Abundant wildlife and climatic zones of Costa Rica
February 8th, 2012 | by admin |Visitors to Costa Rica are ready to experience an impressive and varied natural
landscape with volcanoes, rain forests and abundant wildlife. Visitors stay at the many hotels and jungle lodges, which generally have fly-screens instead of windows due to the constant high temperatures.
The climate does take some getting used to for most tourists. When climbing to the volcano Irazu clouds, rain showers, and low temperatures have to be endured. As well as the obscured view of the island’s coastline, the conditions make it near impossible to see the volcano’s green crater.
Costa Rica’s different climate zones and unique biodiversity are immediately noticeable on the descent into the valley below. As the temperatures rise to 28 degrees Celsius, day walkers take off their winter clothing and hang out in t-shirts and shorts.
Since not all animals are so shy, there is plenty of wildlife to see en route along the trails and through the forest, for example curious coatis – a type of raccoon – which emerge from the dense forest in search of a piece of banana.
The sound of howler monkeys in the morning seems louder than expected, however, it is tempered by bird song. There is approximately one hour of rainfall per day, but it’s the humidity that makes the hotel feel like a sauna, causing a real problem for travelers.
Locals advise those traveling to the mango groves to set off at 6 am. At that hour, you’ll find there are already lots of boats with tourists out and about at this early hour in search of the poison dart frog. This blue and red amphibian grows to about five centimeters in
length and can only be seen after long periods of keen observation in certain areas of the park. Tourists are warned not to get too close to the frog, as he secretes a poison from his skin.
Once considered the bird of the gods by ancient Central American cultures, today the quetzal is much sought after by hobby photographers. As green and scarlet pair appears for a brief moment in the treetops, the colorful bird tests the patience of this particular group.
Tortuguero national park has also grown immensely in popularity. Around 100,000 tourists each year endure a near four-hour journey from Cariari or Moin to visit the 19,000-hectare conservation area with its canals and hills. The sight of turtles laying their eggs is possible here in certain months of the year.
Mosquitoes are everywhere when traveling through the Caribbean. The itching doesn’t seem so bad in a rainforest full of colorful toucans, cute monkeys, beautiful butterflies and unique flowers.
The drive to Monteverde in north-western Costa Rica is worth a visit to the mountain village of the same name for the cloud forest that grows at an altitude of approximately 1,600 meters, where temperatures stay between 13 and 24 degrees Celsius all year round.
The last 35 km to the 10,500-hectare bio-reserve involves a drive along bumpy gravel roads. Despite the effort required, the forest has become so popular with tourists that it is advisable to set out in the early morning to avoid crowds. Later risers are better off taking a trip to the neighboring Santa Elana national park.
Diana Wilson
