Category Archives: Costa Rica Environment

Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica: Birding

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Magnificent Frigate Bird

Magnificent Frigate Bird. Photo provided courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Many people come to Costa Rica to see birds and Manuel Antonio is a great place to see a wide variety of birds. There are approximately 350 different species of birds in this area. Even people that aren’t normally birders, find themselves taking note of the interesting species.

You can go on an organized tour to see birds with guides that know where the birds that tourists want to see are commonly found. Or you can just enjoy the birds as you walk the beach, eat in open air restaurants or sail on a sunset cruise.

Some of the best romantic places to stay in the area which have only one bedroom are the appropriately named Villa for Romance and the Romantic Wood Chalet.

Some of my favorite birds to see are the water birds, which include the Magnificent Frigate bird (which is pictured above) the brown pelican, the roseate spoonbill, the white ibis, the neotropical cormorant and the anhinga.

The brown booby is a harbinger of dolphin as they eat the same food.  Become familiar with this bird, so that you can easily find dolphin when you are out on the water.

Other water birds include a wide variety of herons, sandpipers, kingfishers, gulls and ducks.

If you have more people that you wish to accommodate on your vacation, consider The Ocean Penthouse which has 3 bedrooms and sleeps up to 6 or Los Elementos: Villa de Agua which has 4 bedrooms and sleeps 8.

As many water birds as there are here, there are more birds to be found in the nearby jungles. Here you will hear parrots and parakeets. I love seeing the variety of the colors of the tanagers, warblers and the cuckoo birds. The chestnut-mandibled toucan and firey-blled aracari are two of my favorite birds.

There are many varieties of hummingbirds and honey creepers which always delight visitors and many locations have hummingbird feeders to attract these popular birds.

If you have a large party to house, consider Villa Vigia which has 4 bedrooms and sleeps up to 12 or Tanager Villa which has 7 bedrooms and sleeps up to 16.

Birding isn’t limited to the day at Manuel Antonio.  At night you can hear and see a wide variety of owls that call this area home.  There are also night herons, nighthawks and nightjars.

There are many excellent birding books that you can purchase either before your trip or after you arrive in Costa Rica that can help you identify these birds.

 

Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica: Beaches

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casa romantica manuel antonio

Casa Romantica, boasts 5 bedrooms and sleeps up to 12 with 6,000 sq. feet of living space and 7 bathrooms. http://costaricabedfinder.com/vacation-rental/746/award-winning-luxury-estate-home

I have a hard time choosing my favorite beach in Costa Rica, because they are all so beautiful and different in so many ways. However, Manuel Antonio is high on my list because it is really the tale of two very different kinds of beaches.

In Manuel Antonio National Park, you have several fabulous beaches to explore, Playa Manuel Antonio, Playa Gemelas, Playa Puerto Escondido and Playa Espadillo Sur.  As admission to the park is limited, these beaches are never too crowded and the areas around the beaches are packed with nature. The last time I visited, I saw deer, sloths, all four types of monkeys, raccoons, coatimundi and a wide variety of beautiful birds.  The water was clear and beautiful and we took lots of photos. Some of my favorite places to stay when I visit here include: Mot Mot Villa which has 4 bedrooms and sleeps up to 8 and Discovery Beach House which has 3 bedrooms and sleeps 6.

Right outside of the National Park is Playa Espadillo Norte.  It is a fun beach full of activities. There are makeshift kiosks selling clothes, jewelry, art and food.  There are places for renting beach chairs and umbrellas. The beach is set up for volleyball and other activities. You can rent boogie boards, take surf lessons, or go parasailing.  This is also the place to schedule a time to go snorkeling, dolphin watching, sailing or fishing. Playa Espadillo also offers great people watching.  You can walk to bars and restaurants to get a bite to eat.

If you visit with a large group there is a beach for everyone and activities to keep even the most energetic group members busy.  Several of the vacations homes can house large groups. Both Casa Grande and Casa Elsa have 4 bedrooms and sleep up to 12 people. Another popular vacation home in Manuel Antonio that sleeps 12 people is the 5-bedroom Casa Romantica. Closer to Quepos, Tropical Jacana House has 5 bedrooms and sleeps up to 13.

Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica: Monkeys

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Central American Squirrel Monkey near Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Photo by Michelle Reback

Manuel Antonio is at the top of my list of places to visit in Costa Rica. In the next few weeks I will be describing many of the reasons to come here and some of my favorite places to stay, including two huge vacation homes, Casa Maravilla, which has 6 bedrooms and sleeps up to 16 and Casa de Anjali, which has 7 bedrooms and sleeps up to 15.

One of the things I love about Manuel Antonio is the monkeys, which are called monos in Spanish.  Most of my friends that come to visit me want to see monkeys. You can find monkeys many places in Costa Rica, especially the howler monkeys (congo in Spanish) that live in the trees and howl as their name implies. Manuel Antonio is one of the few places that you can see all four different species of monkeys that exist in Costa Rica.  A few of my other favorite places to stay here include Casa Paraiso, which has 5 bedrooms and sleeps up to 12 and Casa de Agua also boasting 5 bedrooms that accommodates 10.

Here you will also find the white-throated capuchin monkey (cara blanca in Spanish).  These are what we think of as the “organ grinder” monkeys. They are smart and curious.  Be careful what you pack to take to the beach as these are the monkeys that may steal bananas right out of your picnic basket.

The spider monkey (mono colorado or arana in Spanish) is the acrobat of the monkey world and moves very quickly.  Unfortunately the number of spider monkeys are declining due to loss of habitat, but can still be found in Manuel Antonio.

However, the reason many people venture to Manuel Antonio is to see the Central American squirrel monkey (titi in Spanish). The status of this monkey has recently been upgraded from endangered to vulnerable. This monkey exists only in Costa Rica and Panama and Manuel Antonio is one of the best places to spot one. Like the howler monkey the Central American squirrel monkey lives only in trees.

One last place that I recommend staying while you are here is Casa Fleur de Lis, this is a fabulous vacation home with 4 bedrooms that accommodates 8 guests.

 

Nosara, Costa Rica: Turtles

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Just north of Playa Nosara is Playa Ostional, site of the Ostional Wildlife Refuge.  This remote beach is the marine turtle nest ground of the Olive Ridley (Lora) and Leatherback (Baula).  The arribada, mass nesting, at this beach is one of the largest in the world.  It is estimated that as many as a million sea turtles lay their eggs in the beach each year.  The largest arribada was recorded in Ostional in November 1995, when a calculated 500,000 female turtles came ashore.  Some of the places that you can stay if you want to see this spectacular event include: La Sencilla – Nosara Playa Guiones, Dos Corazones – Nosara Playa Pelada, and Los Pericos – Nosara Playa Pelada, all of which sleeps 6.

The best time to see an arribada is between July and December.  The arribadas tend to occur on a lunar cycle of approximately 28 days. The majority occur around the last quarter of the cycle. Because of the infrequency of the turtle visits, no one runs standard tours.  However when the arribada is in full swing, several local guides and agencies run tours.  If you happen to be in the area during a nesting, make it a point to visit this fascinating event.  One tour group that you can contact to see if the turtles are nesting is Iguana Expeditions 2682-4089. A few other places to stay include: HeartWaves 3-Bedroom – Nosara Playa Guiones, which can accommodate six people and Casa de Piedra – Nosara Playa Pelada, which sleeps up to ten.

 

Flamingo and Potrero Costa Rica: The National Parks

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Boats taking people to Las Baulas National Marine Park.

The beaches of the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica have been called the Gold Coast. With less rain than the rest of the country, Guanacaste offers a great place to visit especially during the green season from May until October. Both Flamingo and Potrero offer fantastic places to base yourself when you are visiting this area.

Two of my favorite National Parks in Costa Rica are located near here:

Las Baulas National Marine Park (Parque Marino las Baulas)

The Leatherback Turtle (in Spanish baula) nests in only 13 places in the world.  One of these places is at Las Baulas National Park which is located south of Flamingo and Portrero, near Tamarindo. The Leatherback turtle is the largest reptile in the world weighing an average of 1,300 pounds.  This is an ancient species which dates back 150 million years.  They are approximately six feet long and three and a half feet wide.  They nest October through February. If you want to see them nesting, which is an incredible experience you have to be escorted by guides from the National Park Service. There are many tours to take you to the park or you can contact the National Park Service directly.

Santa Rosa National Park

Located approximately 45 miles north of Flamingo and Portrero is Santa Rosa National Park, a site of both historical and ecological significance. The Hacienda Santa Rosa marks the fall of filibuster William Walkers mercenaries that wanted to take over and enslave Costa Rica.

This 122,350 acre park offers ten different habitats which range from a mangrove swamp to a dry tropical forest.  Santa Rosa National Park is a great place to see a wide variety of animal species.  There are 115 species of mammals including the white face, spider and howler monkey and five species of the big cats. Over 250 species of birds and 3,200 species of butterflies call Santa Rosa home.  At Playa Nancite you can experience a large nesting ground of the Olive Ridley Turtle from July to November.

The Murcielago sector is home to a large number of bats.  The road to the park is well marked. You may wish to hire a guide in the park so that you can make the most of your time here.

I want to share with you some of the wide variety of accommodations that are available in the area from Costa Rica Bedfinder.  Each week I will select a few of my favorite places to stay with you.  Here are some of my favorites in the Flamingo beach area:

Opulent Flamingo Beach ocean view villa with gym, sauna and media room

7-bedroom classic Spanish villa on Flamingo beachfront

Ultra luxury vacation villa on Flamingo beachfront

Dominical, Costa Rica: Land Activities

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Scarlet Macaw

This month we are looking at Dominical, Costa Rica.  In part 1 of this series, I talked about two of my favorite National Parks. In part 2, I shared with you the incredible beaches in Dominical. In part 3, I discussed water activities.

This article will discuss the wide variety of land activities Dominical has to offer.

Bird Watching

Costa Rica is a bird lover’s paradise, boasting more than 850 species of birds. Approximately 600 of these bird species reside in Costa Rica year-round; the rest migrate seasonally. In Dominical you can see a wide variety of birds. You may wish to invest in a professional tour or a good bird book. My favorite book is the Birds of Costa Rica by Richard Garrigues and Robert Dean.

Some of the popular birds commonly found in the area include the Toucans and Parrots. At the Corvovado National Park, south of Dominical, visitors can see the rare Scarlet Macaw in the wild.

Horseback Riding

Several companies in Domincal offer horseback riding guided tours. Take a ride on the beach on a beautiful horse. Explore on jungle trails where you ford rivers on horseback. Take a ride to 600′ Diamante Waterfall or the lesser known 600 + foot Angel Waterfall. There are a variety of different places to explore and many include opportunities to see birds and take photos along the way.  Options include full and half day trips.  There are horses available for beginning to experienced riders.

Tree Climb

Did you love Tree climbing as a child?  Well you can take it to the next level and then some.  With the tree climb you will use specialized equipment, harnesses and ascenders to climb via a rope to the upper branches of a rainforest tree.  You climb to a height of 113 feet where you can sit on the branches and be part of the canopy.  An English speaking naturalist guide will be with you. You don’t have to be strong to do this, but you do need to be somewhat physically fit.

Zip Line

No vacation to Costa Rica is complete without the breath-taking experience of flying through the canopy on a zip line. It is a great way to see the rain forest. In Dominical the zip line offers 8 separate cable ridges where you fly from one ridge top to another across valleys and streams. The tour will have two guides and at least one of them speaks fluent English.

I also want to share with you some of the wide variety of accommodations that are available in the area from Costa Rica Bedfinder.  Each week I will select a few of my favorite places to stay with you.

Opposite the Escaleras hills on the ocean side, the Puerto Cito  is where you will find two of my favorite vacation rentals.

‘The Edge’, is an Estate villa with 180 degree vistas of ocean and jungle, as well as an architectural jewel.

Another great option is “Casa Ramon”, considered by many to be The ultimate luxury home away from home in Costa Rica.   

Costa Rica Ranks 1st in the Americas in the 2010 Environmental Performance Index

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Pristine forests and streams in Costa Rica.

The 2010 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) produced by a team of environmental experts at Yale University and Columbia University ranks 163 countries biannually on their Environmental Performance.   This is the third edition of the EPI, which has been revisited biannually since 2006.

They measure 25 metrics aggregated into ten categories including: environmental health, air quality, water resource management, biodiversity and habitat, forestry, fisheries, agriculture, and climate change.

Iceland ranks 1st overall, followed by Switzerland.  In third place is Costa Rica which makes it first in the Americas.  Norway rounds out the group of top performers in 4th place.  The top performers were defined as countries that scored over 85%.

Costa Rica scores very well on most metrics earning it an overall score of 86.4 in 2010.  Often people ask me if the water in Costa Rica is safe to drink. This study shows Costa Rica as doing very well in providing safe drinking water giving it a score of 96.03.  One of the places that it needed improvement was in Air Pollution with a score of only 59.94, which I suspect is primarily due to the amount of traffic in the Central Valley.  The average score in the Americas was a rather dismal 64%.

In the 2008 study, Costa Rica ranked 5th but had a score of 90.5. In 2006 Costa Rica ranked 15th with a score of 81.6.

The United States places 61st in the 2010 EPI, with an overall score of 63.5. They had with strong results on some issues, such as safe drinking water with a score of 99.14%.  They also need work in Air Pollution with a score of 31.59%.   The U.S. ranked 31st in 2008 with a score of 81% and  in 2006 they ranked 28th with a score of 78.5.  This is a significant drop for the United States, however the study was completed before some of President Obama’s environmental initiatives had time to take effect.

Over 20 members of the European Union outranked the United States as did several other industrialized nations such as United Kingdom (14th), Germany (17th), and Japan (20th). The U.S. neighbors Canada ranked 46th  and Mexico ranked 43rd.

Costa Rica is known world wide for their commitment to the environment.  Laura Chinchilla, president of Costa Rica states,  “Our country has a world-renowned leadership in environmental issues. This challenge remains to move from a policy of conservation of natural resources and environmental protection to a focus on sustainability, where prosperity is built on the talent of people and environmental wealth.”

Helping to preserve sea turtles in Costa Rica

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http://images.costaricabedfinder.com/articles/181/watching_sea_turtles.jpg

By Marina Villatoro – http://costaricabedfinder.com/articles

Costa Rica is a very bio diverse country where you can do tons of adventure activities as well as wildlife watching, but my favorite of all is taking a guided tour to watch sea turtles.

Seeing these amazing creatures make their way to shore and lay their eggs is a great experience. This is possible in Costa Rica because five species of sea turtles (Leatherback, Green Sea, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, and Olive Ridley) make its coasts their nesting place. Depending on the season they can be seen in the Caribbean or in the pacific coasts.

The Caribbean: Here is where you will find the most important place to watch sea turtles in the country. The Tortuguero National Park is the largest nesting site for the Green Sea turtle in the Western Hemisphere. Here you will be able to see 4 out of the 5 species that visit Costa Rica:

The Green Sea turtles – July to October

Loggerheads – July to October

The Leatherback – March to May

The Hawksbill – March to October

A bit more to the south in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge the ANAI conservation organization has been working for the last 20 years in protecting the sea turtle populations that nest in the area. Here you will also have the chance to see four species of marine turtles: the Loggerhead, Green, Hawksbill, and Leatherback. Between these two places, in Cahuita, the Hawksbill sea turtles are a regular visitor.

The Pacific: In this side of the country, from May through December the Olive Ridley turtles give out a fantastic spectacle. They come to lay their eggs in huge waves known as “arribadas” which means “tens of thousands at a time”. A great place to witness this breathtaking event is in the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge. The peak months are from August to October so I advice visiting within those months.

If on the other hand you prefer looking at Leatherback sea turtles one of the best beaches to do it is on Playa Grande at the Las Baulas National Marine Park. There are some guided tours you can go on and see these giant turtles lay their eggs between October and March.

By going on environmentally safe tours with licensed guides or park rangers in any of these areas you will be cooperating with the protection of these beautiful and highly endangered animals. Plus it is so beautiful to see this that the memory will last a life time.