Sea Turtles & Wildlife of Northern Costa Rica

Arrive at the Liberia airport in northwest Costa Rica and meet your Expedition Leader. This afternoon, transfer to Rio Celeste Hideaway, less than two hours away, where we have an orientation and welcome dinner. Our base for the next three nights, this remote luxury ecolodge lies far from heavily touristed sectors, with proximity to all the wonders of the lush rainforest that surrounds it. The region offers a vivid introduction to Costa Rica’s remarkable biodiversity. The tiny country hosts an astounding number of species given its size -- more than half a million different animals and plants, some 6% of the entire planet’s biological diversity! A widely accepted theory to explain this unusual density is that species from both North and South America have mixed freely on this narrow chunk of land that lies between two oceans and two continents.

Our nature adventure begins with a walk through the private Bijagua Reserve in search of wild sloths. With our local guides who are intimately familiar with the sloths and their habitat, look up to spy them snoozing, munching or possibly offering one of their charming smiles. A butterfly garden is also part of the experience. Following lunch featuring homemade local specialties, take a guided tour of Bijagua Rainforest Garden, a mix of secondary forest and cultivated gardens that attracts a wide array of creatures. Search for mammals, including monkeys and sloths, amphibians like the red-eyed tree frog and blue jeans frog, plus a wide variety of birds—toucans and tanagers, honeycreepers, hummingbirds, hawks and more.

This evening, we make our first visit to Tapir Valley, home to Costa Rica’s largest population of Baird’s tapir, the biggest native land mammal in both Central and South America. After sunset, watch and hear the forest around us transform as nocturnal animals awaken for their nightly activities, including hunting, eating and looking for mates. Walk with our Expedition Leader and local guide through forest, open grasslands, and a wetland where the frog symphony is amazing! Search for amphibians, insects and mammals that are more difficult to spot during the day, including a variety of frogs, sleeping birds, kinkajous and elusive tapirs. Although tapir sightings are rather rare, the species is nocturnal, and it’s exciting to find evidence of its presence when we know it is active in the forest.

Rise early to greet the dawn as we return to Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, spanning more than 220 acres of primary and secondary rainforest on the border of Volcano Tenorio National Park. Well off the standard tourist track, this private sanctuary was established to protect valuable habitat in rural northern Costa Rica for many wild species. Among them is the Baird’s tapir, classified as endangered, but sightings in this area are increasing, and local farmers are joining efforts to protect its habitat. Although they may look more like a pig or elephant, tapirs are most closely related to horses and rhinos. Weighing up to 550 pounds with a thick, tough hide, tapirs are generally solitary creatures. Look for their footprints on the network of private hiking trails that lace the reserve, and gain an elevated perspective from several viewing platforms. While tapirs may be top draw, the reserve abounds with other wildlife, including some of the best birdwatching in Costa Rica.

Return to our hotel for a late breakfast followed by free time to explore more of the trails, on your own or with a local guide from the lodge. This afternoon, visit Heliconias Hanging Bridges in the foothills of Tenorio Volcano for an elevated encounter with the rich biodiversity of the tropical rainforest. On a private tour over a system of suspension bridges, get a bird’s eye view of the dense forest canopy, learn which creatures inhabit various levels of vegetation, and look for howler monkeys and white-nosed coatis in the branches. We’re almost certain to see sloths, as both two-toed and three-toed species are common here. On the forest floor, we might spy a tapir if we’re lucky. And from our vantage point high above the ground, the distant views include Lake Nicaragua.

Transfer to a nearby airstrip this morning for our chartered flight to Nosara on the outer edge of the Nicoya Peninsula. The peninsula holds the distinction of being one of the world’s rare Blue Zones, a region where residents enjoy an extraordinarily long, healthy lifespan, often 100 years or more, supported by a lifestyle in harmony with nature. Costa Rica’s national motto Pura Vida may be at the heart of it, and we definitely tap into “pure life” in this uplifting natural setting. We have lunch at a restaurant overlooking the sea, then spend time exploring Playa Pelada, one of the most picturesque beaches in Costa Rica. A crescent of white sand fringes the bright blue bay, and if the tide is out, exposed tide pools may reveal sea life among the rocks.

Just inland from the coast lies our secluded boutique hotel where we spend the next three nights. Tucked within the jungle far from other development, this Michelin Key property manifests the vision of two renowned architects, showcasing design elements that “create a dialogue between structure and nature.” Relax this afternoon to restore your energy for our after-dark adventure: a search for endangered sea turtles that come ashore to make their nests in the soft volcanic sand of Playa Ostional. Although we're never guaranteed to see them, our location and timing are excellent to observe an arribada (Spanish for "arrival") of thousands of turtles crawling onto the beach to lay their eggs. From June to November, olive ridley turtles return to where they were born to continue the cycle of life. After several years at sea, their instincts guide them to emerge from the water under the cover of night to dig nests and deposit their eggs, before returning to the ocean. During an arribada, they start arriving soon after sunset, and, depending on how many turtles are involved, they may keep coming until dawn the next morning.

Rising before dawn, we head back to the beach in hopes of seeing baby sea turtles hatching. If we are very fortunate, we may get to watch hundreds of tiny hatchlings scurrying to the water to begin the life cycle anew. This protected beach, one of the best places in the world to view this spectacle, is part of the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge, created in 1984 to protect this globally important nesting site. Turtles deposit 80 to 100 eggs in each nest, and over the course of a five-day arribada, nesting turtles may leave up to 10 million eggs on the beach of Ostional.

Return to our hotel for breakfast, then head off later this morning on a private cruise from Playa Garza in search of dolphins and whales. Spotted and bottlenose dolphins are on view year-round, and we’re here in season to seek out humpback whales, too, which migrate to these waters from July to late October. Disembark at Playa Samara and return to our hotel where there’s leisure time this afternoon to relax in the pool or enjoy a sauna or treatment at the Vitalis Spa. After dinner at a typical local restaurant, we head back to the beach after dark for another opportunity to look for sea turtles coming ashore. Even though we can never be sure we will see them, our trips are planned strategically around lunar cycles to maximize our chances to witness an arribada, either on Ostional Beach or nearby Punta Islita Beach.

If we haven’t seen turtle hatchlings yet, we’ll make one more pre-dawn outing, returning to the beach before the sun comes up in hopes of seeing them emerge from the sand. It's also an amazing experience to hear the beauty of tropical birds at daybreak, greeting sunrise in the forest with their exuberant chorus. We may see or listen to the calls of scarlet macaws, keel-billed toucans, motmots, various hummingbirds, tanagers and parrots.

Return to our hotel for breakfast, then head out for a morning kayak excursion through the lush mangrove ecosystem near Samara Beach. Paddling stable kayaks on the Ora River through the lush greenery, we explore hidden mangrove tunnels and look for wildlife like aquatic birds, monkeys and iguanas. Lunch awaits at the hotel, followed by a fascinating naturalist presentation on sea turtles this afternoon. All too soon, it’s our last night together in Costa Rica, and we celebrate our many discoveries with a toast to “pura vida” as we gather for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

After an early breakfast, depart at 8:00 am for Liberia International Airport, about a three-hour drive. Departing flights should be booked no earlier than 1:30 pm.