Costa Rica is relatively small country which sits between Panama to the south and Nicaragua to the North. To the west and east lie the pacific and atlantic oceans. San José, the capital, is in the center at a high enough altitude to give it a pleasantly cool climate. The urban area is surrounded by volcanos, jungle, and coffee plantations.

Hopefully the pictures will speak for themselves about the natural beauty of this wonderful country, so we'll keep the text to a minimum! If you'd like more information please try some of the links below. One thing worth mentioning is that what you see here is just a fraction of what there is to be seen. Evolution has seen to it that most creatures are pretty adept at hiding themselves!

Scroll down for photos...!
 

	(Click to view)				(Click to view)
	Volcano A volcano peeks through clouds.				Outside the rainforest A translucent veil of mist baths the rainforest.
Send to a friend!				Send to a friend!

	(Click to view)				(Click to view)
	Inside Trees crane their long necks towards the light.				Walking trees Locals call this a 'walking tree' as it is supported by long suckers. As new suckers grow to seek out water, the trunk may actually shift position slightly!
Send to a friend!				Send to a friend!

	(Click to view)				(Click to view)
	The beauty of a thousand natural forms...				...that mere humans have yet to mimic.
Send to a friend!				Send to a friend!

	(Click to view)				(Click to view)
	A garden boasts amazing flowers...				...almost too brilliant to be true.
Send to a friend!				Send to a friend!

	(Click to view)				(Click to view)
	Wings of silk While resting a camouflaged visage is affected; the beautiful silvery blue wings (top side) are only seen in flight.				Sloth An awakened sloth moves off (slowly) in search of a quieter place to rest.
Send to a friend!				Send to a friend!

	(Click to view)				(Click to view)
	Tapir The large inviting eyes of this tapir signal a creature of the night.				Jungle river An uprooted tree provides a convenient resting spot.
Send to a friend!				Send to a friend!

	(Click to view)				(Click to view)
	Baby crocodile A real live baby crocodile!				Bad crocodile A real live adolescent crocodile with a nasty attitude!
Send to a friend!				Send to a friend!

	(Click to view)				(Click to view)
	River Fresh water shrimp nibbled our toes as we waded through the river.				Beach bird This beautiful bird built its nest from the fallen blossoms of the tree it sits in.
Send to a friend!				Send to a friend!

	(Click to view)				(Click to view)
	Low tide				Pelicans in flight
Send to a friend!				Send to a friend!

	(Click to view)				(Click to view)
	Natural fishing A pelican hovers over an unsuspecting fish				Pacific Sunset
Send to a friend!				Send to a friend!

Information The 'Carhay' refuge (Refugio privado de vida silvestre 'Carhay') A small protected section of jungle with raised walkway, teaming with tropical life including monkeys, toucans, and the biggest ants we've ever seen! The refuge is located about 40 minutes drive from San José on the road to Puerto Viejo. Tel/Fax: + 506 2923634 E-mail: expverde@sol.racsa.co.cr   Taxis Al Faro (San José) Tel: + 506 2218466 or 2233373. We received some exceptional service from this taxi company.   Our guide: Jaime Araya (near San José) Tel: + 506 7644244 (may be answered by a Spanish only speaker) Jaime took us all around the local natural attractions explaining everything in a detailed and entertaining way. His 'tour' will cost around $100 USD for two people so a bus tour may be better value if you're not in a rush. Bus tours tend to leave around 06:30am and there are plenty leaving from the major hotels.   Ecoscape Nature tours http://www.ecoscapetours.com info@ecoscapetours.com Tel: + 506 2970664 or 240-5106 Fax: + 506 2970549 We didn't try this day tour but it looks worth checking out if you have the time (we didn't).