Costa Rica April 2015 (super pic heavy)

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TahoeJeff
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Costa Rica April 2015 (super pic heavy)

Post by TahoeJeff »

My family and I went for 2 weeks in the beginning of April to Costa Rica, spending the first week on the Osa peninsula, about 10 miles past Puerto Jiminez where the pavement ends, then a week in the little coastal town of Uvita. It's hot and humid with temps in the high 80s and 80%+ humidity, being the jungle after all. The place is like a zoo; there is wildlife everywhere. There is near constant noise and movement from the animals, from the forest floor to the very tops of the trees. The howler monkeys sound off at nearly any time of the day, with 3 a.m. being the most notable. I could go on and on, but I'll let our pictures do the talking.

The Macaws are almost everywhere on the Osa, mostly in pairs, but occasionally solo:

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Though they can be hard to photograph, we saw all 4 species of monkeys living in CR; Spider, Howler, White Face (Capuchin) and Squirrel (pics in no particular order):

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My favorite critter was the Toucan, whose call is unmistakable and doesn't mind posing for the camera:

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The Tamandua, or anteater:

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The Coatis are like raccoons with big striped tails and long noses:

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There are a lot of big spiders:

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Reptiles and amphibians:

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The sloths are easy to photograph:

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There is no way to even keep track of how many different species of birds there are to see:

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We went to a parrot refuge where a big African Blue, not normally found in CR, took a liking to me:

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Every sandy beach is covered in hermit crabs:

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We found a bat "tented up" under a palm leaf:

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Leaf cutter ants scurrying along their branch:

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A cool American guy let me use his fishing pole to catch a couple of Caballitos, who ended up in the pan:

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We also went out on a panga fishing charter. The fishing was slow 'till we passed by the shrimp boat:

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We also saw the highest point in CR; Cerro Chirripo at 12,530', seen here behind the tree shrouded city of Dominical:

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Some of the Sierra Mackerel we caught was cooked up at a cooking class held by a local lady using all local ingredients:

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Corovado National Park has 100-200 species of trees per hectare. Our favorite was the Strangler:

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After a snorkeling trip out to an island in the Pacific (where in addition to the usual reef fish, we saw 2 species of sea turtles, a sea snake and sharks) we stopped at a beach for lunch where the guides harvested coconuts and water apples:

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A few final shots of sunsets and an old jungle grave:

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Things we didn't take pics of:
The giant blue Morpho butterflies which fly so erratic they are impossible to capture.
The basilisk or Jesus lizards running across the water when you approach them at creek.
The 6-8 peccaries who trotted adjacent to us on a jungle trail.
The big red land crabs crossing the road one night both smashed and skittering to avoid traffic.
The giant tarantula in the back of the SUV that made my wife jump back 10 feet.
Us surfing and boogie boarding.
bla bla bla

Our time spent in Costa Rica was the adventure of a lifetime, but we plan on going back as soon as we can!
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rlown
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Re: Costa Rica April 2015 (super pic heavy)

Post by rlown »

A very nice report, Jeff! :thumbsup: Great pictures..
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Fly Guy Dave
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Re: Costa Rica April 2015 (super pic heavy)

Post by Fly Guy Dave »

Awesome! Tons of great photos. Looks like a fantastic trip! Thanks for sharing.
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Re: Costa Rica April 2015 (super pic heavy)

Post by copeg »

Looks like a blast - thanks for sharing! Costa Rica is an amazing place...
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RooPhillip
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Re: Costa Rica April 2015 (super pic heavy)

Post by RooPhillip »

OUTSTANDING! Thanks for sharing Jeff, very cool!
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Rockyroad
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Re: Costa Rica April 2015 (super pic heavy)

Post by Rockyroad »

What an awesome trip! Love all the wildlife photos, except the spiders. Thanks for sharing.
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Re: Costa Rica April 2015 (super pic heavy)

Post by packmule »

Looks like a great adventure TJ for you and the family. Thanks for letting us come along for the ride :rock:
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