To live in Costa Rica means walking inside exuberant green forests, cool water streams, nice beaches, impressive waterfalls and awe-inspiring sunrises and sunsets. To capture this beauty, patience and perseverance is needed, along a critical eye to spot great compositions. I am blessed enough that through my hiking and birdwatching trips, many of these places reveal themselves in front my eyes. I hope you enjoy taking in the view from your screen.
Mist is colored yellow during sunrise at Volcan Arenal
Entirely different vegetation can be seen in the highlands, with bushes replacing the tall trees characteristic of the lowlands
Orange Sunset at Cerro Buenavista
The forest canopy glows when hit by early sunrise light at Kekoldi, Talamanca
A couple of leading lines that point to the offshore rock at Bahia de los Piratas
Templo waterfall at Peace Waterfall Gardens. The fern at the left hand side adds to the feeling of tropicalness
A dramatic sunset with lighit rays breaking through the clouds
Tree species in Costa Rican highlands assume more conical shapes, reminiscent of pine forests that are found in the northern parts of the world
The exuberant forest canopy is a signature of the Caribbean slope of the country, with vast expanse of green forest covering the land
La Fortuna Waterfall in long exposure
I might need to work on better poses, but the light on this forest was just amazing.
Light green trees with branches covered in red bromeliads at El Copal
A few staircase steps brings you to a closer spot to admire the beauty of Magia Blanca
Luck provided us a wonderful sunrise with Arenal Volcano uncovered after two days of heavy clouds
Sunset at Cerro Pelado during the dry season
A small waterfall in the highlands forest in Cinchona
Walking down the trail a few meters, the Templo waterfall can be appreciated from the riverside
A portion of the Milky Way as seen from Tortuguero National Park at 4:00 am. BACKSTORY: I went to the edge of the beach at 8 pm the previous day, but the crescent moon was bright, so the stars looked too faint. I went to bed around 9 pm, but due the heat and a mosquito, I could not sleep a single hour. At midnight, I went to sit outside our room, where it was cooler, and just looked at the stars and people passing through the streets until about 3:30, when one of my friends got up. We packed and went for the stars at the beach. The moon had set already, so the sky was so dark and the stars just popped in brightness. Clouds started to move in and by sunrise, they had covered most of the sky. I am glad we went so early.
A small waterfall in Cinchona
This shallow river runs through the exuberant cloud forest in Cinchona
The blue color of late afternoon light at the pacific coast
A light green tree elevates itself above the dense canopy in this forest in southern Talamanca
My third time at Rio Celeste greeted me with lush vegetation, humid weather and nice turquoise water
Encantada waterfall at Peace Waterfall Gardens can be appreciated from eye level from the lower lookout point
A long exposure of the beach at Tortuguero during sunset. Most people had already left, so it was a very calm moment, with the fresh wind blowing towards the beach, and the sound of waves crashing into the sand.
Sunrise shot at Bahia de los Piratas
Sunset at Cerro Pelado during the dry season
I remember when I thought that Costa Rica was not very good for landscape photography, because we did not have impressive mountain ranges or crystal clear lakes. How wrong I was! For the forest provides exquisite opportunities to see the beauty of this planet and to capture it with my camera.
After the sun went below the horizon, the sky turned a dramatic combination of deep blue, orange and yellow
This waterfall is the last stop at the trail in San Gerardo de Dota. Its waters are very clear, while the pond looks a deep green hue
A view of the river in Tirimbina Private Reserve from the hanging bridge
Small waves hit the red rock at Bahia de los Piratas during an overcast sunset
My third time at Rio Celeste greeted me with lush vegetation, humid weather and nice turquoise water
Magia Blanca waterfall at Peace Waterfall Gardens, as seen from the lookout point from the higher portion of the trail
Being a tropical country, Costa Rica does not have autumn or spring seasons, but some trees do turn their leaves orange or red in specific conditions
“Botarrama” trees ressemble a gigantic broccoli in terms of shape. I don’t like broccoli, but these trees are gorgeous
A section of the trail at Pacuare Reserve. While the forest is full of green colors, the trail is marked by dead leaves and soil that look orange-brown. It can be seen as the path I am going through, or where I come from.
Following the trail through Cerro Tortuguero is essentially a walk into the dense tropical rain forest. Nothing breaks the calmness of being inside so much green, except for Spider Monkeys loudly screaming and throwing branches at you.
A look at the exuberant forest in Boca Tapada. The caribbean forests in Costa Rica are very dense and feature very tall trees
A small patch of the forest canopy that can be seen from the deck at El Copal, with exuberant green trees all around
The Hanging Bridges at Monteverde are a must stop for any tourist, both foreigners and nationals
The forest canopy glows when hit by early sunrise light at Kekoldi, Talamanca
A cool stream running among the dense forest in Braulio Carrillo National Park
The Savegre river crosses through the forest in San Gerardo de Dota, then it plunges down the small pedestrian bridge on this short but intense trail
La Fortuna Waterfall in long exposure
The entrance to the Agami Heron nest lies beyond this natural frame of tree branches. While most of the trail in Pacuare Reserve is about 3 meters wide, from here on the trail is very tight, which makes you feel more connected with the forest.
A view of the main river than runs through Caño Negro, an oasis for water birds
It is the dry season, yet multiple colors adorn trees in Palo Verde
A green oasis of life among the barren rock in Cerro Pelado
Sometimes a landscape image becomes more compelling by adding the human element. It brings scale, emotion and the ability to imagine us at that place.
It is a slippery climb onto a rock to be able to reach this side of the river
A different view of the Milky Way from Tortuguero National Park. The very big star to the left is Jupiter it seems. A little bit of light from the town was hitting the low clouds, hence the glow visible near the trees.
A view from the hanging bridge of the river crossing the Yorkin Indigenous Reserve at Talamanca, Costa Rica
A very shallow stream of water inside the exuberant rainforest. With so much humidity, rocks are entirely covered by moss and plants
A hiking group approaches the last ridge of Cerro Pelado as the light starts to hit from the side during sunrise
Late afternoon light at Cerro Pelado, with the gravel trail windling its way along the hill
Another shallow stream that runs through the exuberant forest in Braulio Carrillo National Park
A cool stream running among the dense forest in Braulio Carrillo National Park
