Where to go near San Jose, Costa Rica?

[ron_smithperson]

I am posting this here because the Costa Rica forum is close to

dead. I will be in San Jose for one week, mostly business. Can

anyone suggest nature photography locations near (1-3 hours) San

Jose? I am bringing all my gear so I can do landscape, macro, some

wildlife, etc. Thanks

[dave_yuhas]

There's a butterfly farm not to far from downtown. Look at

http://centralamerica.com/cr/butterfly/bflyfarm.htm

 

Carara National Park is 2 hrs from San Jose. On the way there's a bridge that crosses a large river (can't remember the name). We stopped for a look. Saw an alligator with an adult sloth in its mouth on the river bank. Scarlet macaws flying by overhead.

 

Estimating travel times in CR is an exercise in futility. There's one highway. To get from one area of the country to another you have to go through San Jose. If there's a lot of truck traffic on the road near San Jose add an hour or more to the trip.

[greg s]

"On the way there's a bridge that crosses a large river (can't remember the name)."

 

That would be the Tarcoles River, and those are crocodiles on the bank. Typically there are about a dozen or so sunning themselves.

 

Ron... I'll get back with you with some possible places to visit. It's true that driving can be a challenge. Generally it's easier to go to the west coast, which is more rugged and lends itself to landscape photography. Manuel Antonio NP is on the coast and about 3 hrs or so from SJ. It's a modest size park, but does have beautiful coastal scenery, and is a very easy place to see/photograph wildlife (monkeys, sloth, etc)

 

More info later (I have a Costa Rica bird folder). Cheers, -Greg-

[greg s]

Carara is closer to SJ, not too far south from where the hwy meets the coast. MA is further south from there.

 

Carara is a heavily forested area... it's a good idea to have boots for walking (can be muddy). A few miles south of Carara/Tarcoles is Hotel Villa Lapas, a nice place to stay if you have the time. It's also worth it to stop and go over to their gift shop area... will give you a chance to see the property along the river. There are toucans, trogons, and other nice birds there, plus iguanas and basilisk lizards hanging around the restaurant area. The gravel road heading up the hill next to Villa Lapas can be driven to the top. Highly recommended if you have the vehicle for it. Also, Villa Lapas has a trail that goes thru the forest across several large suspension bridges. It's a beautiful trail. They give guided tours on it. -Greg-

 

CARARA BIOLOGIC RESERVE

 

http://www.costaricamap.com/ing/biorescarara.html

 

http://www.villalapas.com/

 

MANUEL ANTONIO NATIONAL PARK

 

http://www.costaricamap.com/ing/biopmanuel.html

[alan_olander1664878205]

Hacienda Baru National Wildlife Refuge is about 3 hours from San Jose on the Pacific coast near Dominical. Trails, guided tours, beach, canopy exploration.

 

http://www.haciendabaru.com/

[greg s]

You can drive north from SJ to La Selva. There's a small restaurant called the Mirador (something like that) that has hummingbird feeders and about 6 kinds of hummers, including Violet Sabrewings. La Quinta is a good place to stay up there. There's a biological reserve a few miles south of La Quinta that has a nice trail system. The road north is less traveled, but be aware that it can get foggy and it's narrow and winding. -Greg-

[greg s]

the Mirador is about halfway to La Selva, near the waterfall.

[manuel_franz]

There is quite a bit within a three hour range: Poas Volcano, Irazu Volcano, Monteverde, La

Paz Waterfall Gardens, Braulio Carillo to name just a few.

[ron_niebrugge]

For photo opportunities near San Jose, Costa Rica - I don't think you could go wrong with the <a href="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/LaPazWaterfallGardensPhotos.htm">La Paz Waterfall Gardens</a>. It is a beautiful place with numerous waterfalls, butterflies and hummingbirds.