Page 8 – Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica

8 Things to do in Alajuela Costa Rica with 48 Hours

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 15:39:27 GMT

Here is a comprehensive list of things to do in Alajuela Costa Rica – just a short drive from the Juan Santamaria International airport vicinity if find yourself in the area with a little extra time and looking for stuff to do.

Here is a comprehensive list of things to do in Alajuela Costa Rica – just a short drive from the Juan Santamaria International airport vicinity if find yourself in the area with a little extra time and looking for stuff to do.

If You Have 1 Day in Alajuela…

This one-day itinerary includes a bit of relaxation & some outdoor adventure to entertain and help shake off jet lag. One of the top things to do during your stay at Hotel Villa San Ignacio is to visit the Poás Volcano. Your best chance for clear weather in the cloud forest will be early morning.

Day 1 – Morning at Poás Volcano

Start your first day in the Alajuela area of Costa Rica with an early morning tour of Poás Volcano ; we recommend that you reserve your park entry a few days ahead. Visiting hours to Poás volcano, including holidays, are 7:00 a.m. to the last viewing tour at 1:20 p.m.

Day 1 – Afternoon Options

Near the Poás Volcano, there are several options of places to visit in the afternoon. While you are in the area, consider one or two of the following options:

La Paz Waterfall Gardens is the #1 most visited privately owned ecological attraction in not only Alajuela, but in all of Costa Rica. This tour features an easy hike with views of the breathtaking waterfall, a wildlife preserve with over 100 species of rescued animals, and an environmental education program.

The ARK Ethno Botanical Garden . If you love plants, this botanical garden will satisfy the most professional enthusiast of this fascinating world.

Costa Rica is known for its perfectly balanced coffee. An educational tour of the Doka Coffee Farm will take you from the seed to the cup. You experience everything there is to know about how coffee is harvested and roasted in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

If You Have 2 Days in Alajuela…

Staying 2 or 3 nights allows you to add a bit of local history and culture to your Alajuela visit. Set aside a day to change the pace and experience the local day-to-day “pura vida” lifestyle of Costa Rica. Spending time in the region will enrich your experience with a greater perspective of life in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Day 2 – Morning Birdwatching Tour

Start your morning with breakfast at Hotel Villa San Ignacio and shortly after enjoy the morning with a local expert as your guide who knows the best birding spots at Hotel Villa San Ignacio.

Day 2 – Afternoon in Alajuela Central

Grab a Copo and find space on a shaded bench in Alajuela’s Central Park. Take a break like a Tico in Alajuela’s historical center . In Alajuela you will discover a few of the simple pleasures noted on My Tan Feet travel blog’s list of 50 things to do while in Costa Rica .

Day 2 – Family Activities Near Hotel Villa San Ignacio

Only a few minutes away, both the ZooAve Wildlife Rescue Center and the Chocotour are family-friendly activities that are fun, shorter tours.

Looking for a hotel in Alajuela Costa Rica?

Alajuela, the so-called “Ciudad de los Mangos”, has the namesake for the number of fincas or Mango Fruit plantations in the province. Hotel Villa San Ignacio is located only 4 kilometers from all the things to do in Alajuela mentioned above. True to our location, we have several mango trees on the property. You can enjoy both the feel of the finca and also the city. Within minutes, you can start exploring Alajuela by taxi or a rental car.

>>>Book your stay at the best hotel in Costa Rica

Family Visit to Costa Rica? 5 Major Ways Birding is Good for Kids!

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 03:54:00 GMT

Costa Rica is an excellent option for a family friendly vacation. This stable, safe country offers plenty of fun and healthy outdoor activities for both kids and adults, and many of those activities also have an educational component. One such option is birding.

When it comes to birding or “birdwatching”, Costa Rica is a top destination and with good reason. This small, dynamic nation has a bird list of well over 900 species including colorful toucans, parrots, Scarlet and Great Green Macaws, and more than 50 hummingbirds (!).

A lot of people visit Costa Rica to see birds but birding isn’t just for retired folks or other birders. Believe it or not, it’s also an excellent activity for children. The following are 5 of several reasons why birdwatching is beneficial for kids .

1. It Helps Kids Learn to Concentrate and be Patient

By nature, looking for and seeing birds requires focus, concentration, and perseverance. At first, this might be a challenge but once a kid sees the details of their first bird through binoculars, don’t be surprised if they work hard to find the second and third, especially when they realize they can be good at it and are better at seeing birds than their parents.

2. Birding Fosters Interest in the Natural World

When kids look for birds, they won’t help but notice other aspects of nature. In Costa Rica, those other aspects are abundant and can include everything from exquisite butterflies and orchids to monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and towering fig trees. In these days of increasing pressure on natural habitats, getting in touch with and learning about nature is vital. The sooner kids can find an interest in nature, the better.

3. Promotes Learning

Birdwatching always has a learning component. Before looking for birds in Costa Rica, kids can check out laminate field guides, birding apps for Costa Rica, or books to learn about the birds they might see. As with other nature-focused activities, birding commonly gives rise to curiosity and questions about bird behavior, and birds themselves can act as a nexus for learning. For example, when a migrant Summer Tanager is seen in Costa Rica , that opens the door to learning about the place where it came from, why it flew all the way to Costa Rica, and why males have bright red plumage but females have less obvious yellow-green coloration.

4. Promotes Independence

Birding can also help kids grow by promoting independent behavior. Although someone might help them look for birds, when a young person sees a bird and uses binoculars to focus in on it, they did that all on their own. That independent learning takes another step forward when they look the bird up in a field guide to identify it. If they want to learn more about birds, kids will search for more information on their own and may want to take the initiative to see which birds they can find, see which ones they can show to their parents.

5. Easy to Do and Can be Shared with the Family

Best of all, watching birds is as easy as walking outside and looking around. Birds are everywhere, especially in Costa Rica; all you need to see them is binoculars and the will to look for them. This also makes it an easy hobby to share with the family and when you do that in Costa Rica, you spend memorable time together in beautiful tropical surroundings.

These are five major benefits of birding with kids when visiting Costa Rica but they aren’t the only advantages. In addition to less screen time, discover the other positive benefits of this fun hobby by taking a young person birding. If you look for birds at Villa San Ignacio , you might even see a motmot!

Blog by Patrick O’Donnell
Patrick O’Donnell started birding at the age of 7 in Niagara Falls, NY. A biologist by trade, he has worked on bird-related projects in a number of places and has guided birders in Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica. Patrick has lived in Costa Rica since 2007 and when not birding, writes about birds, travel and tourism, and other topics.

The post Family Visit to Costa Rica? 5 Major Ways Birding is Good for Kids! appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Visiting Alajuela Costa Rica? Top 5 Historic Things to See

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 05:13:00 GMT

The city of Alajuela, home to the Juan Santamaría International Airport, covers the western side of the Central Valley. Many know the central valley as home to Costa Rica’s Capital, San Jose. But there are distinct areas that connect with San Jose, but have a character of their own.
Alajuela is likely the first and last stop for many traveling into Costa Rica. Although the second largest city in Costa Rica after San José, getting around the city is relatively easy and safe. Known for the best weather in the world, a walking tour in Alajuela could be the best way to enjoy both the history and modern day to day life of the people who live here. Visiting the heart of downtown Alajuela is a cultural tour where you can also learn about the importance of Alajuela in the course of Costa Rica’s history.

1. Alajuela Central Park

Like almost all cities in Costa Rica, the historic center of Alajuela, is situated around the main church and central park. A stroll through the central 6 blocks you will view murals, smaller parks with Costa Rican sculpture, a contrasted spattering of old wooden homes between newer storefronts and the relaxed bustle of contemporary city life in Costa Rica.
The historic center of Alajuela offers several restaurants, mostly typical foods, as well as fusion cuisine with foreign elements. The Central Park of Alajuela is called the “Mangos Park. Frequented by locals, often seen with a copo or Pops ice cream, who relax on a “ Pollo” (bench) under the shaded canopy of beautiful and leafy mango trees. A Saturday or Sunday in the park may include some free entertainment with locals playing live Latin music and a lively group of partnered dancers.

Always colorful and never dull, the streets and parks of Alajuela may even be of greater interest than the old buildings. With the park right in front of a church, you also get plenty of secular indulgences, like a cold beer at the corner bar with an enthusiastic group of futbol fans or on either side of the Cathedral, copo carts with a long line of both adults and children.

Alajuela’s largest church is Nuestra Señora del Pilar Cathedral. Also called Alajuela Cathedral and Cathedral of the Virgen del Pilar, the building is the second largest Cathedral in Costa Rica. The current building has its origin in a small oratory built in 1782. The new structure was designed by Gustavo Casallini and started in 1854. Delayed by the war, the inauguration and consecration of the church took place in 1863. An additional interesting note, the church facade is a copy of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Guatemala City.

2. Museo Histórico Juan Santamaría

Another recommended activity is to visit the historical museum. The museum is named after “Juan Santamaría” in honor of this National Hero, whose heroic deed took place on April 11, 1856 in Rivas, Nicaragua. During your visit, you will learn about the details of Juan Santamaría, his life and place in history; and, a bit about the history of the building.
Originally known as the “Old Barracks of Arms of the city of Alajuela” the jail was built during the government of Tomás Guardia, between 1874 and 1877 and remodeled in 1936. In 1949, when the army was abolished as a permanent institution, the former Alajuela arms barracks was occupied from 1960 by the Jesús Ocaña Vocational College . Then, starting in 1977, it became the headquarters of the Research Center for Technical Improvement (CIPET), an institution of the Ministry of Public Education.
www.museojuansantamaria.go.cr

3. Alajuela Municipal Theater

If you have good chunk of time on your visit to Alajuela, go to the municipal theater. This beautiful old building hosts a variety of interesting cultural events from plays of all genres, concerts, popular comedian performances to folk dances.

4. Centro Cultural Alajuelense

The Old Municipal Palace of Alajuela was built during the administration of Ricardo Jiménez in 1914. This was also the first Regional headquarters of the House of the Artist. This beautiful building has an interesting history, which tells the different uses during its history from a seminary of nuns to the Municipal Palace to music lessons, poetry readings and art exhibits.

5. Souvenir Museum

You will find the best souvenir shop in Costa Rica. The name, the Souvenir Museum, implies things you are not allowed to touch, but all is indeed for sale. What you will find is a helpful knowledgeable staff who will answer any of your questions. If you have time, they will give you an introduction to every region and its artists and the crafts you will find in the shop.

The souvenir museum is located 2 kilometers from the central park and is open Monday to Saturday 10 am to 6 pm.
www.souvenirmuseumcr.com

Looking for a hotel in Alajuela Costa Rica?

Alajuela, the so-called “Ciudad de los Mangos”, has the namesake for the number of fincas or Mango Fruit plantations in the province. Hotel Villa San Ignacio is located only 4 kilometers from the historic center of Alajuela and, true to our location, have several mango trees on the property. You can enjoy both the feel of the finca and also the city. Within minutes by taxi you can start your cultural tour of Alajuela’s historical center.

>>>Book your stay at the best hotel in Costa Rica

The post Visiting Alajuela Costa Rica? Top 5 Historic Things to See appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Costa Rica Birds and Breakfast at Villa San Ignacio

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 03:58:00 GMT

On a vacation in Costa Rica, breakfast might be the most important meal of the day. A good, healthy breakfast provides energy needed to visit a volcano, take a coffee tour , go birding in Costa Rica, and enjoy other fun and exciting activities. As luck would have it, the traditional Costa Rican breakfast is a perfect meal to start every day in beautiful tropical surroundings.

“Gallo pinto” (a local version of rice and beans), plantain, eggs, fresh fruit, toast, juice and coffee make for a tasty, fulfilling, and balanced meal. Even better, at Villa San Ignacio , breakfast is often accompanied by tropical birds calling from towering figs and stately palms. These are some of the tropical Costa Rica birds often seen during breakfast in the gardens of Villa San Ignacio.

Lesson’s Motmot (Pájaro Bobo)

You might spy this exotic beauty quietly perched on low branches visible from your breakfast table. Post breakfast, you might see more of these fancy birds while walking through the garden.

Hoffmann’s Woodpecker (Carpintero de Hoffmann)

This smart looking woodpecker is a common garden bird. Pairs can visit fruit feeders and forage on tree trunks and branches.

Orange-chinned Parakeet (Periquito Garganta Anaranjado)

One of the few species of parrots and parakeets that visit the hotel grounds, this small bird is often seen in palms and other trees visible during breakfast.

Masked Tityra (Titira Enmascarada)

This fancy bright white bird with black highlights looks like its wearing makeup. Pairs live in the garden and are often seen in tree cavities and on branches visible from your breakfast table.

Rufous-naped Wren (Soterrey Chico Piojo)

Small groups of this fun, animated bird call and forage around the buildings and other parts of the hotel. Don’t be surprised if you see one or two hopping on the ground near your breakfast table.

Blue-gray Tanager (Viuda)

This lovely bird forages and calls from tall trees and fruit feeders. Enjoy the views of this pretty, sky-blue bird.

Clay-colored Thrush (Yigüirro)

Costa Rica’s national bird is a common sight on the beautiful grounds of Villa San Ignacio. You may hear them singing their robin and blackbird-like songs in the morning and will see them feeding in fruiting trees and hopping on the ground.

This list of birds is a small sampling of the species that accompany our guests during breakfast. Keep an eye out for more, a lot more! With a bird list of 170 plus species, breakfast at Villa San Ignacio comes with a lot of birding possibilities.

The post Costa Rica Birds and Breakfast at Villa San Ignacio appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

A Guide to the Hummingbirds of Villa San Ignacio

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 02:16:00 GMT

Hummingbirds are surreal. Tiny, fearless, and with naturally iridescent highlights, these birds look more like feathered fairies than their avian relatives. 300 plus species zip between flowers from southern Alaska to Chile, the highest number occurring in the tropical zone. In Costa Rica, more than 50 of these incredible feathered creatures have occurred and several can be found in gardens and other natural habitats of the Central Valley.

ln the beautiful gardens of Villa San Ignacio, at least 9 Costa Rican hummingbird species have been identified. Most can make their appearance at any of the flowering trees and bushes but a couple of them are more commonly seen on the trails. These are the 9 main hummingbird species that live at Villa San Ignacio with tips for identification and where to see them:

Stripe-throated Hermit (Phaethornis striigularis) Ermitaño Enano

This small species is the only brown hummingbird found on the grounds of the hotel. It’s an uncommon bird for this area but can show up at small understory flowers on the wooded sections of the trails. This species typically moves from one flower to the next and can follow a “route” of them inside the forest. It also has the habit of zooming in to check people out for a moment or two.

Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii) Colibrí Manguito Pechiverde

This hefty hummingbird forages on flowers in open areas and can be seen anywhere on the property. The adult males are recognized by their dark green plumage with dark purple tail while females and young birds have a dark vertical line on white underparts. This hummingbird often hovers high in the air to catch small flying insects and loves to forage at flowering trees.

Plain-capped Starthroat (Heliomaster constantii) Colibrí Pochotero

If you see a fair-sized hummingbird with a long, straight bill, rather short tail, and white mark on the back, it’s probably this species. Villa San Ignacio is fortunate to have more than one pair of the Plain-capped Starthroat nesting on the property. Watch for them at red, tubular Erythrina flowers and in flowering trees. Like the mango, they also often hawk for insects in flight. It occurs anywhere on the property but the entrance gate and upper rooms seem to be especially good for it.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) Colibrí Garganta de Rubí

If you are a birder from North America and think you see a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, you probably have seen one. This migratory species is a common winter resident at the hotel and can be seen anywhere on the property. Watch for a small hummingbird with pale underparts and a small pale mark just behind the eye.

Canivet’s Emerald (Cynanthus canivetii) Esmeralda Rabihorcada

One of the less common hummingbirds at Villa San Ignacio, this small, dry forest species can appear at any flowering trees or bush. It is more frequent in wooded areas of the trails. Since it gets chased by other hummingbirds, it also tends to be more flighty and shy. The male is bright green, including on the lower back, and has a black, forked tail. The female is pale below and has a white line behind the eye.

Blue-vented Hummingbird (Saucerottia hoffmanni) Amazilia Culiazul (Gorrión)

This is one of several species only found in Costa Rica and either Nicaragua or Panama. Male and females look alike and are small, green hummingbirds with dark-blackish blue tails and with some brown on the lower back. They can forage at any flowers on the hotel grounds but are especially common in bushes with small red flowers near the reception.

Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila) Amazilia Canela (Gorrión)

Another tropical dry forest species, the Cinnamon Hummingbird is recognized by its orange-buff underparts. It can appear anywhere on the property but may be more frequent around the reception area.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) Amazilia Rabirrufa (Gorrión)

In many parts of Costa Rica, this is the de-facto hummingbird species. It’s a good one to learn because it will probably be the one you see the most. At Villa San Ignacio, it can occur anywhere and is frequently seen.

Blue-throated Goldentail (Chlorestes eliciae) Colibrí Colidorado

This woodland species is uncommon at Villa San Ignacio but does occur. Watch for it on wooded sections of the trails, especially at flowering trees. Both the male and female can be identified by their bright red beaks and dull golden tails. Males often call from a high perch, knowing their song is the easiest way to find them.

These are the most frequent and expected hummingbirds of Villa San Ignacio but a few other species could also make occasional visits. Take a walk in the garden and on the trails and see what you can find! To see additional species of hummingbirds, take a birding day trip to the Poás Volcano area

The post A Guide to the Hummingbirds of Villa San Ignacio appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Beautiful Birds of Costa Rica: Tanagers

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 07:16:00 GMT

Costa Rica is a fantastic place to experience the tropical side of life. Situated just north of the equator, this beautiful nation never gets cold and in the Central Valley, temperatures are like a constant, idyllic June summer day. That welcome climate isn’t just enjoyed by people. It also works for a vast array of biodiversity, especially birds.

Incredibly, well over 900 species of birds have been seen in Costa Rica. Many look exotic and even better, many are common and easy to see! Some of the more beautiful of those exotic Costa Rica birds are the tanagers. Small and brightly colored, they frequent a wide array of habitats and several can be seen in hotel gardens as they feed in fruiting trees and bushes. These are 10 of the more commonly seen tanagers to watch for when visiting Costa Rica.

Blue-gray Tanager (Viuda)

The subtle beauty of this common garden bird can be appreciated in most parts of the country including on the beautiful grounds of Villa San Ignacio. This bird is locally known as the “Viuda” (Widow) because its soft gray colors resemble the silver tones of an older woman’s hair.

Golden-hooded Tanager (Siete Colores)

This fancy bird is a common visitor to gardens in humid, lowland areas. Its colorful name, “Siete Colores” (Seven Colors) is self explanatory.

Scarlet-rumped Tanager (Sargento)

Another common species of regions with rainforest, expect to see the bright red flashes of this bird when visiting or traveling through various lowland areas. Known as “Sargento” (Sargeant) on account of its striking red and black plumage.

Crimson-collared Tanager (Sargento)

This eye-catching bird frequents second growth, mostly at lower elevations on the Caribbean slope. It often occurs in hotel gardens in areas with rainforest. Also known as “Sargento” for the same reasons as the Scarlet-rumped Tanager.

Silver-throated Tanager (Tangara Gorgiplateado)

A beautiful, banana colored bird of middle elevation cloud forest. It often visits fruit feeders and fruiting trees.

Red-legged Honeycreeper (Mielero de Patas Rojas)

This living gem is a common species in dry forest and areas with second growth. It also occurs in hotel gardens including Villa San Ignacio. Easy on the eye, its name in Spanish is literally translated from English.

Green Honeycreeper (Mielero Verde)

Another stunner, watch for this lovely bird in hotel gardens near rainforest. Its name in Spanish is also a literal English translation.

Spangle-cheeked Tanager (Tangara Dowii)

This cloud forest specialty is common and one of many birds that only live in the mountains of Costa Rica and Panama. Its Spanish name is similar to its scientific name.

Summer Tanager (Tanager Veranera or Cardinal)

Despite its English name, this bird is actually more closely related to the cardinals and grosbeaks. One of the more common wintering species in Costa Rica, both the beautiful red male and the lovely orange-yellow female are often seen at Villa San Ignacio. Its Spanish name means “Summer Tanager” or “Cardinal”.

Flame-colored Tanager (Tangara de Fuego)

A common bird of the highland oak forests, watch for this beauty when visiting Poas and other high elevation sites.

Believe it or not, these aren’t even all of the tanager species that live in Costa Rica. Whether starting a birding trip in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio or visiting other parts of the country, see how many of these and other birds you can find. With more than 900 species to choose from, there’s plenty to look for!

>Book your Birding Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

The post Beautiful Birds of Costa Rica: Tanagers appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 05:23:00 GMT

La Paz Waterfall Gardens is the #1 Most Visited Privately Owned Ecological Attraction in Costa Rica featuring one of the best hikes near San José, the most famous waterfalls in Costa Rica, rescued wildlife preserve with over 100 species of animals, and an environmental education program.

The gardens include five waterfalls, safe hiking trails through the cloud forest, an aviary with numerous species of birds and toucan feeding, an insect exhibit, butterfly observatory, capuchin (white-faced) monkeys, black-handed spider monkeys, hummingbird garden with 26 documented species, Serpentinian (snake exhibit), jaguars, pumas, ocelots, margays, Tica house with petting zoo and ox cart, ranarium (frog exhibit), orchid exhibit, heliconia exhibit.

La Paz Waterfall Gardens is open year-round from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Reservations are not necessary. With over 3.5 kilometers of walking trails and educational animal exhibits to enjoy, you may want to plan to spend at least 2 hours for your visit. However, if you would like to see every trail and sit or pass slowly through the Aviary and the Butterfly Observatory, as well as enter act with the Hummingbirds, you will need more than 2 hours. Add a visit to the frogs, snakes and wild cat and monkey rescue and you have a full-day tour. There is a decent restaurant on site serving a buffet lunch if you do choose to spend the day.

The waterfall trails are an easy to moderate hike, with beautiful lookouts and benches to rest or observe and take photos. Wear comfortable walking shoes and be prepared with light or waterproof jacket. The park is about 1600 meters above sea level and cools off with cloud cover.

La Paz Waterfall Gardens is located 1 hour by car from Villa San Ignacio. Public transportation is limited to this area but has easy access to paved roads. The drive does take you through beautiful, scenic landscape … and a few curves as you wind up the road to higher altitudes. Ideally, take route 107 to San Pedro de Poas, then 146 then 120 then 126.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Recommended visiting before 3:00 p.m.

Entrance fee Adults: $48 (with tax $54) Children 3 to 12 years: $32 (with tax $39)

Book your stay at the best hotel in Costa Rica for families here

The post La Paz Waterfall Gardens appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

The Best Way to End a Birding Trip to Costa Rica: 5 Suggestions

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 01:19:00 GMT

Birding in Costa Rica can take several forms. Some of the more focused birders walk off the plane with binoculars at the ready, others enjoy birds in a much more casual and easy-going way, and folks with cameras may prefer the photographic side of birding. No matter how you enjoy birds in Costa Rica , there’s always more than enough to see and the trip will be just as exciting as you imagined.

A successful birding trip to Costa Rica depends on your goals and reasons for visiting this birdy nation but most of all, if you have a fun, fantastic time, that’s a pretty good measure of success. Having a great time at every point of the trip is vital including one of the most overlooked days of the trip, the final day. This can take the form of a final evening or one last morning of birding, either way, try these 5 suggestions to put a cherry on the top of your Costa Rica birding cake:

Celebratory Dinner

Whether with a group or on your own, a successful trip deserves to be crowned with an excellent meal. Several days of birding in Costa Rica is a fantastic accomplishment, for many, a life accomplishment well worth celebrating. Choose the best or favorite top 5 birds (it might be tough to pick just one) and congratulate yourself for experiencing some of the best birding on the planet.

Look for Some Last Birds

Who says the birding has to end? If you are up for a bit of last minute birding, by all means, take advantage of that extra birding time! There might be another new bird or two to see, you might end up getting some of your best photos of the trip.

Owls Anyone?

One final night in Costa Rica means one last time to look for owls. One or two species might live right at the hotel. The trip isn’t over yet, see what you can find.

Relax with Drink and Binos in Hand

Last minute birding is always up to you. If you would rather sit back, relax, and relish a few cold drinks while maybe watching a bird or two, that’s fine too. It’s your trip, make sure you enjoy it to the fullest!

Pick the Right Place to End the Trip

Most of all, you want to stay at the best place to finish off fantastic birding in Costa Rica . That place would be a cozy hotel that combines proximity to the airport, good habitat with various birds, excellent service, and wonderful cuisine.

The best birding trips to Costa Rica start and end at the right place. Contact us to learn why more birders and birding groups are choosing Villa San Ignacio for the first and final days of their birding tours to Costa Rica. We look forward to seeing you enjoy birds in our beautiful gardens and trails!

>Book your Birding Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

The post The Best Way to End a Birding Trip to Costa Rica: 5 Suggestions appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Doka Estate – Coffee Tour

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 05:55:00 GMT

Located along the fertile slopes of the Póas Valley, Doka Estate has been growing and roasting award-winning coffee for more than 100 years. The farm uses the same century-old water mill imported from England to power their processing plant – a rustic building recently designated a historical and architectural heritage site by the Costa Rican government. From the seed to the cup, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how coffee is grown and made.

The tour’s highlight is the coffee tasting. Doka Estate produces eight coffee blends – Peaberry Estate, French Roast, European Roast, Espresso Roast, House Blend, Breakfast Blend, Decaf, and Organic – ranging from smooth to bold. The tour is approximately 1.5 hours. You may want to spend a little more time at Doka and wander through the butterfly garden or just walk through the property and enjoy the natural beauty and comfortable climate of the Poas area.

As one visitor has recently noted… “Adriana did an amazing job at teaching us about coffee and all the processes at the estate! Afterwards we wondered around the estate marveling at all the gigantic hydrangeas and the rainbow eucalyptus trees! This was truly a wonderful last day of our Costa Rica Holiday!”…

Doka estate is 12 km from Hotel Villa San Ignacio. Allow 25 to 30 minutes for the drive on paved road toward Poas Volcano.

Tour Scheduled Monday through Friday: 9:00 a.m. / 11:00 p.m./13:30 p.m./2:30 p.m./15:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays: 9:00 a.m. / 11:00 p.m./13:30 p.m./2:30 p.m.

Adults: $22 Children 6 to 10: $10 Children under 6 years do not pay

Book your stay at the best hotel in Costa Rica for families here

The post Doka Estate – Coffee Tour appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Poas Volcano National Park – What to Know

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 04:52:00 GMT

Poas Volcano National Park is a powerful symbol of the geothermal forces that formed Costa Rica. When the mist and clouds part you’ll see the sulfuric, bubbling green, rain-fed lake at the bottom, surrounded by smoke and steam rising from fumaroles. Water from the lake is constantly seeping through cracks in the hot rock, evaporating and building pockets of steam. When the pressure in these pockets exceeds the weight of the water above, the steam breaks through in geysers that rocket up to 820 feet high. At almost a mile across Poas is one of the largest active craters in the world.

Tours at Poas Volcano National Park are scheduled daily, including holidays, from 7 am to the last viewing tour at 1:20 pm. However, if the volcano shows disturbances, the park could be closed for viewing. Entrances must be purchased online using the SINAC website http://www.sinac.go.cr/EN-US/ac/accvc/pnvp/Pages/default.aspx . If the park is closed, you will find this notice on the website or the Poas volcano Facebook page:
https://es-la.facebook.com/volcanpoasoficial/

During the high season, January through April, purchasing ahead of time online is strongly recommended. There are restaurants near the Poas Volcano National Park (Restaurante Quieres) that will sell you a tour ticket with a $2 surcharge, but the number of visitors per tour is limited and you may not get the entrance time you planned your visit.

Each group is allowed 20 minutes in the park. The short walk from the entrance to the crater lake viewpoint is less than one kilometer on a paved, handicap friendly pathway. A guide will escort the group after watching a safety presentation and handing out helmets for visitors. Mornings typically are clearer, but there is no guarantee there will not be cloud cover in the cloud forest. The drive to the volcano and the scenery at the park are certainly worth the drive and effort to see the crater. Though 20 minutes is fairly short, bring a jacket or a sweater. You may want to explore the area after your tour of the volcano. You will be 8884 feet above sea level and the temperatures will be much cooler.

Poas Volcano National Park does have bathrooms near the entrance. Other amenities are limited and may not be open – bring water!

Current Admission Fees

Adults: $15
Children 2 to 12 years: $5
Parking for automobiles: $4

>>>Book your stay at a hotel near Poas Volcano National Park

The post Poas Volcano National Park – What to Know appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 04:21:00 GMT

About Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center

Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center

Sanctuary Tour

Freedom Tour

Tour Times

Book your stay at the best hotel in Costa Rica for families here

The post Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

3 Overlooked Tips for Better Bird Photography in Costa Rica

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 04:11:00 GMT

Costa Rica is a fantastic destination for bird photography. Toucans, parrots, Scarlet Macaws , trogons, and hundreds of other tropical birds, many at close range; it can make you feel like a kid in a candy shop!

More than 900 species of birds have been found in this small, beautiful nation. That makes for a big number of potential subjects but they don’t occur everywhere. Various species are rare, many depend on certain specific habitats, and, because of lighting, some sites are better for bird photography than others.

There are a number of techniques to take better pictures of more birds in Costa Rica. These frequently overlooked tips are a good place to start:

Set Up Near Fruiting Trees and Flowering Bushes

Birds can be a lot like people. For example, when they are hungry, they go where the food is. Since birds use up a lot of energy, they can’t afford not to be frequent visitors to the natural buffet. That means spending more time in places with big trees and other types of natural habitats that have plenty of fruit, seeds, and insects.

However, even though tropical ecosystems are chock full of life, you won’t find birds hopping in every tree and bush. The complex nature of such habitats means that one tree might have fruit in June and another in August. Another species might bloom in October and January could be the best time for more insects. This unreliable dynamic can be a challenge but it also has a big advantage; concentrating birds at food sources. Set up near those temporary hotspots and you might be treated to several hours of exciting bird photography.

To find those bird photography hotspots, look for any trees or bushes with fruit and flowers. If you notice a few birds flitting around, find a good spot to set up and wait for the avian show.

Take Advantage of the Rain!

Rain is a challenge but it doesn’t have to cancel out your bird photography. As long as it’s not raining too heavy, find a sheltered spot close enough to exposed branches, a flowering bush, feeders, or fruiting trees. Open air restaurants at eco-lodges can be ideal. Set up, try some test shots to figure out your settings and wait for the birds. Tropical birds are well adapted to rain and more can appear than you expect! They can take natural showers while perched on an open branch and can still forage for fruits and nectar. Not to mention, during a light rain, the lighting can be superb and the falling water can lend a dramatic touch.

Hotel Gardens Can be Excellent Places for Bird Photography

Rainforest in national parks have the most bird species but they don’t have the best conditions for bird photography. If you don’t feel like trudging through wet forest and trying for brief shots of furtive birds in dim settings, check out the gardens back at the hotel. Much better lighting combined with plantings that attract birds makes for much easier bird photography. Make sure the hotel has extensive gardens with plenty of natural habitat and the photography can be fantastic.

Not to mention, as a bonus, bird photography at the hotel makes it simple to take a break, or go back to the room to change lenses or a charge a battery. Celebrating your shots at Happy hour can be nice too!

Try these tips on your next trip to Costa Rica and get ready for dozens of excellent photo opportunities. The birds will be waiting!

>Book your Birding Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

Blog by Patrick O’Donnell

Patrick O’Donnell started birding at the age of 7 in Niagara Falls, NY. A biologist by trade, he has worked on bird-related projects in a number of places and has guided birders in Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica. Patrick has lived in Costa Rica since 2007 and when not birding, writes about birds, travel and tourism, and other topics.

The post 3 Overlooked Tips for Better Bird Photography in Costa Rica appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

3 Exciting Birding Trips Easily Done from Villa San Ignacio

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 03:35:00 GMT

The birding comes easy in Costa Rica. Accessible habitats in a small area translate to an abundance of birding opportunities. It means that you don’t have to go far to see glittering hummingbirds and other highland species in cool, misty surroundings on the first day and exotic tropical birds of humid lowland rainforest the next.

Given the proximity of habitats jam-packed with diversity, day trips from Villa San Ignacio are a feasible way to see literally hundreds of species. Visits to different habitats are key to seeing more birds, the following ideas are three of the easiest, exciting birding trips possible from our hotel:

High Elevations- Poás Volcano

A certain suite of Costa Rica birds only occur above 1,500 meters and many of them live in the highland habitats of Poás Volcano. Just 30 to 40 minutes drive from the hotel, the Poás area is easily birded from the side of the road that leads to the national park. Many birds can also be seen in the gardens and on the grounds of small, local restaurants, some of which have feeders that attract hummingbirds.

Other birds that occur in roadside patches of forest can include the svelte Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher, comical Prong-billed Barbet, and, for lucky birders, the incredible Resplendent Quetzal .

Lowland Rainforest Habitats- Carara

About an hour and 20 minutes from the hotel, a huge number of species live in the mosaic of lowland rainforest, wetlands, and other habitats in the general vicinity of Carara National Park. Carefully walk and bird the trails of the national park and you could see trogons, wrens, manakins, antbirds, and many other species.

Bird the edge and wetland habitats outside of the park and a different variety of birds are possible including the Roseate Spoonbill and Striped Cuckoo.

Tropical Dry Forest Habitats

Seasonally dry forest is the main type of habitat at Villa San Ignacio and much of northwestern Costa Rica. It can be easier to see birds in this type of habitat because the vegetation is more open. In addition to birding at the hotel, there is excellent roadside birding from 40 minutes to an hour and a half drive to sites to the Orotina-Ceiba road, the Gucalillo road, Caldera, and other places.

Some of the common species include White-fronted Parrot and Barred Antshrike.

Head to lower elevations and you have a good chance of also seeing Black-headed Trogon and Turquoise-browed Motmot among many other species.

These are just a few of the easy birding day trips possible from Villa San Ignacio. If your ideal day of birding includes birds seen during a scrumptious breakfast followed by relaxation, lounging at the pool, and happy hour later on, that works too!

>Book your Birding Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

The post 3 Exciting Birding Trips Easily Done from Villa San Ignacio appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Timeless Fun – Best Hotel in Costa Rica for Families

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 22:48:00 GMT

In Costa Rica, September 9 is a special day designated to celebrate children. On El Día del Niño you may come across children’s activities going on around the city. The origins of this day can be traced back to 1952 when the International Union for the Protection of Children declared the importance of every child’s right to well-being, high quality of life, and access to education.

Every day is a day to celebrate children. Our staff is committed to making Villa San Ignacio the best hotel in Alajuela – San Jose Costa Rica for fun, affordability and safety for families. Many of them include old-fashioned outdoor activity. For families arriving later in the day, we also have the perfect way to enjoy the outdoors at night. We will light up the fire pit by request…and what better campfire treat to offer than S’mores?

The first documented recipe for “S’mores” is found in Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts published in 1927. The recipe for this easy to carry, non-refrigerated sweet snack for the scouts included:

8 of the best sticks you can find
16 graham crackers
8 chocolate bars broken into pieces
16 marshmallows

Instructions: Toast two marshmallows over the coals to a crisp gooey state and then put them inside a graham cracker and chocolate bar sandwich. The heat of the marshmallow between the halves of chocolate will melt the chocolate a bit. Though it tastes like “some more” one is really enough.

Fast forward to the year 2019, Costa Rica and the S’more recipe has evolved. We discovered our favorite recipe from a Canadian mom, using a 100% Costa Rican cookie, Pozuelo's Original Chiky. The Villa San Ignacio recipe requires two bite-size cookies and one marshmallow. It’s the best cookie, lined with chocolate and allows assembling the S’more without crushing your graham cracker or the chocolate sliding out of your sandwich. The firm, small Chiky remains intact and can be managed with the stick in one hand and the two cookies in the other.

For our signature tropical S’more, we sometimes offer two tart passionfruit cookies, with some bulk and extra crunch to balance the sweet and sticky marshmallow.

The hotel firepit at Villa San Ignacio is spacious and located only a few steps from Pandora Restaurant. Our pit is surrounded by Costa Rica trees and plants and gives the feeling that you had tramped into the woods and built a small bonfire.

Hotel guests can order a brown paper bag that contains a package of 6 Chiky cookies and 3 marshmallows. We welcome families, both with young children and teenagers, to spend some time around the fire in our urban woods in Alajuela Costa Rica.

Book your stay at the best hotel in Costa Rica for families here

The post Timeless Fun – Best Hotel in Costa Rica for Families appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

5 Benefits of Birding in Costa Rica during the Wet Season

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 22:09:00 GMT

The caroling of Clay-colored Thrushes fills the garden and a fruiting fig is busy with the calls and movements of flycatchers, tanagers, and a pair of small toucans. At the same time, Olive Sparrows, Rufous-capped Warblers and other small birds call and flit in the understory. With so much bird activity going on, it’s hard to know where to look first!

Whether birding in Costa Rica or California, this is the type of birding day every birder hopes for. Ironically, although non-stop birdwatching can take place at any time of the year, in Costa Rica, we see more of such busy birding days during the wet season.

What? Birding Costa Rica during the rainy season? Oh yes! Although most birders visit during the drier weather of the high season (from December to April), at other, wetter times of the year, birding in Costa Rica can be simply fantastic. These are some of the reasons why wet season birding never fails to impress:

More Bird Song

Since many birds in Costa Rica nest at the start of the wet season, at this time of year, they also sing a lot more. There’s nothing like enjoying breakfast in a beautiful tropical garden with an acoustic backdrop of hooting motmots and the songs of Blue-gray Tanagers, Rufous-naped Wrens , and other species. The same goes for birding in rainforest, cloud forest, and other habitats in Costa Rica.

More Bird Activity

Occasional rain doesn’t mean less bird activity. On the contrary, in Costa Rica, cloudy skies and cloud bursts make for some of the best of birding days. Bright and sunny weather is nice but the birds are much less active under sunny skies. During cloudy weather, birds can be active all day long. When the rain stops, the birding can be fantastic.

Hundreds of Resident Species

From May to September, migrant species from the north might be absent but all of the residents are here including toucans, parrots, tanagers, nearly 50 species of hummingbirds, and much more. Literally hundreds of bird species live in Costa Rica all year long and many are easier to see during the wet season.

Cheaper Flights

Although costs for flights can be unpredictable and vary, it’s usually cheaper to fly to Costa Rica during the wet or low season. Also known as the “green season”, the lower cost for flights is yet another incentive for birders to visit Costa Rica at this time of year.

More Elbow Room

Fewer people visiting Costa Rica during the wet season of course translates to lots more elbow room for birding. Not that Costa Rica gets too crowded for birding in other months but it’s always nice to have more trails to yourself or for your own birding group.

>Book your Birding Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

An additional benefit of birding Costa Rica during the wet season is relaxing with a cold drink while enjoying the soothing sounds of tropical rains during Happy Hour at the Pandora Restaurant . Whether birding in the dry or wet season, that’s always the perfect way to end a wonderful birding day.

The post 5 Benefits of Birding in Costa Rica during the Wet Season appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

The Green Ark – Ethno Botanical Garden

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 19:03:00 GMT

If you have an interest in botany, the entire lot of herbs, shrubs, trees, fruits and roots, at The Green Ark you will find a magical place that will surprise even the most professional enthusiast of this fascinating world.

Located in Santa Bárbara de Heredia, this 8-hectare garden has the largest collection in Costa Rica, including native and exotic species from the world of botany.

The Green Ark offers an impressive view of the Central Valley, from the (in what direction?) views of the hills of Carara to the (directional views of) the mountains of Escazú and Carpintera. An abundance of birds and brightly colored butterflies also fascinate the Green Ark visitors.
The species are planned and distributed in sections or terraces. In total, The Green Ark has over 1600 species. One of the most fascinating terraces, for example, is the section of shamanic or hallucinogenic plants. This section displays plants sourced for drugs and also for ceremonial use, such as Coca and Peyote, and plants used for Ayahuasca, Cannabis, and the famous Queen of Night.
Another terrace of interest is the culinary terrace. In this section, all of the herbs, fruits and roots present are used in the culinary arts. The variety is so great that even famous chefs come to The Green Ark to learn about ingredients.

Something else that always surprises and fascinates tourists, is the chance to chew on different leaves and taste the nuances, a delicious tantalizing explosion of flavor. Most often the responses note sweetness “Wow, so sweet (= Stevia Leaf), or maybe … “Wow, this tastes like Clove with Sage” = (Hundreds of varieties of herbs and leaves ). Another specimen that surprises people is Lemon Caviar. This fruit is full of small lemon-flavored balls, but does not belong to citrus fruits and grows in a region of Asia. This is an opportunity to understand through taste how different species, no matter how far they are taxonomically, share the same chemicals. Another interesting experiment is to learn about the difference between the taste of Lemon and Lime, which in reality are very different, but with this live experiment, the difference is clearly marked.
The other terraces include collections of palm trees, bromeliads and orchids. One of the plants that attract the most attention in this section is one of the varieties of Aloe, the Giant Aloe, which has an impressive size of up to 2 meters in height.
The garden intermingles the terraces or sections with parts of the forest, where there are interesting varieties of trees, some of them in danger of extinction. All sections are intelligently interconnected by well-maintained trails.

How to visit

Entrance only: $ 10 per person
For those wanting to visit the garden, there is the possibility of paying the entrance fee only. The garden is quite well labeled, so you can do a self-guided visit and read about each species. For this self-guided visit, some knowledge of botany helps, but it is not necessary.

Guided tour: $ 45 – Groups less than 10 people
The guided tour lasts approximately 2 hours, but can be easily extended to 3 hours, depending on the number of visitors’ inquiries.

How to arrive and how to book?

Getting to The Green Ark is quite simple. It can be found on Google Maps and Waze under “The Ark Herb Farm.” It is recommended to make a reservation in advance, especially in the case of the guided tour, where a reservation is required minimum the day before. To visit without a guide, no reservation is required, but it is recommended to announce the arrival. The site has secure private parking. Another way to visit is by taking a taxi or Uber from the Hotel, which would take approximately 35-40 min.

Website: theark.green/

All photos taken from theark.green

The post The Green Ark – Ethno Botanical Garden appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Which Nocturnal Costa Rican Bird Species Live in the Central Valley?

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 01:04:00 GMT

Costa Rica bird species can be bright and animated green parrots that fill the air with tropical screeching voices, over the top toucans, glittering hummingbirds, and other eye-catching species. They can also be birds that give haunting whistles and songs from misty cloud forest, raptors soaring overhead, or species with subtler, earth-toned plumage such as Costa Rica’s national bird, the Clay-colored Thrush.

The fun thing about noticing birds in Costa Rica is that no matter where you go, take a close look and you will see them, a lot more than expected. Most are active during the day but the nights in Costa Rica also have their fair share of birds. Some of them even live in and near the heavily populated Central Valley, the region of Costa Rica where we find San Jose, Alajuela, and other cities. Despite the high degree of traffic and urbanization, gardens and green space provide refuge for birds and other wildlife. Not just a few small bird either but everything from hawks to owls, more owls than you think!

These seven species are the most frequent nocturnal birds of the Central Valley. By nature, finding them by day or night can be a challenge but listen in the dark and you might hear them. Search for them in the right places and you might find some of these Costa Rica birds of the night.

Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis)

This common tropical night bird is in the same family as the Whip-poor-will, nighthawks, and nightjars. A bird of brushy fields, coffee farms, and other second growth habitats, listen for its whistled “cuyeo” call during the night.

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum)

Although this small owl is active during the day, it also calls and hunts at night. A predator of lizards, bugs, and small birds, its presence is usually revealed by its song; a steady series of whistled toots.

Tropical Screch-Owl (Megascops choliba)

This small owl probably occurs in many parts of the Central Valley but is so adept at hiding, it is rarely seen. The Tropical Screech-Owl hides in a tangle or tree cavity during the day and hunts insects and small animals in the dark of the night. It can live in a variety of woodland and edge habitats as long as they are enough tree cavities for nesting.

Pacific Screech-Owl (Megascops cooperi)

This small owl replaces the similar looking Tropical Screech-Owl in drier habitats and can occur with or near it in the eastern part of the Central Valley (such as near Alajuela). It also requires tree cavities for nesting. Listen for its rolling staccato vocalization .

Mottled Owl (Ciccaba virgata)

Photo Credit: “Mottled Owl (Ciccaba virgata)” by Dominic Sherony is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

A medium-sized, chocolate brown owl, this species is common in woodlands and wooded riparian zones. One or two are often heard giving their abrupt “whoof!” call during the night from the woodland trails at Villa San Ignacio . Like many other owls, they feed on mice and other small animals.

Striped Owl (Asio clamator)

A large and beautiful owl of open habitats, this species is found in many parts of Costa Rica including the Central Valley. It prefers wet, grassy and brushy areas and is occasionally seen at night perched on a wall or roadside cable. It hunts small animals and may specialize on catching roosting birds.

Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

Photo Credit: “Barn Owl, Nature Station, Carrie Szwed” by LandBetweentheLakesKYTN is marked with CC PDM 1.0

This classic, widespread owl species also lives in Costa Rica. Ranging from the lowlands to high in the mountains, it occurs in any number of open habitats that have enough of its rodent prey. It can be found in many towns (where it can live in church bell towers), as well as on farms and in places with open fields.

>Book your Birding Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

All of these species occur in the Central Valley including at or near Villa San Ignacio . Although they can hard to find during the day, they can often be heard and with some patience, can also be seen. Listen and look for them in the gardens of Villa San Ignacio and leave a comment to tell us what you find!

The post Which Nocturnal Costa Rican Bird Species Live in the Central Valley? appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

A DOGS FAVORITE: Pandora is the Best Pet-Friendly Restaurant in Alajuela

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 14:25:00 GMT

PANDORA’S CANINE MENU

Hotel Villa San Ignacio welcomes dogs. Our latest amenity for our pet-guests is a menu specifically for dogs. The three-item menu is designed for traveling dogs’ needs with easy to digest, tasty items portioned for a 10 kg dog. Both the hotel and restaurant are pet friendly and follow protocols and guidelines for patrons dining with dogs.

Pandora’s staff engaged Rita to taste-test the new menu. Young, active, and weighing 20+ kilos, she happily tried all three items priced and portioned for smaller dogs. To determine the correct portion based on a dog’s weight, we compared calculations. Our research compared the two most useful equations: 70(10kg)3/4 ≈ 400 Calories/day; and, in simpler math, multiply 35 to 40 calories per kilo per day. A dog’s meal at Pandora is assumed to be the second seating of the day. If 10kg dog requires around 400 to 470 kilocalories a day, each menu item is portioned at approximately half the daily required calories.

COSTA RICA’S FAVORITE, ARROZ CON POLLO

Arroz con pollo is a popular dish in Costa Rica. Sometimes referred to as “arroz siempre”, this dish can be consumed at soda’s, most restaurants, and many celebrations. Chicken and rice are prime ingredients in many dog foods, and these mild foods sit well on upset canine stomachs. Maybe this is the first time flying in a plane, or this is your dog’s first time to Hotel Villa San Ignacio. Either way, the excitement may cause some digestive turbulence. Our comforting canine Arroz con pollo includes four indigents: rice, boiled chicken, carrots and celery. Our recipe does not contain onions, garlic, or spices. Arroz con pollo has 250 Kcal per serving.

RITA’S FAVORITE, PUMPKIN MEATBALLS

Our Pumpkin Meatballs are Rita’s favorite! Chef’s Yerar and Andres created a recipe with ground beef, mashed pumpkin, shredded carrot & parsley. Crafted with lean beef, the 40oz meatballs have about 65 calories each. The pumpkin meatballs are high in Vitamins A & B, iron & zinc. Our serving portion at Pandora includes 3 meatballs, at approximately 200 calories.

PANDORA’S DIGESTIVE BOWL IS THE BEST FOR UNSETTLED STOMACHS

The digestive bowl is prepared with three easy to digest ingredients: Rice, pumpkin & one poached egg. An egg offers a great source of nutrition for dogs – high in protein, fatty acids that help support inner health and healthy skin and fur as well as vitamins and disease-fighting nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin. Pandora’s digestive bowl has approximately 290 calories

DINING OUT WITH YOUR DOG

Dining out with your dog is much easier now. Many public spaces welcome dogs. However, we do have to follow laws that the Ministry of Health in Costa Rica have published that address dogs in restaurants. Regulation of Food Services to the Public Decree No. 37308-S, in its article 61 prohibits the entry of domestic animals (dogs, cats or others) inside restaurants. This law does allow the entry of guide dogs. We comply with this law and seat our patrons with pets on the terrace and in the garden when the terrace is full. We strongly suggest that you make a reservation for both you and your dog and avoid a rainy afternoon/ evening when we may have to seat you in our covered bus stop! We offer an enjoyable experience to all patrons and comply with the ministry of health requirements.

In preparation to dine out with your dog, socialize your dog. This allows you to evaluate how well your pup reacts to strangers, loud noises, other animals, and other situations before you bring them to a restaurant. If your pup does not react well to these situations, it is best to leave them at home.

Take the time to train good table manners. Make sure your pet responds to your command to be calm and sit or lie near your chair and not on the chair or your lap. Be courteous to other patrons! Do not allow your pet to wander and disturb other guests. Your pet needs to be always on a leash. These simple rules allow us to continue to invite dogs to enjoy Hotel Villa San Ignacio.

The post A DOGS FAVORITE: Pandora is the Best Pet-Friendly Restaurant in Alajuela appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

5 Insider Tips to See a Quetzal in Costa Rica

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 02:49:00 GMT

There are beautiful birds and then there are birds that look so incredible, so exotic, they are believed to be sacred messengers of celestial beings. Since a bird needs a bit more than fancy plumage and a pretty song to be linked with heavenly realms, very few species have been given this role. However, if there was one bird species that fit the bill, it would have to be the Resplendent Quetzal .

A fairly large, shining emerald, jade and aquamarine bird with red velvet, snow white highlights, and an improbably long tail, the Resplendent Quetzal more than lives up to its name. When a male gives a display flight over the misty cloud forests where this breathtaking bird species lives, it’s easy to see why Mayan peoples viewed the quetzal as a messenger from the Gods. Indeed, this very special bird is still considered sacred by many modern Mayan people and, not surprisingly, is the national bird of Guatemala.

The Resplendent Quetzal occurs in cloud forests from southern Mexico to Costa Rica and western Panama but is especially easy to see in Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, healthy populations are found in cloud forests in much of the country and thanks to much of these forests being protected in national parks and other reserves, quetzals are doing quite well. Even so, despite their spectacular appearance, they can still be surprisingly tricky to see. These are some tips to lay eyes on one of the most spectacular birds in the world:

Go Birding in Cloud Forest

As with any bird, you won’t see a quetzal unless you visit the right habitat. For the Resplendent Quetzal, that would be cloud forest from around 1,400 meters to the tree line. If you spend a day looking for birds in this type of habitat (and with a fair bit of patience and binoculars), you have a fair chance of seeing a quetzal.

Listen for their Whistled and Cackling Calls

It’s much easier to locate a quetzal if you know what they sound like . Although larger than a pigeon, quetzals can hide very well because they tend to sit still for long periods of time. However, they do give whistled calls, songs, and a peculiar cackling vocalization. Listen for those sounds and you have a much greater chance of finding a quetzal.

Look for the Right Fruiting Trees

This is probably the most important tip for finding a quetzal since these big trogons tend to spend most of their time at trees with small green or purple fruits. Known as “aguacatillos” or mini avocados, the fruits might remind you of a green or purple acorn. If you find some trees covered in those fruits, a quetzal will probably show up at some point.

Take a Quetzal Tour

The most reliable way to see one of these truly amazing birds is by taking a tour with someone who knows where they live. Several such tours are offered in cloud forest near San Ramon, the Monteverde area, and especially in the high elevations of Cerro de la Muerte and the Dota Valley. However, quetzals also occur at sites much closer to the Central Valley and Villa San Ignacio. The forests of Volcan Poas in particular can be very good for seeing quetzals, they are often found on birding trips to this very accessible site when looking for hummingbirds of Costa Rica and other species.

Visit the Best Sites to See Them

Once again, patient birdwatching in any area with cloud forest is a good way to see a Resplendent Quetzal in Costa Rica. Some of the most accessible sites are the Poas area, Bajos del Toro, the Monteverde area, and Quetzal National Park and various other sites in the Talamanca Mountain range.

Want to see quetzals when staying at Villa San Ignacio ? The Resplendent Quetzals of Poas Volcano are just a 30 to 40 minute drive up the road. You will have to spend some time looking for them and you will have a much better chance with a guide but this spectacular bird does live there!

>Book your Birding Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

Blog by Patrick O’Donnell
Patrick O’Donnell started birding at the age of 7 in Niagara Falls, NY. A biologist by trade, he has worked on bird-related projects in a number of places and has guided birders in Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica. Patrick has lived in Costa Rica since 2007 and when not birding, writes about birds, travel and tourism, and other topics.

The post 5 Insider Tips to See a Quetzal in Costa Rica appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

How to See Scarlet Macaws and More Tropical Birds on a Day Trip from Villa San Ignacio

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 01:42:00 GMT

In Costa Rica, the tropical habitats of the Pacific lowlands resound with life. When watching birds, the morning birding can get so busy, it can even be hard to know where to look first! Wrens and antbirds warble from the undergrowth as parakeets chatter and flies overhead. A stunning Gartered Trogon shows off its purple, green, and yellow colors as it perches on a nearby branch and is nearly eclipsed by a beautiful Turquoise-browed Motmot!

More tropical birds fly into view, one after another, but when Costa Rica’s main star of the avian show makes an appearance, it truly takes center stage. That special bird is the Scarlet Macaw and thanks to effective protection, Costa Rica has become the easiest and most accessible place in the world to see it.

Historically, the loud calls and bright colors of Scarlet Macaws decorated tropical forest habitats from southern Mexico all the way to Brazil. Although large numbers still live in remote corners of the Amazon, deforestation and poaching of their nests have eliminated this big beautiful parrot from much of Mexico and Central America. In South America, it almost only occurs in places far and away from settlements but in Costa Rica, Scarlet Macaws can be seen in wild forested areas, near towns, and even right next to popular beaches!

It seems that in Costa Rica, the spectacular red parrots have realized that people mean them no harm and have learned to trust them.

Although they don’t live right at Villa San Ignacio, Scarlet Macaws can be easily seen after a quick hour drive to the Pacific Coast. Here’s how you can watch them:

Tarcoles is a seaside village adjacent to one of the Scarlet Macaw’s oldest strongholds, Carara National Park. Each day, groups of macaws fly to and from the rainforests of the park to forage in seeding trees right around Tarcoles, sites south of there, and even in dry forests as far north as Tivives. This means that although the most reliable area for them is Tarcoles and in the national park, you can also find macaws on any number of coastal side roads in that area.

The Beach Almond grows along beaches in much of Costa Rica. Fortunately for the macaws and people who like to watch them, the big parrots often eat the seeds of this tree. They often do this right around Tarcoles, especially near the beach just north of the village.

Although you can’t miss a Scarlet Macaw in flight, when they are feeding, they can be surprisingly unobtrusive. To locate them, listen for loud parrot-like calls and screeches.

Since they can’t seem to stay quiet for long, you will eventually hear them!

Since macaws move back and forth from feeding areas, another good way to see them is by picking a good vantage point and waiting for them to fly past. The La Barca Road that runs in front of Cerro Lodge is a good spot as is the Tárcoles “Crocodile” Bridge and the parking lot of Carara National Park.

After getting your fill of Scarlet Macaws, celebrate with happy hour drinks back at the Pandora Restaurant because, incredibly, these amazing birds are just an hour’s drive from Villa San Ignacio .

>Book your Birding Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

The post How to See Scarlet Macaws and More Tropical Birds on a Day Trip from Villa San Ignacio appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Costa Rica Travel Tips and Time Zones

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 01:31:00 GMT

Central Standard Time

Sunrise Bird Watching Tour

Book your stay at the best hotel in Costa Rica for families here

The post Costa Rica Travel Tips and Time Zones appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Vacation Play at Hotel Villa San Ignacio

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 17:01:00 GMT

Since there really are no specific talents required to engage in play, what Emerson might be saying is that we should remember to play more often. Taking a vacation is an excellent form of play. What are the reasons people give for taking their vacation in Costa Rica? “To relax and get away from it all,” “For an adventure in the jungle” or “To visit a volcano,” “To learn, perhaps a Bird Watching Tour”, “To spend time with family or friends.”

Physical play is the most obvious form of play where we see and feel the benefits. Moving your body means you are keeping fit and strengthening your muscles and organs. It also lowers stress levels and improves your mood. This is the result of lowering cortisol and adrenaline (stress hormones) commonly known as the flight or fight instinct. Moving your body during play is like fleeing from a predator to those important yet pesky hormones. On the flip side of that coin are endorphins, the feel-good hormones that are triggered during physical play. Endorphins are the hormones that help you relax and elevate your mood.

Other forms of play are also beneficial. Imaginative play, like arts and crafts, theater, dance and storytelling, fosters creativity and an open mind. Playing with objects like legos or Jenga, building sand castles and the manipulation of any material also ignites creative thinking and keeps your brain sharp by opening pathways to solving problems and finding patterns. Board games and team sports, or any play with a set of rules, bring you together with other people to strategize, plot and plan, keeping your brain healthy and building better relationships.

The National Institute for Play in California advises us: Instead of looking at play as a waste of time, consider it an investment in well-being. Any and all forms of play are ways to help us relax, explore, spend quality time with people we love, and leave the daily grind behind. Remember our reasons for taking a vacation? Your next vacation can be part of your commitment to play. Here at Villa San Ignacio we take play very seriously.

Here are a few of the favored vacation play areas:

But please remember to also integrate play into your everyday life. Taking time to play on a consistent basis is when you will really reap the rewards with both your personal health and well-being as well as with improved relationships. This is not a new idea. We’ll leave you with a quote by an old philosopher:

The post Vacation Play at Hotel Villa San Ignacio appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Bird Migration in Costa Rica- A Waypoint Connecting Continents

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 04:56:00 GMT

Bird migration is synonymous with spring. As the weather warms and the snow melts, the songs of robins, blackbirds, and other species remind us that summer is just around the corner. High overhead, the skies are etched with V-shaped flocks of ducks and honking geese, or the …. and the first spring flowers shoot out of fresh, renewed ground.

Millions of birds, 221 migrating species, will pass over Costa Rica. Central America is important for bird migration because the land acts as a literal bridge between continents. Many of the birds that spend the winter in South America pass through Costa Rica instead of making the much more hazardous flight across the open waters of the Caribbean Sea. To fly over an ocean, birds not only run the risk of become too tired and falling into the sea, but they can also be easily hunted by falcons that follow the same migration routes. Incredibly, despite those dangerous challenges, some species still fly across the Caribbean, flying at night and island hopping along the way (!). Millions of other birds, however, opt for safer travels over land and are thus more or less funneled through Central America to eventually reach breeding grounds in Canada and the USA.

When we take into account the vast distances between places like Ontario, Canada and the Amazon or even northern Argentina, it’s hard to fathom how or why any bird would undertake such impressive travels not just once, but twice per year. However, that’s exactly what birds like the Veery , Common Nighthawk, Chimney Swifts, swallows, and several other species do! They probably evolved such behavior to take advantage of an abundance of the right habitat and amounts of food available in those specific areas where they spend the winter.

As birds migrate through Costa Rica , those species, along with large numbers of Scarlet Tanagers, Canada Warblers, Eastern Kingbirds, Prothonotary Warblers , and other birds, also take advantage of the rich habitats and subsequent abundance of food resources in Costa Rica. In other words, our small nation acts as a waypoint, a resting station for birds taking a self-fueled train to the north. We are happy to know that in maintaining green space and regenerating tropical forest, Villa San Ignacio plays a role in helping those birds. It might be a small role in the overall picture but every bit of protection adds up, all of those small roles eventually coalesce into a bigger, more cohesive net of protection that helps some of the same birds singing and breeding in places all over Northern America.

Although Costa Rica is warm, tropical and beautiful all year long, we do have our own brand of spring. Clay-colored Thrush, our national bird, sings in earnest and joins a morning chorus of other birds gearing up for the breeding season. Signs of spring in Costa Rica also come in the form of bird migration; some subtle, others as obvious as a river of birds flying steadily north.

>Book your Birding Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

The post Bird Migration in Costa Rica- A Waypoint Connecting Continents appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

5 Common Parrots of Costa Rica and Where to See Them

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 04:08:00 GMT

Parrots are the quintessential tropical birds. Whether one has visited or only imagined walking in “the jungle”, these evocative and intelligent birds capture our attention and imagination. Occasionally seen in commercials and popular as pets, the bold colors and loud calls of parrots are indeed an actual part of the tropical forest experience. Some parakeets and parrots also occur in tropical gardens, especially in Costa Rica.

In Costa Rica, quite a few parrot species thrive as long as they have tree cavities for nesting, enough fruiting and seeding trees where they can forage, and aren’t persecuted by people. The following five species are some of the more frequently seen parrots in Costa Rica :

Crimson-fronted Parakeet (Psittacara finschi)

A common urban and garden species in much of Costa Rica including Villa San Ignacio.

White-crowned Parrot (Pionus senilis)

Locally known as the “Chucuyo”, this smallish parrot occurs in wet tropical forests and green areas of the Central Valley. Small flocks are often seen in screeching flight as they fly to and from fruiting trees. Like other parrot species, White-crowned Parrots go quiet while feeding as one or two birds in the flock keep an eye out for hawks and other possible predators.

Where to see White-crowned Parrots

Green space in the Central Valley, fruiting trees, areas with evergreen tropical forest.

White-fronted Parrot (Amazona albifrons)

This medium-sized parrot can be recognized by its green plumage with red on the front of the wings, and white above a pale bill. Most common in tropical dry forest, small flocks are regular in the eastern part of the Central Valley of Costa Rica. If you staying at Villa San Ignacio and hear a parrot screeching from the top of a tree, it might be this species.

Where to see White-fronted Parrots

Patches of forest in the eastern Central Valley, and many areas with green space from Tárcoles north to Nicaragua.

Brown-hooded Parrot (Pyrilia haematotis)

A smallish parrot with red under the wings, small flocks are typically seen in rainforest and cloud forest. However, they can also visit smaller patches of forest as they wander in search of fruiting trees, including parts of the Central Valley.

Where to see Brown-hooded Parrots

Look for these handsome birds in most national parks and places with rainforest or cloud forest.

Red-lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis)

A large, noisy and classic parrot, this is a common species in most lowland areas where patches of forest are interspersed with farms. It usually occurs in pairs at fruiting trees.

Where to see Red-lored Parrots

Look for these tropical beauties in any lowland areas with patches of rainforest. Pairs are often seen in flight in the later afternoon, note their shallow wing beats.

Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)

Saving the boldest of them all for last, this spectacular bird is hard to miss. Fortunately, thanks to effective protection, Scarlet Macaws have once again become common in Costa Rica. Watch for these big red macaws in many parts of the Pacific coast and around Sarapiquí.

Where to see Scarlet Macaws

The Osa Peninsula, near Jacó, and many other parts of the Pacific coast. They can also be seen in Sarapiquí and near the border with Nicaragua.

Watch for some of these parrots in Costa Rica and other bird species in the beautiful tropical gardens of Villa San Ignacio. Happy Hour in the Pandora Restaurant is the perfect place to celebrate bird sightings!

>Book your Birding Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

The post 5 Common Parrots of Costa Rica and Where to See Them appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

How To Get Around Costa Rica – 5 Questions to Ask Before Your Visit

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 00:26:00 GMT

GETTING AROUND COSTA RICA

How to get around Costa Rica: There are ways to get around that suit a range of traveler’s style – traveling on a short trip without a tight budget, those who do not want to drive at all, and those who want the freedom and adventure driving themselves around Costa Rica.

GETTING TO COSTA RICA

Costa Rica has two international airports. Juan Santamaría (SJO) and Daniel Oduber Quiros (LIR). Most international flights come through SJO near the countries Capital city, San Jose. Over the last decade, international flights arriving LIR, a northern Guanacaste airport, are more available.

What airport is better for my trip to Costa Rica?

The Juan Santamaria Airport , also SJO, is located in Alajuela, 20 miles from downtown San Jose. This area is called the Central Valley metro area. Alajuela, Heredia and, San Jose are within a 10 to 40-minute drive. Most of Costa Rica’s international traffic comes through this airport. Travelers who want to visit the following destinations – Osa Peninsula, Uvita, Dominical, Manuel Antonio, Jaco, La Fortuna, Monteverde, Tortuguero, the South Caribbean (Puerto Viejo and Cahuita) – will find easier access traveling to Costa Rica SJO.

Costa Rica’s northern international airport accesses the province of Guanacaste. The airport is within a 15-minute ride from the capital of Guanacaste, the city of Liberia. This airport is called Daniel Oduber, known as the Liberia Airport (LIR). This airport is much smaller than the Juan Santamaria airport. Even so, there are the expected services such as souvenir shops, restaurants, and air conditioning. The Liberia airport is widely used by tourists who come specifically to the province of Guanacaste, famous for the beauty of its beaches, its dry tropical forests, its volcanoes, and national parks.

Do Costa Rica commuter flights save time?

Flying on a commuter flight can be the quickest way to get around Costa Rica. For example, a 4-5-hour ride from SJO to the surfing beach town, Tamarindo, is a 45-minute flight, if flying direct from SJO to the Tamarindo airstrip. For travelers on shorter trips and without heavy luggage (you are allowed a 20-pound bag), catching a commuter flight can quickly get you to a destination. Most of the local airlines connect to airstrips throughout the country from both SJO and LIR. Choosing to use the commuter flights will cost more, but you save a significant amount of time. The flights are small 12 passenger flights, and with incredible views also comes a bumpy ride!

Can you get everywhere in Costa Rica by bus?

Public transportation does get you to most major areas. From San Jose, there are bus routes to nearly every major tourist destination. The tickets are cheap, and it will be the best immersion into the local lifestyle of Costa Rica. Taking the bus will triple the time you need to get from point A to point B if you are going a long distance. As well, you will want to stay alert while traveling by bus. You won’t want to miss the scenery, and you will want to keep an eye on your personal belongings. Try to reserve your ticket ahead of time – catching a ride on a public bus without a reserved seat might mean you will have to stand most of the journey.

Tourist shuttles are an excellent method to get around Costa Rica for those who don’t want to drive. This tourist bus will be faster than taking the public bus. The route is hotel to hotel, rather than the public bus that makes several stops in villages along the way. If you are traveling as a party of 4 or more, you can even consider a private shuttle as the cost will be roughly the same. With a private shuttle, you can make reasonable requests to stop for a photo or bathroom. Your driver becomes your guide. Most private shuttle drivers do speak English.

Is Renting a car the best way to get around Costa Rica?

Approaching the end of 2020 and heading into the near future, renting a car feels safe for new reasons. You will limit your exposure to any virus’. In addition to commanding your transportation and any last-minute change to your travel plans, you gain freedom when renting a car.

Renting a car is safe if you take the time to understand a few things. Costa Rica is infamous for aggressive drivers, potholes, and various unexpected hazards in the road (like a herd of cows or a fallen tree). Number 1, avoid driving at night. Getting around Costa Rica in a rental car does not have to feel like a life or death adventure.

Before driving off with a rental car, be sure that you carefully inspect the vehicle and note every dent, scratch, or other damage. Renting a car will require mandatory insurance and is seldomly included in the quoted total price. To avoid any hassle upon returning, opt for full coverage. Roads are not well marked in Costa Rica. We are so lucky to have GPS, google maps, and WAZE. Using a GSP, you won’t get lost while driving around Costa Rica.

Villa San Ignacio is an ideal Alajuela location, near Poás Volcano National Park and Grecia, home of the Los Chorros Waterfalls and Catedral de la Mercedes. Our converted coffee farm boasts charming, antique inspired accommodations with all the modern conveniences, including Pandora Restaurant, cotemporary cuisine made with fresh, traditional ingredients.

Take a dip in our pool or spend an evening reflecting on the day in front of our backyard fire pit – and wake up to the best coffee and bagels this side of New York.

GETTING TO HOTEL VILLA SAN IGNACIO

SJO is just 7 kilometers from Hotel Villa San Ignacio, located in Tambor 4 kilometers north of Alajuela Center. Your drive time may be anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes during peak hours.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS FROM JUAN SANTAMARIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT COSTA RICA TO HOTEL VILLA SAN IGNACIO

– Drive out of the airport towards Alajuela downtown

– Drive north past the City Mall, on the overpass, until you reach the intersection with KFC on your right.

– Turn left at this intersection and continue on this road approximately 2 kilometers

– Drive until you see the Pizza Hut on your right. Turn left at this intersection

– Continue driving four kilometers. You will drive through two intersections with traffic lights, past the Chamu gas station on your left. Continue two kilometers. Until you reach the Grecia/Poás Right turn, marked by a small street sign to your right.

– Veer right towards Poás/Volcán Poás. We are the first building on the right, just after the Grecia/Poás intersection

>>> Book your stay at Hotel Villa San Ignacio in Costa Rica

The post How To Get Around Costa Rica – 5 Questions to Ask Before Your Visit appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

5 Reasons to Watch Birds in Costa Rica (Even if You Don’t Watch Birds!)

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 23:34:00 GMT

Birdwatching, one of the fastest growing outdoor activities, is one of many reasons why people visit Costa Rica. Yes, even though Costa Rica has beautiful beaches, scenery, and exciting activities, several people come to Costa Rica just to watch birds!

Costa Rica is a top destination for birders because during visits to different parts of the country, literally hundreds of species can be seen, there is easy access to several types of habitat, and there is good tourism infrastructure. But why watch birds in Costa Rica if you don’t watch birds at all or are only slightly interested in birding?

These five following reasons explain why it’s worth watching birds in Costa Rica even if you don’t really watch birds:

Birding in Costa Rica- Easier Than You Think

Compared to other animals, birds are pretty easy to see. That goes for birding in a backyard and even more so in Costa Rica. Visit this beautiful Central American nation and it doesn’t take long to realize that birds are common and everywhere. Look up and there will probably be vultures, Blue-and-white Swallows, and other birds flying overhead. Watch a patch of flowers or fruiting trees and it won’t be long before hummingbirds, tanagers, and other tropical species appear.

Did Someone Say Toucans?

There are indeed toucans in Costa Rica , 6 species! The best part is that most are also fairly common and conspicuous. Although toucans are most common in lowland rainforest, highland habitats also host the small and beautiful Northern Emerald Toucanet, and two species can even be seen at Villa San Ignacio- a quick drive from the airport!

Scarlet Macaws are Common

Maybe not in the city and not in the mountains but in many parts of the Pacific coast, these larger than life parrots have become common and accustomed to people. Impossible to ignore, these big, spectacular birds often feed on Beach Almond trees and are also currently increasing on the Caribbean side of the mountains.

Even Garden Birds are Exotic

Suffice to say, you don’t have to go far to see a lot of fancy birds in Costa Rica. Stay at a Costa Rica hotel with beautiful tropical gardens , and it won’t take long before colorful tropical species like Great Kiskadees, Blue-Gray Tanagers, Lesson’s Motmots , and Blue-vented Hummingbird take center stage.

Watch Birds at Your Own Pace

One of the great things about watching birds is that you can also do it at your own pace. Want to venture deep into the jungle to look for rare birds? No problem! Prefer to lounge near the pool with a refreshing drink in hand as parrots fly overhead? That is also birding! Watch birds however you want, the only thing you need to do is take a look around and see what you can find.

Visiting Costa Rica? Think about watching some birds- there will be a lot to see!

>Book your Birding Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

The post 5 Reasons to Watch Birds in Costa Rica (Even if You Don’t Watch Birds!) appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

A Guide to the Toucans of Costa Rica

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 22:21:00 GMT

Toucans! Those birds with the over-sized beaks tend to bring up visions of tropical places, cartoons, and cereal boxes. Although their exaggerated appearances do make them look like animation come to life, the only other true common supposition about toucans of Costa Rica is their tropical provenance.

Toucans are indeed restricted to tropical realms and occur from tropical forests in Mexico south to northern Argentina. Although they are absent from Caribbean Islands, several toucan species range in cloud forest, rainforest, and tropical savannah habitats. Costa Rica is fortunate to have 6 species of toucans and even better, most are fairly easy to see!

In general, toucans are very social birds that occur in pairs or small flocks. They nest in tree cavities and use their large beaks to eat fruit, insects and many other small creatures, including eggs and nestlings of other birds. They act somewhat like jays and crows, often call from high perches, and are often found at fruiting trees. Toucans also visit fruit feeders!

See this guide about toucans in Costa Rica to learn about these spectacular birds and where to see them:

Keel-billed Toucan ( Ramphastos sulfuratus )

This big bird with the rainbow-colored beak mostly occurs in lowland and foothill rainforest on the Caribbean slope as well as in forested areas on the north Pacific slope. It seems to be especially common in moist woodlands at such sites as Rincón de la Vieja and the Monteverde area. As long as there are enough large trees for nesting and fruit for it to feed on, Keel-billed Toucans also occur in parts of the western Central Valley, including the grounds of Villa San Ignacio!

Yellow-throated Toucan ( Ramphastos swainsonii )

The bird formerly known as the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan and the Black-mandibled Toucan, this largest toucan in Costa Rica is common in lowland and foothill rainforest habitats on both sides of the mountains. Pairs often duet from perches that emerge above the forest canopy.

Northern Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus)

A small toucan of highland forest habitats, the ones that live in Costa Rica are sometimes split as a separate species and known as “Blue-throated Toucanet”. Fairly common but inconspicuous, this species occurs in forest patches in the upper elevations of the Central Valley as well as many other montane sites including Volcan Poás.

Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus toraquatus)

A small, colorful toucan of rainforest and moist forest, it usually occurs in small groups and can occur in gardens. This species lives on the Caribbean slope, the Nicoya Peninsula, and parts of Guanacaste.

Fiery-billed Aracari (Pteroglossus frantzii)

This beautiful bird is similar to the Collared Aracari but has a different colored bill and different underparts. It replaces the Collared Aracari in forests of the southern Pacific slope and in parts of the Central Valley. Guests of Villa San Ignacio may spot this species on the hotel grounds.

Yellow-eared Toucanet (Selenidera spectabilis)

Saving the least common toucan in Costa Rica for last, this species is more secretive than the others. It typically occurs in pairs or small groups and prefers dense, mature foothill rainforest of the Caribbean slope. Good place to see it include the forests of the Arenal area, on the northern volcanoes, and in Braulio Carrillo National Park.

Keep an eye out for birds in Costa Rica and you should see toucans at some point. Walk the beautiful grounds of Villa San Ignacio and it won’t take long to see birds, watch for Keel-billed Toucan and Fiery-billed Aracari!

>Book your Toucan Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

The post A Guide to the Toucans of Costa Rica appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Before and After

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 11:49:47 GMT

Before and After

Villa San Ignacio and Pandora Restaurant have gone through quite a transformation since the days of Las Orquideas Inn with its Marilyn Monroe Bar.

Designer Sara Urbina worked with the new management to restore the old coffee farmhouse back to the simple elegance of a distant era. The new look complements the natural beauty of the rolling country grounds.

Conceived as an urban oasis – an opportunity to escape the city without traveling far – the new face of Villa San Ignacio and its lovely Pandora Restaurant evokes the traditional past while providing all the conveniences of the modern world.

The pictures can tell the story better than mere words.

Costa Rica Hummingbirds on Poás Volcano – An Easy Day Trip from Villa San Ignacio

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 05:12:00 GMT

Costa Rica has more than 50 species of hummingbirds. Despite being similar in size to West Virginia, there are many more hummingbirds in Costa Rica than every province and state! Hummingbirds occur everywhere in this beautiful tropical nation but they reach their highest diversity in the lush cloud forests of the mountains. One such highland area, Poás Volcano , is just a short drive uphill from Villa San Ignacio and the “hummingbirding” up that way is fantastic.

Twelve species of hummingbirds are regular in the highland habitats of Poas, a few of which only live in the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama. One of the reasons so many hummingbirds can be seen in the Poas area is because it encompasses at least two different types of main habitats; subtropical cloud forest, and high elevation rainforest. Although some hummingbird species use both types of habitat, a few only occur in high elevations, and others only in subtropical habitats. If we venture further down the mountain, additional species occur but we can talk about those another time.

One of the best things about hummingbirds on Poas is that they are less than an hour’s drive from Villa San Ignacio . In fact, the Freddo Fresas Garden, one of the first main stops on the easy drive up the mountain is only around 40 minutes or less. This beautiful free garden is on the main road to Poás Volcano just across the street from the Freddo Fresas restaurant. It features natural plantings and some feeders that attract such species as:

All of these species are possible and with luck, the exquisite Magenta-throated Woodstar may also be present.

Head further up the road and we reach higher elevation habitats closer to the park entrance. This stretch of road is good for such species as the mountain-gem and violetear along with:

Fiery-throated Hummingbird (the most common hummingbird at higher elevations on Poás)

Less common species that also occur but that can be trickier to find are Scintillant Hummingbird and Green-fronted Lancebill .

The Scintillant is the smallest bird in Costa Rica and can occur at flowering bushes and hedgerows anywhere on the drive up.

The lancebill mostly occurs along mountain streams. It is present but pretty uncommon.

All of these birds can be seen on an easy day trip from Villa San Ignacio by taking the well-maintained main road to Poás. The best places to look for hummingbirds are in the Freddo Fresas garden, along the roadside at higher elevations, and at any number of restaurants with plantings and feeders that attract hummingbirds. Enjoy the trip and see what you can find!

>Book your Hummingbird Trip now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

The post Costa Rica Hummingbirds on Poás Volcano – An Easy Day Trip from Villa San Ignacio appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Some Birds Show Different Colors for Different Seasons

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 21:14:00 GMT

Many of us have different outfits for different times of the year, some of those differences are related to how warm or cold we want to be, others reflect our personal tastes in fashion. Birds of course don’t have clothing but many still “dress” for the season.

In the spring, when most birds are looking for a mate and to raise a brood, they need to look their best. In general, it’s the males who have to make an impression and many species do so by way of song and appearance. This is why so many smaller birds like orioles, tanagers, and wood-warblers sport bright and beautiful colors in the spring and early summer. The better they look, the more vibrant the plumage, the more likely it is that the male has good, healthy genes that will result in healthy offspring. At least that signal is being instinctively given to and received by female birds and why they are believed to be more likely to pick males that sing and look a certain way.

To be ready to find a mate and breed, Scarlet Tanagers change their feathers just before the breeding season. It takes energy to grow new feathers but since old feathers wear out, and new ones can be used to find a mate, getting that new feather coat is worth it.

But why not just wear that same coat all year long? Why not change feathers once in a while?

In common with many other small birds, brightly colored birds like the male Scarlet Tanager don’t sport that eye-catching attire all year long. They probably don’t show those bright feathers because although it works to attract a mate, it probably also works just as well to attract predators.

While such bright attire might serve its purpose on the breeding grounds of the north, when they head south, the brilliant showy red and black feathers could act a little too well as a welcome sign that says, “Catch me!”

To avoid standing out in the predator-rich rainforests of their wintering grounds in South America, male Scarlet Tanagers replace their bright red feathers with a much drabber olive green outfit. In fact, they molt into that less obvious look long before they reach western Amazonia and is why we don’t see bright red male Scarlet Tanagers during fall migration. During the later winter months, they start to molt back into beautiful red and black breeding plumage but don’t usually finish that change until they are well under way on their trip back north.

Many other small birds follow a similar pattern of changing their feathers for a dull plumage in the fall and then changing back into a brighter, more colorful set of feathers for the spring. Although the duller feathers likely help them avoid predators on their wintering grounds, blending in with the surroundings might be even more important during the perilous flight south. Fall is when they have to share skies and unfamiliar surroundings with numerous hawks and falcons that are also undertaking migration, hungry, and ready to catch and eat small birds. Not to mention, having a new set of feathers also helps when you have to fly a few thousand miles!

At Villa San Ignacio , we see some Scarlet tanagers during migration but a lot more of the related Summer Tanager during the winter along with Chestnut-sided Warblers and many other beautiful migrant warbler and resident species. Most show that duller, winter plumage but they are still fun to watch when birding in Costa Rica .

Blog by Patrick O’Donnell.
Patrick O’Donnell started birding at the age of 7 in Niagara Falls, NY. A biologist by trade, he has worked on bird-related projects in a number of places and has guided birders in Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica. Patrick has lived in Costa Rica since 2007 and when not birding, writes about birds, travel and tourism, and other topics.

The post Some Birds Show Different Colors for Different Seasons appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Alajuela Daycation – Our Hotel Pool Day Pass

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 04:38:00 GMT

Our Hotel Pool Day Pass

Stay in the city and feel like you are away on vacation. Passing the day at Hotel Villa San Ignacio, wooded green areas surround you while lounging poolside in the sun, dining at Pandora, or playing Badminton. The hotel has ample grounds for exploring as well as secure free parking. Spend the day at the hotel, and you won’t go hungry. Our Pool Day Pass includes lunch at Pandora Restaurant and a friendly poolside bar service with fresh, natural juices to delicious cocktails for purchase.

Our hotel day pass is an excellent opportunity to escape your daily routine and enjoy a change of scenery. Get out of the house and enjoy activities that keep you entertained all day. Whether you’re looking to dip in the swimming pool, enjoy a game of Badminton or billiards, or even go birding, there’s something for everyone.

Hotel Day Pass Experiences

Our pool day pass is a cost-effective alternative to booking an overnight hotel stay. Suppose you want to enjoy the hotel amenities without staying overnight. In that case, a day pass can be an affordable way to stay with us for the entire day. During our off-peak seasons, the hotel day pass may include special children’s discounts or Splash Packages. Stay updated with Facebook, Instagram or by contacting us via WhatsApp (506)8492-1133.

Our hotel day pass is a great way to relax by the pool, try your hand at Badminton, or stay long enough to enjoy Pandora’s early evening happy hour. Arrive early to get the most out of your day and the early afternoon sun. If your hotel day pass includes a special celebration, don’t hesitate to contact us and allow us to assist you in planning your birthday, offsite meeting, family reunion, or gathering.

The hotel provides pool towels, a shower, changing room, and poolside bathrooms. The pool day pass allows access to the hotel amenities. It includes free safe parking, a selection of Lunch menu items, and a fun-filled day. Regular pool day pass hours are 10 am to 4 pm.

Be sure to reserve a spot as space is limited! WhatsApp (506)8492-1133

The post Alajuela Daycation – Our Hotel Pool Day Pass appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Birdwatching Solo or with a Group?

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 21:44:00 GMT

Birdwatching is an endeavor that tends to be self-motivated. Even if we know someone who wants to show us birds, wants us to see them as he or she does, we still discover birds on our own. That birding friend might show us an egret through a scope, an eagle flying overhead, or talk about the finches at a feeder but learning more about them, becoming more interested in birds is a decision that everyone makes for themselves.

When we look at any of the birds in our gardens, once we start wondering about their names, noting the difference between woodpeckers and nuthatches and doves, we want to learn more and before you know it, you find yourself birdwatching. Since all that birding requires are binoculars, birds, and the desire to watch them, it’s easy to start birding on your own. You don’t need to watch birds with other people, you don’t need to sign up for a group or take some course for a certification. No matter where you live, birds are out there waiting to be discovered. If you are birding in Costa Rica, that also translates to a heck of a lot of birds, an incredible 900 plus species to be exact.

However, there is still much to be said about birding in a group, there are some good reasons to go birding with others. As with any excellent site for birding, at Villa San Ignacio, the birding is productive both on your own and in a group setting. These are some of the pros and cons:

Birding on Your Own Depends on When You Feel like Birding

Birding alone? No problem! You start and end when you want, you watch whatever birds you want, and it’s all about peace and quiet. Naturally, bird on your own and you don’t have to adjust your birding to anyone else. Stay out as little or as long as you want, if it feels like margarita time, there’s a professional bartender waiting for you at Pandora . There’s no one to talk to on the trail but once in a while, we could all use some room for meditation. Besides, you can still makes friends back at the bar.

Forced to Pay More Attention

When we watch birds on our own, since we can only rely on ourselves, it’s up to you to get a better look at that bird, it’s up to you to take mental notes to identify that unfamiliar flycatcher. If we want to identify more, we are forced to pay more attention, forced to focus more on searching, finding, and figuring out what that bird was. It’s like a personal treasure hunt and some of us like the challenge but if you feel better about birding with someone who knows what those birds are, you can always hire an experienced local guide.

Group Birding is More Dynamic

Birding in a group might depend on a set schedule but in general, when looking for birds, the more eyes the better. Maybe not as much inside the green confines of a tropical forest but in the small volleyball clearing at Villa San Ignacio, group birding works out quite well. Someone with an eye on bigger trees in the back might spy a toucan, someone else watching the trees by the wall might notice a perched Plain-capped Starthroat . Although a guide will do it best, in a group, there are more people to help other birders see more birds, more folks to share the experience (which is still best shared over happy our drinks at Pandora).

There’s Nothing like Sharing Birds in Beautiful Surroundings

Perhaps the best advantage of birding in a group is having the chance to share a unique, fulfilling experience in beautiful surroundings. The group doesn’t have to be a big one either, some of the best birding trips happen with three to four friends.

At Villa San Ignacio , the good thing about birding is that no matter how you feel like doing it, there’s always a lot to see, sometimes right near the pool.

>Book your solo or group birding trip in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

The post Birdwatching Solo or with a Group? appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Happy Hour - Social Hour

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 11:53:13 GMT

Happy Hour / Social Hour

Pandora Restaurant at Villa San Ignacio is proud to serve the community of greater Alajuela. We’ve been here in form and spirit for more than a century but we’re not afraid to adapt to the changing times. Modern life includes many freedoms that were unknown to generations past, including the freedom to work in your own space, away from a cubicle or a stifling office. Technology allows you to plug in just about anywhere and many freelancers and work-from-home contractors enjoy this new way of being on the clock.

Our daily Happy Hour extends from 5:00 to 7:30 with 50% off cocktails and sangria.

Modern life can also, at times, feel isolating. For many, gone is the office water cooler, the line for the kitchen microwave, and the many daily social interactions that allow for informational relays — the opportunities to share experiences and empathize with fellow workers.

We can help to fill this gap. Our daily Happy Hour is the perfect Social Hour for anyone who works alone and craves the bonding and banter of a communal work space. You can host clients or colleagues in one of our meeting rooms and then socialize over cocktails. If you do work in an office, stop by with friends after work for the chance to unwind and meet new, friendly faces.

Villa San Ignacio and Pandora Restaurant is an ideal location for your company meetings, large or small.

Pandora is more than just a restaurant or bar. We have a homey space with comfortable sitting areas, a pool and terrace, beautiful grounds. You can nosh on appetizers or stay for dinner. You should take a tour of The Gallery, our new art space that features stunning work from Costa Rica artists. You can play pool, or stop by for one of our special live performances.

We want to meet you, and we want you feel like Pandora Restaurant at Villa San Ignacio is a social destination, a place where you can enjoy your freedom along with a respite from the loneliness of modern life.

Nature Travel – A Healthy Hobby

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 00:53:00 GMT

Nature, Timeless Inspiration

Aristotle traveled to the wooded hills of Ancient Greece to teach his followers. Nietzsche composed in Nature; he needed to walk in Nature to really think. Some years later, the famous transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau would write in Life in the Woods, “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.” There have been hundreds of painters, inspired by, and masters at capturing Nature’s magic. By the mid-1980s, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries created the term shinrin-yoku , which translates to “forest bathing.” With more time and many more words, Forest Bathing, a book dedicated to the health hobby of just taking in the forest, reminds us that just being in Nature, connecting with our senses, can restore our energy and vitality, refresh and rejuvenate us.

Nature travel is rated number one for those planning a wellness-themed adventure in 2021 on a recent survey conducted by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI). The institute defines Wellness Tourism as “travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s well-being.” Costa Rica’s Institute of tourism promotes travel to Costa Rica as an opportunity to connect with the essence of life: Nature, well-being, culture, and adventure. Essentially, nature travel reduces stress, improves mood & vitality, re-ignites awe, and is a healthy hobby for all ages.

Birding is a Healthy Hobby

Birdwatchers have managed to combine the soothing restoration of Nature and waiting for birds. To be good at this hobby, birders stroll through the forest, often at dawn, using sight and sound to guide them. Although birding may be more intentional than the practice of forest bathing – which does not involve seeking birds – we know now there is something to be said for just being in the forest.

Patrick O’Donnell, Hotel Villa San Ignacio’s birding guide, understands first hand, birding is a healthy hobby all ages can enjoy. He has guided hundreds of eager birders traveling to Costa Rica for a nature adventure. Far from the stereotypes of being an odd hobby solely practiced by nerdy people decked out in khaki, birding is a hobby for people from all walks of life. “It’s always been that way, with many folks taking up birding upon retirement, others getting into it after taking a birding or ornithology class in college, and even kids becoming interested all on their own.” Patrick also notes that kids are much quicker to spot birds than their adult co-birders. As soon as they latch onto the cool things that birds can do and get that they are better at finding birds than their parents, they are enthusiastic birders.

Stressed out? Diffuse that agitated noise in your mind while in the forest. Look, listen, and breathe forest-freshness to rekindle awe. Focus on Nature, the sounds and movements of its birds. We try out birding for all sorts of reasons. But, what grows on new birders is the bliss and satisfaction of a stress-reducing healthy hobby. An exception is the occasional obsessive, competitive birders, creating stress while birding by setting outrageous goals to record how many birds they can find in 24 hours. This behavior misses the point. Strolling in the forest and watching birds is one of the more easy-going, Nature travel adventures one can do.

>Book your Natura Vacation now in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

The post Nature Travel – A Healthy Hobby appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

LIMITED TIME: Romantic Alajuela Hotel & Restaurant Package

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 13:31:00 GMT

Hotel Villa San Ignacio is a charming Costa Rica hotel equipped with a delightful restaurant providing the perfect opportunity to escape for a romantic overnight stay without traveling far from San Jose. Guests have plenty of space to dine, swim, stroll or play. You can do as much or as little as you desire at your own pace!

Too often distracted with the chaos of San Jose and busy lifestyles, couples don’t get to experience the simple joy of spending alone time with each other. Our staff is prepared to deliver excellent service and pepper your experience with thoughtful detail. Planning a night or two at Villa San Ignacio and Restaurante Pandora in Alajuela, Costa Rica might just be the perfect romantic gesture.

Hotel Villa San Ignacio is offering couples’ like you, the best romantic getaway.

Our Limited Time Offer Romantic Getaway Package includes:

Offer available February through April 2020 – RESERVATION ONLY
Tel: (506) 2433-6316
WhatsApp: (506) 8492-1133
Email: customerservice@villasanignacio.com

Happy Hour 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily

> Book Your Romantic Getaway today!

The post LIMITED TIME: Romantic Alajuela Hotel & Restaurant Package appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

5 Tips for a Comfortable Birding Trip in Costa Rica

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:04:00 GMT

5 Tips for a comfortable Birding trip

A comfortable place to stay at the beginning and end of the journey eases you into your trip after a long flight and prepares you for your return. On a birding trip, where your trip start and end, creates more opportunity to look for birds; birding doesn’t have to start in a national park, in Costa Rica, it begins as soon as you get off the plane.

Try these five tips to find the best place for your first and final days of a fantastic trip to Costa Rica:

Hotel near Juan Santamaría International Airport

There are plenty of hotels in the San Jose area, but how many are close to the airport? How many need more than 30 minutes or even an hour to reach their doors? As with any metropolitan area, Costa Rica’s capital city, San Jose, is infamous for heavy, erratic traffic. Don’t start your vacation stuck in traffic; book your hotel in Alajuela near the airport .

Comfortable Beds

Although some birders care more about birding than sleeping, a good night’s rest on quality bedding is pretty welcome after a long day of international travel. Resting well makes for better birding, boosts your immunity making it less likely to catch a cold or other illness (nobody wants that to happen on a once-in-a-lifetime birding trip!). Before booking, make sure the hotel has a certain level of comfort.

Ample Green Space

If a hotel is close enough to the airport and meets your standard of comfort, look into the amount of green space. Does the hotel have gardens? Does it have trails in forest? If the answer is yes to both of these questions, it’s going to be far better for birding than lodging with manicured gardens or no habitat whatsoever. And yes, you may have time to go birding at the hotel, you might even have more time than expected.

Birding Infrastructure

Although not vitally important, if a hotel offers birding tours, has feeders, can serve an early breakfast, and does other things that are likewise amenable to birders, that hotel will be a better place to start and end a birding visit. It means that if you want to go birding (and of course birders do), the hotel may have information about birds on the property, they may know where an owl roosts, they can connect you with a guide.

Good Food

Last and far from least, a place with good food is a serious boon for a birding trip. As much as some birders state that they would rather bird than eat, if there are one or two days when you should indulge in satisfying food and drink, that would be at the beginning and end of a trip. Delicious cuisine and quality beverages are that much better after a long day of airports, lines, and planes. They are also essential for a final celebratory meal.

With hundreds of bird species waiting to be seen in a warm place with beautiful tropical surroundings, it gets easier to think about planning a birding trip to Costa Rica. With this stable nation already open to visitors and multiple vaccines on the visible horizon, it’s hard to think of reasons not to plan your next birding trip in Costa Rica.

>Book your first and last night in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

The post 5 Tips for a Comfortable Birding Trip in Costa Rica appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Common, Beautiful Birds Of Villa San Ignacio

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 03:00:00 GMT

Costa Rica Is a Birders’ Tropical Paradise

Costa Rica has a reputation for being a birding tropical paradise, and guess what? It’s true! Even in the Central Valley, a short drive from the airport, you can find tropical gardens and a wealth of natural beauty. Look in the right places, and you can even see toucans and parrots. But, seeing birds and experiencing stunning tropical beauty comes with a catch; it’s all about the habitat. The scenery in Costa Rica is always spectacular but don’t expect a whole lot of tropical nature in a housing development or on crowded streets

7 Birds Commonly Spotted at Villa San Ignacio

The best of life occurs in natural places, and that’s why Hotel Villa San Ignacio is a magnet for birds. Since we are talking about Costa Rica, such birds are tropical, and many of them are eye-catching beauties, even the common ones.

Orange-chinned Parakeet

Despite the size of a hefty sparrow, the chattering sounds of this small parakeet travels quite a distance. If you look in the highest branches of trees, you might see a few of these beauties. There might also be a flock up there, but since their green plumage and size helps disguise them as leaves, don’t be surprised if you are looking at a tree and some of “the foliage” suddenly takes flight.

Lesson’s Motmot

What’s a motmot?

These big, stunning birds are common in many areas, including our gardens. Watch for these intriguing birds while eating breakfast outside. They can also be seen on our trails and typically perch quite still in shaded spots. Listen for their “double hoot” calls.

Hoffmann’s Woodpecker

Our most common woodpecker species, this stunning bird, can visit fruit feeders. Its staccato calls are part of our local garden scene. It’s not camera shy either!

The other main woodpecker commonly seen at Villa San Ignacio is this big bird, the Lineated Woodpecker. These striking woodpeckers, about the same size as pigeons, travel in pairs as they hitch up trees, call from dead snags, and fly through the garden. Listen for their steady “laughing” vocalization.

Fiery-billed Aracari

Not all toucans have “toucan” in their name. Some smaller species are known as aracaris; Villa San Ignacio has this species, the Fiery-billed Aracari, frequenting hotel grounds. Found in Costa Rica and adjacent western Panama, this small toucan usually occurs in small groups and often feeds at fruiting trees.

Blue-vented Hummingbird

One of several hummingbird species that frequents Villa San Ignacio is the exquisite bird as it feeds from low flowering bushes near the reception. This hummingbird has a minimal range; it only occurs in parts of Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Masked Tityra

Who doesn’t like a bold bird with a pink face? This striking bird is usually seen in pairs and typically in treetops. Since they also nest in cavities, they gravitate to holes made by woodpeckers.

Blue-gray Tanager

A common garden bird, pondering over the different blue shades shown by this species, makes for a great, peaceful start to any day.

Believe it or not, these aren’t the only birds found in the gardens and on the grounds of Villa San Ignacio. Many more will be coming out; keep an eye on our blog to learn more about the exciting birdlife at Villa San Ignacio. Or better yet, visit us and see for yourself this tropical birding paradise!

Book your stay at the best hotel in Alajuela for birding

For more information/questions: Write to customerservice[a]villasanignacio.com

Blog by Patrick O’Donnell.
Patrick started birding at the age of 7 in Niagara Falls, NY. A biologist by trade, he has worked on bird-related projects in a number of places and has guided birders in Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica. Patrick has lived in Costa Rica since 2007 and when not birding, writes about birds, travel and tourism, and other topics.

The post Common, Beautiful Birds Of Villa San Ignacio appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Top Birdwatching Hotspots in Costa Rica

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 02:59:00 GMT

Birdwatching in Costa Rica is truly magnificent. Geographically small (51,100 km2), Costa Rica has six birding ecozones, dozens of micro-ecosystems, and 10% of the world’s bird species. Committed to protecting its biodiversity, Costa Rica officially protects roughly 1.5 million hectares. Protected areas include twenty-seven national parks, fifty-eight refuges for wildlife, thirty-two protected zones and, nineteen biological reserves. In addition to officially protected natural areas, thousands of privately-owned properties practice sustainable landscaping, designate green areas & also protect wildlife.
Birding hotspots dominate the cloud forest, humid lowlands, mountains, dry forest and, wetlands. Birds are everywhere in Costa Rica. Birdwatchers can visit the arid plains of the dry tropical forest and travel to the cloud forest in only a couple of hours. Ornithologists and birdwatching enthusiasts marvel at the micro-ecosystems and their dense avian population. Here are six sites noted on most “top ten birding hotspots”: Maquenque Wildlife Refuge near Nicaragua; Guanacaste’s Palo Verde National Park; Osa Peninsula; Talamanca Highlands near Panama; the La Selva Biological Station; and Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve.

BIRDWATCHING IN NORTHERN COSTA RICA

Northern Costa Rica is well known for Guanacaste’s pristine beaches and somewhat less visited by birdwatchers than the central and southern areas. There are areas, however, worth noting. Northern San Carlos and Guanacaste are home to valued national parks and active volcanoes. Birdwatching is a year-round activity, but birdwatchers flock to Costa Rica during the drier seasons, November through April. In the dry season, particularly Guanacaste, it is much easier to spot birds sitting in trees that have shed leaves to survive the drought.

Maquenque Wildlife Refuge

An emerging birding hotspot, the Maquenque Wildlife Refuge, was established in 2005 to protect the unique almond tree habitat and the endangered great green macaw. Located in the San Carlos province, this refuge is part of the Nicaragua-Costa Rica Border Corridor National Wildlife Refuge. Maquenque covers 51,855.10 hectares of wet tropical forest, lagoons & swamp. Although less explored than other areas in northern Costa Rica, this newly founded refuge has recorded 424 birds.

Palo Verde National Park

The Palo Verde National Park is on the Ramsar List of Wetlands. An essential marsh of Central America, the area is a sanctuary for migrating and resident waterfowl. In this hotpot, birdwatchers see storks, herons, egrets, grebes, ibis, ducks, jacanas, web-footed birds, among hundreds of other birds & wildlife species. On the park’s 19,800 Hectares, Palo Verde has 11 distinct habitats. With the tropical dry forest disappearing at alarming rates in Guanacaste, the OTS (Organization for Tropical Studies) and MINAE (government environmental offices) now monitor the park with the shared mission is to restore its wetland. Regenerating this dry tropical forest has become more intense as climate change continues to create even dryer conditions. In addition to visitor’s entrance fees, Palo Verde National Park receives support from partners like the University of Costa Rica, the private Foundation Llano Verde, and several other national and local government offices.

BIRDWATCHING IN SOUTHERN COSTA RICA

Southern Costa Rica, especially the lowland rainforest, is the storybook version of Costa Rica, colorful tropics and, populated jungle. Much of this area is still without electricity, any power supplied by generators. Access to most of southern Costa Rica requires a mix of travel by commuter plane, boat, jeep or shoreline hike to your hotel. This heavenly hotspot is well worth the effort to get there for birders interested in an adventure while birdwatching in Costa Rica.

Osa Peninsula

The Osa Peninsula is the largest tract of lowland rainforest in Central America. National Geographic refers to the Osa as “the most biologically intense place on earth.” This birding hotspot beholds an astonishing 3% of the world’s biodiversity. On the relatively small peninsula, lies Corcovado National Park. Internationally known for its big cats, tapirs, Corcovado is the only place where the Howler, Spider, white-faced capuchin, and Squirrel Monkey dwell together. If there is such a thing as a lazy birdwatcher, the Osa is this birder’s hotspot. Perch in a café with a forest view or lounge on a comfy chair on a hotel patio, and birds will flock to the lazy birder. Birdwatchers will see scarlet macaws (the Osa has the largest population of scarlet macaws in Central America), toucans and thrilling mixed flocks.

Talamanca Highlands

The highest elevations of Costa Rica are within the Cordillera Talamanca, in the southern segment of the mountain range of that runs from Guanacaste and into Panama. The high humidity and lower temperatures are inducive to “paramos” vegetation with tall grasses, herbs, mini bamboos and, club mosses. The Talamanca Highlands are cloud-forest of trees covered with bromeliads, ferns, and orchids. Birdwatchers must navigate the altitude and dense forest, but birdwatch spellbound by its mystical appearance. This birding hot spot is home to the Resplendent Quetzal. A brightly colored bird with a one-meter tail is not easy to spot in a misty cloud forest. A siting of the Resplendent Quetzal is a highlight for all birders.

BIRDWATCHING ROOTS IN COSTA RICA

Popular Birding hotspots have strong roots in Costa Rica. As early as 1954, visionaries established sanctuaries to protect the virgin forest environment and its inhabitants. La Selva originated as a study-site on mixed plantations for the improvement of natural resources management. The individuals with private study areas and sanctuaries methods laid the groundwork for Costa Rica’s officially protected land and the laws to protect biodiversity. The first national park was founded in 1963 when 1,172-hectares previously owned by foreign residents became Cabo Blanco National Park. Since 1963, Costa Rica has added 1.4 million hectares of protected areas.

La Selva Biological Station

By 1960, La Selva was an established farm dedicated to sustainable forest research. With ongoing forest research, this location evolved into the La Selva Research Station under the leadership of the OTS. Worldwide, La Selva Biological Station is a leading institution in tropical ecology with training and research opportunities for professional scientists. In Costa Rica, La Selva pioneered private forest conservation and, the La Selva Biological Station has laid the groundwork for many of the country’s laws to protect its land. OTS maintains 1,600 hectares of well-preserved old-growth and recovering wet lowland tropical forest.

Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve

Monteverde is on the top of the Tilarán Mountain Range. A typical thick mist shields the trees and plants from the hot tropical sun. This cloud forest is famous bromeliads, orchids, draping moss, and the hanging bridges tourists use to view them. The Costa Rican government opened up Monteverde, inaccessible by car in the 1950s, to the Quakers (a small group escaping the Korean War Draft) to create infrastructure and farm. An ornithologist who traveled to Monteverde in the 1970s was so impressed with Monteverde’s biodiversity, he sought out and met with the Quakers. Managing deforestation to protect this area would now be incorporated into plans for Monteverde. That first preserved area is now the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve.

BIRDWATCHING AT HOTEL VILLA SAN IGNACIO

Hotel Villa San Ignacio, in the 1970s, benefitted from a biologist. Between its origins as a private home and the late 1980s when the owners of Hotel Las Orquídeas Inn took over, the property was owned by a Duke University professor with ties to the Organization for Tropical Studies. With a variety of mature trees that are home to hundreds of species of birds, Hotel Villa San Ignacio makes the perfect place to stay when birdwatching in Costa Rica. Excited birdwatchers can start spotting birds on their first morning right in our backyard with our guided birding tour at Hotel Villa San Ignacio .

>>> Stay at the best hotel in Costa Rica for birdwatching

The post Top Birdwatching Hotspots in Costa Rica appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Costa Rica Birding Tours

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 06:49:00 GMT

As is usually the case on Costa Rica birding tours, the avian activity in a good habitat keeps you busy! Villa San Ignacio is a bit lower in altitude than San Jose and there fore more biodiverse. This naturally attracts more birds. Here is a list of Costa Rican birds you might see while staying at Villa San Ignacio.

While staying at Villa San Ignacio, you are more than welcome to explore the grounds in search of the birds. We also offer costa rica birding tours with a local Costa Rican birding expert for a more in depth experience while on the grounds.

Morning Costa Rica Birding Tour at Villa San Ignacio

Meet for coffee or tea at 5:45 a.m.
Birding Tour from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.

During the tour, your birding guide will talk about the distinct habitats at San Ignacio and the important role they play for birds. This tour is suitable for birders of all levels, the only requirement is wanting to learn about the birds that visit Villa San Ignacio.

Cost: $20 per person based with a minimum of four people, $80.

Costa Rica Bird Photography Tour at Villa San Ignacio

Meet for coffee or tea at 5:45 a.m.
Tour from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast Break
Tour continues 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

The focus of this birding tour will be finding and getting good photos of as many birds as
possible. This includes both common, photogenic birds like the Blue-gray Tanager and more challenging resident species like the Long-tailed Manakin, Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow, and Yellow-throated Euphonia.

Also guided by a local Costa Rican birding expert who knows the bird habitats of Villa San Ignacio very well. Our tour guide has years of experience in finding birds, and understands how to photograph birds.

Cost: $150 for the morning for 1 to 4 people, $200 for 5 to 8

Costa Rica Poás Birding Tour at Villa San Ignacio

Breakfast to Go at 5:15 a.m.
Depart Hotel Villa San Ignacio at 5:30 a.m.
Return to the Hotel at 12:30 p.m.

This tour includes birding along the road up to the entrance of the national park to look for a variety of highland species including Yellow-thighed Finch, Flame-throated Warbler, Sooty-capped Chlorospingus and many other birds. Rarities such as Costa Rican Pygmy-Owl and Resplendent Quetzal are also possible.

$130 for 1-4 participants,
$175 for 5-8 participants
Cost with transportation: $200, 3 participants maximum

Full Day Costa Rica Birding Tour of the Poás Area

Early Continental Breakfast To Go at 5:15 a.m.
Depart Hotel Villa San Ignacio at 5:30 a.m.
Return to the Hotel at 4:00 p.m.

On this birding tour, we visit high elevation habitats on the road to Poas in the morning. After lunch, we descend to the Colibri Cafe in Cinchona for middle elevation birding. Many high and middle elevation bird habitats are visited on the return to the hotel. On this birding tour, you will see many of the highland endemics, raptors, barbets, hummingbirds, and possibly more.

$200 for 1-4 participants, $250 for 5 or more
$275 with transportation included (3 participants maximum)
Cost of birding tour does not include lunch

Book your stay at the best hotel in Alajuela for birding

For more information/questions: Write to customerservice@villasanignacio.com

The post Costa Rica Birding Tours appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Higueron Ficus – Birds love them!

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 19:48:00 GMT

The “Higueron” ficus – What is It and Why So Many Costa Rica Birds Love It?

Arrive in Costa Rica, leave the airport and not long after, the car follows roads flanked by leafy hedgerows and other tropical vegetation. Here and there, towering over the hedgerows and roadways are massive trees with wide, fluted trunks and expansive crowns. If you could stop and look up into the leaves high overhead, stop to check the branches, you will see birds, you might see a lot. These impressive trees have been growing for more than a century, some for at least two hundred years, and during that time, they have played critical roles for countless numbers of birds. This tree is the “higuerón”, one of the most important trees in the Central Valley of Costa Rica.

“Higuerón” translates to “big fig” and in Costa Rica, refers to Ficus species that become trees with large fluted trunks and heights of more than 15 meters (40 feet). Although these large trees are not the same type of fig tree that produces the figs we eat, they are related to it and produce smaller fruits enjoyed by many animals. 50 species of fig trees grow in Costa Rica, including the climbing fig and the Common Rubber Tree but the ones that dominate remnant forests of the Central Valley tend to be strangler figs ; Ficus species that start as an epiphyte growing on a branch of another tree, send roots to the ground, and then, over many years, envelope the host tree with roots, branches and a trunk. This process eventually kills the host tree, effectively strangling it.

Despite the seemingly macabre nature of Strangler Figs, in Costa Rica and elsewhere, they play key roles in local ecosystems. The large number of fruits they produce act as much needed food for everything from toucans to large flycatchers, parrots, tanagers, and other species. In more forested areas, they are also frequently enjoyed by Spider Monkeys in the day, Kinkajous at night, and other animals. Essentially, such trees act as a veritable bonanza of sustenance, especially during the dry season or times when other trees lack fruit.

In the Central Valley, large remnant figs occur here and there, including in the gardens of Villa San Ignacio. Those massive beautiful “higuerones” are some of the main reasons why so many birds visit and thrive on the grounds of the hotel. When fruiting, they act as an important food source for Lesson’s Motmots, parrots and parakeets, many Clay-colored Thrushes, migrant species, tanagers, saltators, occasional Long-tailed Manakins, and even Keel-billed Toucans and Fiery-billed Aracaris. With so much original forest having been cut down in the Central Valley long ago, and so few large fig trees left standing, every remaining “higueron” is a vital source of food for resident birds.

The “higuerones” at Villa San Ignacio are pretty easy to recognize, just look for the biggest, most impressive trees with sculpted, fluted trunks. Upon seeing one, check the branches high overhead, we bet you’ll also see some birds!

The post Higueron Ficus – Birds love them! appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Birds of Costa Rica: Twitching in the Central Valley

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:53:00 GMT

With more than 900 species of birds, Costa Rica is a wonderland for bird watchers. In this lush country teeming with fruit and flowers, you don’t have to visit a reserve or an aviary to spy famous birds. Even walking in cities and along busy roads you’ll want to keep some attention skyward, as opportunities for spotting our feathered locals and in-season migrants are always available.

The best times for bird watching are in the early morning and late afternoon, the most temperate times of the day, when birds do their busywork. Magnificent colors set tropical birds apart from their northern relatives. Such unmistakable fancy dress means that even first time birders can experience the thrill of discovering a crimson fronted parakeet or blue-crowned motmot in its natural environment.

Old Souls

Birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs 150 million years ago. The Archaeopteryx (Greek for ancient wing) is the oldest known bird-like dinosaur. It had wings and feathers and could fly, but like its Velociraptor cousin this ancient avian also had small teeth and a long bony tail. The survival of the bird species is credited to the ability to fly – goodbye teeth – meaning in modern times the sweet hummingbird can rightly celebrate her evolutionary victory over theropod kin Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Most of our tropical birds are frugivorous (they feed on fruit) and this makes them excellent ecological stewards. They spread seeds, fostering the natural distribution of plants and trees throughout the region. Because fruit is plentiful, the sweet beaked birds don’t have to exhaust themselves hunting or fighting for sustenance. One of the greatest threats to our most brilliant birds is capture by humans, misguided souls who want to keep these ancient divines as pets.

Birds of the Central Valley

Here are just some of our feathered friends you might encounter when you stay a Villa St. Ignacio

Blue-crowned Motmot
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl
Gray-necked Wood-rail
Great Kiskadee
Laughing Falcon
Long-tailed Manakin
Montezuma Oropendola
Orange Chinned Parakeet
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Rufous-capped Warbler
Steely-vented Hummingbird
Social Flycatcher
Squirrel Cuckoo
White-crowned Parrot
Yellow-throated Euphonia

The post Birds of Costa Rica: Twitching in the Central Valley appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Looking for Long-tailed Manakins (Toledos)

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 20:54:00 GMT

The key to seeing the birds, is first hearing the birds.

As usual, I heard them long before seeing the birds. They were saying the name that Costa Ricans give to this beautiful little bird , “Toledo! Toledo!” As the Toledo sings, I quietly and slowly move toward the birdsong hoping to see the Long-tailed Manakins.

Searching for the Long-Tail Manakin at Villa San Ignacio

Otherwise known as the Long-tailed Manakin, a couple of Toledos were calling from the forest at Villa San Ignacio. I have seen Long-tailed Manakins several times before throughout the property, but on this day, they sang from the other side of the garden wall. That’s where the trails are, in an area of regenerating forest connected to a forested riparian zone.

It’s not a vast area of habitat, but based on bird counts I have done at Villa San Ignacio, the regenerating forest is big and mature enough to support a healthy range of species. This gives me hope that reforestation is possible, even in such heavily populated areas as the Central Valley of Costa Rica. It can also give us views of the Long-tailed Manakin .

Seeing other birds along the way

The best part of searching for the hard to see Long-Tailed Manakin is the other birds you will see along the way. One of the fancier birds waiting to be seen in Costa Rica, is a small frugivore that can be quite common in seasonal dry-forest. However, despite the bright colors, it can also be surprisingly unobtrusive. When I heard them calling from the trails at Villa San Ignacio, how could I not go and look for those turquoise-mantled beauties?

As I ventured onto the trails, I kept a close eye on the surrounding vegetation. The manakins could be anywhere. Other birds were also around. I slowly moved forward, and a flash of blue and green caught my eye. Patient scanning revealed one of the other beautiful birds often seen at this birdy site, a Lesson’s Motmot. This was not the bird I was looking for, but motmots are always easy on the eyes!

“Toledo! Toledo!” As I admired the motmot, the manakins reminded me to stay focused, to keep up the search. They sounded close, but no matter how much I peered into the vines and tropical trees, I just couldn’t see them.

All I could do was wait for the small birds to make the first move; stay patient, keep still, and keep looking. That approach wasn’t anything new. This is how birding usually goes; there are birds out there. Costa Rica has more than nine hundred birds recorded, but no one knows precisely when they will appear. All you can do is go to the best place to look and patiently watch for them. Birds eventually come into view and, that day at Villa San Ignacio was no exception.

As I heard the manakins call again, I carefully moved up the trail and caught a glimpse of movement. I spotted a bird in the tree like a woodpecker, except that it was plumaged in different shades of brown and dotted with spots and streaks. The shape of the beak told me that it was a Cocoa Woodcreeper, a good find for the Central Valley, and a sign of quality habitat!

I watched the woodcreeper use its bill to shake a dead leaf but kept my ears open for prettier birds, those that went by the name, Toledo . Sure enough, it wasn’t long before they called again, this time off to the right. I scanned and peered into the trees and caught the briefest hint of movement. Probably just a leaf in the wind, maybe even a butterfly but better to check it with binoculars, better to give my vision a boost. Focusing where I caught that movement revealed a small black bird, what I had noticed was the bird flicking its wings and long tail. No doubt about it, nothing else has those long, slender tail feathers, a
Long-tailed Manakin…

Finding the elusive Long-tailed Manakin

Wondering why it was so hard to find, I took my binoculars off the bird and then back onto it. When I look without binoculars, the Long-tail Manakin’s dark colors seem like any other shadow, any other dark leaf. It is unbelievable how a colorful bird like that can blend in! Eventually, it showed its colors, the shining blue back, the velvet-red crown, and I was reminded of the importance of being patient, carefully checking any hint of movement when birding the trails at Villa San Ignacio.

>Book your first night in Costa Rica at Villa San Ignacio

Blog by Patrick O’Donnell.
Patrick O’Donnell started birding at the age of 7 in Niagara Falls, NY. A biologist by trade, he has worked on bird-related projects in a number of places and has guided birders in Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica. Patrick has lived in Costa Rica since 2007 and when not birding, writes about birds, travel and tourism, and other topics.

The post Looking for Long-tailed Manakins (Toledos) appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Halloween or Dia de la Mascarada?

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 13:19:59 GMT

Halloween or Dia de la Mascarada?

In Costa Rica, as in many countries around the world, October 31 is a day for dress up. But that doesn’t just mean the ghosts and ghouls of Halloween. The traditional holiday that falls at the end of this month is Día de la Mascarada, or Day of the Masquerade.

Día de la Mascarada originated in the colonial period, as a regional adaptation of the Spanish Carnivale, with its costume balls and spirited dancing. By 1996, long after the tourism boom had taken root, this old world tradition had all but slipped away, and the spooky customs of Halloween had become common. That year, in an effort to reclaim the past, the Ministry of Culture established the Día de la Mascarada Tradicional, setting aside October 31 as a day for costume parades, which are held in towns across the country.

The Masquerade Parade has become an opportunity for local artists to express themselves through the costumes or “masquerades.” Every masquerade has a head and a body. The heads are made from layers of glue and newspaper sheets that are dried in the sun, similar to paper mache piñatas. These piñatas are shaped into enormous helmet-like heads, crafted to represent a variety of characters, such as “la giganta” (the giant women), “el diablillo” (the little devil), and “la calavera” (the skull). Skilled local artisans spend weeks preparing the masquerade costumes.

Music is essential to dance, and the parade music is provided by groups of musicians called Cimarronas – from cimarrón, the Spanish word for wild. On the Dia de la Mascarada, outsized characters dance in the streets to the wild music, their huge, wide-eyed heads bobbing with clowns, children, and laughing adults. It’s a day of merrymaking that treats all parade goers to a link with their shared and special past.

Ready to Plan Your Birding Trip to Costa Rica?

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 15:55:00 GMT

EXT. TROPICAL FOREST IN COSTA RICA – SUNRISE

Sunlight spokes, a forest canopy. A guide, weighted down with two sets of binoculars, zoom lens, and camera, leads a small group of birdwatchers. Above the dawn chorus, a piercing bird’s screech signals the guide.

GUIDE

Listen, here they come.

Sonorous screeches now louder. The guide seems apprehensive, looking this way and that, trying to figure out just where they will appear.

GUIDE

Watch that almond tree!

BIRDER

The tree with the orange fruit?

The guide, finger pointed westward, smiling.

GUIDE

No…

All birdwatchers now focused on the almendro, the trio of screeching Great Green Macaws fly directly overhead, as if to salute the birders watching from below, they sound off once again exiting view.

Why hire a Birdwatching Guide

Costa Rica is an excellent place to see Great Green Macaws. Easy access to suitable habitat for this endangered species makes this small country one of the most reliable sites to experience this spectacular bird. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to see. Macaws move around. A birder still needs to know when and where they might occur. As with any birding trip, success in seeing macaws and other species comes from careful planning, and Costa Rica is no exception.

In general, the best birding trips to foreign countries are preplanned routes. Even if the trip is to a country as easy to visit as Costa Rica, it pays off to plan months before your trip. Although a birder could arrange an itinerary to Costa Rica one week and then step off the plane in Juan Santamaría Airport seven days later, that’s probably not the best of ideas. Even if that birder spoke Spanish and had been to Costa Rica before, they would still be better off with a plan.

Why Costa Rica is the perfect place to go birding

Costa Rica hosts recovering populations of the Great Green Macaw. The official bird list for Costa Rica is well over 900 species. Covering 900 birds is a lot to learn in a week even, a lifetime. Giving yourself more time to study and learn about them makes for a much more satisfying trip.

Birds are everywhere. However, some places have more species than others. Some sites also have certain endemic species not seen elsewhere. It’s good to give yourself enough time to pick the best sites for your birding needs.

Planning your birding trip

On a birding trip, time is precious, and the more time for birding, the better! The best places to begin and end a birding trip to Costa Rica (and elsewhere) are places that combine thriving bird habitat, comfort, excellent cuisine, and proximity to the airport.

Although a year is more than enough time to plan an exciting birding trip, a few months will also work to plan your trip when communicating throughout the process with a guide who knows Costa Rica. To find the best flights, figure out how much time you need, and the best places to go, you might want to start planning now.

>Book your first and last night at the best birding hotel near San José’s Airport

The post Ready to Plan Your Birding Trip to Costa Rica? appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

A Morning of Birding at Hotel Villa San Ignacio

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 02:45:00 GMT

It’s barely dawn, but the birds are calling at Villa San Ignacio. Twin hoots of a Lesson’s Motmot filter in from the garden. They remind visiting birders of an owl or maybe even a barking dog. Great Kiskadees yell from the trees, and Rufous-capped Warblers chip and sing from the low vegetation. What else is out there? Which other birds are waiting in the sprawling crowns of the tall figs?

The only way to find out is by getting out of bed, stepping outside, and looking around. Do that, and we see palms growing next to large tropical trees, birds flitting in the foliage. A brief scan of the surrounding area reveals the shape of an unfamiliar bird. Perched on a branch, back in the shade, it seems to be slowing moving, its tail back and forth. As we focus on it with binoculars, we realize we are looking at our first motmot! A striking, beautiful bird naturally painted in shades of blue and green and with a long, “racket-tipped” tail, we wonder how it can be real?

When it flies to the ground to catch a beetle, we realize that we have departed Kansas. When we subsequently see a Clay-colored Thrush, we know we are in Costa Rica.

The sounds and movements of other birds bring us to the open area in front of the rooms. The view takes in nearby farmland, brushy fields, and patches of forest, but we hardly notice; as with any tropical morning, birds are keeping us busy.

Small flocks of Great-tailed Grackles and White-winged Doves wing through our field of view while a pair of subtly beautiful Blue-gray Tanagers flies in the other direction. A Tropical Kingbird sallies into the air to catch an unlucky moth, its yellow belly standing out against the pale blue of the morning sky. A distant chattering becomes louder, and a tight flock of small birds zips in front of us. It slowly dawns on us that those birds were green and that, yes, they were parakeets! Smiling in the afterglow of our first parakeets, we wonder how many other birds, how many other lifers are possible on this first morning in Costa Rica?

As we walk towards an area growing back into forest, we see our first family of Rufous-naped Wrens and notice the bounding flight of a Hoffmann’s Woodpecker. Its behavior and rattling call reminds us of woodpeckers back home. The “chicky-tuck” sound of a Summer Tanager also reminds us of birding in other, more familiar places and that Costa Rica is where so many of “our birds” spend the winter. Shortly after, other migrants, Yellow and Tennessee Warblers, end up the most spotted common species that morning.

Other species during the short walk include cardinal-sized Grayish and Buff-throated Saltators, large and loud Brown Jays, Rose-throated Becards, and, in a vine tangle, our first Barred Antshrike! The zebra-like male was sharing birding space with a Streak-headed Woodcreeper. It shivered its tail to the beat of its laughing, staccato song. The surprise of the morning was a small group of noisy Gray-headed Chachalacas that fed in one of the fig trees. Oh yeah, those and the small toucans (Fiery-billed Aracaris) that joined them!

Before we know it, a delicious, authentic breakfast is calling at the Pandora Restaurant. Time flies when the birding is good!

Blog by Patrick O’Donnell . Patrick started birding at the age of 7 in Niagara Falls, NY. A biologist by trade, he has worked on bird-related projects in a number of places and has guided birders in Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica. Patrick has lived in Costa Rica since 2007 and when not birding, writes about birds, travel and tourism, and other topics.

The post A Morning of Birding at Hotel Villa San Ignacio appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Birding at Villa San Ignacio = Classic, Beautiful Costa Rica

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 02:15:00 GMT

Costa Rica is a fantastic destination for birding. More than 900 species and counting. Easy access to a wealth of tropical birds like trogons, tanagers, and toucans. More than 50 species of hummingbirds (What?!? Yes!). Based on the impressive variety of birds that can be seen in Costa Rica, it’s easy to see why this beautiful nation is a top destination for birders.

However, although it might seem counterintuitive, the birds aren’t the only reason to go birding in Costa Rica. This country also excels for birding trips in a number of other ways, not the least of which is accommodation. After a few decades of being a major international tourism destination, the service industry in Costa Rica has evolved to meet the needs of guests across the spectrum. The best hotels, though, also know how to please guests that visit Costa Rica for reasons that range from medical tourism to experiencing culture and the nation’s stunning natural offerings. Birders fall into this latter category although most also appreciate culture, great food, and comfort (and how not?).

There’s nothing like finding a place that combines quaint elegance, beauty, excellent service, and wonderful birding because not only is such a blend ideal, it’s also a rare find. It’s easy to stay somewhere that offers the same type of rooms, décor, service, and surroundings as hotels in Milwaukee, New Jersey, and so many other places in the world but if the experience is like never leaving home, why even travel?

One the main draws for visiting Costa Rica is the nation’s natural beauty and when you can stay at accommodation that offers access to gardens shaded by and decorated with centuries old figs and tall palms, you are accessing a rare piece of classic Costa Rica. Although much of the Central Valley used to look like the gardens of Villa San Ignacio, unfortunately, urbanization has taken its toll on both historic beauty and the birds that need such places.

Fortunately, some years ago, the grounds of Villa San Ignacio were owned by a botanist who planted a variety of trees and allowed some areas to grow back. Because of that appreciation for nature and caretaking of the land, guests are treated to a rare glimpse into the natural past of the Central Valley, a past become present where they are accompanied by elegant tropical butterflies while strolling to rooms carefully designed to likewise put them in a more natural, welcoming, and authentic atmosphere.

Butterflies aren’t the only aspect of Costa Rica’s natural heritage that have been drawn to the grounds of Villa San Ignacio, birds have also paid attention and this is why guests can enjoy breakfast accompanied by Technicolor Lesson’s Motmots, the calls of colorful Hoffmann’s Woodpeckers, chattering Rufous-naped Wrens, and see Blue-vented Hummingbirds in the bushes. Its why, even being a short drive from the airport, they can walk on trails through a reforested area that has hosted everything from Fiery-billed Aracaris to Keel-billed Toucans, and Long-tailed Manakins.

What can we say? Classic, beautiful birds of Costa Rica are attracted to classic, beautiful surroundings.

The post Birding at Villa San Ignacio = Classic, Beautiful Costa Rica appeared first on Villa San Ignacio | Hotel near San Jose and Alajuela | Costa Rica .

Costa Rica Independence Day in Pictures

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 20:29:40 GMT

Costa Rica Independence Day in Pictures

September is a month of pride, patriotism, and families – generations of Costa Ricans celebrating together, commemorating the peaceful birth of a peaceful nation.