My wife and I have gone on tours on all seven continents, many several times over. But the recent tour Andy from Physis Photo Tours organized and led stands out from them all. Andy has intimate knowledge of the communities into which he leads his tours and works closely with select wildlife guides to maximize the opportunities for sightings. He was able to identify and organize unique photographic opportunities such as nighttime bat photography, macro butterfly and toad photography, and multi-flash hummingbird photography.

What we were looking for, and what Andy at Physis specializes in, is small group tours, staying at small lodges, and engaging in small-group activities. You will not be finding yourselves crammed into a boat with two dozen strangers; Andy will arrange a private boat and guide. In Costa Rica the weather, and sometimes therefore the plans, can change with little notice. But Andy’s knowledge of the communities, from the lodge operators, to the local photographers, to the wildlife guides, to the lodge cat allows him to pivot quickly and plan alternative activities.

Such can also be the case with driving around Costa Rica, where the limited quality and quantity of roads, not to mention traffic and accidents, can make getting around and staying on schedule challenging. Here again Andy uses only the best drivers, in our case Juan, to insure a comfortable and timely journey. Don’t underestimate the importance of a good driver in Costa Rica. Yes, you could probably do it yourself, but you wouldn’t know where and when to go, and would miss lots of things along the way.

My wife and I give Andy from Physis Photo Tours our highest recommendation.

If you’re looking for the experience of a lifetime photographing wildlife in Costa Rica, wildlife expert Andy Bazara of Physis Photo Tours is the one man you want to be with. Andy’s business was built by photographers for photographers.

He’ll help you design the kind of tour that exactly suits your needs, make all the reservations for your stay, take care of transportation and all other logistic details, and accompany you on all photo sessions so that all you really have to do is take photos. Incredible photos! My wife and I travelled with Andy for five days.

Here’s a partial list of the wildlife we photographed with him and the local guides he works with: Amazon Kingfisher Anhinga Bairds Tapir Baltimore Oriole Bananaquit Barred Antshrike Black Spiny-tailed Iguana Black-cheeked Woodpecker Black-collared Hawk Black-headed Trogon Blue-gray Tanager Boat-billed Heron Brown-throated Sloth Buff-throated Saltator Capuchin Monkey Cattle Egret Central American Agouti Chestnut-headed Oropendola Clay-colored Thrush Collared Aracari Common Basilisk Crimson-collared Tanager Crimson-fronted Parakeet Fasciated Tiger-Heron Fer-de-lance Fruit Bat Geoffreys Spider Monkey Glossy Ibis Gold-hooded Tanager Gray-headed Kite Great Black Hawk Great Blue Heron Great Curassow Great Egret Great Green Macaw Great Kiskadee Green Eyelash Viper Green Heron Green Honeycreeper Green Iguana Green Kingfisher Green-black Poison Dart Frog Hoffmanns Woodpecker Howler Monkey Keel-billed Motmot Keel-billed Toucan King Vulture Leaf Cutter Ants Lesser Anteater Little Blue Heron Long-billed Hermit Melodious Blackbird Montezuma Oropendola Northern Jacana Olive-throated Parakeet Orange-chinned Parakeet Palm Tanager Peregrine Falcon Pinnated bittern Plain Chachalaca Purple Gallinule Pygmy Fruit-eating Bat Pygmy Kingfisher Rainforest Hognosed Viper Red-eyed Tree Frog Red-legged Honeycreeper Ringed Kingfisher Roadside Hawk Roseate Spoonbill Rufous-backed Wren Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Scarlet-rumped Tanager Shining Honeycreeper Slaty-tailed Trogon Snowy Egret Social Flycatcher Spectacled Caiman Strawberry Poison-dart Frog Striped Owl Summer Tanager Tapir Valley Tree Frog Tropical Kingbird Turquoise-browed Motmot Variable Cracker Variegated Squirrel Violet-headed Hummingbird White Ibis White-collared Manikin White-crowned Parrot White-lined Tanager White-necked Jacobin White-nosed Coati Wood Stork Yellow Eyelash Viper Yellow-crowned Euphonia Yellow-throated Euphonia Yellow-throated Toucan

I had a wonderful experience with the services offered by Physis and would recommend them to anyone interested in photography and visiting Costa Rica.

Our wish was to photograph various wildlife (birds, mammals, reptiles, insects) in Costa Rica during three weeks. We quickly gave up organizing this ourselves. But we didn’t want a group trip. We found the perfect solution with Andy Bezara from Physis Photo Tours.

He has organized a wonderful photo trip for the two of us, off the beaten path. Andy was by our side the whole time and made sure we could fully enjoy every moment and we didn’t have to worry about anything. And thanks to his network of local guides, we had countless wonderful photo subjects.

Thank you Andy, it was awesome.

This was my first trip with Physis Photo Tours, and it won’t be my last. Andy and his team were like a well-oiled machine, getting us up close to wildlife without disturbing it. The highlight for me? Photographing not one, but four species of toucans! I never thought I’d get shots like these, and I owe it all to the team’s expertise. Costa Rica is absolutely magical. Nacho – Nicetyphoto

Everything incredible!!! Really great logistics. I am a true lover of photography and I recommend this unbeatable opportunity to get closer to nature.

I’m not a pro photographer, so I was worried I’d feel out of place, but Andy and the guides made sure everyone felt welcome. The session with frogs and snakes was unlike anything I’ve ever done—I was nervous but ended up with some of my favorite shots from the trip. I left feeling more confident in my photography and more connected to nature. Thank you for making this such a special experience.

Andy and his team did a tremendous job.

They were timely, organized, efficient and got us a wide variety of wildlife photography in great locations. Would not hesitate to use them again. On top of their effectiveness, Andy and Juan are really nice people and fun to travel with.

Thank you very much for the phenomenal journey in November 2025! Over the course of three weeks, we enjoyed outstanding experiences and sightings without a single critical situation. The support and guidance were consistently friendly and highly professional; accommodation and catering were authentic to the country, solid yet comfortable.

Our private small-group tour (6 participants) was a complete success, with well over 200 species observed, including approximately 180 bird species—various hummingbirds, quetzals, kingfishers, jabirus, motmots, owls, raptors, resident and migratory birds, and much more—as well as bats, reptiles and frogs, coatis, sloths, tapirs, and egg-laying turtles.
For each day, Andy had organized one to two highlights—all of them exciting, regardless of whether it rained or not.

We relaxed thoroughly and returned home with many thousands of photographs, some of them truly spectacular. When we look at the best of these again and again, we relive the journey and continue to rave about Costa Rica.

We can highly recommend traveling with Physis and tour guide Andy Bezara—it was outstanding.

Gerhard Staudacher, Aachen, Germany

In November 2024, my husband and I had the pleasure of having Andy Bezara from Physis Photo Tours as our private guide throughout our time in Costa Rica, and the experience was absolutely phenomenal. As a travel and wildlife photographer, I was thrilled with the locations we visited, while my husband, who enjoys photography as a hobby, found the experience equally rewarding.

Andy guided us through diverse and stunning areas, including Boca Tapada, Sarapiquí, Heredia, San Gerardo de Dota and parts of San Jose. He was punctual, well-prepared, and always prioritized safety, especially when photographing wildlife. His friendly and approachable nature, combined with his deep knowledge of the region, made the experience both enjoyable and highly educational.

Having a private tour with just the two of us made it even more special. Andy ensured we had the best opportunities to capture Costa Rica’s breathtaking wildlife and landscapes. His passion for photography and nature shone through every moment, and the locations he selected were absolutely perfect.

My husband and I wouldn’t hesitate to work with Andy again. Highly recommended for photographers of all levels looking for a safe, professional, and unforgettable private experience in Costa Rica.