TRIP DAY 2 (Tue, 3/28):

Part of the garden at the front of the Hotel Bougainvillea

One of the water gardens, with stepping stones on pedestals in the water

The fountain at the edge of the pond

A fabricated crocodile was part of the installation.

Another look at the pond and its pedestal steppingstones

Closer look

Our planes on the tarmac in San José, ready to take us to the Osa Peninsula
Photo by Jerry Davis

TRIP DAY 3 (Wed, 3/29):

Up early and in the small plane taking us to the Osa Peninsula and Drake Bay Wilderness Resort

In the air over San Jose, CR

We pretty quickly reached the Pacific coast and followed it south.

A port city on the Pacific Ocean

In flight
Carolyn, Michael, Mary, Patty, Andy, Steve
Photo by Dawn Carrie

Our pilots, up front; Ross and Dawn; Mary and Steve
Photo by Andy Johannson

Patty and Michael
Photo by Andy Johannson

That little gray strip out ahead of us is our landing strip.

On the ground in the Osa Peninsula

Patti and Erick led the way to the terminal, while the rest of us collected our luggage.

DIY luggage handling

I missed getting a photo of the little mini-SUVs they loaded us into to take us to our boat launch site. They were small, but they managed to get us all into two of them, and they navigated the up-and-down-and-winding gravel road without incident. We waded out to our boat and were on our way.

Erick, Carolyn and Andy, with our boat crew behind them

Becky and Garry

Erick, Carolyn and Andy

Mary, and Ross behind her

Jerry

Michael and Dawn, up front

Steve, Becky and Garry

Arriving at the dock at Drake Bay Wilderness Resort

A map of the area, shown to us by one of the Drake Bay staff

Mary, Erick, Andy, Carolyn, Jerry, Michael, Patty (foreground), Becky (in back) and Dawn listening to our orientation presentation given by a resort staff person

You can see that some of us are still a little damp from our wet embarkation experience.

Mary, in our cozy cabin

WiFi!

Bed decorations

All the comforts

Steve, getting ready to go look for birds

And washcloths!

The view from the front door of our cabin

Another view of Drake Bay
Photo by Jerry Davis

Lots of lush greenery

Part of our group on an outing at Drake Bay: Erick, our guide, in the lead, Jerry, Dawn, Carolyn, Ross (in front of Carolyn) and Andy

Looking for a bird on one of the Drake Bay Wilderness Lodge trails
Becky, Garry, Carolyn, Mary, Steve, Ross, Dawn, Jerry, Michael, Erick
Photo by Andy Johannson

Our boat at the Drake Bay Wilderness Resort dock, waiting to take us to Corcovado National Park
Photo by Jerry Davis

TRIP DAY 4 (Thu, 3/30): Off to Corcovado National Park

Michael, Ross, Erick, park guide Elia, Mary, Garry, park guide José, Dawn, Jerry, Steve, Carolyn, Patty
Photo by Andy Johannson

Michael and Mary, enjoying the sea breeze as we head for Parque Nacional Corcovado

Heading out around a point on our route

Michael and Mary, a little wind-blown, shoes around the neck, getting ready for our wet landing

Our driver backed the boat as close to shore as he could, then the crew helped us off the back end of the boat into the water.
One of our boat drivers (L rear), Jerry (in foreground), Erick, Elia (one of our bird guides for the park, first on shore), Dawn, another boat helper, and José, our other park guide

Mary comes on shore, while José, Elia, a boat driver and Erick help others out of the boat

Our wet landing at Corcovado National Park: Steve, Mary and Erick, on shore; others getting of the boat
Photo by Jerry Davis

Patty, Michael, Becky and Andy, getting off the boat, as José, Elia and Erick give Carolyn a hand in the surf

Becky, stepping into the water, as Erick escorts Andy ashore

Just a few more to go

Carolyn, Mary and Garry, waiting for the rest of our crew

Ross and Dawn, on shore at Corcovado National Park, after our wet landing--one short log provided the only place to sit and change shoes before heading up the rocky shore
Photo by Jerry Davis

Jerry, Ross and Dawn

Andy, Carolyn, Mary, Becky and Garry

Michael and Patty were at the front of the boat, so were the last two to get their feet wet.

Andy, Carolyn and Mary start the short trek to the entrance to the park

Elia, Erick, Mary, Michael, Patty (in back), Becky, Andy, Carolyn

Entrance sign for Parque Nacional Corcovado

Signing in at Parque Nacional Corcovado: Carolyn, Jerry, Becky, Dawn (in back of Becky), Mary, Patty, Erick, Michael (behind Erick), Elia

Jerry, signing in
Costa Rica is serious about protecting its natural resources.

Elia, Erick, Patty, Garry, Jerry, offering an orientation, Becky, Andy, Mary, Michael, José, Dawn

Getting ready to set out from the reception area at Corcovado National Park: Dawn, Ross, Mary (back to camera), Patty (in back), Steve, park guide José, park guide Elia, and Erick
Photo by Jerry Davis

The trail at Corcovado National Park, with a big ficus tree, sticking its foot out to trip us

On the trail at Corcovado National Park: Gary,
Photo by Jerry Davis

Stepping stones and a small bridge for the rainy season
Michael, Patty, Erick
Photo by Dawn Carrie

On the trail at Corcovado NP
Erick, José, Patty, Michael
Photo by Dawn Carrie

A welcome sight, the visitor center at Corcovado National Park

This is a biological research station, hostel and restaurant all rolled into one. There were remains of an old grass landing strip, but the conservation-conscious Costa Ricans had closed it to eliminate the noise pollution from the airplanes. Visitors are not allowed to bring non-reusable water bottles to the park; all their drinks are served in reusable glass containers.

Garry, Jerry and Mary, on the way back to Drake Bay
For some reason, our boat was not able to pick us up when we were ready to leave the park, so another, bigger boat collected us. After our hike through the park, and the rougher water we faced getting back into the boat, everyone was a little haggard.

Patty, the friendly birder and guide who shared their boat with us, Becky, Garry and Jerry

Michael and Patty

Ross, Erick, Elia and the other boat's captain

Jerry, Mary and Andy
The rough-water re-boarding wasn't the end of our adventure. Once we got out beyond the shore a ways, the pilots brought the two boats together and held them while we transferred from the 'borrowed' boat to ours. But the water was still a little too rough, so they separated the boats before everyone got transferred, went out a little farther, and finally got our whole group on our boat--we don't seem to have been wearing our life vests during the transfer either.

Back at Drake Bay at the end of the day, it was a much more serene evening.

TRIP DAY 5 (Fri, 3/31):

We took a boat up Rio Sierpe and stopped in the town of Sierpe for lunch.

'Welcome to the Lungs of the World'--looking out at Rio Sierpe from the dockside restaurant in the town of Sierpe

Our guide, Erick, with Mary, in front of the Sierpe sign along the river. Erick pointed out that the sign painter did not know his/her birds, because the toucan on the sign is not seen in this part of the country.

The town of Sierpe is a river port. Our boat is docked below this restaurant where we had lunch.

Taking a break at the restaurant in Sierpe
Ross, Andy, Carolyn (behind Dawn), Dawn, Michael, Jerry

Carolyn, Dawn, Michael, Jerry, Becky, Erick, Garry

Andy, Carolyn, Patty, Ross, Dawn, Michael, Jerry, Becky, Erick, Garry, Mary

A local vendor's sign

And another, more ominous sign at the restaurant in Sierpe where we had lunch. We did see some crocodiles cruising the river.

'We are waiting for you.' We walked to a nearby park to look for birds.

'The heart of the south'

Taking a break at Sierpe Park: Erick, Becky, Patty, Jerry (in back), Michael, Ross, Steve (in back), Mary, day guide José (in back), and Carolyn
Photo by Jerry Davis

José gave us a history lesson about the mysterious stone orbs that were discovered nearby.
José, Patty, Jerry, Becky, Carolyn, Michael, Dawn

Garry, Erick, Dawn, Jerry, Mary, Ross, Michael, Patty, José

After our stop at Sierpe, we headed up the river.
Ross, Steve, Michael, Patty, Dawn (behind Patty), our boat captain, Mary, Andy, José, Carolyn (behind Jerry), Jerry, Becky

This fishing boat passed us on the way upriver.

We got to an area where the river narrowed and the mangroves closed in on us.

The water got more shallow and the boat's engines churned up the muddy bottom.
Ross, Patty, José, Steve, Dawn, Michael, boat captain, Carolyn, Becky, Andy, Jerry, Garry, Erick

Ross, Patty, José, Dawn, Michael, boat captain, Carolyn, Andy, Jerry, Becky

Turning around to head down the river and back to Drake Bay

A relaxing view of Drake Bay, from the bar at the lodge, after a long day of birding

Another good meal for our last dinner at Drake Bay Wilderness Lodge
Mary, Garry, Michael, Patty

TRIP DAY 6 (Sat, 4/1):

This stylish old ship had been in the bay for a few days and I was curious about its history. Back home, Mary directed me to Google Lens and it gave me the following information: TALITHA is a 82.6 m Motor Yacht, built in Germany by Krupp Germaniawerft and delivered in 1930.
Her top speed is 15.0 kn, her cruising speed is 13.0 kn, and she boasts a maximum cruising range of 6500.0 nm at 10.0 kn, with power coming from two Caterpillar diesel engines. She can accommodate up to 12 guests in 6 staterooms, with 18 crew members. She has a gross tonnage of 1103.0 GT and a 10.36 m beam.
She was designed by Cox & Stevens, who also completed the naval architecture. Cox & Stevens has designed 7 yachts and created the naval architecture for 7 yachts.
Her interior was designed by Jon Bannenberg Ltd. She is built with a Teak deck, a Steel hull, and Steel superstructure. TALITHA is one of 62 motor yachts in the 80-90m size range.
TALITHA has gone by several other names in the past, including Reveler, Chalena, Carola, Beaumont, Elpetal and Jezebel, and is currently sailing under the Bermuda flag.
Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-BlGTo8VuY

The early morning view from our cabin door on our last day at Drake Bay Wilderness Resort made us want to stay a little longer.

The view up the beach from our cabin

One of the buildings on the grounds

We gathered for our last breakfast on Drake Bay before getting back out on the water.

It was peaceful in the cove where our boat was moored.

As we headed out of the bay, the coastal waters of the Pacific were calm for a change.

Our driver, Chicho, waiting to take us on the next leg of our journey
We left Drake Bay by boat to Sierpe Saturday morning, where we met our bus driver, Chicho, and headed for our next stop, Villa Lapas.
Photo by Jerry Davis

We stopped for lunch at the Rancho Colon restaurant in the town of Quebrada Amarilla.

The entrance to Rancho Colon

Celebrating 30 years in business

Our group, ready for lunch: Michael, Carolyn, Andy, Mary, Jerry, Garry, Becky, Patty, Ross and Dawn

Erick had his favorite drink, soursop.

Michael chatted with Erick and Chicho, while the rest of the group had refreshments.

It was a big, open-air place.

We had an observer in the rafters.

Our carriage awaits.

Along the way to Villa Lapas, we met one of Erick's fellow guides, Chago, who took us to a couple of places looking for owls, including this farm with a giant ficus in the yard. Nearby, Chago showed us a tiny Pacific Screech-Owl.

Our ground transportation

Relishing our looks at the Tropical Screech-Owl: Mary, Dawn (in back), Erick, Ross, Andy, Carolyn, Gary and Becky (in back), Patty and Michael
Photo by Jerry Davis

TRIP DAY 7 (Sun, 4/2):

Entrance sign at Villa Lapas

We took a walk around the grounds at Villa Lapas. Becky found a motmot to photograph.

We walked over to the little chapel, looking at birds, then headed back to the restaurant for breakfast. Mary followed the rest of the group.

Mary caught up with Michael and Patty, who had found something to look at along the way.

Ross, Becky and Gary--looking for birds and photographing them. They had made this bridge over the creek more stable since the last time we visited.

After breakfast, we drove over to Carara National Park, which is a short distance from the hotel.

The entrance to the park

Becky and Mary conferred in the parking lot.

There were many signs like this one along the trail in the park.

Mary likes to record the shadows of leaves.

We also visited nearby Carara National Park: Gary, Erick, Dawn, Michael, Ross, Carolyn, Andy, Jerry

Getting 'warbler neck': Erick, Dawn, Patti, Michael, Ross, Andy, Becky

TRIP DAY 8 (Mon, 4/3):

We left Villa Lapas and took a boat ride up the Tarcoles River before heading to our next destination.

The boat ride company had a big open-air store where we could buy souvenirs (and ice cream) on our way back to the bus.

Another of Mary's leaf shadow photos

On our way to Arenal Observatory Lodge, we stopped at Puntarena, a beach and cruise ship-docking town, where Erick saw a life bird, the Pacific Golden-Plover.
Mary, Steve, Erick, Dawn, Jerry, Michael, Patty and Carolyn

We stopped in [to be added] for lunch before going on to Arenal.

A big group of bikers came in while we were there, but there was no rumble--except from their Harleys.

On our way to Arenal Observatory Lodge, we stopped at a store and shop at San Luis that had bird feeders behind their building; Gary, photographing the tanagers and honeycreepers.

Jerry was shooting from the other side of the feeders and Mary got him facing her.

Jerry on the tanagers

A room with a view: At Arenal, we got the nicest room we've ever had there, with windows and a patio across the entire back wall, facing onto the lodge's manicured gardens.

Our room's interior design

The towel art of the day. Is it a bat? I'm not sure.

Two king-sized beds

Fancy paper and towel work

Reviewing our checklists at the end of the day in Arenal Observatory Lodge: Erick, Steve, Dawn, Mary, Ross, Michael and Patty
Photo by Andy Johannson

Reviewing checklists: Becky, Carolyn, Jerry, Erick, Steve, Dawn, Mary (in back), Ross, Michael and Patty
Photo by Andy Johannson

Reviewing checklists, with wall art in the background: Ross, Dawn, Michael (in back), Patty, Erick, Becky (in back), Carolyn and Jerry
Photo by Andy Johannson

TRIP DAY 9 (Tue, 4/4):

At Villa Lapas, I talked to a fellow birder who had been at Hotel Bougainvillea while we were there. His group went to Arenal, while we went to Drake Bay, before going to Villa Lapas. He told me the deck off the dining room at Arenal had not been dry the whole time they were there. Such was our experience too. This is the view from the partly enclosed 2nd story viewing deck at the lodge

The view from the upper deck at Arenal Observatory Lodge, where we sought refuge in the rain
Photo by Jerry Davis

Because it was raining at the higher altitude, we drove down to La Fortuna, where it was less rainy. Of course, we birded along the way. You can see the base of Arenal below the clouds in the background here.

Some of the lush habitat at Bogarín Trail in La Fortuna

Ross, Dawn, Jerry, Michael, Carolyn, Andy, Becky and Erick at Bogarín Trail

At Bogarín Trail: Erick, Patty (in back), Carolyn, Steve, Andy, Ross, Dawn and Michael
Photo by Jerry Davis

One of our many tasty lunch outings: Gary (in back), Michael, Carolyn, Andy, Mary, Steve, Becky, Patty, Ross and Dawn
Photo by Jerry Davis

Erick, enjoying a soursop drink
Photo by Jerry Davis

This fellow gave us a demonstration of how he made their fancy coffee.

Back at Arenal Observatory Lodge, Mary and Patty enjoyed the view from the observation deck.

An interesting chair design

TRIP DAY 9 (Tue, 4/4):

Tile artwork at the Arenal Observatory Lodge

Tuesday's towel artwork

On our walk up to the lodge to go over our checklists, we passed Chicho washing his bus.

Ross, Dawn, Erick, Michael, Jerry (in front of Michael), Patty and Mary, taking a walk around the grounds of Arenal Observatory Lodge during a (relatively) dry break at the end of the day.

TRIP DAY 10 (Wed, 4/5):

The view of some of the gardens at Arenal Observatory Lodge, through the wall of windows of our room.

The unobstructed view of the gardens, from the deck of our room

My beautiful and tasty breakfast at Arenal lodge, one of 3-4 options they offered, plus a fruit bar and various drinks.

Another wet day at the Arenal Observatory Lodge; the dining room is on the left, Lake Arenal is in the background. The deck overlooks some of their gardens and bird feeders.

We drove to Danaus Eco Center; this is a map of their trails.

Sign at the edge of the parking lot

This fellow was painting a mural with many of the birds we'd seen on our trip.

On the trail at Danaus Eco Center
Ross, Becky (in front of Jerry), Jerry, Erick and Dawn

One of the water features at Danaus, a re-purposed tire

The green structure is an enclosed butterfly habitat.

A sign with the species of butterflies and moths being grown in the enclosure

Arenal Volcano, one of the few times during our visit we were able to see (most of) it

Back at Arenal, the day's towel art was a cobra.

TRIP DAY 11 (Thu, 4/6):

Erick had found an ant swarm down this trail the evening before, and we saw some good birds, so we got out early today to see what else we could find in the same area.
Jerry, Ross, Steve

We left Arenal Observatory Lodge to make our way back to San Jose. We stopped at a road next to the Arenal lake dam to look for a Great Potoo.
Jerry, Michael, Carolyn, Erick, Dawn and Steve

In Costa Rica, the animals you can see crossing the road are a little different from in the states.

Mary was taken with the fractal patterns of this tree.

Lake Arenal, through the palm leaves at the top of the dam trail

At Cinchona, we stopped for lunch at this outlook and soda (restaurant and convenience store), where they also had bird feeders (see the Birds gallery).

It's a favorite tour bus stop.

They serve typical wood-fired food.

Besides bird feeders out the back of the open-air restaurant, there was a view of the San Fernando waterfall across the valley.

San Fernando waterfall

We were on a tight schedule, so we did not stop at Peace (La Paz) Falls this trip, but many folks did.

Dinner our final evening at Bougainvillea Hotel, back in San José: Ross, Patty, Dawn, Michael and Gary
Photo by Jerry Davis

Last supper: Mary, Steve, Erick, Andy, Carolyn, Ross, Dawn, Patty, Gary and Michael
Photo by Jerry Davis

Becky, Mary, Steve, Patty, Michael, Jerry, Erick, Andy, Carolyn, Ross, Dawn and Garry

TRIP DAY 12 (Fri, 4/7):

Becky and Gary had to leave for their plane back to Alaska in the middle of the night, but some of us who were leaving after breakfast took one more walk around the grounds at Hotel Bougainvillea before boarding our shuttle to the airport and home.

An arch on the hotel grounds with namesake bougainvillea climbing on it

A White-winged Dove chose the wing of an egret sculpture in the garden for its perch.

Bright colors on the grounds

Mary liked this jade plant and painted rock garden at the back entrance to the hotel.

Tile mosaic in the hotel lobby