New York City Skylines: 9/11 Tribute
September 10 – 13, 2026
Costa Rica Wildlife
Sold Out
At a Glance
Location
Costa Rica
Tuition
$12,995
Dates
April 4 – 14, 2027
Fitness Level
Availability
Limited to 7 Guests
Collections
- Journey
- Signature Collection
Costa Rica Wildlife Photography Workshop
Tropical rainforest wildlife in one of the most biodiverse countries earth
April 4 – 14, 2027
- Learn with an exceptional 3:1 guest-to-Pro ratio
- Stay in lodges designed around wildlife photography
- Quetzals, toucans, hummingbirds, sloths, frogs, and owls
First light comes slowly in the rainforest, a soft glow filtering through the canopy as the forest begins to stir, and more and more birds start their morning songs. Before long, shapes begin to move: a toucan crossing a gap in the trees, a hummingbird catching the light for a split second, or a quetzal slipping through the branches with breakfast for its young.
This is Costa Rica, one of the most biologically rich countries on the planet. Despite covering just 0.03% of the Earth’s landmass, it holds around 5% of global biodiversity, including over 900 bird species, more than the U.S. and Canada combined. For wildlife photographers, it offers a rare combination of accessibility and diversity. Within a relatively small area, you can move from volcanic highlands to lowland rainforest, each ecosystem supporting a completely different array of species.
This wildlife photography workshop is designed to take full advantage of that diversity, with a clear focus on bird and mammal photography in locations where subjects are both abundant and approachable. You’ll work alongside your pros to improve your techniques for photographing fast-moving birds, balancing exposure in difficult forest light, and experimenting with off-camera flash to freeze the movement of hummingbirds and bats. There will also be opportunities to photograph reptiles and frogs in controlled macro setups.
Throughout the workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to photograph toucans, macaws, hummingbirds, tanagers, trogons, motmots, jacamars, and a wide variety of forest passerines, alongside mammals such as monkeys, sloths, and coatis.
What makes this itinerary particularly effective is the balance it strikes between controlled photographic setups and genuine forest encounters. Some locations are designed to maximize repetition and give you opportunities to refine your technique, while others encourage you to read behavior, anticipate movement, and react as species move through the forest.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll not only leave with a greater understanding of wildlife photography, but you’ll also take home a diverse portfolio of images and a deeper appreciation for the complexity, behavior, and beauty of one of the most wildlife-rich environments on Earth.
Your Pros
Helmut Guth
Itinerary
About the wildlife: This workshop offers significant opportunities for photographing wildlife, and while we do our best to maximize our wildlife encounters—based on past experiences, local knowledge, and the current conditions—we need to impress upon you that the wildlife really is wild and that we don’t control it.
This itinerary is subject to change due to weather, local conditions, and other factors.
April 4, 2027: Arrival and Gardens of San José
Arrive at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), San José (Alajuela), Alajuela before 4:00 PM today. Air travel delays are common. Please arrive early, possibly even the day prior, so you don’t miss any of the workshop.
Welcome to Costa Rica. Upon arrival in San José, you’ll be met and transferred to a peaceful hotel tucked away in the capital’s quieter suburbs. Depending on arrival times, there may already be opportunities to begin photographing Costa Rica’s birdlife in the hotel’s grounds, among huge tropical gardens and mature trees.
In the evening, we’ll gather for a welcome dinner and an introduction to the journey ahead.
April 5, 2027: Caribbean Lowlands & Bat Photography
After breakfast, we leave the Central Valley behind and descend through volcanic mountains toward Costa Rica’s lush Caribbean lowlands. Along the way, we’ll stop at a rainforest viewpoint where hummingbirds, tanagers, and toucanets regularly visit feeders overlooking cascading waterfalls and dense jungle.
By afternoon, we arrive deep within the lowland rainforest near the Nicaraguan border, where some of Costa Rica’s finest bird photography opportunities await. Toucans, parrots, aracaris, and Montezuma Oropendolas regularly visit the feeders at close range, offering ideal conditions for bird portrait, behavior, and flight photography.
After dinner, one of the workshop’s most technically unique sessions will focus on teaching multi-flash bat-in-flight photography, where you’ll learn the techniques required to capture fast-moving nocturnal mammals in flight.
April 6, 2027: Close Encounters with King Vulture
After a sunrise session at the feeding stations in the lodge, we will visit a world-renowned photography blind for close encounters with the unmistakable King Vulture, one of the Neotropics’ most striking scavengers.
Following lunch, there will be a macro photography session working with rainforest frogs, reptiles, and other small subjects in carefully selected natural settings. Depending on conditions, subjects may include Red-eyed Tree Frogs, poison dart frogs, glass frogs, and Eyelash Pit-vipers. Instruction here will focus on off-camera lighting control, macro technique, and creative compositions.
April 7, 2027: Morning Feeding Stations, Travel to Arenal Volcano
After a final morning session at the rainforest feeding stations, we travel toward the foothills surrounding Arenal Volcano. The transfer itself often provides excellent roadside wildlife opportunities, particularly for sloths sheltering among Cecropia trees.
By afternoon, we arrive within one of Costa Rica’s most photogenic volcanic landscapes, where rainforest, grand views, and dramatic volcanic scenery combine to create a remarkable diversity of photographic opportunities. The surrounding gardens and forests regularly attract toucans, hummingbirds, monkeys, motmots, and colorful tanagers, all set against the imposing backdrop of Arenal Volcano.
April 8, 2027: Exploring Volcanic Foothills
Today is dedicated entirely to photographing the foothill forests and volcanic landscapes surrounding Arenal Volcano.
Hummingbirds are particularly abundant here, while mixed flocks moving through the forest edges may include euphonias, honeycreepers, and a variety of colorful foothill species. The constantly shifting weather around the volcano often creates dramatic photographic conditions, with clouds, mist, and changing light transforming the landscape throughout the day.
With our private transportation available, we’ll remain flexible and adapt to recent wildlife sightings and current conditions.
April 9, 2027: Caribbean Lowlands
Following one final morning session around the volcano, we descend once more into Costa Rica’s warm Caribbean rainforest lowlands.
As throughout much of the workshop, the day remains intentionally flexible to maximize photographic opportunities. Depending on recent wildlife activity, we may visit lekking sites, active nests, fruiting trees, or roadside locations for species such as Scarlet Macaws, manakins, and Royal Flycatchers.
We expect to arrive at our lodge in the late afternoon, with time to cool off, relax, and enjoy the transition back into the warm, humid Caribbean rainforest ecosystem.
April 10, 2027: Owls, Sloth, Frogs (and everything in-between)
This morning, we’ll visit one of Costa Rica’s most legendary wildlife photography locations, hosted by a renowned local naturalist whose property has become famous for intimate encounters with rainforest birds and owls.
Our primary focus will be on two highly sought-after species: Spectacled Owl and Crested Owl, though the surrounding rainforest regularly produces a remarkable variety of additional wildlife subjects.
In the afternoon, we’ll continue to a small ecological reserve where we’ll search for sloths, frogs, butterflies, and the remarkable Honduran White Tent Bat beneath heliconia leaves.
April 11, 2027: Photograph Highland Hummingbirds
Today, we undertake the longest overland transfer of the workshop as we leave the Caribbean lowlands behind and ascend into the cloud forests of the Talamanca Mountain Range — the oldest, tallest, and perhaps most biologically distinctive mountain system in Costa Rica.
Our 3.5-hour journey takes us back through the Central Valley before climbing steadily into mist-covered cloud forests, shaped by cool temperatures and a remarkable concentration of endemic species found nowhere else on Earth.
The environmental transition is dramatic. Warm tropical lowlands gradually give way to crisp mountain air, with nighttime temperatures occasionally dropping below 50°F (10°C). The atmosphere, vegetation, and wildlife of the highlands feel entirely distinct from the rainforest ecosystems explored earlier in the journey.
Upon arrival, we will dedicate the remaining afternoon light to photographing some of Costa Rica’s spectacular highland hummingbirds. Species may include the tiny Volcano Hummingbird, Talamanca Hummingbird, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, and several other cloud forest specialists that thrive in these cool montane conditions.
April 12, 2027: Resplendent Quetzal
Before sunrise, we’ll head deep into the cloud forest in search of one of the world’s most iconic birds: the Resplendent Quetzal.
Often regarded as one of the most beautiful birds in the world, the quetzal occupies an almost mythical place in Central American natural history and culture. During nesting season, individuals can often be observed carrying food, interacting near nest cavities, or displaying in the soft morning light of the cloud forest — creating exceptional photographic opportunities.
Our day will be dedicated almost entirely to this iconic species, though the surrounding highland forests also support an extraordinary diversity of additional cloud forest birds, hummingbirds, and mammals.
April 13, 2027: Final Cloud Forest Session, Return to San José and Image Review
If conditions allow, we will begin the morning with one final cloud forest photography session before descending back toward San José. After the roughly 3.5-hour drive, the afternoon is intentionally relaxed, allowing time for an in-depth image review and a final evening together before departures the following morning.
April 14, 2027: Flights Home
Flights out can be made anytime on April 14, 2027.
Where you'll be staying
Accommodation throughout the workshop is comfortable, characterful, and well-suited to the environments we'll be photographing in. Rather than large luxury resorts, the lodges have been chosen for their proximity to wildlife activity and access to productive photographic locations, allowing you to maximize time in the field.
Rooms are private, clean, and comfortable throughout, with a mix of well-appointed rainforest lodges and boutique-style hotels. While a few properties are slightly simpler than the standard of luxury typically associated with Muench Workshops, they have been selected for their exceptional wildlife opportunities directly on the grounds, which often mean photographic opportunities begin before breakfast and continue long after returning from the field.
Fitness
Moderate: Participants should be comfortable walking up to 2 miles at a time on uneven, muddy forest trails while carrying camera equipment in warm and humid tropical conditions.
Flights
Arrive at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), San José (Alajuela) before 4:00 PM on April 4, 2027. Flights out can be made anytime on April 14, 2027. Air travel delays are common. Please arrive early, possibly even the day prior, so you don’t miss any of the workshop.
What to Bring
Please see our page How To Prepare For Your Workshop. We will send you a detailed information document 90 days before your workshop. This document will include specifics of where and when to meet, gear and clothing recommendations, and more.
What’s Included
- Double occupancy lodging. Single available for $1,275 supplement.
- Scheduled airport transfers.
- All meals, soft drinks, and snacks during the workshop.
- Tips for crew, drivers, and local guides.
- All permits and park fees.
- All transportation during the workshop.
- Scheduled airport transfers.
- Multiple image reviews and post-processing sessions.
- English-speaking local guide throughout the workshop.
- Photographic guiding and instruction from 2 pros.
- Adventure, fun, inspiration, and a great time!
Not Included
- Travel to and from San José (Alajuela), Alajuela.
- Passport and visa fees (if applicable).
- Any meals or accommodations before or after the workshop dates.
- Items of a personal nature.
- Alcoholic Beverages.
- Medical Evacuation Insurance (required).
- Travel Medical (required).
- Travel Medical and Trip Cancellation Insurance (optional, but recommended).
- Anything else specifically not listed as included.
- Single rooming available for $1,275 supplement.
Payment Terms
- Your deposit of $4,995 will hold your space in this workshop.
- Further payment of $4,000 is due by August 1, 2026.
- The balance is due not later than November 1, 2026.
- All of our standard Terms and Conditions apply.
- Need special payment arrangements? No problem, just ask us.
Frequently Asked Questions
You'll have the opportunity to photograph a diverse range of wildlife, including toucans, macaws, hummingbirds, tanagers, trogons, motmots, jacamars, and forest passerines. Mammals such as monkeys, sloths, and coatis are also common subjects.
You'll learn techniques for photographing fast-moving birds, balancing exposure in challenging forest light, and using off-camera flash to freeze the movement of hummingbirds and bats. There will also be opportunities to practice macro photography with reptiles and frogs.
Participants should be comfortable walking up to 2 miles on uneven, muddy forest trails while carrying camera equipment in warm and humid tropical conditions. This workshop is not recommended for anyone with balance issues or discomfort in humid environments.
You'll stay in comfortable lodges and boutique-style hotels chosen for their proximity to wildlife activity. Rooms are private, clean, and well-suited to the environments, allowing for maximum time in the field.
Yes, medical evacuation insurance and travel medical insurance are required for this workshop. Trip cancellation insurance is optional but recommended to protect your investment.
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