1. << Costa Rica by Jane Tillotson and David Swain >>
W
e wanted to go birdwatching in the tropics and found a perfect spot: Costa
Rica! In our three weeks there we spent time in eight different places and
would be hard-pressed to say which one of them was our favourite. While
in Tortuguera, on the Caribbean coast, we toured a national park only accessible
by boat. We saw monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and shore birds too numerous to count.
Savegre is at a much higher altitude, on the Pacific slope. The weather is cooler so we
needed to get out long pants and jackets. While there we had our first sighting of the
Resplendent Quetzal; a truly amazing bird. The place we stayed in Turrialba had so
many hummingbird feeders they need to make the juice by the gallon. We had some
great,close-up views of several of the country’s over 50 species of hummers.From there
our next stop was Arenal, a beautiful spot dominated by a gently steaming volcano.We
crossed Lake Arenal by boat on our way to Monteverde, in the cloud forest. Several
nature preserve tours later and our list is growing. Our first stop along the Pacific
coast was Jaco Beach, where we had a nice sighting of the Scarlet Macaws. For our last
few days we stayed beside Manuel Antonio National Park and the beautiful beaches,
before heading back to San Jose and our flight home. Costa Rica is a beautiful country,
with warm, friendly people, lots to see and do, and more birds than the US and Canada
combined. We came home with about 280 new species to add to our life lists and plans
for the next trip already starting to form.
Done That>>
<<
Been There
Meticulous Travel
Full Service Agency
3062 Hwy 3A
Nelson, BC V1L 6Z9
250-825-9668 •1-855-825-9668 • sbabin@tpi.ca • www.meticuloustravel.ca
Sandra Babin
Owner/Agent
CPBC licence No. 54033
Jane Tillotson & David Swain in Costa Rica ~ (inset) Resplendent Quetzal