Travel --- 12/27/2009 - 1/24/2010 --- Costa Rica

Winter break in Costa Rica.

Todavia!  Jefe en Costa Rica, Veinte Diez

Costa Rica was amazing!  One full month of travel.  This page presents an itinerary of the trip along with a selection of the best photos.  Links in the itinerary will take you to pages with detailed stories and comprehensive photos from that portion of the trip.

As always, I try to provide useful information for planning your own trip... where to stay, prices, things to do, etc.  Most places accept dollars or colones. I've tried to list what we actually were charged.  If prices are stated in dollars, we could usually get a better deal by paying in colones since they would take 500 colones to the dollar but the exchange rate is more like 560 to the dollar.  I've also done my best to identify all the flora and fauna in my pictures.  No doubt there are some errors, this isn't my area of expertise.

Ok, on to the pictures and trip report. Enjoy!

Itinerary

When What
12/27/2009 - 1/2/2010 Preparing for the class with Mark, Dave and Rolando
1/3/2010 - 1/11/2010 COE's Costa Rica Tree Climbing class!
1/12/2010 - 1/24/2010 Traveling around Costa Rica with Jess, Joe and Alex
12/27/2009 - 1/24/2010 A selection of everyone else's photos

Costa Rica?  You should go!  The country isn't going to visit itself!

Rolando, Dave and Mark.  Tres Amigos. (Category:  Travel)

Rolando, Dave and Mark. Tres Amigos.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 12/30/2009

Chestnut Mandibled Toucan (Category:  Travel)

Chestnut Mandibled Toucan    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 12/30/2009

My foot swinging in space, far above Paradise falls. (Category:  Travel)

My foot swinging in space, far above Paradise falls.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 12/31/2009

Standing on a branch 100' above the ground in the Bengali Tiger Trap Ceiba. (Category:  Travel)

Standing on a branch 100' above the ground in the Bengali Tiger Trap Ceiba.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/1/2010

Ceiba spikes (Category:  Travel)

Ceiba spikes    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/1/2010

Beautiful butterfly.  They are hard to photograph because they tend to fold their wings while not flying. (Category:  Travel)

Beautiful butterfly. They are hard to photograph because they tend to fold their wings while not flying.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/2/2010

Redondel De Tres Piedras! (Category:  Travel)

Redondel De Tres Piedras!    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/2/2010

Having an awesome time swimming!  Mike, Casey, Brandon, Alex, Colin, Drew and Joe. (Category:  Travel)

Having an awesome time swimming! Mike, Casey, Brandon, Alex, Colin, Drew and Joe.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/4/2010

Black and Green Poison Dart Frog (Category:  Travel)

Black and Green Poison Dart Frog    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/5/2010

Casey and me (Category:  Travel)

Casey and me    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/5/2010

Alex, Casey and Drew (Category:  Travel)

Alex, Casey and Drew    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/5/2010

Seventy feet up in a Guacimo Colorado, ready to spend the night in my hammock. (Category:  Travel)

Seventy feet up in a Guacimo Colorado, ready to spend the night in my hammock.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/6/2010

Waking up. (Category:  Travel)

Waking up.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/7/2010

Gorgeous damselfly! (Category:  Travel)

Gorgeous damselfly!    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/7/2010

Paparazzi surrounding the Red and Green Poison Dart Frog. (Category:  Travel)

Paparazzi surrounding the Red and Green Poison Dart Frog.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/8/2010

Lone student, lone tree. (Category:  Travel)

Lone student, lone tree.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/8/2010

This might be a Julia (<i>Dryas julia</i>). (Category:  Travel)

This might be a Julia (Dryas julia).    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/8/2010

This might be a Tiger (<i>Tithorea harmonia</i>). (Category:  Travel)

This might be a Tiger (Tithorea harmonia). I'm not very good at identifying butterflies.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/8/2010

The entire class 100' up in Gringo Mike's tree.  Hannah, Regie, Casey, Mike, Colin, Drew, Joe, Alex, Brandon. (Category:  Travel)

The entire class 100' up in Gringo Mike's tree. Hannah, Regie, Casey, Mike, Colin, Drew, Joe, Alex, Brandon.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/9/2010

Drew and Mark high up in the Ceiba. (Category:  Travel)

Drew and Mark high up in the Ceiba.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/10/2010

Drew jugging. (Category:  Travel)

Drew jugging.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/10/2010

Casey jugging. (Category:  Travel)

Casey jugging. It is really hard to get a sense of scale in pictures of someone climbing a 200' tall tree. Maybe this helps.    Tres Piedras, Costa Rica -- 1/10/2010

Black Ctenosaur (Category:  Travel)

Black Ctenosaur    Quepos, Costa Rica -- 1/11/2010

Three Toed Sloth (Category:  Travel)

Three Toed Sloth    Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/12/2010

Capuchin.  These monkeys pose for photos.  Seriously. (Category:  Travel)

Capuchin. These monkeys pose for photos. Seriously.    Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/12/2010

Black Ctenosaur (Category:  Travel)

Black Ctenosaur    Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/12/2010

Beautiful hiking trails in the park. (Category:  Travel)

Beautiful hiking trails in the park.    Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/12/2010

Looking out over the Pacific Ocean. (Category:  Travel)

Looking out over the Pacific Ocean.    Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/12/2010

Under the sea (Category:  Travel)

Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea    Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/12/2010

Joe, Alex, Jess and me at the start of the 20km hike to Sirena. (Category:  Travel)

Joe, Alex, Jess and me at the start of the 20km hike to Sirena.    Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/14/2010

Basilisk (Category:  Travel)

Basilisk    Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/14/2010

Scarlet Macaws  (Category:  Travel)

Scarlet Macaws    Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/14/2010

Collared Anteater (Category:  Travel)

Collared Anteater    Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/14/2010

Jess, Joe and Alex hiking along the Pacific Ocean. (Category:  Travel)

Jess, Joe and Alex hiking along the Pacific Ocean.    Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/14/2010

Blue Morpho at rest with its wings folded. (Category:  Travel)

Blue Morpho at rest with its wings folded. I tried and tried to get a picture of one in flight, but never managed a good photo.    Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/15/2010

Great Curassow eating bananas. (Category:  Travel)

Great Curassow eating bananas.    Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/15/2010

Self portrait taken during the very last bit of sunset over the Pacific Ocean. (Category:  Travel)

Self portrait taken during the very last bit of sunset over the Pacific Ocean.    Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/15/2010

Four-striped Whiptail.  I'm pretty sure of this one. (Category:  Travel)

Four-striped Whiptail. I'm pretty sure of this one.    Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/16/2010

Jess and her $2 can of Fanta.  The vendors at the trailhead know how to make money. (Category:  Travel)

Jess and her $2 can of Fanta. The vendors at the trailhead know how to make money.    Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/16/2010

Joe and Alex in their kayaks. (Category:  Travel)

Joe and Alex in their kayaks.    Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica -- 1/17/2010

Basilisk (Category:  Travel)

Basilisk    Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica -- 1/17/2010

Red-lored Parrots  (Category:  Travel)

Red-lored Parrots    Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica -- 1/17/2010

Walking around San Jose. (Category:  Travel)

Walking around San Jose.    San Jose, Costa Rica -- 1/19/2010

Scarlet Macaw (Category:  Travel)

Scarlet Macaw    Simon Bolivar National Zoo, San Jose, Costa Rica -- 1/19/2010

Jess in the huge bank of fog around Poas volcano. (Category:  Travel)

Jess in the huge bank of fog around Poas volcano.    Poas Volcano National Park, Costa Rica -- 1/20/2010

Lizano! (Category:  Travel)

Lizano!    San Jose, Costa Rica -- 1/20/2010

Cuatro amigos con helado. (Category:  Travel)

Cuatro amigos con helado.    San Jose, Costa Rica -- 1/21/2010

My route for the month in Costa Rica. (Category:  Travel)

My route for the month in Costa Rica. Airport--> San Jose--> San Isidro--> Tres Piedras--> Quepos--> Manuel Antonio--> San Isidro--> Puerto Jimenez--> Carate--> Sirena--> Carate--> Puerto Jimenez--> Golfito--> San Jose--> Poas--> San Jose--> Airport    Costa Rica -- 1/24/2010