Costa Rica

Bird & Wildlife Watching

Caño Negro in Pictures

The Raphia palms that line the banks of the Frío River drop fruit that turn the water black, giving the wetlands its name: Caño Negro. Spanning 25,000...
Costa Rica's Most Popular National Parks

In 2009, more than a million tourists visited Costa Rica’s national parks, exploring steaming volcanoes, beachfront rainforest, roaring waterfalls, ...
Part III: Giant Explorations on the Cerro de la Muerte

This morning I awoke to the burble of a mountain creek a few hundred feet below our cabin. The sun's rays peeked over the horizon, their morning ...
Part II: Quetzal Sightings and Cloud Forest Waterfalls

For the last 24 hours, I had been bargaining with Mother Nature: please just let me see one quetzal! Since it was the very tail end of quetzal season ...
Birdwatching Paradise on the Cerro de la Muerte

The day had begun in the warm and sunny Central Valley -- 45 miles and a world away from my current location in Costa Rica's Cerro de la Muerte. I ...
Day 7: Anteaters & Crocs at Carara National Park

Something big shuffled across the path just a few yards in front of me. The animal walked unhurriedly, and somewhat resembled a coatimundi in both ...
Day 6: Palo Verde Wildlife & Guaitil Pottery

The alarm sounded at 5:45 a.m., and I launched out of bed like a child on Christmas morning. I was giddy with excitement. Today we planned to visit ...
Day 7: A Manuel Antonio Walk in the Park

Today was the quietest day our guide had experienced in his entire four years leading tourists through Manuel Antonio National Park. Go figure.
Zoo Ave: Cougars, Crocodiles & Macaws

Alajuela's Zoo Ave, or "Bird Zoo" is committed to conservation and animal education, and offers visitors a chance to view an amazing variety of Costa ...
Central Valley "Best of" Sights

When the bus from Expediciones Tropicales picked me up bright and early this morning, I was excited for the day's full roster of activities: a coffee ...