Science, Photography, and Trip Reviews
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Guanacaste
Guanacaste, Tamarindo, Palo Verde National Park, & Tempisque River
Beaches, wetlands, river boats, birds, monkeys, iguanas, & crocodiles
Hotel Capitan Suizo
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Cattle ranch in Guanacaste Province. |
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Regions of Costa Rica
Costa Rica can be broken down into a number of regions or specific destinations. You can start with an overview of Costa Rica. For specific details of a region or destination choose the one of interest. There is the Central Region, which includes San Jose and the Central Valley, and features the Poas Volcano and the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. San Jose area hotels are found on a separate web page. Hotels at other destinations are reviewed with a specific destination's web page. To the north of San Jose is Arenal where you find the spectacular Arenal volcano, and Monteverde where the very impressive Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is located. Tortuguero is found in the eastern part of Costa Rica on the Caribbean Sea. There you see great wildlife from boats in rivers and canals. The region in the northwest adjoining the Pacific Ocean is Guanacaste. This is where you find popular beaches and the beach town of Tamarindo. This is the driest part of Costa Rica. The Central Pacific region includes the Jaco area and the near by Carara National Park. The Central Pacific also includes Manuel Antonio and the very popular Manuel Antonio National Park. In the southwest region on the Pacific coast is the Corcovado National Park. It is in a remote location, but is a great place to visit. Contact Us for more information.sssss
Guanacaste Province
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Beach on the Pacific coast at Tamarindo. |
The Guanacaste Province is in northwestern Costa Rica bordering on the Pacific Ocean. This is where you find cattle ranches, and a drive through the farm country is very picturesque with extinct volcanic cones scattered here and there. An example is seen in the picture at the top of this page. This is the driest region of Costa Rica, and is the place to go when the rest of the country is wet. During the dry season, which is roughly from January through March, the hillsides can turn from green to brown. Some of the most popular beaches in Costa Rica are found along the Northwest Pacific Coast. Tamarindo is one of the most popular of these beaches, and it is also a good place to go surfing. Note the picture above. Swimmers should be on guard for rip currents. They are often called riptides, but they are generated by breaking water waves and have nothing to do with the tides. If caught in a rip current do not try to swim toward the beach, as a strong current will wear you out. Instead, swim parallel to the beach, and in a short distance you should come out of the current.
Palo Verde National Park
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Looking for wildlife from a boat in Palo Verde National Park. |
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Bird 1 on the riverbank in Palo Verde National Park. |
The Palo Verde National Park is a dry tropical forest, and it is considered to be one of the best places to see birds and wildlife in Costa Rica. One summer morning we were taken to the park. Once we reached the Tempisque River we boarded a small boat for a trip into the park with our guide. This river is at the head of the Gulf of Nicoya, and the trip by boat is one of the best ways to see the wildlife along the banks of the river. The park is an important marsh and wetlands, and birds are found there that are not found elsewhere in the country. This is a also favorite resting place for migratory birds. Of the many birds we saw one is pictured above and one below.
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Bird 2 on the riverbank in Palo Verde National Park. |
The howler monkey was interesting and fun to watch. There was a group of holwer monkeys, and one particular monkey seemed to be the leader. He was not happy we were there, and in addition to howling he turned his back on us! See the picture below.
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Howler monkey in Palo Verde National Park. |
Iguanas are seen quite often in Costa Rica. We saw a large one sunning itself on the riverbnk. It is pictured below. You will not want to swim in the river. It is home to a lot of Crocodiles, and one is seen below. -This was a great day tour.
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Very large iguana on the riverbank in Palo Verde National Park. |
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Crocodile in Palo Verde National Park. |
Lodging in Tamarindo
Hotel Capitan Suizo
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Hotel Capitan Suizo Bungalows in Tamarindo. |
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Pool at Hotel Capitan Suizo |
In Tamarindo we stayed at Hotel Capitan Suizo. This is one of the distinctive hotels in Costa Rica. The bungalows, some are pictured above behind the beautiful plants, have nice rooms. There is also a four-bedroom suite. The pool, pictured above, is in an attractive setting with the Pacific Ocean in the background. The grounds of the hotel have gorgeous vegetation. When we were there monkeys were running through the trees. It is an easy walk along the beach into the town. The restaurant overlooks the Pacific Ocean, and is quite nice. See the picture below. For breakfast we were joined by a bird that dropped in on us. It seemed to have a "sweet tooth." It stole a package of sugar! See the picture below. Spa services are offered and they have an Internet Corner where two PCs are available for use twenty-four hours each day.
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Hotel Capitan Suizo Restaurant in Tamarindo. |
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Bird joining us for breakfast. |
Regions of Costa Rica
Costa Rica can be broken down into a number of regions or specific destinations. You can start with an overview of Costa Rica. For specific details of a region or destination choose the one of interest. There is the Central Region, which includes San Jose and the Central Valley, and features the Poas Volcano and the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. San Jose area hotels are found on a separate web page. Hotels at other destinations are reviewed with a specific destination's web page. To the north of San Jose is Arenal where you find the spectacular Arenal volcano, and Monteverde where the very impressive Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is located. Tortuguero is found in the eastern part of Costa Rica on the Caribbean Sea. There you see great wildlife from boats in rivers and canals. The region in the northwest adjoining the Pacific Ocean is Guanacaste. This is where you find popular beaches and the beach town of Tamarindo. This is the driest part of Costa Rica. The Central Pacific region includes the Jaco area and the near by Carara National Park. The Central Pacific also includes Manuel Antonio and the very popular Manuel Antonio National Park. In the southwest region on the Pacific coast is the Corcovado National Park. It is in a remote location, but is a great place to visit.
Photos by Sunny Breeding. We sell prints and images.
