Tour
Costa Rica – Cloud Forest 2022
| Starts | Mar 25th 2022 |
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| Ends | Apr 4th 2022 |
| Leader | Steve Gettle & Nicole Sudduth |
| Price | $4,100 |
| Deposit | $1,000 |
| Participants | 8 (Full - Accepting Wait List) |
Costa Rica – The nature photographers’ paradise! There is so much wildlife here, that you won’t want to sleep for fear of missing an incredible photo opportunity. Costa Rica is home to more than 800 bird species including a huge variety of Hummingbirds, the amazing Resplendent Quetzal, Toucans, Macaws, and the vibrant Honey Creepers and Tanagers.
Logistics
During our visit, we will be staying at some of the top rated, friendliest and most accommodating eco-lodges in all of Costa Rica. We have personally selected each location based on the photographic opportunities available, comfort, cleanliness and safety.
We will also take at least one “all day field trip” away from each lodge that we stay at to visit other locations where we will experience even more amazing and unique photographic opportunities.
Itinerary
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Day 1
March 25 – Travel day and Photography around Hotel Bougainvillea
Arrive San Jose airport. Transfer to Hotel Bougainvillea
You will immediately want to unpack your cameras and start enjoying as you explore and photograph beautiful birds that live in and around the 10 acres of picturesque gardens on the hotel property. These gardens are simply overflowing with impressive numbers and varieties of native plants, flowers, and colorful birds.
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Days 2 through 4
March 26, 27 and 28 – Arenal
After breakfast, we will travel to Arenal Observatory Lodge, right at the base of the volcano. We will spend 3 nights here.
This uniquely situated lodge sits perched on a ridge that is less than 2 miles from the most active volcano in Costa Rica, the Arenal volcano.
Enjoy breathtaking views of the iconic volcano as well as seven wildlife packed miles of well-maintained hiking trails which are home to over 370 exotic species of birds, as well as an abundance of other varieties of wildlife and flowers to photograph.
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Days 5 and 6
March 29 and 30 – Boca Tapada Area
After breakfast, we will transfer for 2 nights to a lodge in the wildlife rich area of Boca Tapada in northern Costa Rica.Located in the lowland tropical rain forest, this legendary ecolodge is known for incredible encounters with King Vultures, Toucans, and other amazing bird species. Here you may wake up to Howler monkey antics right outside your window! We will also see red-eyed tree frogs, mot mots, keel-billed toucans, kinkajous, and too many more animal and plant species to list! This is paradise and we will be in the right spot for wonderful photography!
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Days 7, 8 and 9
March 31, April 1 and 2 – Talamanca Mountain Range
For this part of our adventure, we will be staying at a unique lodge that resides within a pristine highland rain forest. The grounds have numerous hummingbird feeders scattered among the meticulously manicured gardens, offering incredible opportunities to photograph these precious little jewels, as well as other gardens filled with trees and other plants that birds of all colors and species come in to feed on.There are numerous bird species to be seen in the area including Tanagers, Honeycreepers, Silky-flycatchers, and most importantly, the amazing Resplendent Quetzal – a bird that appears on every bucket list!
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Day 10
April 3 – Return to San Jose
After a morning of photography and a nice lunch at our jungle lodge, we will return to San Jose for our last night together. -
Travel
April 4 – Travel Day
For those not going on our extension to the Osa Peninsula, this will be your travel day home. For those going on the extension, the adventure continues!
Booking
Deposit of $1,000 due with your reservation
Balance of $3,100 due January 15th, 2022
Note: Cost includes:
Optional Extension
Costa Rica – Osa Peninsula Extension
| Starts | Apr 4th 2022 |
|---|---|
| End | Apr 8th 2022 |
| Price | $2,000 |
| Deposit | $650 |
| Participants | 8 (Full) |
| Register |
Traveling to Osa Peninsula is an adventure into the heart of wildlife abundance. Osa is the gem of Costa Rica. This area hosts the largest population of Scarlet Macaws in the country, all four species of monkeys, both species of sloths, Costa Rica’s largest remaining population of jaguars and tapirs, over 100 species of reptiles and a huge diversity of frogs. The colors and sounds will excite and amaze you as we explore this magical place.
National Geographic named Osa peninsula as one of the most incredibly biologically intense places on earth. We will spend our time at a 750-acre forest reserve at a point where the Gulfo Dulce meets the Pacific Ocean where the rainforest meets the sea. Explore lush gardens and hiking trails that take us from pristine beaches with tide pools to spring-fed rivers and waterfalls to rich rainforest jungle where monkeys howl. Imagine scarlet macaws, toucans, and parrots, coatis, kinkajous, agoutis, and sloths as daily visitors that we may have the opportunity to photograph.
More than 460 species of birds call this place home. Bird photographers will enjoy enormous variety of species that range from tropical rainforest birds to raptors to ocean and wetland species.
Macro is also fun in this area as we shoot subjects such as Leaf-Cutter Ants, Red-Eyed Tree Frogs and Poison Dart Frogs and other small creatures. Over 10,000 species of colorful and unique insects and over 100 species of reptiles and amphibians are found here!
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Logistics
This peninsula is still considered the most remote part of Costa Rica and while it is relatively untouched, our eco-lodge is well equipped to give us a comfortable stay and rich adventure.
We will be immersed in the heart of nature while enjoying the comforts of good food and soothing ocean breezes.
To get to the Osa, we will take a short flight from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez.
Itinerary
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Day 1
April 4 – Arrival on the Osa Peninsula
We will take an early morning flight on a small plane from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez. The cost of this flight is included in the price of the tour. We will then drive to lodge where we will spend the rest of the day finding great photographic subjects around the property. -
Days 2 thru 3
April 5 and 6 – Gulfo Dulce area
Enjoy exploring and photographing wildlife along the rainforest trails and lush garden areas of this 750-acre preserve, located on cliffs 500 feet above the pacific. While the views here are spectacular, the wildlife is also amazing with all four species of monkey, both species of sloth and a huge diversity of birds, amphibians, butterflies and other great subjects regularly seen here.
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Day 4
April 7 – Return to San Jose
After some morning photography, we will take a short flight back to San Jose for overnight.
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Travel
April 8 – Travel Day
Transfer to San Jose airport for flight home.
Deposit of $650 due with your reservation
Balance of $1350 due January 15, 2022