So you’re going to Costa Rica. That means you’re probably planning on seeing some cool plant and animal life. At least that’s the way it was for me. I spent a bit over two weeks roaming the country – on a tour with a guide – and basically all of my highlights are being in nature. And while I can’t get enough of the trees, vines, flowers and other plant life, it’s the animals that are most exciting and will create the longest lasting memories.

I’ve thought for a while about just how to write about those experiences. Some have made separate articles, tied in with cool biomes and places I was able to explore. And some, after all those articles are written, haven’t, since I was lucky enough to have too many cool animal encounters to properly put into posts.

Enter the photo-journal, a tool I’ve rarely used. (I’ve done one about downtown Los Angeles’ art deco facades and one about doors in Lyon. Don’t laugh. Doors are awesome and underrated.) This photo-journal will include photos (obviously) and brief descriptions of some of my favorite animals from the trip. And that’s it.

A note: all of these were taken by me using just an iPhone 13. That said, some of them were taken by me on my phone, but looking through my guide’s scope. I’ll make sure those are labeled as such.

Another note: while I may only include a single photo for a given species, it doesn’t mean that was the only time I encountered that animal. For instance, everyone’s favorite Costa Rican critter is a sloth. I probably saw a dozen or more. But I’m going to just share the best encounter that was captured on film.

One final note: this is just a sampling of animals I saw. Some, like the rainbow-billed toucan and green macaw, I didn’t see close enough to get photos of. Others, like hummingbirds and butterflies, didn’t sit still for long enough outside of artificial encounters at feeders, and I’m not including those. And there is just too much volume, especially of birds, to share them all. (As of last count, our group saw more than 110 species of bird, though I’m waiting on the final list from our guide.)

Reptiles and Amphibians

This massive 15-foot crocodile was just sunning himself along the Tarcoles River when my boat went by. He was one of several we saw that day, but easily the most impressive.

I was sitting at my hotel in Manuel Antonio when a staff member said there was a sea turtle on the beach. I had about ten seconds to get a few snaps of this one, the only one I saw on the trip. It was probably about 3-4 feet long, and really zipping down the sand toward the water.

A green basilisk lizard in Tortuguero pretending to be a leaf and branch. He does a solid job of it. (These are the ones that can run across water when needed, a feat I saw for a few meters along Lake Arenal.)

While I saw several caimans (a small alligator less than four or so feet long), this was the closest I got, on a boat in Cano Negro near the Nicaraguan border.

A rad iguana was totally not afraid of my group as it hung out along a path in Manuel Antonio. We saw several species; I think this one is a spiny iguana.

The first of three frogs I’m going to include, all of which were taken on a night walk in Muelle. This red eyed tree frog is hanging out on my guide’s finger.

This little poison dart frog is about the size of a thumb nail, and we caught a glimpse of it on our night walk path in Muelle.

I think this is a toad, not a frog. Again it was seen on the Muelle night walk. This guy secretes a venom from his skin, making him poisonous to eat. Better let him hop on by.

Creepy Crawlies

Golden orb spiders are so cool looking. This one was in her web at my lodge at Tortuguero, and probably about 3-4 inches long. At least. Hard to estimate when I didn’t want to get too close.

The best way to find leaf cutter ants is to watch for bits of green crossing your path. At Arenal, several massive highways of these cool guys were in evidence. In this photo, they are going basically right up the middle, from bottom to top, and you can see pieces of leaf. Each of those is being carried by an ant.

Another resident of my Tortuguero lodge, this crab didn’t seem happy about having its photo taken. I’d estimate it was the size of a dinner plate.

An orange kneed tarantula inside its den at Monteverde.

Birds

The first photo taken through my guide’s scope, this is one of several scarlet macaws that was hanging out in a single tree in Tarcoles. You can sort of see another at the top left of the image.

In Monteverde, swallow tailed kites were in evidence regularly, soaring over the canopy. This one got close enough to have its picture taken.

A jacana plays in the plants in Tortuguero, apparently curious about our boat passing by. Look how long its toes are as it steps across the water!

This anhinga is drying off after a rainy night in Tortuguero. The number of similar birds we saw on the trip is just amazing!

If you are into birds, chances are that a quetzal is on your bucket list to see. This one was happy sitting right over our heads in Monteverde, letting our group have plenty of time to get the best possible photos. This one is actually just from my phone, to give you an idea how close it was.

Mammals

Another through the scope, these bats were sleeping under a tree at Manuel Antonio.

Costa Rica has four species of monkey, and this spider monkey waited until the second to last day to make an appearance over the lodge at Tortuguero. It is right in the middle of the photo.

My only experience with squirrel monkeys, these cute dudes were hanging out on a roof at Manuel Antonio.

This is obviously through the scope, a rad howler monkey at Cano Negro. I’m not sure what it’s looking at, but it was distracted enough to hold still for our guide to get her scope trained on it for long enough for photos to be taken.

A coati just foraging in Monteverde. It’s similar to a raccoon but cuter and less destructive. Also diurnal, so one can see it during the day.

A white faced capuchin saying hi to the boat in Cano Negro. They are also all over Manuel Antonio trying – and succeeding – to steal food from tourists caught up in their cuteness.

I saved the best for last. This is through the scope of a baby sloth hugging its mom at Manuel Antonio. This pair was just off the path, not high up, and not even covered by branches, allowing this amazing moment. Let me tell you, if you get a chance to see a baby sloth, it will be a good day.

This obviously only just scratches the surface of this incredible country. Costa Rica has so much diversity, and being able to experience just a tiny part of that is something I will always take with me.

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