We will board our bus for the four-hour journey into a cloud forest. For those from cold climates, this will be a gentle change in weather. For the next three days, we will explore cloud forests to see what birds and other wildlife are about. Our primary target is the dazzling Resplendent Quetzal.

We'll spend the entire day today wandering trails in a cloud forest. Though we're visiting during the dry season, at this elevation it can be wet and misty any day. Vegetation clings to every available branch. The amazing call of the Black-faced Solitaire will greet our ears.

Our next stop, Rancho Naturalista, is famous for its dazzling variety of birds, This mid-elevation lodge also offers possibilities of spotting agouti, coati and even tamandua. The feeder visitors include Collared Aracari, Lesson's Motmot, Gray-headed Chachalaca, Red-throated Ant Tanager, Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, and many more.

Over 500 species are included in eBirds hotspot list at this lodge. Hummingbird feeders attract White-necked Jacobin, Violet Sabrewing (pictured here), Bronze-tailed Plumleteer, and more. We'll spend time on the trails here, and three days makes it likely we'll add the stunning Lovely Cotinga to our list.

We'll take advantage of the numerous trails at the lodge. One bird we're almost certain to see is the Collared Aracari (picture here). Keel-billed Toucans take a backseat to no other birds for beauty, and you'll marvel at how a bird with such a large bill can stay airborne. Many tanagers will challenge our identification skills.

We'll arrive the hot & humid wet tropical forest at Tirimbina. Your room is air conditioned to provide some relief. This area is very rich in diversity. Our bird targets will include the gorgeous Yellow-throated Toucan (pictured here). Mammals also are plentiful and we hope to spot white-collared peccary, agouti and three species of monkey.

We'll have the entire day to explore a lowland tropical rainforest. The biodiversity here is off the charts, and we're likely to see many new species. One of our targets is the Red-capped Manakin pictured here.

We'll make the short drive to Arenal Volcano this morning. On a clear day, this massive volcano is breathtaking in its sheer size and beauty. We'll bird this mid-elevation forest for a host of new species.

Today we'll hike some trails at our lodge, Arenal Oasis Ecolodge, and Wildlife Refuge. The gorgeous Scarlet-rumped Tanager will be a common sight, along with other spectacular birds like Red-legged Honeycreeper, Keel-billed Toucan, Silver-throated Tanager, and many more. Like many other stops, we're sure to see and hear howler monkeys, but other rares animals aalsoslo might be seen, like a tamandua.

We'll climb a bit in elevation today as we transfer to Bosque de Paz Lodge, which sits at just over 5,000 feet. You'll likely wonder what you've gotten yourself into with the terrible conditions of the roads, which require a strong sense of humor.

We'll ring the bell for entry, and perhaps a hundred feet later enter the grounds. Every possible detail went into placing the rooms. Vegetation almost consumes the buildings, and clouds often hang low. 

We'll surely spot numerous agouti and coati at the feeders. At night agouti paca come in for a visit. These mammals are virtually unheard of at other lodges in Costa Rica. 

An entirely new host of species will delight, like the endemic Coppery-headed Emerald, as well as Green Hermit, and Green-crowned Brilliant Hummingbirds. Silver-throated Tanager, Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher, and an amazing variety of other birds frequent the grounds near the lodge. 

No trip to Costa Rica is complete without a beach visit, and we'll end our journey with three days at Manuel Antonio National Park. We hope to add our fourth monkey species, the diminutive squirrel monkey. Fiery-throated Aracari are a definite target species, as are Turquoise-browned Motmot and a host of other birds.