lesson’s Motmot, but she said there are usually a lot more birds there.

The Colorful Monteverde Art House sign.
Bird with a colorful blue head and a black mask perches on a tree branch.

Banco de Costa Rica

Wait, go to a Bank to bird-watch? Yes! There is forest all around the property and some fig trees in the back that attract a lot of birds when they have fruit. There is also a dead tree there that attracts the woodpeckers. The Banco de Costa Rica is along the main road between Cerro Plano and Santa Elena.

Rachel & Dwight Crandell Memorial Reserve

Part of the Monteverde Institute campus, the 32 acre Crandell Memorial Reserve has a network of hiking trails through the primary and secondary cloud forest.

Other ways to Hire a Guide for Birding in Monteverde

First, we always recommend hiring a guide to take you birding. You will 100% see more birds with a guide than without. We’ve done it both ways and we always regret it when we don’t hire a guide because we don’t find nearly as many birds.

Two reliable sites to check out are Trip Advisor and Viator. You can read reviews and easily book through these platforms. If you’re booking a bird-watching tour directly at places like Curi-Cancha, they will provide a guide for you.

For me, though, the best place to connect with trustworthy guides is through the Costa Rica Birding and Birding Costa Rica Facebook groups. These groups are fantastic for sharing birding tips, recommendations, and photos, plus you’ll see where others have had success with their guides.

Simply use the search bar to explore your destination, and you’re likely to find people who’ve shared their favorite guides. From there, it’s easy to reach out to the guides via Facebook, Messenger, or WhatsApp. Keep in mind that prices will vary depending on your group size and the duration of the tour.

Conclusion: Is Monteverde Worth it for Birding?

100% Yes – It’s near the top of my list of Favorite places to bird in the World! If you are someone who loves finding and/or photographing birds, schedule yourself some time in Monteverde!

More Info on Costa Rica

Here are some more posts about Costa Rica, including some that I’m still working on. If you’d like to receive emails when I’ve posted new content to the site, please complete the short form above.

Monteverde / Santa Elena Rainforest Area

Manuel Antonio / Quepos Area

La Fortuna / Arenal Volcano Area

More on Bird and Wildlife Watching Around the World

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