# Photos From Costa Rica Trip May 2013



## tortadise (May 27, 2013)

Was a great trip this time. I stayed at 1500 meters up on a mountain in the Southern Pacific Region. Coronado was the "town". Lots of wildlife their. Here are some photos I took. I took over 300 but my camera is acting up on me and only wants to download 119 of them. So until I figure it out heres a few to start out with.

Violet Sabrewing Hummingbird
campylopterus hemileucurus



Rhino Beetle (male)
megagasoma elephas
























Slender Anole
anolis limifrans











Hercules Beetle (male)
dynastes hercules




Grey Headed Kite
leptodon cayanensis




Tree Fern








Keel Billed Toucan
ramphastos safuratus







Black/Green Poison Dart Frog
Dendrobates Auratus




Giant Red Winged Grasshopper
tropidacris cristata
This guy was 9" long








Cool moss on a palm tree




Cool moss on a ficus tree




Tiny bug doing his thing




Well thats it for now until I can get the rest downloaded. Lots more monkies,frogs,butterflies,crocodiles, and parrots if they download properly.


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## Yvonne G (May 27, 2013)

*RE: Costa Rica Trip May 2013*

What...no turtles?


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## N2TORTS (May 27, 2013)

*RE: Costa Rica Trip May 2013*

***VERY ** nice pictures .... thanks for sharing Kelly .! ...
Looks like an awesome trip! 

JD~


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## tortadise (May 27, 2013)

*RE: Costa Rica Trip May 2013*

Thanks JD. I figure you would like the beetles. I have another one of a big male dung beetle too. But having memory card download issues.

Yvonne. It wasn't turtle season (sea turtles) but I did go to national park to hopefully see some central american wood turtles. They have 3 species there of those guys, and some mud turtles too. But we didn't see any there. They seem to be a little more present on the Caribbean southern side.


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## lkwagner (May 27, 2013)

*Costa Rica Trip May 2013*

Wow those pictures are amazing!!!!!!!!


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## tortadise (May 27, 2013)

*RE: Costa Rica Trip May 2013*

Waterfall on the side of the road. 




Deppes Whiptail
cnemidophorus deppei




Boat Billed Flycatcher
megarhynchus pitangua




Blue/Gray Tanager(behind some leaves in the middle of photo. Looks like a bright blue parakeet)
thraupis episcopus




Litter Skink
splenomorphus chernieri




Alfaro's Pygmy Squirrel
microsciurus alfari




White Necked Puffbird
bucco macrorphynchos




Manteled Howler Monkey (Hard to see but he is in the middle of the photo)
aloutta pallianta




Still working on more.


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## Yvonne G (May 27, 2013)

*RE: Costa Rica Trip May 2013*

I'm sure glad I don't live in an area that has bugs that big. Little baby green grasshoppers freak me out. Can't imagine how it would be to see one that big! eww


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## tortadise (May 28, 2013)

*RE: Costa Rica Trip May 2013*

Finally figured the downloads out for the rest. I was really worried I might had lost them do to a damaged memory card it was saying. Wooo

Well here we go again folks.





Owl Eye Butterfly (These guys are huge. The size of a tea cup saucer)
Closed wings



Top Side open wings




Morpho




Couldnt find this one in my field guide




Swallotail Catapillar




Quite the defense mechanism when threatened. Big horns and jabs backwards.




Male Morpho on top was doing mating rituals to the female on bottom.




Neotropical Bird Eating Snake Psuestes poecilonotus







Giant Centipede




Animal Sanctuary that works with injured/illegally possessed animals.

Coati




Paca(this guy was about 50#) 




Owl




Kinkajou




White Faced Capuchin (Really soft feet)




Tree Boa (On the Siepre River)




Waterfall at Corocovado National Park




Spider Monkey that was right above the waterfall




Basilisk youngster that was with a large number of others at the base of the waterfall




Ficus Trees





Strangler Ficus




Ficus




Tiger Heron




Forgot the name of these guys. They were cool.




Baird's Trogon
trogon bairdii





Male Sloth




Scarlet Macaw




Squirrel Monkey (Siepre River trip)




American Crocodile



and in the water it goes




Wild Pineapple (Best you will ever eat hands down)




River Heron (On the bottom right side on a rock in the river)




Postman Butterfly




Pesserini Tanager(Was hard to get a good photo of his back. But his back was neon fire red)




Blue/Grey Tanager




Hornets




Ctenosaur(or black Iguana)




Mangrove Monitor




Spiny Tailed Iguana




Three Horned Beetle





Red Lored Parrot




Cool Moth




Olive Tree Frog




Golden Eyed Tree Frog


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## wellington (May 28, 2013)

*RE: Costa Rica Trip May 2013*

WOW, Kelly, those are some fantastic pictures. Thanks for sharing. What a cool place, to be able to see all those animals and bugs. I don't like bugs much, but man those ones are pretty cool. Beautiful butterflies.


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## bigred (May 28, 2013)

*RE: Costa Rica Trip May 2013*

Very nice pics, Im sure you are already ready to go back right


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## tortadise (May 28, 2013)

*RE: Costa Rica Trip May 2013*

It is quite Amazing this Country is. They have so many wild crazy beautiful species of everything there. Except tortoises. Sometimes you can find a red foot really far south.


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## tortadise (May 28, 2013)

*RE: Costa Rica Trip May 2013*



bigred said:


> Very nice pics, Im sure you are already ready to go back right



ED. For sure. I actually already have my trip booked again for November. What better way than getting out of a family thanksgiving than leaving the country  I am taking my mom this time though. I am actually going to get a house down there. Hope I find one during that trip that works for the tortoises. I also will give about 3 days at the turtle sanctuary. Its turtle season during November so more work that trip than leisure like this time.


And this is it I swear. The house I rented during my stay down there. Casa De Gekko. Was pretty high up on the mountain. Was also the beginning of the rainy season. We got 5-12" of rain every afternoon. Had to have a 4x4 for sure. I named the car I rented "Fran". She was a schizophrenic car. Shut off when I was going up the very steep driveway of 5 kilometers. 



















And Yes I tried out all the beds LOL. 3 beds and me I had to. Each room had different jungle sounds was cool actually.


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## Jacqui (May 28, 2013)

So super neat! Love all the butterflies and neat plants. I am like Yvonne though, some of those bugs would ummm bug me.


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## lkwagner (May 28, 2013)

I just decided and told my boyfriend this is where we're going on our honeymoon and had to show him all the pics lol


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## tortadise (May 28, 2013)

Jacqui said:


> So super neat! Love all the butterflies and neat plants. I am like Yvonne though, some of those bugs would ummm bug me.



Nah they don't do anything. They are really good for the ecosystem and eat smaller bugs that do bother anti buggers. Its easy to spot a Giant grasshopper too. its like a flying hot dog on fire.




lkwagner said:


> I just decided and told my boyfriend this is where we're going on our honeymoon and had to show him all the pics lol



Fantastic place to visit. I don't recommend the east cost. The Caribbeans are much more rude and more crime is in that area. Your best bet is to go to Playa Grande for your first time, Or Manuel Antonio is very nice. The national park there has 4 different climate/ecosystems. Its a dry forest and very safe. Every species of turtle comes to that beach to lay its eggs too. But don't expect romantic walks on the beach at nights. The beaches are all national parks and you cannot walk on them after dark. I highly recommend it indeed. Very beautiful and natural place to go to. Cheap too. That house was only 700 for the week.


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## Jacqui (May 28, 2013)

The grasshopper I could deal with, beetles not so much.


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## tortadise (May 28, 2013)

The beetles are awesome though.


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## srod (May 28, 2013)

Great pix! Thanks for sharing 
I've been to Costa Rica quite a few times myself. I absolutely love it there. 

Sent from my LG-LS970 using TortForum mobile app


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## Team Gomberg (May 28, 2013)

Wow Kelly. Every single picture you shared could be a computer screen saver image 

Thanks for sharing!

Heather
sent while on my purple android TFOapp


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## Benjamin (May 29, 2013)

Nice pictures, thanks.


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## mctlong (May 29, 2013)

Absolutely gorgeous pictures!!! Looks like a wonderful place to visit! Definitely on my list of to-do's, although I'm with Jacqui on the beetles.

I'm curious, what does renting a house like that generally cost down there?


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## tortadise (May 29, 2013)

Depends on location and size of house. The house I rented this time was 700 for the week. average is around 600-1000 and on up to 5000 a week. Most are large homes. When I go its just me so I dont need anything special. But I liked the mountain jungle location of this one best.


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## harris (May 29, 2013)

Great pics. The grasshopper and Hercules Beetle brought back memories when I lived in Venezuela years ago when I was a kid. I used to catch them all of the time.


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## tortadise (May 29, 2013)

That's awesome Harris. How long did you live there? Would love to see some photos from Venezuela. I plan to go there too. But Argentina is next on the list.


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## Moozillion (May 29, 2013)

WOW!!! Fantastic! I think I just added a Costa Rica trip to my Bucket List!


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## SBeanie (May 29, 2013)

Wow! Very beautiful pictures! Thanks so much for sharing. I am also adding Costa Rica to my bucket list. Hah


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## tortadise (May 29, 2013)

Its a wonderful place. So is Peru but a bit more expensive than Costa Rica.


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## Momof4 (Jun 2, 2013)

It looks like you really enjoyed your trip!! Costa Rica is on our list for retirment. Looking at those photos makes it seem like the right choice.
My 7 yr old just research the kinkajou and it was used in her Rainforest play at school last week. I will show her you photos and test her while we are scrolling. 
Your mom is one lucky lady!


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