west coast costa rica shooting?

we have a trip planned to jaco beach in costa rica for early aug.

has anyone been there and how is the nature photography?

want to do general animal stuff, especially frogs and insects. but

will settle for whatever is available incl. parrots, butterflies

and scenics too. any help will be appreciated.

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thanks, jeff hallett

It's been several years since I've last been to Jaco. I've never taken the road there but I hear that it's ok now. We used to fly in from San Jose and land on the grass strip they have there. The beach itself is black sand. If you are facing the sea and look down the beach to your left, you should see a stream empty into the ocean close by. I used to slowly wade right up the middle of this stream and follow it into the jungle. There are numerous land crabs of different colors, Kingfishers, Whiteface monkeys, Howlers, and also some really neat Jesus Christ lizards( they run on water). There are lots of other birds of which I'm not familiar with. Up the coast in the opposite direction, are a series of rocky outcroppings. they are a dark grayish black color and very jagged. There are tidal pools within these rocks that hold numerous invertebrates as well as small fish.

Please understand that this was how it was back around 1990 when I was last there. Unfortunatly that region of Costa Rica has become severly over developed and is now just a tourist trap. Personally I would NOT go there. Farther down the coast at Manuel Antonio, it is MUCH, MUCH worse. Since I've undoubtedly bummed you out with this news let me suggest some really worth while alternatives. I don't know how long you are visiting or how your planning to get around, but if your itinerary permits try these places:

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Drake Bay, Golfito, or just about any where on the Osa Penninsula. There is much less developement and much more quantity, quality, and diversity of flora and fauna. This is one of the best places to visit on the entire Pacific Coast of C.R.

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The Arenal Volcano. This is one of my favorite places in the entire country! The volcano is spectacular and is VERY active. I have been there several times and always seen eruptions. Allow at least two days to visit and stay in the town of Fortuna as opposed to the the town of Arenal which is farther away. Fortuna offers much better access, and has a great view of the volcano itself. You can literally watch eruptions from your hotel window at night. The hot springs and spa called Tabacon is right down the road and I recommend it highly

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The Atlantic coast south of Cahuita. There are the towns of Puerto Viejo, and Manzanillo. The Talamanca river and Gandoca lagoon are pristine and full of wildlife! I caught my first Tarpon on a flyrod in the lagoon and saw monkeys, parrots, iguanas, J.C. lizards and at least six different species of kingfishers. You can rent a kayak and paddle up the small rivers and get very close to a lot of wildlife with out disturbing it.

I hope you have a good trip and I hope my info helps. Philip's page on his trip to C.R. is pretty much on the money, especially the photo tips. Here are a couple of url's that might help.

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http://www.greenarrow.com/x/aquamor2.htm

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http://ticotimes.co.cr/

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http://www.greenarrow.com/costa/magazin1.htm

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Good Luck!