Announcing:

NEW! Costa Rica, March 2008!

© Greg Basco

I am excited to announce that I will be offering another amazing Costa Rica trip In conjunction with Foto Verde Tours. We have an all new itinerary with a wider diversity of photographic subjects!

We will be guided by Greg Basco, a Costa Rican resident professional photographer and conservationist. A full time Costa Rican resident Greg is a talented photographer and fully fluent in Spanish and English. In addition he boasts a wealth of knowledge on Costa Rica's natural history, culture, and conservation. Together with me as leader who could know better what you need to get the nature photos of a lifetime?!

©Greg Downing

We will take care of everything you need to get great photos from the time you step off the plane in Costa Rica's capital to your departure from the country. The lodges and casual itinerary is guaranteed to offer great photo opportunities. By booking you will ensure photographic success and be secure in the knowledge that your tourism dollar will benefit the Costa Rican environment.

**I will be providing several multi strobe hummingbird set-ups for student's use, making this tour an even better value!

The itinerary will be as follows and is subject to minor changes:

This all new itinerary focuses on obtaining outstanding images of hummingbirds in flight and pollinating local flowers. In addition, we have chosen destinations and activities designed to yield excellent photo opportunities of songbirds, water birds, insects, and frogs as well dramatic landscape photos. You will come away from this workshop with a beautiful and diverse portfolio of images as well as a wealth of new knowledge to help you to continue improving and expanding your own photography at home and on your next trip to Costa Rica !

Day 01, March 20

Arrival in Costa Rica . Meet our representative at the Juan Santamaría International Airport and transfer to your hotel near the capital city of San José , the Hotel Bougainvillea where Foto Verde Tours' Greg Basco will be awaiting your arrival. Those who arrive early can take the afternoon to photograph the beautiful orchids and other tropical flowers in the hotel's expansive tropical gardens.

Bougainvillea Hotel (No meals included)

Day 02, March 21

After breakfast, we will travel to the Turrialba area in the Atlantic slopes of Costa Rica 's Central Volcanic mountain range, where Rancho Naturalista is located. At Rancho Naturalista, we will meet trip leader Greg Downing, who will have been at the lodge for the past couple of days setting up for our hummingbird photography. A famous location for birdwatchers, Rancho Naturalista is known for the diversity of birds, especially elusive hummingbirds such as the snowcap, that can be found along the several trails and around the lodge itself. We will dedicate a considerable amount of time here to capturing world-class images of several species of hummingbird (including the green-breasted mango, snowcap, and white-necked jacobin) from our multiple-flash setups on the lodge balcony. And we will keep an eye out everyday for sunset pictures of the mountain view from the lodge's main building. After dinner this evening, we will enjoy an introductory slideshow on photography in Costa Rica from our photo guide Greg Basco , resident Costa Rican nature photographer and co-founder of Foto Verde Tours, and a presentation on improving your bird photography by trip leader Greg Downing.

Hotel Bougainvillea (B), Rancho Naturalista Lodge (L, D)

Day 03, March 22

We will have our multiple-flash setups on the balcony going all day today and will also rotate through another multiple-flash hummingbird setup in the lodge's private forest reserve. When not photographing hummingbirds, we will photograph the tanagers, orioles, oropendolas, and chachalacas that visit the lodge's fruit feeders. We end the day with a night walk around the lodge grounds and forest reserve in search of insects and frogs for macro photography.

Rancho Naturalista Lodge (B, L, D)

Day 04, March 23

We spend the entire day again today at our hummingbird flash setups and the fruit feeders in search of outstanding bird images. In the afternoon, we will attempt to set up flashes by a stream in the forest reserve to photograph the numerous species of hummingbirds that come to bathe in small, natural pools in the late afternoon. This is a chance to capture some truly unique images! After dinner, we will have a photo review of the previous days' images with an eye toward refining our technique and composition.

Rancho Naturalista Lodge (B, L, D)

Day 05, March 24

After breakfast, we continue with our bird photography and after lunch we have an optional trip to a nearby river to attempt to photograph waterbirds such as sunbitterns and tiger herons. At the end of the day, we enjoy a leisurely dinner with plenty of time to discuss our photography so far.

Rancho Naturalista Lodge (B, L, D)

©Greg Downing

Day 06, March 25

After breakfast, we travel to the higher cloud forests of the northern Central Volcanic Mountain Range and our lodge and photography base for the rest of our trip, Bosque de Paz. Bosque de Paz Ecolodge is located in one of the most biodiverse areas of the country, nestled in a picturesque valley at approximately 4,500 feet above sea level between the Poas Volcano and Juan Castro Blanco National Parks . With its rushing mountain streams, cool air, and orchid and moss-festooned trees, the area is akin to a tropical Colorado . After lunch in the charming town of Zarcero ( Greg Basco 's home), we arrive at Bosque de Paz in mid-afternoon with time to unpack and do a bit of photography around the lodge's fruit feeders. In late afternoon, we can usually obtain great portraits of the turkey-like black guan and the large forest rodent, the agouti. We will also check with the resident guide to see if any quetzals, a common visitor to the area, have been spotted in the lodge's forest reserve or surrounding forests. If so, we will pursue them in the days to come. After dinner, we adjourn to the lodge conference center for drinks and a presentation by ecologist and Foto Verde Tours co-founder Paulo Valerio on ecology and natural history in Costa Rica . Paulo is an engaging and animated speaker, and this information-packed presentation is one you won't want to miss!

Rancho Naturalista (B), Lunch en route, Bosque de Paz (D)

Day 08, March 26

After breakfast, we set in immediately to begin photographing hummingbirds at our multi-flash setups right on the lodge grounds. Here we are offered a different set of hummingbird species including the scintillant hummingbird ( Costa Rica 's smallest species), the violet sabrewing ( Costa Rica 's largest species), the purple-throated mountain gem, and the green-crowned brilliant. We will spend most of the day concentrating on our hummingbird photography but will also split into small groups and set off on hikes into Bosque de Paz' forest reserve to photograph cloud forest streams, a beautiful waterfall, and any wildlife we find. After dinner, we will have a night hike to look for tree frogs, glass frogs, tarantulas, and other macro photography subjects.

Bosque de Paz (B, L, D)

Day 08, March 27

Again today we will have our hummingbird setups going throughout the day. After lunch, we offer an optional excursion to photograph the nearby Toro waterfall, which is 110 meters high and offers beautiful photographic opportunities of the waterfall itself and the surrounding cloud forest. There are some spectacular tropical foliage shots here of palms and ferns on the cliffs surrounding the waterfall. On the way back, we can stop for coffee and local pastries at one of Greg Basco 's favorite local coffee shops.

Bosque de Paz (B, L, D)

Day 09, March 28

After an early breakfast, we set out on a day excursion to the Sarapiquí area for a photo-filled day at one of Greg Basco 's favorite lowland rainforest photography spots. We will roam the Selva Verde Lodge grounds in the morning in search of common photographic prey including the emerald basilisk (aka Jesus Christ) lizard, the strawberry poison dart frog, the green and black poison dart frog, and the famed red-eyed tree frog. After lunch at Selva Verde Lodge, we will enjoy a boat tour on the nearby Sarapiquí River to photograph sunbitterns, bare-throated tiger heron, green ibis, monkeys, sloths, and the spectacled caiman. We return to Bosque de Paz in the evening for dinner and a well-deserved rest after this busy day.

Bosque de Paz (B, D) Selva Verde Lodge (L)

Day 10, March 29

This morning, we will dedicate ourselves to hummingbird photography until lunchtime. After lunch, we will pack up and leave for San José and the Bougainvillea Hotel. Throughout the day, Greg Basco will be available to help you with caption info for your select images from the trip. After arriving in San José , we have a bit of time to relax and then enjoy a farewell dinner at the hotel.

Bosque de Paz (B, L) Hotel Bougainvillea (D)

Day 11, March 30

Early breakfast and transfer to the Juan Santamaria International Airport for your flights home.

Hotel Bougainvillea (B)

©Greg Downing

RATES (Rates are net, per person, in USD, double occupancy)

All lodging, transportation, meals, instruction and guide services are included as indicated above. Airfare to/from San Jose not included.