Costa Rica
Explore the biodiversity of a sister region
April 1–13, 2009

Picture a place of impressive biodiversity, friendly people and a legendary rainy season. A landscape marked by steaming volcanoes and bubbling hot springs that is home for a good portion of the year to songbirds like the western tanager, olive-sided flycatcher and Swainson's thrush. Imagine a locale associated with both stunning natural beauty and a rich cup of coffee.

Are you thinking of the Pacific Northwest? How about Costa Rica?

Even though they seem worlds apart, separated by more than 3,000 miles as the black swift flies, these two regions are interconnected in some very tangible ways.

For years, we've greeted the songbirds in the Skagit Valley and North Cascades as they make their way north for summer breeding. This spring, we're heading south to see them in their winter habitat and to gain a better understanding of the larger natural-history story of these neotropical migrants.

Led by Max Vindas, one of Costa Rica's most talented birders, we'll visit several handpicked hotspots to experience the astoundingly rich array of flora, fauna and culture offered in a relatively small area. From the cloud forests of the Monteverde Biological Reserve to the highlands of Arenal Volcano, from the lowland Caribbean forests surrounding La Selva Biological Station to a national wildlife refuge on the Pacific coast, this will be a birding expedition you'll never forget.

Your guide for this trip will be neotropical migration expert and environmental artist Libby Mills, who has been leading birding trips for more than 20 years and has traveled up, down and across the Americas in pursuit of the images and sounds of nature that she records by journal and iPod. A published illustrator, Libby is famous for her entertaining presentations, deep ecological knowledge and warm enthusiasm.

Accompanying the expedition will be go-to naturalist Megan McGinty. Fluent in Spanish and seasoned in Latin American travel, Megan has led birding and backcountry expeditions in Mexico, Costa Rica and Patagonia.

Trip dates are April 1-13, 2009. Tuition is $4750 and is all inclusive, including round-trip airfare from Seattle, shared occupancy lodging in all destinations, meals, in-country ground transportation, site entry fees and in-country guide. If you are interested in North Cascades Institute's second-annual Costa Rica field excursion and want to receive more information, please contact us at (360) 856-5700 ext. 209 or nci@ncascades.org.

2009 Costa Rica Itinerary