Probably about a dozen years ago Sue and I were walking the coast trail to punta Mona in Gandoca Manzanillo wildlife refuge and we started talking about all the animals we'd seen, not just that day but in all our visits to Costa Rica. I was trying to come up with some that we hadn't seen but really … [Read more...]
Natural Areas & Wildlife
Costa Rica is a natural destination and this category is where you'll find our experiences and recommendations for the National Parks, Forests, Wetlands, Wildlife Refuges and Rescues that make it an ecological wonderland.
Guanacaste National Park
Guanacaste National Park was created in 1989 to connect Santa Rosa National Park with the high elevation cloud forest of Orosi and Cacao volcanoes and across the continental divide to the Caribbean rainforest of Northern Costa Rica. The hope is that together these two parks protect enough land to … [Read more...]
Irazú Volcano National Park
ara—peak of tzu—thunder The last time Volcán Irazú awoke was in the first half of the 1960's, when, for four years it showered the residents of Cartago and San José with ash, clogged the air with smoke, and sent glowing boulders rolling down its sides. Today, as you travel along the southern … [Read more...]
Isla Bolaños Wildlife Refuge
Isla Bolaños National Wildlife Refuge in the Bahía Salinas was established to protect nesting sites for Brown Pelicans and Magnificent Frigatebirds. The windy ridges on the southwestern side of the island are isolated from predators and provide perfect launch pads for the adult’s fishing sorties … [Read more...]
Isla del Cocos National Park
Hundreds of years ago Cocos Island was a hideout for pirates (and some say the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's, Treasure Island). Stories tell of buccaneers burying treasures here… Edward Davis in 1685, Benito Bonito in 1820, and William Thompson in 1821, but if they did leave treasure … [Read more...]
Juan Castro Blanco/Parque de Aguas National Park
Juan Castro Blanco National Park is also known as Parque de Aguas (the park of the waters) and protects mid-elevation wet forest and high altitude cloud forest on the slopes of three extinct volcano peaks, Porvenir (2,267 meters), Platanar (2,183 meters), and Viejo (2,060 meters). Currently the … [Read more...]
La Selva Biological Station & Reserve
Located in the Caribbean lowlands and bracketed by the Sarapiquí and Puerto Viejo Rivers, La Selva is covered with what is technically known as tropical pre-montane wet forest and more commonly referred to as rainforest. There is no better place in Costa Rica to learn about this ever more endangered … [Read more...]
Resplendent Quetzals
Although the northern Quetzal subspecies (Pharomachrus mocinno mocinno) is the national bird of Guatemala we've been told by birders that they are easier to see and there is a much larger population in Costa Rica because the forests are better protected here. Quetzal - Pharomachrus mocinno … [Read more...]
Lankester Orchids Botanical Gardens
Lankester Gardens has a world class collection of nearly a thousand varieties of orchids displayed at eye level. The huge number of plants means you can see blooms year round, although Feb. through April is the most spectacular time to visit. The 26 acres of gardens are home to nearly 3,000 species … [Read more...]
Lomas de Barbudal Biological Reserve
Almost a quarter of the world’s bee species can be found in Lomas Barbudal (Reserva Biológica Lomas Barbudal - Bearded Hills) Biological Reserve. One of the more unique genus are the large, solitary, tunneling, Abejas Antofóridas-Centris bees that attracted G. Frankie (now at the University of … [Read more...]
Whale & Dolphin Watching
Costa Rica is One of the Best Places in the World to Spot Humpback Whales Costa Rican waters are home to dozens of marine mammal species and spotted, or bottle nose dolphins commonly escort small craft on any offshore excursion. If you take fishing or snorkeling trips you’ll most likely spot the … [Read more...]
Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio is the most popular National Park with Ticos. One reason for this is the unspoiled beaches that lie within easy walking distance of the entrance station. The overhanging palms are a refreshing break from the bars, discos, hotels and restaurants surrounding the park. Besides the … [Read more...]
Humpback Whales
Like all cetaceans Humpbacks are endangered. Their status varies somewhere between critical and imminent extinction depending on the list and who is making the prediction. The total world population may be as high as 50,000 which would represent a few percent of their numbers before … [Read more...]
Best Places to See Monkeys & Sloths in Costa Rica
It's not as exotic as the end of a muddy trail through the remotest rain forest but the trees along the highways and roads are one of the easiest places to see sloth and monkeys especially if you're riding with a guide or local driver. Of course national parks and wildlife refuges provide … [Read more...]
Miravalles Volcano National Park
The Bagaces Side of Miravalles Our first ever visit started out from Fortuna de Bagaces (not the Arenal La Fortuna) and was one of the most memorable days of hiking we ever enjoyed. Our friend The Priest (his name is Climaco but The Priest is what his family and friends call him) gave us the … [Read more...]
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Cloud Forest Cloud forest is quite different from lowland tropical rain forest. The name comes from the observation that the forests are nearly always shrouded in clouds. These forests are situated at high altitude along the continental divide down the spine of Costa Rica. As the warm moist air … [Read more...]
Palo Verde National Park
Palo Verde National Park has a uniquely dichotomous character. It’s simultaneously a spectacular wetlands and one of the best examples of tropical dry forests remaining anywhere in the world. This dual nature is a result of the Río Tempisque flooding over land located in a relatively arid climate … [Read more...]
Turtle Egg Harvest
Sustainable Harvest of Sea Turtle Eggs at Ostional National Wildlife Refuge Millions of turtle eggs are legally collected and sold by the residents of the community of Ostional every nesting season under the supervision of the rangers and biologists at the refuge. There are both good and bad … [Read more...]
Poás Volcano National Park
NOTES: Please maintain healthy skepticism about "official re-opening estimates" they are nearly always unrealistic and several have already passed but the park remains closed. June 2, 2018 - The SINAC (Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación) June 1 estimate for reopening passed and the new … [Read more...]
Rincón de la Vieja National Park
There are two places in the area where you can visit Yellowstone or Rotorua - like geothermal sites. If you like to walk, boiling hot mud springs, sulfur springs, steam vents, and fumaroles are abundant at Las Pilas and Las Hornillas (not to be confused with Las Hornillas on the slopes of volcán … [Read more...]