Gerry and I visited Costa Rica for the first time! The main focus of the trip was the Raptor Research Foundation annual conference in Cariari, about 5 miles south of San Jose.
The conference was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cariari hotel, which was quite a lovely place, with several conference rooms for the various presentations. Our hotel room was very quiet and comfortable. The complimentary daily breakfast buffets were delicious, and we enjoyed swimming laps in the outdoor pool on the premises!
We arrived in Costa Rica Tuesday afternoon, October 14, after several hours of air travel and a long layover in Miami. It was a late Monday night flight from LAX to Miami and then a late morning flight on Tuesday morning to San Jose, Costa Rica. I didn't sleep a wink on Monday night, and slept ten hours Tuesday night to compensate.
I'm glad we made the trip and were able to listen to more than 40 raptor research presentations! Most of the talks and presentations were brief, 15-minutes long. Close to 300 raptor scientists and environmentalists attended from all over the world (though most were from USA and Canada).
We were especially glad Nurit Katz and Dan Cooper also attended. Nurit and Dan lead Friends of Griffith Park's Raptor Study, which completed its ninth year in 2025.
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| Nurit, Gerry, Mary and Dan at the RRF Conference! |
The talks, lectures, and seminars took place over four days, from Wednesday afternoon, October 15 through Saturday afternoon, October 18. Very interesting and informative; so much to learn and absorb!
Wednesday morning, after eating our delicious gourmet breakfast, we went to the hotel lobby at 9:30 am for our Uber ride to downtown San Jose. (The only access to downtown is via the highway. Darn. I would have gladly walked five miles to San Jose, had it been an option)
We were dropped off in front of the Grand National Theater at 10:05 am. The Theater is a mix of neoclassical and baroque styles, and opened in 1897.
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| Gerry, outside the Grand National Theater |
Unfortunately, we weren't able to take a tour of the Theater because the next available tour in English was at 2:00 pm, and our plan was to be back at the DoubleTree by 1:00 pm. At least, were able to walk inside the entrance and take a few pictures.
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| Quite ornate |
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| Another good statue and pose |
Next, we walked to Morazan Park in central downtown. It's lovely with flowers, plants, statues, and walking paths in this park which encompasses four city blocks.
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| Gerry in front of the "Wings" |
The Wings sculpture, was a gift to the city of San Jose by Mexican artist Jorge Marin. An interpretive appreciation sign of the artist is next to the sculpture (unlike the Wings at the Observatory in Los Angeles).
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| A banner / sign recognizing the talented artist Jorge Marin |
I also liked seeing the Temple of Music, another small structure in Morazan Park.
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| Admittedly, quite the small music temple |
Onward to the Grand Market, a half-mile away. The Grand Market covers an entire city block and is home to 200 stalls; the largest market in the capital city of San Jose. We spent 20 minutes walking through it. Quite the unique experience with narrow aisles filled with vibrant stalls selling exotic fruits, seafood, spices, woven bags, and serving food, etc.
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| Lots of fresh produce packed in at this stall |
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| A seafood stall, with the comical Squid overhang above it |
We strolled by another tree-lined park and wandered around, taking in the scenery.
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| In front of this statue in a lovely city park |
The next and final stops for us in San Jose were at the Barrio Amon and the Barrio Otoya neighborhoods, San Jose's oldest and most historically significant area, evident in the intricate colonial designs on the buildings and the wonderful graphic art and murals.
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| Painted artwork on the neighborhood street |
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| Another creative one |
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| Artistic, with vibrant colors ! |
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| Gerry is at bottom left calling an Uber to get us back to the DoubleTree |
We enjoyed our fun self-guided tour of downtown San Jose, though it was time to get back to the Raptor Research Foundation (RRF) Conference! Afternoon talks were taking place.
All of the talks were excellent. Many of the speakers were graduate students working on their theses. We were fascinated and intrigued.
Later in the evening, there was a poster viewing event in the main conference room from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. Interesting to talk to some of the passionate scientists as they explained their posters which illustrated the purpose of their work in studying raptors.
There were two-hour lunch breaks most days during this four day Raptor Research Foundation conference. Enough time to have lunch and walk and explore the beautiful neighborhood.
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| Iguana in the tree |
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| A lovely fountain a few blocks away from the DoubleTree |
All in all, it was a wonderful Raptor Research Foundation conference at the DoubleTree!
I'm thrilled we decided to add on the three day, two night excursion to Tortuguero National Park! We registered ahead of time. Glad we did so. The group was limited to 30 people and filled up rapidly.
We met in the lobby Sunday morning Oct 19 at 5:45 am, and our tour bus arrived at 6:00 am. Shortly after 8:00 am we arrived in Guapiles where we stopped for a Costa Rican breakfast at Restaurant El Ciebo.
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| El Ciebo - our breakfast break |
It was a filling breakfast, with delicious Costa Rican coffee.
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| Eggs, beans and rice, plantains, toast, fresh fruit and coffee |
We walked around the area adjacent to the restaurant and observed some frogs below and birds above before we boarded the bus for the second leg of the journey to "the coast", the small town of LaPavona.
We disembarked from the bus and loaded our suitcases onto the boat. Gerry and I bought a coconut for a dollar from a local woman in LaPavona before we boarded the boat, so we could enjoy refreshing aqua de pipa (coconut water) on the 90 minute boat ride. We were excited and looking forward to the scenic boat ride!
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| We're required to wear life vests and were a bit hot and sweaty, and appreciated the aqua de pipa! |
Our boat sailed along the Rio Parismina toward Tortuguero National Park. Everyone was taking photos of the spectacular scenery with a lot of beautiful bird species!
A fun fascinating fact: 5 percent of the world's flora and fauna are in Costa Rica, a country that is the size of West Virginia.
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| A beautiful roseate spoonbill on the water |
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| Our friend says goodbye, spreads its wings and flies away |
Minutes later, we see a congregation of great egrets in the trees above us.
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| No regrets seeing great egrets |
Our boat slows as we approach a snowy egret and a tricolored heron together on a log.
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| The log is long enough to accommodate them both |
Next it is our great privilege to spot a colony of proboscis bats in a tree near the river's edge. There are more than 100 native bat species in Costa Rica.
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| Here are five members of the colony |
At 12:30 pm we finally arrive at the dock near the Evergreen Lodge, where we will stay for two nights.
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| The arrival boat dock near the Evergreen Lodge |
We were given "welcome" glasses of fruit juice upon our arrival by the staff, and were also greeted by white-faced capuchin monkeys who are feisty and playful. The first group I see on the table at the dock, seem to be asking, "What are you people doing here?"
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| This group of white-faced monkeys on the table stare at us |
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| The youngster on the ground must be awfully thirsty |
The Evergreen Lodge is an excellent place to stay, to experience the tropical jungle of Tortuguero. It was thrilling to be in the heart of the tropical rainforest, listening to the sounds of the howler monkeys at night, and also the nocturnal frogs.
At 2:30 pm our group reconvened at the boat dock and took a short ride to a nearby "island" where we went on a short walking tour looking at the flora and the fauna. I especially liked seeing the very agile Spider monkeys.
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| Spider monkey in motion |
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| Another Spider monkey just chilling |
Interesting to spot a Blue land crab and then a boa constrictor snake a few feet away, ten minutes later.
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| Blue land crab on the moist ground |
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| A fine looking boa constrictor |
Another highlight was the magnificent Baird's Trogon, with it's colorful plumage.
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| Baird's Trogon with purple tail, and a bright red belly |
We returned to the Evergreen Lodge by 4:30 pm. Plenty of time to change into bathing suits and go to the pool. It felt refreshing to be in the pool after this very long Sunday morning and afternoon.
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| The pool, which is a two minute walk from our lodge room #58 |
Our alarm clocks were set for 4:45 am Monday morning October 20. The plan was to walk to the restaurant for coffee at 5:15 am, prior to our 5:45 am departure from the dock for our 2 1/2 hour visit to Tortuguero National Park via boat!
Our group was split into groups on two different boats, one a Suzuki and the other a Yamaha. Gerry and I were on the Suzuki with our excellent guide, Bernie!
We were fortunate weather-wise; although it was a cloudy morning, it didn't rain. We saw an amazing variety of lovely birds!
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| Slaty-tailed Trogon |
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| Gray-necked Wood-Rail (Armadies cajanera) |
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| Northern Jacana (with the yellow head and beak) |
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| Green heron |
We ate a delicious breakfast upon our return at the Evergreen Lodge's restaurant. The rain started pouring down at 9:30 am when we left the restaurant for the short walk back to our hotel room. The rain didn't let up until after noon. Too bad, because the original plan was to do another field trip by boat at 10:30 am. It was cancelled because of the torrential downtown.
We did take an afternoon excursion - a visit to the lovely Tortuguero village, with all of its Caribbean splendor. It was a short 10-minute boat ride to the town and we were there approximately two hours, from 2:30 pm until 4:30 pm.
Tortuguero village has a population of about 1,500 people and is quite laid-back. Most of the people who live there are Nicaraguans. It is the only village in Costa Rica with no cars.
We enjoyed strolling the narrow streets and alleys. Teenage girls were doing a dance on one of the narrow alleys while we watched. A cute little girl also seemed intrigued.
For a small village, there is more colorful "street art" than you might find in many big cities.
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| This caught my eye |
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| Another creative mural |
The beaches around Tortugurero are key nesting places for four species of sea turtles. The sea turtles are valued and respected. Here is one of a few warning signs to visitors regarding the sea turtles.
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| Hope people heed this warning |
We didn't see any live sea turtles; this mural will have to suffice.
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| A colorful sea turtle mural |
And, of course we appreciated seeing more birds!
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| Tropical Kingbird (atop of the wires, he is certainly the king) |
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| Bare-throated Tiger Heron |
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| Social Flycatcher (Myiozetetes) |
In addition to the birds above, we saw a unique-looking frog on the ground below, the Strawberry poison dart frog. Strawberry poison frogs defend themselves from predators, such as snakes and hawks, by producing a lethal, or deadly, skin poison. Animals that eat or even lick a strawberry poison frog nearly always die.
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| Strawberry poison dart frog - no way would we touch him! |
We ended our visit in Tortuguero Village with a stroll along the beach. The beach is not a tourist hot spot. Instead it's a tranquil, natural beach with the soothing sounds of the waves.
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| I always enjoy walking on the beach and gazing out to the ocean or sea |
Soon it was time to leave the beach and head back to the dock for our 10-minute boat ride back to the Evergreen Lodge.
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| Why not take a swing before we depart? |
We changed into our bathing suits and headed to the pool when we arrived back at the Evergreen Lodge. Delicious dinner once again at 7:00 pm on our second and final night here.
It was very rainy on the morning of Tuesday, October 21. After breakfast, we met at the boat dock and boarded the boat at 9:00 am. There were a few breaks in the weather and we stopped a couple of times to view birds.
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| A flock of Snowy Egrets |
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| One final photo |
We arrived back at the DoubleTree around 3:00 pm Tuesday, October 21 and were given an upgraded room on the first floor, which was even more spacious than our previous room. We went to the pool and swam 25 minutes, a much-needed refreshing workout after the long bus ride back here from LaPavona.
We walked ten minutes to the Moose restaurant for our final dinner and ordered a delicious pizza! I loved the friendly service, the beautiful plates, and the atmosphere of this place.
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| A delicious, gourmet vegetable pizza is served! |
Wednesday morning October 22, we depart to Tamarindo, a beach town on the west side of Costa Rica, the Pacific Coast. We're on our own, which is fine with me. We're great at figuring things and deciding what to do.
We took the free 9:00 am shuttle from the DoubleTree to the San Jose International Airport in Alajuela, this side of downtown San Jose and only a 20 to 25 minute ride.
The Sansa airlines plane was very small with a 14 passenger capacity plus the two pilots. There were only 8 of us aboard this short 40-minute ride to Tamarindo.
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| Gerry and Mary on the flight to Tamarindo |
I enjoyed flying through the clouds and really got excited as we approached Tamarindo, where we'll be staying our final three nights in Costa Rica - Wednesday through Friday.
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| We're about to land in ten minutes! |
We're staying at the Boho Tamarindo, a small, quaint boutique property located just a few minute walk from the beach and the vibrant downtown of Tamarindo is nearby.
We had prearranged to have a driver meet us at the airport and take us to the Boho, about a 15-minute drive. Our gracious host Juan greeted us when we arrived and assigned us room #2. The Boho only has six rooms, and is locally owned. A wonderful choice of a place to stay - very welcoming and comfortable!
By 1:00 pm we were out the door and headed to the Langosta Beach Club, a block away and right on the beach. Boho guests are allowed free entrance to the Langosta - an offer we couldn't refuse! I love it that we can leave the Boho and be at at the beach in less than ten minutes. There are comfortable lounge chairs on the beach, and poolside lounge chairs, and a reasonably priced menu.
We took a walk on the beach, and also went in the ocean. Water temperature was warm, in the 80s. Ideal for splashing around in the waves.
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| At the beach, near the Langosta |
We then took a walk into downtown Tamarindo and visited a few of the stores. Tamarindo has certainly grown from a small beach side town in the 1990s. There are now many hotels, restaurants, and high-end real estate.
We returned to the beach again around 5:15 pm to view the sunset.
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| Getting my feet wet on the beach as the sun goes down |
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| Viewing the spectacular sunset |
We chose to have dinner on Wednesday evening at the Green Papaya, an excellent choice. We shared Mahi Tacos (one large taco each) and a large papaya salad (of course!). A delicious dinner with very generous portions and a relaxing atmosphere.
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| Papaya salad and Mahi tacos rock! |
Thursday, October 23, was my favorite day in Costa Rica. The day was packed full with fun and adventure. The weather was ideal, and I enjoyed every minute.
We started the day with breakfast at the Boho. We drank large cups of coffee, then ate a plate of fresh fruit, then a made-to-order breakfast, prepared by Juan. It was the "Costa Rica special", homemade rice and beans, two grilled eggs, tortillas with avocado, slices of tomato and a block of cheese.
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| Gerry and his "Costa Rica special". Mine was exactly the same |
We donned our bathing suits and headed out the door around 8:30 am. We walked through town and then along the beach to the Tamarindo River, which is at the northern edge of Playa Tamarindo.
At 9:15 am we met a local guy on the beach whose brother has a small boat and offers tours on the river which goes through Las Baulas National Marine Park. He offered us a two-hour boat ride tour on the river for $40 per person. Quite the deal - less than half the price than if we had gone with some tour company.
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| Our boat is the small one on the left; the two brothers are talking |
It was just the two of us on the boat, with our guide named Chago. It was a relaxing ride down the river and along some of the narrow channels. It was very serene, with no other people or boats.
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| An osprey up high on the tree nearby |
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| Little blue heron along the shore |
We even caught a glimpse of a crocodile; it was somewhat difficult to spot.
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| Crocodile which blends in with its background |
After our boat ride, we walked for about an hour on the Playa Grande beach. It was beautiful and we had the place to ourselves.
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| Gerry getting his feet wet |
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| A shorebird of some variety |
We also saw a few small crabs in the sand. This may be a Ghost Crab as they are common here and are active at low tide.
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| Ghost Crab (?) |
We left the Playa Grande beach and headed back to the Langosta Beach Club under bright blue sunny skies.
We shared the Langosta's "Club Guacamole" for a light lunch. It was a large cup of their fresh guacamole (pineapple, cucumbers, avocado cilantro and lime) served with tortilla chips.
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| Artful presentation of our Club Guacamole |
Then we were ready to swim in the ocean and body surf some of the waves. Quite fun! I always enjoy splashing around in the ocean!
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| Lounge chairs near the beach |
After our swim in the ocean, we relaxed near the "Infinity Pool" at the Langosta Beach Club. Gerry spotted a bright red bird in the tree above us.
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| Summer tanager |
We relaxed in the lounge chairs and then took a stroll on the beach and treated ourselves to 30-minute massages. Two female massage therapists were set up with two separate tables under a bright yellow canopy tent. We had the massages simultaneously-so restful and therapeutic, hearing the ocean waves in the background.
It turned cloudy in the late afternoon. There were still people in the ocean and horses on the sand.
Thursday evening we walked to Lunatico Cocino for dinner, about a 12 minute walk from the Boho. At Lunatico we ordered glasses of their house red wine and started with their ceviche as an appetizer. Then we shared their gourmet vegetarian pizza.
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| I'm very happy and smiling when our pizza is served! |
We slept well Thursday night. Maybe it's because we walked more than 7 miles and went swimming in the ocean twice and it was a perfect day.
Friday, October 24 - It was our final day in Tamarindo and Costa Rica. I felt somewhat nostalgic, not wanting this vacation to end.
We started the day with coffee, fresh fruit and banana pancakes for breakfast, prepared again by Juan.
It was mostly cloudy and a little rainy. We spent most of the day at the Langosta Beach Club, such an ideal place to relax and "chill". We took a three mile walk in the morning and headed south along the beach, the opposite direction of where walked on Thursday.
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| Gerry on our morning walk |
We swam in the water a few times, enjoyed splashing the water and body surfing some of the waves. Waves were much more gentle than they were on Thursday. We also took dips in the Langosta's Infinity Pool. The pristine infinity pool appears to merge with the horizon.
I enjoyed reading a book in the comfy pool deck lounge chair. We returned to the Boho around 5:00 pm.
We chose Chiquita's - a Latin / Spanish restaurant with outdoor seating, delicious food selections and cocktails - for our final dinner in Costa Rica. The atmosphere is inviting, and our waitress was super-friendly.
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| Chiquita's |
We both ordered margaritas (best margaritas we've had in Costa Rica). I ordered their octopus tacos (3) - grilled octopus, guacamole and salsa macha with corn tortillas. Gerry ordered their pollo al mole - chicken breast with mole, mexican rice and charro beans. The mole was intricate and spicy, though not rich and creamy. We shared our dishes.
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| Delicious entrees at Chiquita's |
A highlight of the dinner was the musical performance by Fatiniza, a female vocalist. She's is a dynamic Columbian singer born in 1975. The guitarist who accompanied her was also very good.
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| This free concert was an unexpected treat! |
Saturday October 25 was departure day.
We chose the "Costa Rica" breakfast option once again. Hard to pass on this breakfast option, prepared fresh my Juan!
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| You're only as pretty as you treat people (like my coffee mug says) |
Juan offered us a complimentary ride to the Tamarindo airport. We left Boho at 10:40 am and arrived at the airport before 11:00 am. Plenty of time before our 12:00 noon flight to the San Jose airport.
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| Mary and Juan at the airport, and the Boho transportation vehicle |
The airport is very small, nothing fancy.
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| Smallest airport (and most rural) I've ever visited |
We walked around to look for birds one final time, and we saw plenty of birds in the large trees.
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| Gray hawk |
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| Sansa flight about to land |
Less than ten of us aboard, and we departed a few minutes early. Skies were clear and we were able to have a final view of Tamarindo and the lovely beach below.
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| It felt bittersweet to say goodbye |
Hopefully, we'll be back!
