Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [204]
Buses from Rivas (US$1, 1½ hours) depart eight times daily until midafternoon. Taxis from Sapoá can take you to Granada for around ₡15,000.
Restaurant Copal (2676-1006; mains ₡2000-3500; lunch & dinner) This glassed-in palapa on a hilltop has little competition here in Playa Copal, but it still turns out excellent Italian food, and the romantic locale can’t be topped. Stop by on Thursday nights for wood-fired pizza.
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Getting There & Away
Buses (₡580) along this road depart the La Cruz bus terminal to the village of Jabó at 5am, 8:30am, 11:15am, 2pm and 5pm. Buses from Jabó to La Cruz depart at 6am, 9:30am, noon, 3pm and 5:45pm. A taxi to the beaches will cost about ₡6500.
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Costa Rica Wildlife Guide
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INSECTS & BIRDS
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS
LAND MAMMALS
MARINE ANIMALS
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The range of habitats in Costa Rica, a consequence of its unique geography, creates an incredible diversity of flora and fauna. Measured in terms of number of species per 10,000 sq km, Costa Rica tops the country list with more than 600. From flamboyant tropical birds and multicolored tree frogs to fleeting glimpses of rare mammals and migrating whales offshore, Costa Rica has some of the most diverse wildlife on the planet.
CHRISTER FREDRIKSSON
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INSECTS & BIRDS
No less than 35,000 species of insects have been recorded in Costa Rica, yet it’s estimated by entomologists that thousands more remain undiscovered. The country also hosts more bird species (approximately 850, including six endemics) than Europe, North America or Australia.
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Blue Morpho
This butterfly flaps and glides along tropical rivers and through openings in the forests. When it lands, the electric-blue upper wings close, and only the mottled brown underwings become visible, an instantaneous change from outrageous display to modest camouflage.
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Frigate Bird
This distinctive black bird, with an inflatable red throat pouch, is large, elegant and streamlined. It makes an acrobatic living by aerial piracy, harassing smaller birds into dropping their catch, and then swooping in to steal their meal midair.
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Roseate Spoonbill
The descriptively named roseate has a white head and a distinctive spoon-shaped bill, and feeds by touch. It swings its open bill back and forth, submerged underwater, until it feels food and then snaps the bill shut.
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Northern Jacana
The northern jacana has extremely long, thin toes that enable it to walk on top of aquatic plants. At first glance it appears nondescript, but when disturbed, the bird stretches its wings to reveal startling yellow flight feathers.
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Hummingbirds
More than 50 species of hummingbird have been recorded – their delicate beauty is matched only by their extravagant names. The largest is the violet sabrewing, which has a striking violet head and body with dark green wings.
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Toucans
Toucans are classic rainforest birds, and six species are found in Costa Rica. Huge bills and vibrant plumage make species such as the chestnut-mandibled toucan and the keel-billed toucan hard to miss. See the photo Click here.
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Scarlet Macaw
Of the 16 species of parrot recorded in Costa Rica, none is as spectacular as the scarlet macaw – unmistakable for its large size, bright-red body, blue-and-yellow wings, long red tail and white face.
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Blue-Gray Tanager
About half of Costa Rica’s birds are passerines, a sprawling category that includes warbler, sparrow, finch, cotinga and tanager. The blue-gray tanager is the ubiquitous songbird of tropical woodlands and gardens.
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Resplendent Quetzal
A type of trogon, this is easily the most dazzling and