Tours

Quetzal Tour

Leave for an early morning walk to see the Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), the sacred bird of the Aztec and Maya Cultures. San Gerardo de Dota is known to be the best place in Costa Rica to see this magnificent bird, with a yearly success rate of over 95% with our experienced guide.

Starts between 5 and 6 am on the public road in front of the reception parking lot.
Ask at reception the exact time, arriving 5 minutes late may result in losing your tour!

Duration: aprox. 2 Hours
Location: Valley of San Gerardo de Dota Don’t forget to bring: binoculars, walking shoes, warm clothing, poncho It can happen that you have to enter a private property with admission fee, depending the migration pattern of the Quetzal.

This fee is NOT included in the rates and is maximum 5,- USD per person

Guided flora and fauna tour in the Dantica Forest Reserve

During this tour we give special attention to our “wild avocado trail”, where many avocado species can be found, native to this forest and the favourite food of the resplendent quetzal. Our reserve is famous for bird species such as spotted wood-quail (Odontophorus guttatus), buffy-crowned wood-partridge (Dendrortyx leucophrys) and the buffy tuftedcheek (Pseudocolaptes lawrencii).

Starts between 8.00 AM and 4.00 PM from the reception parking lot.
Duration: 1 Hour
Location: Dantica Forest ReserveDon’t forget to bring: binoculars, walking shoes, poncho

Guided flora and fauna tour in the Dantica Forest Reserve

Enjoy the trails of our private Forest Reserve along the “Ojo the Agua” river, one of the clearest rivers in Central America, and walk beneath ancient oak trees, learning about the many plant species such as bromeliads, orchids, ferns and mosses. Traverse natural clearings and secondary and primary oak forest to give you a better insight in how regeneration works.

Starts between 8.00 AM and 3.00 PM from the reception parking lot
Duration: 2 Hours
Location: Dantica Forest Reserve

Don’t forget to bring: binoculars, walking shoes, poncho

Bird Watching Tour short

Explore the valley of San Gerardo de Dota and see the birds that are typical for the upper montane cloud forest, such as the acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus), black guan (Chamaepetes unicolor), golden-browed chlorophonia (Chlorophonia callophrys) and volcano hummingbird (Selasphorus flammula).

Starts: Between 8.00 AM and 3.00 PM from the reeption parking lot
Duration: 2 Hours
Location: Valley of San Gerardo de Dota
Don’t forget to bring: binoculars, walking shoes, poncho

Bird Watching Tour long

The valley of San Gerardo is a wonderful place to observe birds; it is catalogued in the famous book: “Fifty place to go birding before you die”. Of the more than 150 species that are found in this valley, over 30% are endemic, such as the long tailed silky-flycatcher (Ptilogonys caudatus), fiery-throated hummingbird (Panterpe insignis), black-faced solitaire (Myadestes melanops) and collared redstart (Myioborus torquatus).

Starts: Between 8.00 AM and 1.00 PM from the reception parking lot
Duration: 4 Hours
Location: Valley of San Gerardo de Dota
Don’t forget to bring: binoculars, walking shoes, poncho

Bird Watching Tour with waterfalls

This attractive birding tour takes you to the beautiful waterfalls of the Savegre river, the first one leads you over a bridge into a small cave to become part of the waterfall, the second one is one kilometer further away, surrounded by lush forest. Because you are at lower altitudes this forest is very different from the other forests you can visit in the valley.

Starts: Between 8.00 AM and 1.00 PM from the reception parking lot
Duration: 4 Hours
Location: Lower valley of San Gerardo de Dota and the waterfalls
Don’t forget to bring: binoculars, walking shoes, poncho

Los Quetzales National Park – Páramo Tour

Visit the second highest peak in Costa Rica (3491 meters asl) with its unique, mainly endemic Páramo vegetation and with a beautiful view of the Pacific coast and the Turrialba, Irazu, Barva y Poas volcanoes.

Starts: Between 6.00 AM 2.00 PM from the reception parking lot
Duration: 3 Hours
Location: Cerro de la Muerte, which is part of the Los Quetzales National Park 
Don’t forget to bring: binoculars, walking shoes, warm clothing, poncho, sunglasses, sun protection

This tour is inside the National Park; currently there is no entrance fee.
Rate is without entrance fee and susceptible to changes.

Los Quetzales National Park – Cerro de la Muerte Walk*

Walk down the second highest peak in Costa Rica (3491 meters asl) into the forest of the San Gerardo de Dota valley. Ascending through 2 different ecosystems and 4 different vegetation zones, this is the most complete tour we offer and it gives you a perfect insight in the biodiversity of this region.

Starts: Between 8.00 and 11.00 AM from the reception parking lot
Duration: 6 Hours
Location: Cerro de la Muerte, which is part of the Los Quetzales National Park, and valley of San Gerardo de Dota
Don’t forget to bring: binoculars, walking shoes, poncho, sunglasses

This tour is inside the National Park; currently there is no entrance fee. Rate is without entrance fee and susceptible to changes.
Private property entrance fee is included in the rates.
Minimum number of participants: 2 persons

Night tour

During this tour you look for birds that are active at night, such as owls and nightjars, but this tour gives you also the posibility to know the cloud forest by night and learn about the behaviour of other animals.

Starts: Between 6.00 PM and 8.00 PM at the reception
Duration: 2 Hours
Location: In and around the Dantica Forest Reserve
Don’t forget to bring: flaslght, walking shoes, binoculars, poncho

Horse Back Tour to the waterfalls

Make an adventurous ride through rivers and lush forest to the waterfalls at the end of the San Gerardo de Dota valley.

Duration: 2,5 Hours
Tour with own transportation
Starts between 9.00 am and 3.00 pm 3,5 km down the road
Rates are with proper transportation; you pay directly to the guide
Location: Lower valley of San Gerardo de Dota
Don’t forget to bring: binoculars, poncho

Horse Back Tour through the forest

A ride on the forested slopes above the Savegre River, including
the visit of a small waterfall.

Duration: 2 Hours
Tour with own transportation
Starts between 9.00 am and 3.00 pm 3,5 km down the road
Rates are with proper transportation; you pay directly to the guide
Location: Lower valley of San Gerardo de Dota
Don’t forget to bring: binoculars, poncho

Horse Back Tour crossing the river

Make an short ride through crossing the Savegre
river several times.

Duration: 1,5 Hours
Tour with own transportation
Starts between 9.00 am and 3.00 pm 3,5 km down the road
Rates are with proper transportation; you pay directly to the guide
Location: Lower valley of San Gerardo de Dota
Don’t forget to bring: binoculars, poncho

Coffee tour

Visit the Coopedota coffee farms in the hard of one of the best
coffee regions of Costa Rica: Santa Maria de Dota in the Los Santos region.
The tour lasts 4 hours, of which 2 hours are for transportation: on hour to get there
and hour driving back.

Duration: 2 Hours
Tour with own transportation
Starts between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm in Santa Maria de Dota
Duration: 2 Hours
Location: Santa Maria de Dota
Don’t forget to bring: walking shoes, sunglasses, sun protection