What To See
Animal Kingdom
Our country is blessed with a huge variety of forest, jungles, oceans, rivers, lakes, volcanoes, mountains, valleys. It is a natural playground where many species of animals live.
With 12 well identified micro-climates, the diversity of flora and fauna is remarkable, and you will be amazed at how quickly the weather and views change.
You can travel for only 30 minutes and go from hot dry weather at the beach to humid forest or even cool forest, and you can expect to see palms and pines on the same day.
With 52,000 square kilometers, Costa Rica is a small country, but the amount of 4 legged inhabitants is surprisingly big.
Spotting wildlife is one of the most fun activities and we never get tired of it.
The central pacific area of Manuel Antonio (with its National Park is one of the best options to see three types of monkeys (the squirrel monkey, the white face monkey and howler monkeys) sloths, deer, parrots, macaws, lots of different birds, colorful frogs, snakes, way too many insects and if you are lucky a small wild cat, and all in one place.
You can top your hike off with a swim in the warm and blue crystal waters of the pacific ocean.
If you want an intensive jungle immersion and you are willing to sacrifice electricity at night time, then, please don’t go back without visiting Corcovado, where the word “wild” takes on a whole new meaning and you will never forget the experience.
One of the most amazing things do to here is snorkeling at the Cano Negro Island, where the ocean shares their secrets and beautiful creatures.
During August to October you can witness the humpback whales that come from the cold waters of Antarctica to our warm waters, can you blame them ? even they choose our gorgeous paradise to run away from the cold winters.
The north pacific has many wonderful species, but the number one show happens during September and November when the Olive Ridley sea turtles come to the beaches of Ostional in their thousands to lay their eggs.
The spectacle is hard to describe, I cried the first time I saw it, there is almost no space to walk, one turtle on top of another one, the eggs uncovered, the dogs and birds feasting on them and at the same time, the locals with big sacks collecting them…
I did not understand it at the beginning, but this town is the best example of a sustainable community. The amount of eggs the turtles leave at the beach at the same time, is way too many for all of those to survive, the turtles even destroy each other’s nests in their frantic efforts to find space…
Therefore the inhabitants of the town take care of the situation by removing a controlled amount of eggs from the beach for consumption and selling.
In exchange they protect the turtles and eggs from predators, keeping the eggs safe until they hatch and helping the little ones make it to the water, this way, the chances of survival increase. Being there is absolutely amazing and something you will never forget.
There are many more marvelous opportunities to experience the natural world when you are in Costa Rica, some very colorful and enjoyable like the butterflies, other ones not so much, like the big black May Beetles. Other species always visible are geckos, iguanas, racoons and of course , the not so wild but always loved, cats, dogs, cows and chickens.
Either way, when you visit our country , there will be close encounters, there will be wow moments , and lots of unforgettable memories.
