Central Valley

This region is located in the center of Costa Rica, it has plenty of valleys, hills and enormous volcanoes that create a variety of altitudes and microecosystems with a wide biodiversity.

This piece of land is set between three of the biggest volcanoes in the country (Poás, Barva, Irazú) and the central pacific lowlands. The central valley is a great starting point for your birding journey, since the main airport of the country (Juan Santamaría SJO) is located in this area. Average temperature in the central valley is 22 º C, decreasing as you move up towards the volcanoes or increasing as you move down towards the central pacific coast.

The middle elevation and highland areas around the central valley could easily produce twenty different species of hummingbirds, among them, Fiery throated hummingbird, Coppery headed Emerald, Black bellied hummingbird and Volcano Hummingbird, while nocturnal explorations might provide encounters with the Bare shanked Screech Owl and Mottled Owl.

Emblematic Birds 

  • Bellbird 

  • Prong billed Barbet 

  • Coopery headed Emerald 

  • Spangle cheeked Tanager

  • Green fronted Lancebill 

  • Black bellied Hummingbird 

  • Lesson´s Motmot 

  • Cabanis´s Ground Sparrow 

  • Collared Trogon 

  • Red tailed Hawk 

Birding Hotspots 

  • Monserrat de Coronado Biological Reserve

  • La Cangreja National Park  

  • Juan Castro Blanco National Park – Bajos del Toro 

  • Cerro Dantas Wildlife Refuge 

  • Tapantí National Park 

  • Valle de los Quetzales – La Paz de San Ramón

  • Fundación Madre Verde

  • La Virgen del Socorro