As Costa Rica holds nearly 5% of the world’s biodiversity, it is known worldwide as an excellent place for observing birds. Due to the country’s fine treatment of visiting tourists, Costa Rica is a logical location for the development of Central America’s premier birding trail, the Costa Rican Bird Route.

The Costa Rican Bird Route (CRBR) is a project being implemented by the Rainforest Biodiversity Group, Inc (RBG) with funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Neotropical Migratory Bird Act (NMBCA).  This project is being implemented to promote the conservation of bird habitat and the biological diversity within the San Juan – La Selva Biological Corridor (CBSS) of Costa Rica by improving bird tourism in the region. Bird tourism will bring economic opportunities for local landowners and local communities via visiting bird watchers and other eco-tourists, providing an economic incentive for habitat conservation.

The Costa Rican Bird Route, at its inception, will consist of 13 bird watching locations within 12 official sites. A criterion was established to ensure that the selected locations provide the best bird watching opportunities in the Sarapiquí region of Costa Rica. This region supports the last remaining habitat of the endangered Great Green Macaw (Ara ambigua). The Costa Rican Bird Route offers the greatest viewing opportunities on the planet of this rare species.

Of the 12 Costa Rican Bird Route sites, 6 of the sites are newly created reserves owned by local landowners called Remote sites. These 6 sites protect a minimum of 100 hectares (225 acres) of natural habitat. The other 6 sites are established biological reserves, or Portal sites, that offer access to the Remote sites while providing visitors with excellent accommodations. To maintain environmentally sound tourism and conservation practices within the Bird Route, all sites will adhere to a set of sustainable tourism practices. A monitoring system will be established to ensure sites adhere to their contractual practices.