Chasing the famous Resplendet Quetzal

When I was backpacking around Central America last summer, I finally managed to spot the famous Resplendet Quetzal!

Ever since I’ve been to Guatemala the first time I wanted to see this beautiful bird. The Quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala, part of their flag and even lent its name to their country’s currency. Due to its long tail and its vibrant colours many consider it among the world's most beautiful birds. It was once sacred to the Mayans and is a symbol of freedom. It is the only bird in the world that can’t be locked up because it would die of sadness, so the only way to spot it is in its natural environment.

I started my first attempt in Boquete in Panama: Near the small town of Boquete, in the Volcano Baru National Park, I hiked for over 4 hours on the Quetzal Trail. I left my Hostel early in the morning, but even before arriving to the considered Quetzal habitat it started to rain heavily. Even though they are relatively large for a bird, they are very difficult to spot and due to the rain, I was forced to head back to the town without seeing a single Quetzal.

Due to lack of time I left Panama and decided to try my luck in Costa Rica. In my tourist guide I read about Monteverde National Park and I was almost heading there, when I met a local tourist guide in my hostel in San Jose. He recommended me not to go to Monteverde and better head to Trinidad de Dota near the National Park Los Quetzales. A less touristy place, near to San Jose and far cheaper than Monteverde. I changed my planes and the next day in the morning I took the bus to Trinitad de Dota, where I arrived not even two hours later. A friend of the guy I met in the hostel already waited for me when I got off the bus and he offered me to guide me to the area where the Quetzales usually eat.

We were pretty near the main highway and not even 10 minutes away from the place where the bus dropped me off. I was quite sceptical about being able to spot a Quetzal that close to civilization but not even 5 minutes went by when I saw the first one. It was a female, all in green and without the long tail. I spent the whole day wandering around the area, spotting five Quetzales and taking over 500 photos.

If you are interested in birdwatching but maybe don’t want to hike hours through the jungle without even knowing if you really lucky enough to see a Quetzal, Trinidad the Dota is definitely the place you should visit!

It was an awesome day and definitely one of the highlights of my trip to Costa Rica!