How a Hotel is Saving Valuable Tropical Birds in Costa Rica

The scarlet macaw, ara macao, is an icon of Costa Rica’s central and southern Pacific region. This gregarious, highly intelligent, and rainbow-feathered tropical bird has long been a highly sought-after prize for avid birdwatchers and nature loving travelers alike in Costa Rica.

The scarlet macaws of Costa Rica typically cruise the coastline and nest, breed, and feed in the rainforest. But the birds are under threat from habitat destruction, climate change, and illegal poaching by laperos (people who steal scarlet macaws from the wild to sell them as pets and attractions on the world market).

It is estimated that there are fewer than 2,000 scarlet macaws left in the wild in Costa Rica. Fortunately, some pretty amazing people, organizations, and even hotels in Costa Rica are helping to protect and revive the iconic avian population.

Hotel Punta Leona is a shining example of sustainable tourism and land, resource, and wildlife conservation at its best. Located just an hour away from San José in the canton of Garabito near the Carara National Park, Hotel Punta Leona offers guests a tropical rainforest and beach escape. Since 1975, Hotel Punta Leona has been dedicated to the environment and local community, and implements practices and programs that benefit both.

In 1994, with the help of Dr. Christopher Vaughan, Hotel Punta Leona created a scarlet macaw conservation program. Dr. Vaughan spent several years prior studying the scarlet macaws, their habitat, their food source, and their breeding behavior. He discovered that the birds eat more than 40 different types of plants, spend between 70 and 75 days protecting and caring for their young, and that 18 nests were built on Hotel Punta Leona’s property.

With this valuable information, the Red Macaw Conservation Program was created. Hotel Punta Leona built several artificial nests, installed cameras to monitor the birds, starting planting trees that the macaws depend on, and began educating the local community. Through all of these efforts, they’ve documented a rise in scarlet macaws in the area.

As a guest or a visitor at Hotel Punta Leona, you can take a nature tour and learn all about these captivating creatures, as well as the 330 other species of tropical birds and wildlife that resides in this geographically unique part of Costa Rica.

Hotel Punta Leona has also implemented over a dozen programs and campaigns to benefit the environment and the community. They have a program to protect the wetlands of Playa Blanca, a sea turtle conservation program, a recycling program, and a reforestation program. They also have a private wildlife refuge and a butterfly farm.

Hotel Punta Leona has an environmental awareness campaign, a campaign against dengue, and continually offers educational tour to not only guests, but to local and international students and community members.