La Rosa, La Pas, and many stops

Our first 24 hours in Costa Rica were spectacular. We stopped often and saw beautiful birds at each stop. We were amazed at the number of tanager species we saw.

Pineapples, La Quinta, & La Selva

During our second 24 hours in Costa Rica we visited a Pineapple plantation, photographed Red-eyed Tree Frogs at night, and saw our first Scarlet Macaw.

Rancho Naturalista

We spent two nights at Rancho Naturalista seeing  Montezuma Oropendola, a Sunbittern with chick, and a pair of Common-Tody-flycatchers building a nest.

Iyok Ami, San Gerardo, & Mirador Torres

Resplendent Quetzals were the highlight of these days, but our lunch at Iyok Ami stood out as a casual, comfortable contrast to a “fancy” hotel.

Corcovado — first 24 hours

A spectacular spot with dorms without walls, families of Coatimundi, spider monkeys, anteater in a tree, and a Common Potoo.

Corcovado — second 24 hours

Scarlet Macaw, Yellow-throated-Toucan, Crested Guan, Pale-billed Woodpecker were some of the highlights of our final hours at Corcovado NP.

Tarcoles River and Eco Lodges

We saw many birds along the Tarcoles River late in the afternoon — crocodiles too.  We spent a night at an Eco Lodge and had lunch at another before arriving at Arenal Observatory Lodge.

Arenal Observatory — first 24 hours

We spent two nights at the fabulous Arenal Observatory Lodge. We saw toucans mating, many hummingbirds, other amazingly colorful birds, and had great views of the volcano.

Arenal Observatory — final 5 hours

A prebreakfast hike featured beautiful scenery and interesting birds. Then many more hummingbirds, a coatimundi in a tree, and a Rufous-tailed Jacamar with an insect.

La Fortuna to Tortuguero

We visited the pleasant city of La Fortuna three times while staying at Arenal.  The highlight was a visit to a small coconut water bar followed by two three-toed sloths and a boat ride to Tortuguero.

A boat ride and a walk through the Tortuguero National Park, a Montezuma Oropendola colony, and beautiful Great Green Macaw were a few of the highlights at the Caribbean coast outpost.

Many walks around the village of Tortuguero provided opportunities to photograph children, adults, and amazing wooden sculptures. Our trip home was uneventful.