Natural Discovery Costa Rica
Natural Discovery Costa Rica
Natural Discovery Costa Rica
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Join us to discover the natural wonders of Costa Rica... professional educated naturalists, customer service oriented and experienced birding guides...
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Natural Discovery Costa Rica
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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5.0
36 reviews
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WR99
2 contributions
Jun. 2023 • Solo
I had the most wonderful time on my full day birdwatching tour with Olivier. He was an incredibly knowledgeable guide - instantly recognizing every bird and call. He was even able to mimic each bird call, helping us track down the exact location of each bird. Olivier helped me get the best angle of each bird for photos and was excited for me when I captured my photos. It was a long day but Olivier made the whole thing so enjoyable, interesting, and educational.
Written June 24, 2023
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.
larryandgwendainuk
Ashford, UK117 contributions
Jan. 2023
Havingchecked out manycompanies on the web was fourtante enough to find Oli. What a find,what a birder and guide. Knowledge incrediable...a flash of a bird in flight and he can name it. Calls bitds to you and eith his scope locks on, so you can get a great viewing. He is so good, all the reviews are true. Bijagua was the best, saw a tapir and so many birds. Toucans and so many beautiful humming birds. Second trip was tge dry forest, saw a tapir very close up, it was walking up the track towatds us. Finca Zealand in second half of the day.....forest very dense, some birds but hard to spot in the gloom with Oli. He locks on and you get to see them in the scope. He keeps you well fed and entertained. Would highly recommend above others, having spoken to other birders with a different guide.
Only small private group experience. Just us.
Only small private group experience. Just us.
Written January 20, 2023
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.
archar
London, Canada107 contributions
Jan. 2022
We (1 avid birder, 1 avid nature photographer) were staying at Playa Conchal for a week and wanted a half day birding tour that would offer us lots of species without too much time spent in a vehicle.. The half day “birding near the coast Guanacaste” tour met our needs perfectly. Laurens and his driver picked us up at 5 AM and before sunrise we were at our destination, a working cattle ranch/Eco tourism farm offering a variety of habitats. For the next several hours we enjoyed walking through grasslands, dry forest, and one small wetland habitat, and having a driver allowed us to visit numerous locations on this large acreage, as well as return to the small restaurant on the property mid morning for a wonderful full Costa Rican breakfast.
Laurens’ expert knowledge of birds, and photography, and his fluency in English, really enhanced our experience, as he gave us many tips and tools to help us identify birds that we saw elsewhere during our holiday.
Laurens’ expert knowledge of birds, and photography, and his fluency in English, really enhanced our experience, as he gave us many tips and tools to help us identify birds that we saw elsewhere during our holiday.
Written January 28, 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.
Mary L
Philadelphia, PA1 contribution
May 2021
Before I say more: absolutely book a tour right now! You won't regret it.
My full day solo tour to Finca Zelandia with Oli far exceeded expectations. He has an encyclopedic knowledge—both sight and sound—of the birds in the area and we were able to spot over 80 species throughout the day, most of them new to me. I was rather new to birding at the time, but Oli was happy to loan me a pair of binoculars and show me the ropes. I appreciated the amount of knowledge he had to share about not only birds, but all of the flora and fauna we encountered. I learned a lot in just one day!
He picked me up and dropped me back off on the coast, so it was a very long day, but it was enjoyable from start to finish with good conversation. We even spotted quite a few birds on the drive to and from. I'm looking forward to doing another Natural Discovery tour someday.
My full day solo tour to Finca Zelandia with Oli far exceeded expectations. He has an encyclopedic knowledge—both sight and sound—of the birds in the area and we were able to spot over 80 species throughout the day, most of them new to me. I was rather new to birding at the time, but Oli was happy to loan me a pair of binoculars and show me the ropes. I appreciated the amount of knowledge he had to share about not only birds, but all of the flora and fauna we encountered. I learned a lot in just one day!
He picked me up and dropped me back off on the coast, so it was a very long day, but it was enjoyable from start to finish with good conversation. We even spotted quite a few birds on the drive to and from. I'm looking forward to doing another Natural Discovery tour someday.
Written January 19, 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.
Bruce C
3 contributions
Jan. 2022
This was my second trip to Costa Rica, the first was 3 years ago when we did the Dry Forest and Rain Forest trip which was excellent. This time I went for the half day Birding near the Coast in Guanacaste and was scheduled for the Dry Forest and Rain Forest day trip again.
The half day trip was excellent with over 70 birds found in the Northern Pacific lowlands in just a few hours.
Olivier and Laurens really know their country and their birds. Plus they're just pretty fun to hang out with, extremely accommodating, knowledgeable, and obsessed with birds (in a good way).
At Olivier's suggestion since I had already been to the Dry Forest and Rain Forest, we went for the Rain Forest Bijagua trip which turned out to be a great option.
Tapir Valley is a very special place and we saw over 100 species in about 8 hours.
Absolutely a phenomenal day. I mentioned that I might want to see a sloth, which they also made happen. I can't say enough about Natural Discovery Costa Rica and Laurens and Oli. Truly first class birders and guides.
Thanks guys, I will be back.
The half day trip was excellent with over 70 birds found in the Northern Pacific lowlands in just a few hours.
Olivier and Laurens really know their country and their birds. Plus they're just pretty fun to hang out with, extremely accommodating, knowledgeable, and obsessed with birds (in a good way).
At Olivier's suggestion since I had already been to the Dry Forest and Rain Forest, we went for the Rain Forest Bijagua trip which turned out to be a great option.
Tapir Valley is a very special place and we saw over 100 species in about 8 hours.
Absolutely a phenomenal day. I mentioned that I might want to see a sloth, which they also made happen. I can't say enough about Natural Discovery Costa Rica and Laurens and Oli. Truly first class birders and guides.
Thanks guys, I will be back.
Written January 19, 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.
Christopher S
2 contributions
Dec. 2021
Was able to travel back to Costa Rica this winter break. The highlight, as on my trip two years ago (see earlier review), was a day spent birding with Natural Discovery. This time we went to the rain forest. Picked up at 5am, back at 7pm. The trip was excellent. Over 90 species seen, with highlights including the secretive tody motmot, a crested guan, two species of toucan. Several species of parrot, and many warblers, wrens, flycatchers, raptors, and tanagers were also seen. Our guide, as last time, was the outstanding Laurens. His role is to take you to very specific locations that are highly productive for birding, in our case rain forest margins, help spot and sometimes attract the species, and, crucially, help identify them. On top of that, he's very good company and is willing to tailor the trip to your interests. Outstanding and worth every penny.
Written January 3, 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.
Mel B
Naples, FL5 contributions
Apr. 2021
How I would best describe Natural Discover Costa Rica? Olivier and finding birds, both at their best! . My interest was birding and he stayed on task. I hoped for 80-100 life birds and came home with 287! Yes, my e-bird life count received a huge boost. I marveled and respected his ability to find birds by sound, movement, and sight. 15 minutes out of airport customs, we started finding birds.
Oli is knowledge at its best with the ability to teach as he guides. He also guided us to many local places for wonderful meals. Overall, an experience of my lifetime, thank you Oli
Oli is knowledge at its best with the ability to teach as he guides. He also guided us to many local places for wonderful meals. Overall, an experience of my lifetime, thank you Oli
Written May 15, 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.
Kari C
San Jose5 contributions
Mar. 2020
My experience with Natural Discovery Costa Rica was fabulous! They are Expert Birders! Enthusiastic! Wonderful Educators!
Our guide for both days was Christhiam Carrillo- a very experienced and knowledgable naturalist/ birder. He told us our on our 1st day that he would teach us about birding & using the apps: e-Bird & Merlin Bird ID. The e-Bird & Merlin Bird ID apps for cell phones are by Cornell Lab and are a way to help birders learn about, identify, attract & track bird experiences. We are so pleased! Not only did we enjoy seeing so many great birds in Costa Rica, but we came home with new skills & tools to aid our passion for bird watching. In fact, we used Merlin to find a Turquoise- browed Mot Mot near our hotel- Incredible!!
Over the 2 days we saw a wonderful variety of birds: Trogons, Toucans, Hummingbirds, Euphonia, Tanagers, Orioles, Cukoos, Parrots & a Long-tailed Manakin.
We took 2 private birding tours. Both were 5am- 6pm all day tours. We were picked up & dropped off at our hotel on the Playa Conchal Reserve. Comfortable van w/ driver. They provided lovely Costa Rican breakfast & lunch daily.
The communication with Olivier, the owner, was very easy via email. He was very responsive.
Our guide for both days was Christhiam Carrillo- a very experienced and knowledgable naturalist/ birder. He told us our on our 1st day that he would teach us about birding & using the apps: e-Bird & Merlin Bird ID. The e-Bird & Merlin Bird ID apps for cell phones are by Cornell Lab and are a way to help birders learn about, identify, attract & track bird experiences. We are so pleased! Not only did we enjoy seeing so many great birds in Costa Rica, but we came home with new skills & tools to aid our passion for bird watching. In fact, we used Merlin to find a Turquoise- browed Mot Mot near our hotel- Incredible!!
Over the 2 days we saw a wonderful variety of birds: Trogons, Toucans, Hummingbirds, Euphonia, Tanagers, Orioles, Cukoos, Parrots & a Long-tailed Manakin.
We took 2 private birding tours. Both were 5am- 6pm all day tours. We were picked up & dropped off at our hotel on the Playa Conchal Reserve. Comfortable van w/ driver. They provided lovely Costa Rican breakfast & lunch daily.
The communication with Olivier, the owner, was very easy via email. He was very responsive.
Written April 27, 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.
Alex H
6 contributions
Feb. 2020
1. The 4 of us took a full-day birding trip to Bijagua with Olivier (Oli), where we had an incredible day in the rainforest. Oli is an exceptional birder and all-around great guide. He always had his spotting scope at the ready and we got some amazing photos through digiscoping. We got 60+ new life birds, including the beautiful Snowcap, the intriguing Oropendola and the very sought after Yellow Throated Toucan! We also had fun sightings of a family of Coatis - so cute! The terrain was mostly flat, but there were many steps to ascend to the forest canopy to get incredible views. Oli gave us a day that we will always remember! Thank you Oli!
2. I took a solo trip with Laurens for a 1/2 day of birding along the Pacific coast. We made our way inland towards Coyolito and birded along the way, as well as at Hacienda El Roble. We were treated to a delicious breakfast and refreshments there by the very welcoming staff. Laurens was very knowledgeable and was a great guide. Although it was quite hot in the later morning hours, Laurens let me stay cool in the air-conditioned van while he searched for (and found) the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl. He certainly lived up to his reputation as the "Bird Whisperer". A big highlight for me was seeing several Scissor-tailed flycatchers - an amazing sight. Laurens also got great photos for me via digiscoping! Thank you Laurens!
3. A very special thank you to Jose for taking on all of the driving and doing a great job of it! Thank you Jose!
We would definitely book with Oli and Laurens again without hesitation. Our experiences with them were outstanding.
2. I took a solo trip with Laurens for a 1/2 day of birding along the Pacific coast. We made our way inland towards Coyolito and birded along the way, as well as at Hacienda El Roble. We were treated to a delicious breakfast and refreshments there by the very welcoming staff. Laurens was very knowledgeable and was a great guide. Although it was quite hot in the later morning hours, Laurens let me stay cool in the air-conditioned van while he searched for (and found) the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl. He certainly lived up to his reputation as the "Bird Whisperer". A big highlight for me was seeing several Scissor-tailed flycatchers - an amazing sight. Laurens also got great photos for me via digiscoping! Thank you Laurens!
3. A very special thank you to Jose for taking on all of the driving and doing a great job of it! Thank you Jose!
We would definitely book with Oli and Laurens again without hesitation. Our experiences with them were outstanding.
Written February 23, 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.
Pete
1 contribution
Jan. 2020 • Couples
My wife and I took a 2 day bird excursion out of Tamarindo up to Monteverde.
Our amazing guide was Ollie. He got us some amazing species. He’s an absolute pro and one of the best birders I’ve met in my life, and a super nice dude. My wife isn’t a birder but he made sure she was included and had an incredible skill of getting birds in the scope in the cloud forests. He knew places to stop to eat and was willing to flex the schedule depending on how we felt and what birds we wanted to see. We had a driver also. He was very nice. I can not remember his name at the moment.(Sorry buddy) Overall, if you have a short time to bird or even sight seeing, this guy is well rounded and will show you some great and amazing things. Thanks Ollie and Natural Discovery.
Our amazing guide was Ollie. He got us some amazing species. He’s an absolute pro and one of the best birders I’ve met in my life, and a super nice dude. My wife isn’t a birder but he made sure she was included and had an incredible skill of getting birds in the scope in the cloud forests. He knew places to stop to eat and was willing to flex the schedule depending on how we felt and what birds we wanted to see. We had a driver also. He was very nice. I can not remember his name at the moment.(Sorry buddy) Overall, if you have a short time to bird or even sight seeing, this guy is well rounded and will show you some great and amazing things. Thanks Ollie and Natural Discovery.
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.
Joan B
St. Catharines, Canada1 contribution
How do we get in touch with Olivier to take us out to find some birds? We are staying at Casa Conde Del Mar and would like to see Rincon or Santa Rosa.
Thanks
Safari254320
2 contributions
We found them using:
naturaldiscoverycostarica
You can search for "Natural Discovery Costa Rica"
Enjoy your travels
Chantal G
Shawinigan, Canada6 contributions
Es ce qu'il y a des guides qui parle francais
OlivierEsquivel
Liberia, Costa Rica7 contributions
Nous pourrions peut-être trouver un guide pour vous. Est-ce que ce sera juste un voyage d'un jour ou un voyage de plusieurs jours?
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