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Author Topic: Going to Costa Rica  (Read 2009 times)

aebolzan

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Going to Costa Rica
« on: January 18, 2016, 12:57:48 pm »

Next March I will be visiting Costa Rica and I would like to get some advices about where to go to find good oportunities of wildlife photography (I am particularly interested in sloths and if it is possible, pumas and jaguars....).....I heard a lot about the Osa peninsula, but I do not know if there are any other places to go.....my plan is to spend 4-5 days there.....any comment will be highly appreciated!....

Agustin
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t.linn

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Re: Going to Costa Rica
« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2016, 06:28:42 pm »

I'm happy to share my experience from a March visit to CR. I spent 10 days driving around in a rented 4Runner. My favorite place for wildlife was Manuel Antonio, a small but very popular park on the Pacific Coast. I stayed in Quepos so I could be out at first light. It felt like I had the place to myself for several hours before the crowds started to show up. I encountered sloths, howler monkeys, groups of capuchin monkeys, beach crabs, roosting bats, large iguanas of various colors, a large snake coiled up on a low hanging tree branch and a variety of large birds. (My hotel hooked me up with a local guide who helped me spot animals.) I almost didn't go because of its well deserved reputation for being crowded. I'm glad I did. It was a great location.

On the way to Manual Antonio you pass two other worthy stops for wildlife viewing. The first is the Rio Tarcoles. There are huge crocs along its banks. Pairs of scarlet macaws can be seen at sunset flying back to their roosts for the night from the highway bridge that crosses over it. Not long after crossing the Tarcoles, you get to Carara reserve. Several worthwhile trails run through it. I saw toucans, hummingbirds, anhingas, streams of leaf cutter ants, coatamundi and lots of other interesting flora and fauna. The best trail followed along the edge of the water. Not sure if it was part of the Tarcoles or something else. There were caiman (or juvenile crocs) in abundance and basilisks too (Jesus Christ lizards that run across the surface of the water). I stayed at a nearby Marriott resort (Puntarenas) so I could be out again at dawn. I had trouble handling the heat and humidity once it started to approach noon.

I visited other areas of the country too but they were not as good as that stretch of the Pacific Coast. The Monteverde Cloud Forest was much cooler, a welcome relief, but it lacked the variety of wildlife found at lower elevations. Most folks travel to Monteverde to see quetzels. I didn't see any but I did enjoy seeing an amazing number and variety of hummingbirds. The Arenal volcano is relatively close to Monteverde. It erupted the night I stayed there. Unfortunately, the eruption occurred on the opposite side of the volcano. Never occurred to me that this could be a problem. :-(

One place I didn't get to was the Osa Peninsula. I would have liked to. Seeing a jaguar anywhere is a long shot but your best chance would be here. This is probably the premiere place to view wildlife in CR. It is also hard to access and even more hot and humid than the places I did visit. If I were to go back to CR, I would probably fly to the Osa Peninsula and spend at least a week in just this one area.
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aebolzan

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Re: Going to Costa Rica
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2016, 11:54:18 am »

thanks a lot Linn for your information!....I will take a look at Manuel Antonio....I didn't know about this place!

Agustin
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stever

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Re: Going to Costa Rica
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2016, 07:34:16 pm »

You're likely to see two-toed sloths in Manuel Antonio (do get there early), but three - toed are at higher elevations like Monte Verde.  We got a guide from our hotel in Santa Elena who found a mother and baby and then another juvenile along the road in town - the next day there was one in a tree in front of the hotel all day but I wasn't patient enough to get a shot late in the afternoon when it moved - they are all over but a very hard to spot ball of fluff unless they move.

One or more Quetzels regularly show up about 6AM at the entrance to Monte Verde - ask for directions.  Had reasonable luck with birds (finally got a good motmot shot) and a few Critters in Monte Verde.
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sawwhetowl

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Re: Going to Costa Rica
« Reply #4 on: January 30, 2016, 07:33:01 pm »

I went to the Osa Pennisula in July 2012.  Our trip was mostly for bird watching.  We flew into Drake from  San Juan and stayed at Finca Maresia, outside of Drake.  I highly recommend the lodge.  Great pictures of Scarlet Macaws here .  Next night we went by boat to Corcovado National Park and spent the night at Sirena.  Highly recommend spending the night.  Food is great.  Of mammals, we just missed a Jaguar by five minutes.  Lots of Mantled Howler Monkeys, White-faced Capuchin and Spider Monkeys- great pictures.  Also, saw 2 toed sloths, Bairds's Tapir, White-nosed Coati, lizards, frogs and too many birds species to list.  One of our boat tours was canceled so we made another day trip to Sirena.  Boat ride can be a little rough.  Stayed about 6 days in Drake.  Hired a couple of local birding guides.

From Drake we flew to Puerto Jimenez and stayed a week at a birding lodge called Bosque Del Rio  Tigre.  Accommodations were excellent as well as the guides.  Pretty much saw similar mammals as Drake as well as a Spectacled Caiman.

We wanted to really experience the Osa area so stayed there for 2 weeks.  Saw 176 bird species.

My wife and I are dying to visit Costa Rica again.
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polaris-14

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Re: Going to Costa Rica
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2016, 05:55:32 pm »

I found this posting on the web which might or might not be useful for your trip (more focused towards birds): https://wildescapadesphotography.wordpress.com/2016/01/18/rainforests-of-costa-rica/
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