All 2 in 3 days here: ~10%
Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Central Valley, Costa Rica 1261 spp. recorded
One of Costa Rica's least-visited national parks protects a vast expanse of cloud forest on the edge of the Talamanca Range. With over 400 bird species including the Resplendent Quetzal, 45 mammal species, and annual rainfall exceeding 7,000 mm, Tapantí is a paradise for birders and a sanctuary for some of Central America's most elusive wildlife.
9.688° N 83.742° W
🦜 Nature
760 Species sighted
328,666 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Feb Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 482 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 4 in 3 days here: <5%
All 4 in 3 days here: <5%
All 4 in 3 days here: <5%
Recent sightings in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
38Jan
63Feb
48Mar
43Apr
43May
42Jun
39Jul
41Aug
45Sep
57Oct
41Nov
42Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Paraiso Quetzal Lodge
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Fiery-throated Hummingbird~80%+30%
Talamanca Hummingbird~70%+20%
Volcano Hummingbird~70%+20%
Emerald Swift~70%+30%
Red-tailed Squirrel~70%+40%
Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher~70%+20%
Lesser Violetear~60%+10%
Rufous-collared Sparrow~60%≈
Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager~60%+10%
Montane Alligator Lizard~60%+40%
Large-footed Finch~60%+10%
Slaty Flowerpiercer~50%+10%
-
Savegre Valley · Miriam's Restaurant
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Emerald Swift~90%+40%
- Red-tailed Squirrel~80%+50%
- Rufous-collared Sparrow~60%≈
- Talamanca Hummingbird~50%≈
- Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager~50%≈
- Lesser Violetear~50%≈
- Volcano Hummingbird~50%≈
- Large-footed Finch~50%≈
White-throated Mountain-gem~50%≈
Mountain Thrush~40%≈
Clay-colored Thrush~40%-10%- Slaty Flowerpiercer~40%-10%
-
Reserva El Copal (Tausito)
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Central American Agouti~70%+50%- Clay-colored Thrush~60%≈
Central American White-faced Capuchin~50%+30%
Warszewitsch's Frog~40%+20%
Bighead Anole~40%+30%
Border Anole~40%+30%
Neotropical Green Anole~40%+30%
Wet Forest Toad~40%+30%
Fer-de-lance~30%+20%
Giant Marine Toad~30%+20%
Fitzinger's Robber Frog~30%+20%
Clay-colored Rain Frog~30%+20%
-
KM 76, Providencia road
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Emerald Swift~70%+30%
- Red-tailed Squirrel~60%+30%
Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine~50%+40%- Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager~50%-10%
- Fiery-throated Hummingbird~40%-10%
Baird's Tapir~40%+30%- Montane Alligator Lizard~40%+10%
- Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher~30%-10%
Cacomistle~30%+30%- Rufous-collared Sparrow~30%-40%
- Talamanca Hummingbird~30%-30%
- Mountain Thrush~30%-20%
-
RF Río Macho, Cartago · camino ICE
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Medium
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Hard
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
4.8
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 762
🐒 Mammals 225
🦎 Reptiles 159
🐸 Amphibians 115
1261 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
48 Threatened 101 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
2.4
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
51% 📊
Coverage (250 species at ≥5% of 1261 in the inventory)
20% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (11 bird, 1 reptile)
20% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
161 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
3 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
17 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
2.5
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism High Low
Trails Hard Low
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
As we left this area, we stopped at the National Park “Los Quetzales” where we did not see Quetzals, but we did see another new Hummingbird.
At one snack stop we spotted a beautiful swallow-tailed kite soaring overhead.
We actually birded on a flat road at Tapantí Macizo de la Muerte National Park and stopped at another spot where Carlos & I birded the road while the rest of the group went off into the woods.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park?
1,261 species
Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park has 1,261 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Rufous-collared Sparrow (about 60%), Clay-colored Thrush (about 60%), Volcano Hummingbird (about 60%), Talamanca Hummingbird (about 50%) and Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager (about 50%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Red-tailed Squirrel (about 30%); among reptiles, Emerald Swift (about 50%); among amphibians, Warszewitsch's Frog (about 20%).
When is the best time to visit Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park for wildlife?
January to March
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 60% on a given day, against about 30% in October. Those are among Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park's driest months, with about 210 mm of rain a month against 570 mm in October.
Can you see a Resplendent Quetzal in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Resplendent Quetzal sighting in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, based on 2,891 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January–March and September (about 30%).
Can you see a Fiery-throated Hummingbird in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Fiery-throated Hummingbird sighting in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, based on 6,696 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February to April (about 60%).
Can you see a Talamanca Hummingbird in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Talamanca Hummingbird sighting in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, based on 7,112 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is December to April (about 60%).
Can you see a Central American White-faced Capuchin in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Central American White-faced Capuchin sighting in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park on a given day, based on 49 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April (about 30%).
Where in Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Paraiso Quetzal Lodge
The richest sighting zone is around Paraiso Quetzal Lodge, followed by Savegre Valley · Miriam's Restaurant and Reserva El Copal (Tausito), ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.1 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park rates 3.1/5: 259th of 316 parks worldwide and 40th in Central America. 19 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
