Birding tour Curi cancha
5
Birding tour Curi cancha
By Esteban Daily Guided Tours
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About
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-80, max of 6 per group
Duration: 4–5 hours
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Live guide: English, Spanish
More
- Birding guide with spotting scope, laser pointer and bird book.
What's not included- Tips, snacks
- Admission to the park
- Transportation.. it can be arrange with extra cost, ask about it
- Entry/Admission - Curi-Cancha Reserve
- Start:
- Casem coop shop and restaurant, 854Q+P82, Puntarenas Province, Monteverde, Costa RicaCasemcoop 6 am
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 165997P2- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 165997P2
From
$75.00
per adult
Select date and travelers
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- 854Q+P82, Puntarenas Province, Monteverde, Costa RicaCasemcoop 6 am
- 1Birding at the park
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- C8904NPbenjaminb0 contributionsGreat for both beginning and advanced birders.Derneith was fantastic! Very quick and good at identifying birds, and had much knowledge to share. Great for both beginning and advanced birders.Written January 11, 2025
- kathysB1657GT0 contributionsBest guide ever!We had the BEST guide ever on this exceptional tour. Derniert, also known as Big D, has extensive knowledge of all of the plants and animals in the cloud forest and in Costa Rica. Honestly, he couldn't have done a better job of giving us an up close and personal nature tour. I have the highest recommendation for him possible and can't wait to go back to walk with him again to learn more.Written December 18, 2024
- jennifermW9653ZY0 contributionsHighlight of our Costa Rica tripOur guide Justin was amazing! Extremely knowledgeable and very fun. Got us a ton of new species for our bird list and stayed late with us to help us see the quetzal.Written December 16, 2024
- Domonique K0 contributionsWorth a tripOur guide was very informative and passionate about the rainforest and the creatures that reside there. We saw an array of animals that we would have missed had we not taken this tour.Written October 20, 2024
- 674dineshaw0 contributionsExpectational experience seeing beautiful birds in Costa Rica with EstebanNo doubt bird watching with Esteban and his team was the highlight of our Costa Rica Trip. Esteban was very knowledgeable and kind. He was able to guide us to see many varieties of Costa Rican birds including Resplendent Quetzals, which we would not have seen if we went birding by ourselves. His prices were very reasonable, nearly 1/4th of the price what my hotel offered. I would highly recommend Esteban to anyone visiting Montverde or surrounding areas of Costa Rica.Written December 31, 2023
- Jet2580120 contributionsGreat Bird Guide!Fantastic bird guide and knows all bird songs as well as where to find them He is also knowledgeable about the area, the flora, and the fauna, and is a fun birding companion. Amazing bird trip.Written December 26, 2023
- MosheC140 contributionsSuggestion when contacting EstabanWith this tour guide Do Not ask many questions or he will block you in WhatsApp Just ask few and not about wildlife , even though Costa Rica is very much about seeing many wildlifeWritten May 14, 2023
- MosheC140 contributionsDisappointing experienceEstaban cancel the tour in the last minute without any reason Costa Rica is all about nature and wildlife but Estaban did not provide itWritten May 14, 2023
- Mac-Di0 contributionsbirding with EstebanWe recently spent two days birding with Esteban Mendez around Monteverde, Costa Rica. We went to Curi Cancha and Santa Elena during the day and on a night walk in Monteverde Wildlife Reserve. All of these were excellent! Esteban was a fantastic guide! We have used many guides at locations all around the world and Esteban was one of the best guides we’ve had. We prefer private guided tours to group tours and he asked numerous questions to determine what we’d like to see, how far we wanted to hike etc. We are avid SLR photographers and we are just getting into “digiscoping” (it’s harder than it looks!) Esteban set up our phones to make it much easier to use them with the scope and showed us many techniques to help with this! We got some AMAZING photos both with our cameras and through his scope. He knows hundreds of bird songs and calls and thus is able to pick out species we would never have found. One of his great skills is his ability to then help us find tiny cryptic birds hidden in the brush. He really knows how to describe where to look so we could find it quickly before it flew off. He is also a delightful person! Very fun to talk to and hang out with. He gave us some great recommendations of additional things to do and places to eat in Monteverde as well.Written April 28, 2023
- norrBK0 contributionsFantastic birding guide!!Birding in the Monteverde area with Esteban was a wonderful experience! We visited Curi-Cancha, Bajo del Tigre, Reserva Santa Elena, and Finca Ecologica San Luis over one and a half days. His knowledge of the birds and their vocalizations is very impressive. He was quick to respond by email for planning and booking, and took my target species into account as we strategized for the time I had in the area. He went above and beyond to help me see the local specialty species, including many that would have been quite difficult to spot on my own. (By my count, we saw 123 bird species in total!!) Not only is he great at finding birds, but also at describing well where they are so that you can get your binoculars on them too! And he can show you birds in the scope for great views. And, equally important, he is very friendly and good company for walks in the beautiful forest reserves! Such special habitats, and very rewarding to visit with a knowledgeable guide. I hope to return and bird with him again!Written April 6, 2023
- N862UDbenjaminm0 contributionsGreat night tour!!Awesome!! Saw so much wildlife!! Guide was great!! We saw an eyelash viper snake, insects, birds and frogs!!Written March 24, 2023
- 518yvonnej0 contributionsBirding tour with EstabsnWe spent 3 hours on Curi Cancha nature reserve in a small group with Estaban. He is a bird enthusiast and clearly loves his job. Very knowledgable and went the extra mile for us. Highly recommend this tour.Written March 17, 2023
- Z7993RAjennab0 contributionsWonderful night tourEsteban was friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the birds, animals, and insects we saw on the night tour. Our group of four learned so much!Written February 5, 2023
- YvonneB25850 contributionsGreat experience with Esteban!If you are ready to go on a great guided tour, choose for Esteban! We did a few guided tours in Costa Rica, but for sure Esteban was our best guide! He saw many animals so quickly! He taught us a lot. 🐦Written January 29, 2023
- Y2142TEjanets0 contributionsNight life guide , Santa Elana ; MonteverdeEsteban was an amazing guide , very ,very knowledgeable and passionate about what he does . His English is excellent and he gave just the right amount of information about the wildlife that we saw, and his spotting is incredible ! Such a nice man and well respected locally . I would definitely recommend that if you want a night life guide you use him .Written January 18, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
61 reviews
Excellent
60
Very good
0
Average
0
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0
Terrible
1
MM
The Hague, The Netherlands253 contributions
Jan 2025 • Couples
Esteban is an extremely passionate and knowledgeable guide. I think you would be hard-pressed to find a more insightful guide in Costa Rica, and certainly at Curi Cancha. The tour isn't cheap and given this price tag we would have preferred a slightly higher pace so that we would have covered a larger area of the reserve, but of course a slower pace makes the tour more accessible and makes it more likely to spot birds in the areas you do cover. So it's a justifiable tradeoff.
Written January 6, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gideon L
10 contributions
Dec 2021 • Couples
If I could rate this as 6 stars out of 5, I would. Esteban was an absolutely incredible guide. He was able to show us so many remarkable birds around Curi Cancha and even outside the park. He arranged for our transportation and was super engaging and nice throughout the tour. It’s evident how passionate he is about birding when you spend time with him, and see him in action. We would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in birds/nature who wants to tour with a truly elite guide
Written December 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joe P
16 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
We had an incredible time birding with Esteban around Curi Cancha. Across the morning we saw over 70 species with more than half being brand new birds to us. Esteban was hugely knowledgeable, and fantastic at spotting birds. We loved his enthusiasm and passion, as well as his tenacity when certain birds were difficult to see! Some of our highlights included excellent clear sightings of the streak-breasted treehunter, long-tailed manakin, silver throated tanager, rufous browed pepper shrike, and the scarlet thighed dacnis. We also got a fleeting glimpse of an azure hooded jay, a very interesting bird!
As we had been in Sarapiqui and seen many birds there, Esteban was good at tailoring the walk to see more birds we might not have seen there. He was also an expert on hummingbirds and we enjoyed being able to identify a number of new ones to us and even get them in the scope to see the beautiful colours.
He spoke perfect English, was a clear communicator on Whatsapp and picked us up from our hotel in Santa Elena. A perfect person to bird with if you are in the Monteverde area!
Thanks so much - Joe & Heidi
As we had been in Sarapiqui and seen many birds there, Esteban was good at tailoring the walk to see more birds we might not have seen there. He was also an expert on hummingbirds and we enjoyed being able to identify a number of new ones to us and even get them in the scope to see the beautiful colours.
He spoke perfect English, was a clear communicator on Whatsapp and picked us up from our hotel in Santa Elena. A perfect person to bird with if you are in the Monteverde area!
Thanks so much - Joe & Heidi
Written May 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caroline B
1 contribution
Apr 2022 • Couples
Esteban is a first rate guide whose birding knowledge and expertise enabled us to spot a large number of different birds in the four plus hours we spent with him. After the tour he sent us a comprehensive list of the birds we had encountered, along with links to images and descriptions of them. His English is excellent and we appreciated his brief informative text messages in the days prior to the tour. We would highly recommend Esteban and hope to have the chance to use his services again sometime.
Written April 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer H
2 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
Esteban was an absolute delight. He has so much enthusiasm and is truly so passionate about birds, wildlife, and his hometown of Monteverde. He is the best of the best in his field. He went above and beyond to make the most of our experience. We booked 3 hours with him but went almost 4 to ensure we saw a toucan coming back to feed its babies that were nesting in Curi Cancha. The tips and advice he gave us during our time together was utilized the rest of the trip and really amplified our experience birding in Costa Rica. He even gave us some tips to see the resplendent Quetzal in the cloud forest --- we followed his advice and ended up seeing THREE! This birding tour with Esteban was our favorite part of our trip to Costa Rica, and we'll certainly be looking him up again if we ever come back. 10/10 recommend Esteban if you're in Monteverde!!!
Written June 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
23kme
Long Island, NY406 contributions
Mar 2020
We hired Esteban months ahead to take us on 2 tours. He didn't ask for any money upfront, just pay cash when you arrive at the tour. We did 3 hours in Monteverde Reserve in the afternoon and 5 hours in Curi Cancha the next morning. Esteban is extremely knowledgeable of the birds, their habitat, calls, etc... He speaks English fluently and is very sociable and accommodating. He knew exactly where to look for the Resplendent Quetzel and we saw 8 of them along with other birds, hummingbirds and a tarantula.
It was raining on and off for our morning bird watch. Esteban even offered to shorten the tour if we wanted and to make adjustments to the price which he didn't have to do. We declined for 2 reasons, we booked that time and he is depending on the income and even though we didn't see as many birds, we still saw plenty. When I got home, he sent me the bird list of all the birds we saw with a link to their photos and info. I really appreciated that extra step he took for me.
If you go to the parks, you DEFINITELY should hire a private guide (Esteban if possible). If you walk through by yourself you will be disappointed because you won't see much. I didn't see anything until Esteban stopped and pointed them out. When he heard a bird call he would stop and find the bird, amazing!
I would not think twice about booking Esteban again if we go back.
It was raining on and off for our morning bird watch. Esteban even offered to shorten the tour if we wanted and to make adjustments to the price which he didn't have to do. We declined for 2 reasons, we booked that time and he is depending on the income and even though we didn't see as many birds, we still saw plenty. When I got home, he sent me the bird list of all the birds we saw with a link to their photos and info. I really appreciated that extra step he took for me.
If you go to the parks, you DEFINITELY should hire a private guide (Esteban if possible). If you walk through by yourself you will be disappointed because you won't see much. I didn't see anything until Esteban stopped and pointed them out. When he heard a bird call he would stop and find the bird, amazing!
I would not think twice about booking Esteban again if we go back.
Written April 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zack Cole
9 contributions
Esteban is the perfect guide for beginners and expert birders. Super friendly and down to earth guy who really really loves birds and sharing the birds of his home.
Within the first 2 hours of our tour, we had already spotted the 3 quetzal, bell bird, motmot, 4 kinds of parrot, emerald toucanet, and several flying bananas. We also had incredible luck with a large mixed flock of birds pass around us and Esteban was quick to id everything, including the rare brown billed scythe bill, which you know is a great find when your guide gets super excited about it.
Esteban speaks perfect english, he is great and listening to what you want to see, and knowing where to find. Hes incredibly patient and isnt in a rush to move you to another spot. The hiking wasnt difficult and the excitment of what youll see next keeps you going. We definitely wouldnt have found all the wildlife we did without Esteban. Cannot wait to hire him again.
Within the first 2 hours of our tour, we had already spotted the 3 quetzal, bell bird, motmot, 4 kinds of parrot, emerald toucanet, and several flying bananas. We also had incredible luck with a large mixed flock of birds pass around us and Esteban was quick to id everything, including the rare brown billed scythe bill, which you know is a great find when your guide gets super excited about it.
Esteban speaks perfect english, he is great and listening to what you want to see, and knowing where to find. Hes incredibly patient and isnt in a rush to move you to another spot. The hiking wasnt difficult and the excitment of what youll see next keeps you going. We definitely wouldnt have found all the wildlife we did without Esteban. Cannot wait to hire him again.
Written August 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ariel M
2 contributions
Mar 2020
If you are interested in seeing some of the many bird species in Monteverde, I highly recommend booking a tour with Esteban. He has great local knowledge of the species. He knows countless bird calls and will do his best to help you see as many birds as possible during your tour. We saw 72 different bird species during my tour. Without Esteban, I would have seen way less and not known what many of them were. Esteban is a true professional and knows what he is doing - I highly recommend him.
Written March 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sona B
Atlanta, GA68 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
I asked GOD to see one quetzal at Monteverde; He gave me 8!!! Additionally, He provided Esteban, an exceptional guide.
In THREE hours, despite strong winds, we saw: 6 male quetzals with long and short plumes, 2 female quetzals, toucanets (small toucans), the large, colorful keel-billed toucan mama with her two babies, coatis, capuchin monkeys, motmots, 7 varieties of hummingbirds, a tree porcupine, an agouti eating a baby bird, quail birds, wrens, sparrows, tanagers, yellow-throats, flycatchers, brown jays, black guan, and numerous other bird species whose names I cannot recall.
Esteban is a fantastic guide—great with the scope, patient, and very friendly.
If you want world-class service and the best experience: HIRE ESTEBAN!!!
In THREE hours, despite strong winds, we saw: 6 male quetzals with long and short plumes, 2 female quetzals, toucanets (small toucans), the large, colorful keel-billed toucan mama with her two babies, coatis, capuchin monkeys, motmots, 7 varieties of hummingbirds, a tree porcupine, an agouti eating a baby bird, quail birds, wrens, sparrows, tanagers, yellow-throats, flycatchers, brown jays, black guan, and numerous other bird species whose names I cannot recall.
Esteban is a fantastic guide—great with the scope, patient, and very friendly.
If you want world-class service and the best experience: HIRE ESTEBAN!!!
Written July 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
easttowest
Wine Coast Country California, CA101 contributions
Feb 2020
My husband and I booked a private tour with Esteban months ahead. The first thing I did after buying plane tickets was look for bird guides. Then the hotels. Esteban is one of the top guides in Costa Rica. We had a fabulous 5 hours with him starting a 6am at some easy road side sites and then signing in a Curi Cancha at 7am.
We love birds, but without a guide, we would probably see 10% of what we saw with Esteban. He hears where the birds, catches them in his scope and he oh so patiently guides to pick them up with binoc and camera.
Esteban is a university graduate and licensed by the government. This guarantees that you are with someone who is at the top of his game. He is witty and galant and you can see that he is well liked by other guides.
We had a great morning with 50 species (including a quetzel). How do I know? Esteban sat down at the end of the morning on recorded our on edbird and then he shared it my account! That is the most red carpet of bird guiding service.
We had both gone to Mindo and were comparing experiences. It turned out that we had both birded with Danny, one of the best guides there! We came away from our day feeling that we had made a friend for life.
We love birds, but without a guide, we would probably see 10% of what we saw with Esteban. He hears where the birds, catches them in his scope and he oh so patiently guides to pick them up with binoc and camera.
Esteban is a university graduate and licensed by the government. This guarantees that you are with someone who is at the top of his game. He is witty and galant and you can see that he is well liked by other guides.
We had a great morning with 50 species (including a quetzel). How do I know? Esteban sat down at the end of the morning on recorded our on edbird and then he shared it my account! That is the most red carpet of bird guiding service.
We had both gone to Mindo and were comparing experiences. It turned out that we had both birded with Danny, one of the best guides there! We came away from our day feeling that we had made a friend for life.
Written February 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is the national park admission fee included in the tour price?
Written March 12, 2021
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