WHAT'S INCLUDED:

• Domestic flight from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez (round-trip)
• Transfers from airport in San Jose to a Hilton property.
• First night lodging at either the Hilton Garden Inn or Hilton La Sabana, both in San Jose; seven nights accommodation at Botanika
• All meals and non-alcoholic drinks
• All excursions outlined on the schedule and park fees
• All guide services and photography instruction.  In addition to Janine and I, we will have two local guides accompanying us, or in some cases we will be joined by guides based at the specific locations we visit. These guides are incredible naturalists and spotters.  I thought I had worked with great guides in the past in Costa Rica, but I was wrong.  You will be huge fans of these guys by the end of the trip. Transportation each day will be via air-conditioned 4 wheel drive Mercedes Sprinter vans.  

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED: 

• Roundtrip ticket from your home to San Jose, Costa Rica
• Dinner in San Jose the night of arrival
• Gratuities for guides and resort staff
• Alcohol other than house wine with dinner

Day 1:  You will be met at the airport by Carlos or one of his employees who will greet you with a sign with your name on it.  If you have ever traveled to a Latin America airport, you can appreciate how nice it is to not have to find a taxi or hotel shuttle amidst the airport chaos.  The comfortable van will take you to a Hilton property in San Jose,  Dinner is on your own this evening.   Janine and I will already be in Puerto Jimenez, making sure everything is in perfect order.

Day 2:  Carlos will be picking everyone up and taking you to the domestic side of the airport for a morning flight to Puerto Jimenez.  Janine and I will meet your plane in Puerto Jimenez.. From there, we will check into the beautiful Hotel Botanika.  We will do a tour of the large grounds around the resort, including the ocean shoreline. - the grounds can be very productive, we had two sloths, each with babies, not to mention many birds, including scarlet macaws, at the hotel on our scouting trip.  Even crocs!

The hotel is brand new and very comfortable.  Having air conditioning at the end of each day was invaluable.  Most places on the Osa Peninsula don’t have this luxury. 

In the afternoon, we will head out for a short “safari” to an area where on the scouting trip we saw numerous coati and three species of monkeys.  Our guides are absolutely world class in their knowledge and spotting ability.  Most safari days we will be split between two 4x4 Mercedes Sprinter vans.  This short safari is a good chance to work out any bugs in your photography and I will talk about the unique challenges with rain forest photography.

Day 3:  After a hearty breakfast, we will head out in the vans on another wildlife safari.  I would expect to see all four species of monkey, not to mention sloths, toucans, macaws, trogon, parrots and so much more on this drive.  During scouting, many of the monkeys we found had babies.  The hotel will send us out with a delicious lunch which we will enjoy on a largely deserted beach.  The hotel makes sure we have lots of snacks and drinks on all of our drives.  Dinner will be back at the resort.

Day 4:  Reptiles and macro.  The owner of a remote farm will capture a wide variety of snakes, frogs and toads for us to photograph.  We never know exactly what we will have, but there should be a wide variety.  We will have a couple of stations where we can rotate through and photograph these rare animals in somewhat controlled conditions with a variety of perches and backdrops.  The animals will eventually be released where he found them.  We will have a relaxing lunch at the farm where there is an opportunity to see and photograph the numerous birds that frequent the property and its feeders before returning to the resort for dinner.

Day 5:  Carate.  Today we will make the journey to the end of the road and the beginning of Corcovado National Park.  We will pass through primary and secondary rain forest and should have lots of opportunities to photograph mammals, birds and landscapes.  Lunch will be on the beach at Carate.  On the scouting trip, we had the multi mile beach entirely to ourselves!  This trip deeper into the Osa Peninsula increases our chances for seeing something rare, and again should provide all the monkeys, and lots of birds.  Dinner again will be back at the resort.

Day 6:  Free day. This is a new one for me, and anyone who has traveled with me knows the days are usually very full.  During our visit we realized there was so much to experience and we can’t include everything so we felt a day for you to pick something to do that spoke to your specific interests was worthwhile.  Photography around the grounds is a good option, and there are other tours that can be booked through the hotel, including a trip to Sirena Station, kayaking, zip-lining, a chocolate farm tour and more.   Or take advantage of the amenities at this beautiful resort, this is a chance to take advantage of the pools, 2,500 foot workout room, or get a massage at the spa.   Any tour or spa options you choose are not included in our price, and would be an additional cost.  

In addition, I will be around, so if you have questions about processing, editing, would like an image critique,or anything else, I’m more than happy to cover anything.  Meals on this day are still included, and we will have dinner together at the resort.   

Day 7:  Sloth Gardens.  A local naturalist has taken his family's farm and optimized it for sloth habitat by planting ideal trees, etc.  They are free/wild roaming sloths, although sloths don’t roam very fast.  Nothing here is caged or captured. This is our best bet for photographing these fascinating animals.  Birds and other mammals are certainly an option on the trails, and they are experimenting with bird feeders and this could be a productive option as well.  The family will provide us with a delicious lunch which is a nice exclamation mark on the day.  Dinner again at the resort.

Day 8:  Sierpe River.  We will actually leave the Osa Peninsula this day for a unique experience on the Sierpe River.  Traveling by river through the rain forest provides a unique view to the landscape and provides the opportunity to see and photograph different birds and animals that may be harder to see from land.  We will be split between two pontoon boats so everyone will have a great view and a nice platform and plenty of room for photography.  Lunch will be back at the landing and our farewell dinner will be back at the resort.

Day 9:  We will have relatively early flights back to San Jose, which would allow you time to catch an afternoon international flight home.  If you would like to extend your trip, we can make plenty of recommendations.  You could even add a night or two at the Botanika.  If your flight home is not until the next day you will need to make arrangements for a hotel in San Jose, we can help with this, just let us know. 

• What if I don’t speak Spanish?  
  No problemo.  🙂  Everyone from the shuttle driver at the airport, to all the staff at the hotel speaks excellent English.  It is a requirement for the resort.
• What about the currency?
  There really isn’t any reason to bring colones.  Everyone is happy to take U.S. dollars, and that includes tips for the guides.  For any incidentals such as drinks at the hotel or souvenirs, a credit card will give you the best exchange rate and is easiest. 
• What is the weather like?
  Cool nights in the low 70’s, and warm, humid days with high temperatures in the 80’s.
• Will we visit Corcovado National Park?
  We will be very close to it on numerous days, but access to the actual park is challenging since there are no roads.  The best access is via an hour and a half boat ride to Sirena Station, and is an option for anyone adventurous, on the free day.  It does involve a wet surf landing. 
  We overnighted there on our scouting trip with the intention of including it on this tour, but decided the conditions were too challenging.  You sleep in large, wall less rooms with multiple bug net covered bunks holding about 40 people per room.  If someone was keen, and overnight stay at the end of the photo tour is something we could help with.  The wildlife viewing at Sirena Station was good and offered opportunities not found outside the park, i.e. Tapirs.  However, photography within the Park was challenging and I found much of the photography easier from our van excursions. 
• What should I wear?
  Quick drying fabrics are a big plus.   A light shell for rain.  I was comfortable in shorts but Janine preferred quick drying long pants (maybe with a zip off option). and a quick drying shirt is perfect.  We will be walking through wet, muddy trails at times, so a lightweight waterproof  hiking boot would work fine. I used running shoes, knowing they were going to get a little wet, and I noticed our guides did the same.  A hat for sun protection is a plus. 
• What about bugs? 
  I never used bug spray and don’t remember being bit.  Janine who seems to be more of a bug magnet was bit a few times.  By and large, I would say they would be a non-issue for all but the most sensitive. 
• What about wifi?
  The hotel had perfectly fine wifi in the rooms and common areas.  For $10 per day you can upgrade the wifi to a very fast connection.
• Cell Phones? 
  Check with your carrier.  Our particular AT&T plan included Costa Rica at no extra cost and worked fairly well when closer to town.   Downloading WhatsApp is crucial to good communication while in Costa Rica.
  

Nine day/eight night trip

Double Occupancy - $5599 per person
Single Occupancy - $6599

Payment Schedule/Cancellations/Refunds

We are working directly with Botanika/Crocodile Bay Resort to design this incredible photography journey in Costa Rica as they have the expertise on Costa Rica travel and logistics.  Their terms and conditions will apply rather than Niebrugge Images, LLC.  Payment will go directly through them.    

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