Photo trip to Costa Rica
Travel Guide
On this fifteen-day trip, we will visit the places in Costa Rica with the greatest biodiversity in the country and where most of the animal and plant species can be found.
In this country there is a true paradise known worldwide due to the diversity of its fauna. It is home to 232 species of mammals, 838 species of birds, 183 species of amphibians, 258 species of reptiles, and 130 species of freshwater fish.
Costa Rica is one of the countries with the greatest diversity of birds per square meter in the American continent. Including Cocos Island and its territorial waters, 910 bird species have been recorded in Costa Rica,13 more than all the species recorded in the United States and Canada combined. Of these, 220 species are migratory, 7 of the Costa Rican species are considered endemic, and 19 are globally threatened. In total, the bird species of Costa Rica constitute 9% of the known species in the world.
We will start the itinerary from San José towards the north to the area of the La Paz Waterfalls in Chichona. The next day we continue north to La Selva Biological Station. The fourth day will be spent in the Cope gardens. The fifth day we will dedicate ourselves to the Caribbean lowlands and the Sarapiqui River, paying special attention to the sighting of the rare Great Green Macaw. On the sixth day we will be visiting the trails and feeders of the Lagarto Eco-Lodge, also a little further north than the previous day. On the seventh day we will move west to the Arenal Volcano. The next day we will visit, in this same area, the canopy bridges and the private feeders of Bogarín where we will enjoy watching Sloths. The next two days we will move to the southwest towards the tropical dry forest of the Pacific and we will take walks through the different paths of the private estate La Ensenada Lodge as well as through the salt flats and freshwater lake. On the eleventh day, going southeast, we will pass through the estuaries of the Tracoles River where we will take a boat tour through them. We will dedicate the twelfth day of our trip to the Carara Notional Park. The next three days we will move towards the center of the country to the valley of San Gerardo de Dota in search of the Resplendent Quetzal and endemic Birds of the highlands. On the penultimate day we will visit different hummingbird feeders and other typical bird species of the Quetzales National Park as well as the Savegre Lodge garden tours. On the last day we will do a special tour with a local guide specialized in finding the Resplendent Quetzal to locate and photograph this beautiful Bird. After lunch, we will go to the international airport to take the plane back to Spain.
To see a post of a trip to Costa Rica n 2021 click on the following links: Costa Rica 1 Costa rica 2
Time difference
During the summer months there is a time difference with respect to Spain of 8 hours less.
Weather
The average temperature for the month of July is at a maximum of 32.2ºC. and a minimum of 25.7ºC. However, in the San Gerardo de Dota area, the temperatures are significantly lower as it is a high mountain area, and it can get cold at night. It is the rainy season.
Recommendations
IIt is recommended to wear footwear such as trekking shoes or boots and warm clothing for the San Gerardo area, since temperatures there can drop to 7ºC. As it is the rainy season it is essential to wear waterproof clothing.
It is also necessary to bring insect repellent.
It is recommended to wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts to avoid insect bites as much as possible.
Currency
The local currency is the colon and the reference currency par excellence is the dollar.
The exchange rate on 12/15/22 of the colon against the dollar is 601 colones/dollar and 632 colones/euro (10 EUR=6,323 CRC approximately).
In some cases, the exchange rate of euros for dollars in local entities is disadvantageous for European tourists. Hence, the most recommended option is to exchange euros for dollars in Europe and, once in Costa Rica, exchange dollars for colones, although in practice many establishments, especially in the tourism sector, accept payments in dollars. In some cases, 50 and 100 dollar bills are not accepted for fear of counterfeiting.
Required documentation
No type of visa is required to enter Costa Rica.
To enter the country it is necessary to be provided with a passport with an expiration of more than 6 months from the end of the trip.
Vaccination
None if you are traveling directly from Spain.
It is recommended that they take extreme preventive measures against mosquito bites, such as:
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
• Use insect repellents.
• Avoid places and times prone to the proliferation of mosquitoes as much as possible.
• Cover soft drink bottles and any container in which water or liquids are stored.
Difficulty
Low. The journeys to the different observation sites are made by vehicle and the walks we will do are of low difficulty.