Texans in Costa Rica are not uncommon. The close proximity makes it easy to get there. With this thought in mind, Costa Rica had always been one of the places that I would like to visit but never had it happen, until now. A group of Texans made a recent journey to Central America and the following journal highlights that trip. Visiting three different areas, sampling the food, hiking the forest and photographing the wildlife, particularly the birds were my goals for the trip. Read on and decide if a trip to Costa Rica is for you.
Travel from Texas to San Jose Costa Rica
Travelling to Costa Rica from my part of Houston, Texas is pretty painless. Southwest Airlines has daily flights from Houston Hobby and if booked in advance, you can probably snag something for about $500 R/T. Southwest also has sales frequently that can significantly lower that cost. The flight is fairly short, just a bit over 3 hours. Southwest flies to two locations in Costa Rica. San Jose and Liberia. My crew flew into San Jose, the capital.
Getting around in Costa Rica
After arriving in San Jose rental cars are easily picked up at remote lots near the airport. The cost is somewhat higher than in the US and fuel is significantly higher than in Houston. At the time of this posting, a gallon of regular will set you back ~ $5.25. Costa Rica is metric so gasoline is sold in liters. Some of the roads, especially in the mountainous areas northwest of San Jose are steep and winding so always allow yourself a bit of extra time for travel. Cell phone service is pretty good in most areas, but maybe a bit spotty in the remoter mountain areas.
After picking up rental cars near the airport, the crew was hungry so we stopped at a place in San Jose for lunch. “Pulpo” tacos (Grilled octopus) were on the menu and I had to order them. Fresh octopus, properly grilled is a favorite that I rarely get a chance to eat. Today was my lucky day. Delicious!
Destination 1 – La Fortuna area
Departing the restaurant, we headed northwest, thru the mountains towards our destination and arrived at our accommodations after about 3 1/2 hours. We climbed high above the Central Valley in which San Jose is located. The drive took us thru lush green forest and small communities on the way. The view back towards the Central Valley and San Jose was impressive. Our accommodations were bungalow style. Modern, clean and stylish set in a lush forest garden.
Costa Rican Birds La Fortuna
I was keen to see the bird life in the area and after a comfortable night’s sleep I arose before dawn. Costa Rica is on Central Std time and does not have Daylight savings time. As a result, sunrise was ~ 05:20 during my visit. I was up and out about 10 minutes past 05:00 for a walk around the property.
Almost immediately I heard an unfamiliar call and got my first glimpse of a Yellow throated Toucan.
A walk around the garden forest and along the edges of a nearby road turned out a surprising number of species., most of which were new to me.
In the hour or so before I met my crew for breakfast, I managed to tally 24 species, many of which were new to me.
Arenal Observatory Lodge Area
After breakfast we headed about 45 minutes west from La Fortuna to Arenal Observatory Lodge Area. The preserve sits on the flank of the volcano and is a mixed habitat of Rainforest, secondary forest and some interspersed farm/ranch property. The forest surrounding the lodge abounded with wildlife. The darker recesses of the forest were also active but individuals were more difficult to spot and image in the dense undergrowth.
Nevertheless, I managed to capture images of some of the wildlife. Primates, coati and 25 bird species made for a great day.
Although not uncommon, Montezuma’s Oropendola is a striking bird with a curious call and pendulous nesting behavior.
After a great day hiking the forest, we returned to our bungalows to clean up before dinner. In the trees I found this guy doing a slow motion climb through the canopy.
Arenal Observatory Trails
The following morning found me travelling back to the Arenal Observatory Lodge while the rest of my crew planned a day at a local hot spring. I wanted to do a more extensive walk through some of the forest and surrounding areas. My day consisted of 8 miles along the trails and images of the wildlife and scenery along the way.
On this day I managed to identify 41 species of birds and encountered a capuchin monkey, who seemed none too pleased that I disturbed his slumber.
Monteverde Cloud Forest
The next destination on the Texans in Costa Rica journey would take us to Monteverde. Monteverde sits at an elevation of about 4,600 feet above sea level. The cloud forest is a major attraction and hosts incredible biodiversity. The climate is much cooler than the tropical lowlands and the central valley.
While packing up I had a couple of visitors outside my bungalow.
Our drive today was punctuated by a stop at a National Park along the Rio Celeste. Rio Celeste winds through the cloud forest of Tenorio Volcano National Park. Its name means “light blue river” in Spanish due to the turquoise color of the water. The river drops over the Rio Celeste Waterfall, 98 feet into a pool below. The hike to the base of the falls, while not long, is incredibly steep in the last 200 yards.
During the hike we came across this stunning male Toucanet.
After the trek to Rio Celeste we continued our journey and arrived at our accommodations in Monteverde. The early evening temperatures were in the high 60’s with clear skies. Our rooms overlooked the cloud forest canopy and to the lower elevations far to the south.
Curi-Cancha Refugio de Vida Silvestre
Tropical sunrise comes early and I was able to image a few early morning visitors atop the canopy below my window. After breakfast we planned a hike at a nearby refuge for a few hours. The rest of the crew was going on a horseback ride in the afternoon which left me to explore another refuge right next to our hotel later in the day.
Refugio de Vida Silvestre Aguti
A slow afternoon walk up to about 5,100′ elevation produced lots of hummingbirds and some pretty interesting dove species in the forest.
Costa Rica Texans head south to the Pacific
The final destination on our journey was a couple hours south to the Pacific coast near the town of Tarcoles. The journey was broken by a tour of a coffee/sugar cane/cacao farm. It was a very informative and enjoyable insight into the production of three products that we all are very familiar with.
We arrived at our AB&B, high above the Pacific Ocean. A short trip into town to the fish and fruit market loaded us up with sea bass, shrimp, plantains and rice. We opted to grill that night rather than go into town to eat. It was a good choice and we spent the rest of the evening enjoying the view and watching Netflix.
Carara National Park and a 10 hour birding day
After a good nights sleep, I was up early on the patio to see what early morning avian visitors would be moving at dawn. Mealy Parrot and White crowned parrots were working the treetops below the patio.
One of my target species and goals for the trip was to image free flying Scarlet Macaws. I was set up for a guide this day and he was to pick me up at 06:00. The area around Carara National Park was a promising place to find the Macaws and I hoped we would be successful. The plan was to explore the National park early, lunch about midday and explore near the Rio Tarcoles in the early afternoon. Late afternoon would put me on a boat for about 2 1/2 hours cruising the banks of the Rio Tarcoles.
The day turned out to be productive beyond my expectations. Not only did I image the Macaws, but I added about 70 species to my trip list. The pictures below are a small sample of the entire day.
San Jose and Houston
The following morning, a brief look on the patio turned up a few Variable seedeaters and a Yellow face Grassquit. We packed up and headed to San Jose for an early afternoon flight back to Texas.
After a comfortable 3 1/2 hour flight the Journey of Texans in Costa Rica came to an end, but not forgotten.
We had great weather, good food, friendly people, awesome wildlife and best of all good company.
Would I go back again? You betcha.
Would I recommend it? You betcha.
The birds pictured are just a small sample of what I saw while hiking the forest. I recorded 191 species of birds, imaged 104 of those and 136 were new to me. For those who are active birders and familiar with Cornell University eBird, this link will take you to a complete trip report including 19 checklists with images and locations.
A parting shot…..
Nat Geo-quality photos and a thoughtful detail of the most incredible trip! Love you, Dad!