Costa Rica: Experiencing Wildlife in the Jungles of Arenal, Monteverde Manuel Antonio
“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives other souls” – Anais Nin
My adventure to Costa Rica was two weeks of up-close experiences with wildlife, nature and musing on the scenic landscapes of an incredibly beautiful & friendly country.
We visited three different parts of the country over our two-week adventure:
La Fortuna & Arenal Volcano
[As a note, it is an actual, 5,400’ active volcano.]
3/7 – Tuesday 9:30 PM CST
“Here I am. In Costa Rica, sitting at the base of a volcano (Arenal) in the middle of the rainforest listening to the rain coming down, the frogs, the wind rustling, the volcano rumbling… sitting out on our little patio at the Last Iguana Resort. A beautiful room, a beautiful view, the beautiful sounds of the jungle. I am one of the luckiest people on the planet.”
3/8 – Wednesday
“…we rode a zipline through the jungle on Sky Trek in Arenal. We drove up the dirt road and took a tram to the top of the mountain and then rode the zipline, all the way back down. [the zipline is RIGHT next to the volcano… it’s wild!] The first one was a bit nerve-racking, but once you complete it, everyone is good to go. It was pretty crazy, screaming across this cable in the middle of a rainforest. Great views, but you’re traveling anywhere between 30 – 60 mph. Our guides were Fabio and Marco or “loco” as they all called him.
While we were on the zipline, we heard the volcano erupt several times; one really loud, once. I have to admit, in the back of my mind, I was concerned the whole time about riding a zipline that close to an active, semi-active volcano, but when you hear it BOOM, it’s so loud! And terrifying… At that point I heard Fabio say, wait a few minutes and you’ll hear the boulders rolling down the side of the volcano. Sure enough…a few minutes later we hear rocks crashing down. Pretty eerie… ROCKS! From a real volcano!”
Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve & Selvatura Park
3/17 – Friday
“I essentially fell in love with Monteverde. I want to move here actually. I would love to get 10 acres, build a nice house, be part of the community. Hangout. Lead a life more connected to nature. A bit more simple + focused. Less swirling around me. Maybe train to become a naturalist guide around the area, off the beaten path kind of stuff. Leave my current life behind & try something completely different.”
The Jungle Beach Mountaintop of Manual Antonio
3/17 – Friday
“Surreal, beautiful, out of this world. Our hotel sits on a cliff, in a jungle, overlooking the ocean… As it states on La Mariposa’s website, ‘Located in one of the most magnificent settings in the world, Hotel La Mariposa stands majestically on the coastal heights of Manuel Antonio, and is known above all for its unbeatable 360 degree views of the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, the city of Quepos, and the Manuel Antonio National Park.’ Perfectly captured. I enjoyed many caipirinhas on their deck overlooking the ocean, musing life.”
Each area of the country was so different.
Monkeys were everywhere… along with other wildlife:
Capuchin monkeys
“Feisty, curious, mischievous… their agility and fearlessness is like nothing I’ve ever seen. They race across rooftops and swing into the trees. They stand on the of high rooftops, with no trepidation or fear of heights. It’s impressive. I had a soft spot in my heart for these little creatures.”
Howler monkeys
“Howler monkeys are everywhere! And they are very loud! They make incredible vocalizations. We got up close a couple of times to a couple of different troupes. First, it’s crazy to be standing underneath in the canopy and hear them come barnstorming in, climbing through the trees. It is truly an event to be experienced once in your life. It’s like they literally “float” through or across the treetops and appear out of nowhere! They sound so aggressive, like they’re trying to frighten off predators, but when you sit silent and clearly present no threat, they seem like such gentle, thoughtful creatures. Both experiences were absolutely amazing, really. What a truly, amazing sight to behold. I am so lucky to have been able to watch such beautiful creatures.”
Troupes of Coatis
Three-toed sloths
Two-toed sloths
And birds, birds, birds… Here is a list of the birds I was able to get a photograph of:
Black-faced solitaire – life bird
Black-headed saltator – life bird
Blue-gray tanager -life bird
Boat-billed heron
Boat-tailed grackle
Cherrie’s tanager – life bird
Clay-colored robin
Fiery-billed Aracari – life bird
Great Egret
Great kiskadee – life bird
Green-crowned brilliant hummingbird – life bird
Green-violet ear hummingbird – life bird
Hoffman’s woodpecker, male & female – life birds
Laughing falcon – life bird
Palm tanagers – life bird
Red-legged honeycreeper – life bird
Resplendent quetzal – life bird
Rufous-collared sparrow – life bird
Tent-making bats – life bird
Tropical kingbird – life bird
Turkey vulture
White-vented euphonia – life bird
Wood stork
Yellow-crowned night heron
“We went on a number of birding excursions, seeing 100’s of birds with local guides. In Monteverde, we saw 60+ birds in just one small part of the preserve. Most of them life birds. Our guides, Samuel & Bill, were a tremendous help. My favorite was the Black-faced solitaire. What an amazing call. Like a rusty gate. Haunting, in a beautiful way. We had so much fun identifying all of the different birds with the books & charts we had brought along.
We also went to a place called Selvatura and saw the bird Costa Rica is famous for, the resplendent quetzal. It really did live up to its billing; it was a beautiful bird. I didn’t get the greatest picture of it, but its tail can grow up to three feet. The feathers are amazing… blues, greens, azures, a little bit of red all blurred together… if Picasso designed a bird, I imagine it would be this bird. Sitting unencumbered on its branch, proud, graceful & relaxed.
One of my other favorite sightings was the kite. At one point I got to watch the spectacle of three kites circling and circling. So beautiful. And again, graceful, or dare I say, magnificent. God truly designed beautiful, living things. Costa Rica is like a God’s Garden of Eden. It’s a spectacular place. Standing in the jungles, any of the jungles in any part of the country and just close your eyes for a minute and really just pay attention & LISTEN,
the entire place is ALIVE! It’s incredible actually. The jungles buzz with life. Literally, the electricity of the living earth is all around you.
You can hear life, LIVING.”
3/16 – 2:43 PM CST – Thursday
[As an observation/personal commentary.]
“I really don’t like being around a lot of people in general, but when I visit developing countries, I especially don’t like being around Americans. I’m looking to blend in, experience the culture, mix it up with the locals, really get the most out of the moment.
Americans need to travel better. Be more open-minded, curious & patient; less demanding and entitled. It seems that they forgot that they’re not at Disney’s EPCOT Center. You’re actually in a different country, where they speak a different language, have different foods, traditions & cultures. Of course, it’s going to be different, challenging and uncomfortable at times. That’s, supposedly why you are there; to experience something different.
But too often, Americans act poorly, and embarrassing. The things they say (or demand). The way they act and treat others. Act like a global citizen, when you’re touring around the world.
Love & Light.