New York City Skylines: 9/11 Tribute
September 10 – 13, 2026
Costa Rica Wildlife
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At a Glance
Location
Costa Rica
Tuition
$13,995
Dates
April 3 – 14, 2028
Fitness Level
Availability
Limited to 6 Guests
Collections
- Journey
- Signature Collection
Costa Rica Wildlife Photography Workshop
Tropical rainforest wildlife in one of the most biodiverse countries earth
April 3 – 14, 2028
- 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 3, 2028: 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, you’ll be met and transferred to a peaceful garden hotel tucked away in the quieter suburbs of San José. Depending on arrival times, there may already be opportunities to begin photographing Costa Rica’s birdlife among tropical gardens and mature trees, where species such as Lesson’s Motmot, Hoffmann’s Woodpecker, and occasionally even Mottled Owl can sometimes be found directly on the property.
In the evening, we’ll gather for a welcome dinner and an introduction to the journey ahead.
April 4, 2028: Travel from San José to Arenal Volcanic Region
After breakfast, we leave the Central Valley behind and travel north toward the rainforest-covered foothills surrounding Arenal Volcano. The route itself offers a dramatic introduction to Costa Rica’s changing landscapes, with volcanic mountains, dense forest, and roadside wildlife encounters all possible along the journey.
Depending on conditions and recent activity, we may stop opportunistically to photograph sloths, roadside birds, or even the unique Three-wattled Bellbird on display.
By afternoon, we arrive within one of Costa Rica’s most photogenic volcanic landscapes, where rainforest, open views, and dramatic volcanic scenery combine to create an extraordinary diversity of photographic opportunities. The surrounding gardens and forests regularly attract toucans, hummingbirds, howler monkeys, motmots, and colorful tanagers, all set against the imposing backdrop of Arenal Volcano.
April 5, 2028: Explore Arenal’s Hummingbirds and Volcanic Forests
Today is dedicated entirely to exploring the foothill forests and volcanic landscapes surrounding Arenal. 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 and mist transforming the landscape throughout the day.
We’ll remain flexible and adapt to recent wildlife sightings, weather conditions, and photographic opportunities as they develop.
April 6, 2028: Journey to Caribbean Lowlands
After a final morning session around Arenal, we descend into the warm Caribbean lowlands and continue toward the remote rainforests near the Nicaraguan border. The environmental transition is dramatic. Volcanic foothills gradually give way to dense tropical rainforest, with increasing humidity, towering vegetation, and a completely different cast of wildlife as the journey continues east.
By afternoon, we arrive in one of Costa Rica’s most productive lowland rainforest regions for wildlife photography. Toucans, parrots, aracaris, and Montezuma Oropendolas regularly visit the feeding stations at close range, often allowing exceptional opportunities for portraits, behavior, and flight photography in beautiful natural light.
April 7–8, 2028: Reptiles, Frogs, Plenty of birds, and Night Time Bats
The rainforests surrounding Boca Tapada offer extraordinary opportunities for wildlife photography, with consistent bird activity throughout the day. Depending on conditions, we may spend time around the feeding stations photographing toucans, parrots, aracaris, and Montezuma Oropendolas, or venture deeper into the surrounding rainforest looking for nests of the Royal Flycatcher. During our stay, we’ll also visit a renowned photography blind for opportunities to photograph the unmistakable King Vulture, while other sessions focus on frogs, reptiles, insects, and macro subjects such as Red-eyed Tree Frogs, glass frogs, and poison dart frogs.
After dinner on one evening, 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 9, 2028: Sarapiquí Wildlife Encounters
Today, we continue south through the Caribbean lowlands toward Sarapiquí. Upon arrival, photography opportunities will be dependent on recent activity and local sightings. We may visit fruiting trees, lekking sites, or active nesting areas where species such as manakins, Scarlet Macaws, and sloths are often encountered.
April 10, 2028: Owls and Other Species in a Private Reserve
This morning, we visit one of Costa Rica’s most prestigious wildlife photography locations. This private reserve offers intimate opportunities to photograph a remarkable diversity of rainforest birdlife in carefully maintained natural settings, including several highly sought-after owl species, hummingbirds, and other colorful tropical birds that are often difficult to encounter elsewhere.
April 11, 2028: Ascend to the Cloud Forests
Today, we leave the Caribbean lowlands behind and ascend into the cool cloud forests of the Talamanca Mountains, the oldest and most biologically distinctive mountain range in Costa Rica. Here, dense rainforest gradually gives way to mist-covered oak forest, cooler mountain air, and an extraordinary concentration of endemic species found nowhere else on Earth.
By afternoon, we’ll begin photographing some of Costa Rica’s spectacular highland hummingbirds and cloud-forest species, specially adapted to these cool montane elevations. Constantly shifting fog and moss-covered forest create an entirely different photographic atmosphere from the tropical lowlands explored earlier in the workshop.
April 12, 2028: Photograph the Legendary Resplendent Quetzal
We conclude the workshop on a high note in Neotropical bird photography. Before sunrise, we visit one of the region’s privately managed farms to maximize our chances of photographing the legendary 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.
April 13, 2028: Morning Exploring Talamanca, Evening Return to San José
We enjoy one last morning in the highlands of Talamanca, looking for different targets to photograph. Endemics like the Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher and Volcano Hummingbird are high on our list. We will make our way back to the central valley and head back to San Jose for the final night.
April 14, 2028: Departure
Flights out can be made anytime on April 14, 2028.
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 3, 2028. Flights out can be made anytime on April 14, 2028. 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 $1,400 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 $1,400 supplement.
Payment Terms
- Your deposit of $4,995 will hold your space in this workshop.
- Further payment of $5,000 is due by August 1, 2027.
- The balance is due not later than November 1, 2027.
- 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.
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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