This entry was posted on Monday, September 29th, 2008

 

Shortly after my Alaska adventure, I had been contemplating an African safari for my next trip.  Being a little more expensive than my budget allowed, I pursued a suggestion by my brother in-law…Costa Rica.  I am cautions when finding tours over the internet and I typically use certain criteria to find a tour that delivers what it claims to offer.  After my initial email and an immediate response and personal note from Greg Basco of  Foto Verde Tours,  I never looked back.  Greg is a fantastic friend, photographer and guide who’s knowledge of Costa Rica is unsurpassed by any.  That was in February 2008 and I still miss the sights and sounds of the rainforest and all the biodiversity that goes with it.   I can still hear the birds, howler monkeys and the coconuts falling on the roof of Greg’s cabin. A truly amazing experience from start to end. 

Our first stop was the Parque Nacional Volcan Poas.  A massive crater that continues to emit sulphurous gasses is both beautiful and ominous at the same time.  A viewing area at 2708 meters offers a close up view of the smouldering cauldron which occasionally emits a geyser up to 40 meters into the air.  At the time of my visit, our group did not witness such an event but I can only imagine it to be spectacular.  A second nearby crater boasts the beautiful, cold, deep green  Botos crater lake.  The challenge in photographing the craters was to capture both the combined mystique and beauty that emanated from them.  We spent the rest of the afternoon photographing a variety of birds and hummingbirds while learning fill-flash techniques in Greg’s home town of Zarcero.  A spectacular sunset photography session capped off the day in the picturesque highland town.

 The following day we headed off to Volcan Arenal which is the youngest and most active Volcano in Costa Rica.  It’s present active cycle produces continuous eruptions of lava with glowing pyroclastic flows which on clear nights are amazing.  The reddish orange rivers of  electric thunderous avalanches were nothing short of spectacular.  A long exposure would be required to capture this iridescent wonder of nature.  With a remote cable release with a bulb function, this would not be a problem.  Of course,  I did not have one.  However, there is the old saying,  ” Where there’s a will…there’s a way.”  A little bandaging tape and imagination enabled me to keep the shutter depressed indefinitely. Greg had carefully chosen our rooms specifically for their locations and private balconies to which we were able to photograph all night long if we wished.  I stepped onto my balcony  and to my disappointment, Volcan Arenal  was engulfed in clouds.  The only thing visible was an orange glow of the clouds cast by the  thundering pyroclastic flows.  Regardless, I set up my tripod and attempted to frame my shot.  The light was so low, that I could see absolutely nothing through my viewfinder.  I could just barely  make out the silhouette of distant trees so I used those as guides, set my zoom to 18mm and…well…guessed.    I figure it was about 10 or so minutes into the third exposure when the cloud cover broke.   Leaving an orange cast to the sky,  the capture of silhouette of trees, Arenal and the star trails was well worth staying up all night for. 

One of my favourite stops was in El Castillo at a snake zoo run by Greg Basco’s friend Victor Quesada.   From deadly eyelash vipers, neotropical rattle snakes and the feared bushmaster to non-poisonous parrot snakes, vine snakes, and even red-eyed tree frogs in Victor’s collection,  we put our multiple flash techniques to the test.  Victor and his staff demonstrated their skill and knowledge of these deadly snakes by placing them in a natural environment for us to photograph them on.   Your chances of finding these venomous snakes deep in the rainforest are slim and I must thank Greg and Victor for the opportunity to photograph species that are very difficult to find in the wild.  By the way…safe photographing distance…1 meter ( three feet ).

 Our next stops in Sarapiqui and La Paz Waterfall Gardens  again gave us opportunities to photograph a variety of wildlife and numerous hummingbird species.  A stop along the way at a river bridge gave us a fun filled session photographing green iguanas. Green iguanas can actually vary in colour depending on mood, health, temperature and breeding seasons. A courting male may exhibit bright orange, rusty red  or gold hues.  The most challenging part of photographing the iguanas was not to get hit by the vehicles!  Actually, handholding a 400mm on a vibrating bridge was most challenging and capturing a tack sharp image proved difficult. 

The final leg of our photo tour would end in the canals of  Tortuguero National Park. The network of fresh water creeks and canals connecting with the mighty Tortuguero River  is home to numerous species of birds along with the spectacled caiman and spider, capuchin and howler monkeys and over 50 species of fresh water fish.  And let’s not forget the green sea turtles. In the right season, you could witness mass arrivals of sea turtles at night under moonlight  and watch the turtles struggle toward the beach to dig their nests and lay their eggs. We did not see any seaturtles during our visit to the park, however, the spectacled caiman we photographed in the canals was absolutely magnificent.  Nights were occasionally interrupted by small coconuts falling on the metal roofs of our cabins.  I was fortunate enough to be in a “coconut free”  zone.  I remember thinking that I would hate to be the poor guy who would have had to endure those coconuts all night long.  As it turns out that poor guy was Greg to which we all shared a laugh.  There are no alarm clocks in Tortuguero National Park however,  the roar of the howler monkeys at dawn is a wake up call I will never forget.   

Travelling with Greg  through the rainforests of Costa Rica was an unforgettable experience.  In fact,  I will be traveling with Greg and Foto Verde Tours  once again in May of 2009. If you would like  to experience Costa Rica’s wonders with or without your camera, then start packing your bags and join us for a photo tour in May 2009  for an awe inspiring  itinerary revolving around Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Send Greg an email and tell him you heard about it here.  Honestly, where else in the world can you dance with an eyelash viper and come home and tell your friends and family about it?!

 Until next time…

 F