Birding tours at Manuel Antonio and surroundings.
The start time for this trip is between 4:45am to 5:00am depending on the sun rise, and it ends about 10:00am to 10:30am as the day warms up. 304 bird species had been reported here during my 11 years birding this site.
Tarcoles river mouth and mangroves.
Also for those who want to explore the Tárcoles river after the morning at Carara there is opportunity to participate on the boat tour at Tárcoles as additional, this yields boat billed herons, roseate spoonbill, double stripe thick-knee and many other waterfowl. The 2hr boat ride with jungle crocodile safari or crocodile man tour is excellent to get good looks at some peeps also, as well as resident raze yellow warbler, common black hawk since part of their trip takes to the mangroves right at the river mouth of Tarcoles river. For the keen birder hoping to get the most species possible, a visit to the river mouth mangroves can produce Panama Flycatcher, northern scrub flycatcher, Mangrove vireo, american pygmy kingfisher and more. This is a good complement to Carara. 
Created with flickr slideshow. I dedicate my birding guide services to the memory of who became my best friend, who thought me so much about birds and got me into this wonderful way of life, I keep his memory alive with every bird I see as there is always a story behind to be told. RIP Roy Orozco 1979-2016, he is and will be missed immensely.
An old photo of Roy and I while birding at Caño negro some years ago
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“Amazing nature , bird expert”
Reviewed October 1, 2012 I wanted to hire a local bird/nature guide during my stay in Quepos, Costa Rica and felt so lucky, I hit the jackpot with Johan! His knowledge of Costa Rica's natural world is amazing. Johan is an accomplished birder, cultural guide and possesses an insatiable scientific mind. I did 2 full days of birding with Johan, that included Carara NP, Playa del Rey, Tarcoles and he was very professional, persistent, with great expertise in locating specific species. What better way to see & hear of Costa Rica than with someone who lives there and delights in sharing all he knows. I have been on professional nature tours, including VENT and Johan exceeded their standards! Johan really made my trip to Costa Rica & Quepos very worthwhile. He is the perfect nature & cultural ambassador and a very pleasant & easy guy to spend the day with, the time flew by...I learned so much !! Janet Pellegrini “Top Guide”
Reviewed July 27, 2012 The bird guide network in Costa Rica worked great for us! Our bird guide in Monteverde recommended Johan Chaves when he learned we were going to be in the Manuel Antonio area. We had a 4-wheel drive, so Johan met us at our hotel and we left around 5:30 a.m. to explore Esquipulas/Villa Nueva, Johan's home territory. Johan's English is impressive as are his birding skills. Our delight at seeing "lifers" was matched by Johan's enthusiasm for birding and guiding. Because we were interested in mainly birds, Johan took us up into the highlands, helping to navigate some muddy tracks as we drove way into the country. We parked and walked the roads, with Johan locating birds or identifying ones we spotted plus offering observations about various flora as well as the way of life for people living in the area. We couldn't have spent a more delightful morning. Johan is smart, full of energy, and delightfully savvy about the business of guiding--a true contemporary professional. We can give him our highest recommendation. Francie B. “Not Just a Guide... A Passionate Birder!” Reviewed August 3rd, 2015. I met Johan while on vacation... not just mine but his as well. We were both birding in the Arenal area and Johan kept pointing out new species to me. I found myself following Johan and his wife around because he obviously knew every bird I was looking at and was very gracious with his knowledge. I finally asked him if I could join them and we spent the next hour or so birding Arenal. As soon as Johan told me he was a guide in the Manuel Antonio area I immediately wanted to use his services on my planned visit to the area. As far as I'm concerned there is no greater testament to a GREAT bird guide than a person that goes birding on their vacations... I was so fortunate to meet Johan on his vacation. Fortunately I was visiting Manuel Antonio on a Monday (when the park is closed), so Johan had an opening. Johan met me at my hotel at 5:30am and we spent the day visiting the Esquipulas and Playa El Rey areas around Quepos. Since I don't speak Spanish I was increadibly thankful that Johan spoke English better than pretty much any other Costa Rican I met on my 17 day vacation. Johan and I had great conversations that I will remember as much as the birding... Johan isn't just a great birder, he's a great guy! At the end of the day (which ended because my wife called wondering where I was) Johan offered to sit with me a my hotel and go over each species we saw. Once we agreed on what we found he then offered to upload the shared list to eBird (which is great since I'm a ardent eBirder). In the end we found 105 species... more than any other day I had in Costa Rica! I highly recommend Johan! I will definitely be visiting Costa Rica again, and I will visit the Manuel Antonio area again pretty much just because I want to bird again with Johan. Frank Salmon, FL. USA |
