Day Tours

Alexa took us on a fabulous bird watching hike through the Curi Cancha Reserve in Monteverde, Costa Rica. We saw the Resplendent Quetzal, among many species. Alexa is a fabulous naturalist! She is extremely knowledgeable and can explain things so as to have nature unfold for you.

Human Nature Expeditions provided a highly professional bird watching experience in Costa Rica from beginning to end. Alexa was great at getting us set up with an experienced guide. Who had extensive natural history knowledge and very accomplished identifying birds, which is what we were focused on. He was very personable, patient and accommodating. What a great experience. Highly recommend HNE and would work with them again without hesitation.

Alexa is incredibly knowledgeable about all the native fauna and wildlife and made our jungle excursion a lot of fun. Would absolutely book another one with her next time I'm there - highly recommend her expeditions for anyone considering.

My son and I spent an entire day of birding (birdwatching) with Alexa Stickel of Human Nature Expeditions. Alexa is a brilliant guide! Her knowledge of Costa Rican fauna and flora is seemingly endless — and so interesting. Not only was she quick to find and identify many bird species, but also impressive was her ability to identify rarities. Alexa seemed to have a story or important nugget of information about each animal seen. She was sensitive to challenge the advanced birder in our group, as well as to nurture my more novice appreciation of Costa Rican birds and animals. Alexa knew exactly what kind of habitats would likely produce my son’s birding goals, which meant that we hiked through nature reserves, as well as boated on a river with mangroves. Alexa is gregarious and full of stories and information, making for an easy, fun time. Being American-born but having lived in Costa Rica for many years, she is fluent in both English and Spanish. She has an excellent relationship with the other CR nature guides she meets on the trail. I also know that Alexa is excellent with organizing large-group educational activities, since my son first met her over ten years ago when he participated in a fantastic high school ecology class trip to Costa Rica.

Completed a birding day tour with Alexa January 10 2025 10 years after meeting her on a high school biology trip. She is the best of the best of birding guides out there and so incredibly knowledgeable about everything Costa Rica — from birds to culture to army ants to the people who she knows — your future trip to Costa Rica would be incomplete without touring with her. We started off near Carara National Park, got a ton of rainforest targets, and finished up with a boat tour she was able to arrange for us last minute where we found Mangrove Hummingbird & Vireo and a ton of other specialties. She was also so incredibly generous with her time. Please read my full trip report with photos of over 100 species of birds I found with her on January 10 2025 Here: worldbirding.travellerspoint.com. Alexa is the absolute best and I cannot wait for the next time I can visit Costa Rica and bird with her.

We had an incredible 2 days of birding with Alexa. Went to Finca Ecologica San Luis, Monteverde Reserve, and Curi Cancha Reserve. She is very knowledgable and was excellent at hearing the birds and finding them for us. We also learned loads about other flora and fauna. She is an all around naturalist! Very patient and allowed us to take plenty of photos and videos through her scope. Her proficiency in both English and Spanish was very helpful. If you’re looking for an excellent guide we highly recommend!

During my recent trip to Costa Rica, we spent 2 days with Alexa as she guided us through birding hotspots in Monteverde. Alexa is simply amazing. She's super enthusiastic, extremely knowledgeable, and just a pleasure to be around. Not only did she land us a ton of new species, but she also went out of her way to set up some special events for us and recommended the best places to go during our stay. She has to be the best guide in the area. I don't think it would be possible for anyone to do better. Also, her translation skills are top notch!

I visited Costa Rica with a small group of birders this past February and hired Alexa to guide us through the Monteverde area. Many of our guests commented how Alexa’s charisma and natural history interpretation was one of the highlights of our visit to Costa Rica. On our tours, we saw 5 resplendent quetzals, an ornate hawk eagle, toucans, tanagers, hummingbirds, and much more. There was never a dull moment with Alexa. She is much more than just a bird guide. She knows tropical ecology extremely well. All of her recommendations were also top notch. Do yourself a favor and hire Human Nature Expeditions the next time you are in Costa Rica!