Bird watching at Cristal Ballena
Explore the impressive and versatile bird and plant life in the hotel’s colorful gardens on our own jungle trail and the tropical rainforest near the Marino Ballena Maritime National Park.
Hiking on your own or booking a bird watching tour with our experienced guides provides an unforgettable experience.
For many bird and nature watchers the Hotel Cristal Ballena is a popular destination. In our own bird list we have more than 200 bird species recorded.
Costa Rica – a birdwatchers paradise
10 percent of the global biodiversity of birds awaits you in this small country of 51,000 square kilometers.
More than 900 bird species have been confirmed in the Official List of Birds of Costa Rica by the Costa Rican Ornithological Association. A paradise of biodiversity of birdlife.
The ornithological tourism, with photo enthusiasts and naturalists is growing every year.
Costa Rica is one of the countries with the largest number of endemic, colorful birds and their natural behavior and beautiful songs and sounds.
Come and visit the tropical humid forests in the southern Pacific lowlands near Bahia Ballena, Uvita de Osa and the Marino Ballena National Park.

Birdwatching at Cristal Ballena. The versatile bird and plant life attracts many visitors.
Costa Rica Birding Hot Spots Hotels
We are proud to be part of the group of best hotels in the country for bird watching, with other eight lodges and hotels, located in the main Important Bird Areas for conservation (IBA’s) declared by BirdLife International in Costa Rica.
To be member of this select group our hotel has been subjected to strict criteria, as having a private reserve for conservation of original habitats, tourism declaration, sustainability certificate, birdwatching guide, be part of a Biological Corridor and near a National Park, offering food and beverages services, and facilities to the birders, as Handbook Bird Guides, Bird’s Checklist of the hotel and optic material.

Location of the Costa Rica Birding Hotspots in the Important Bird Areas Map of BirdLife.org
Birding tours

Book a birding tour with a biologist guide to explore the nature around the hotel.
You will discover the trails and quiet corners of the property and the beautiful access road to the beach.
The Birding Tour at Cristal Ballena starts at 6:00 am at the reception, to ascend to the top of our hill and see the entrance to our tropical rainforest trail.
If you have patience you can capture with a camera fast hummingbirds fluttering around flowers and bushes surrounding our gardens.