Announcing:

Hummingbirds & More!
March 21-31, 2009

© Greg Basco

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

Co-led by NatureScapes founder/professional bird photographer Greg Downing and Foto Verde Tours co-founder Greg Basco, this itinerary focuses on obtaining outstanding images of hummingbirds in flight and pollinating local flowers. In addition, we have chosen destinations and added a number of activities designed to yield excellent photo opportunities of songbirds, water birds, insects, and frogs as well as dramatic landscape photos. A highlight is nocturnal photography of the active Arenal Volcano. 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!

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!

©Greg Downing

ITINERARY

Day 1, March 21 San José - Hotel Bougainvillea overnight, no meals included

Arrival to 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. The Hotel Bougainvillea has free wireless Internet throughout the grounds and in the rooms.

Day 2, March 22 Turrialba - Bougainvillea (B), Rancho Naturalista Lodge (L, D)

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. 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.

Day 3, March 23 Turrialba - Rancho Naturalista Lodge overnight (B, L, D)

We will have our multiple-flash setups (provided) 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. 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!

Day 4, March 24 Turrialba - Rancho Naturalista Lodge overnight (B, L, D)

We spend the entire day again today at our hummingbird flash setups and the fruit feeders in search of outstanding bird images. We end the day with a night walk around the lodge grounds and forest reserve in search of insects and frogs for macro photography.

Day 5, March 25 Bajos del Toro - Naturalista (B), Bosque de Paz overnight (L, D)

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 a rest stop in the charming town of Zarcero (Greg Basco’s home), we arrive at Bosque de Paz for lunch. Afterward, we can 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.

Day 6, March 26 Bajos del Toro - Bosque de Paz overnight (B, L, D)

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.

©Greg Downing

Day 7, March 27 Bajos del Toro - Bosque de Paz overnight (B, L, D)

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.

Day 8, March 28 Arenal Volcano - Bosque de Paz (B), Lava Rocks Restaurant (L), Arenal Observatory Lodge overnight (D)

After an early breakfast, we travel to the Arenal Volcano area. Arenal is the country’s most active volcano, with continuous emissions of lava and incandescent pyroclastic flows since the beginning of the present active cycle in 1968. On clear nights, the views of incandescent avalanches are breathtaking! We will stop en route to photograph green iguanas at a river bridge and then later at the Danaus Wildlife Reserve to photograph boat-billed herons and possibly three-toed sloths, emerald basilisk lizards, and rufous-tailed jacamars. After a quick lunch in the town of La Fortuna, we arrive to the Arenal Observatory Lodge in late afternoon and, after check-in, photograph the sunset over Lake Arenal and the Arenal Volcano with stars and pyroclastic flows. The Arenal Observatory Lodge affords some of the area’s best photographic views of the famous Arenal volcano and offers fantastic sunset views over Lake Arenal and the surrounding hills. Foto Verde Tours has chosen your rooms specifically for their balconies, which allow you to photograph the Arenal Volcano all night if you wish.

Day 9, March 29 Arenal Volcano - Arenal Observatory Lodge overnight (B, D),
El Castillo Snake Zoo (L)

We dedicate the morning to photographing Montezuma oropendolas, Passerini’s tanager, green honeycreepers, red-legged honeycreepers, and emerald tanagers at the lodge feeders, which Greg and Greg will have set up with attractive perches. Just before lunch, we depart for the Snake Zoo in nearby El Castillo. The Snake Zoo is run by Greg Basco’s friend Victor Quesada, and Victor and his staff will help us to photograph numerous color forms of the amazing eyelash vipers, parrot snakes, vine snakes, and even red-eyed tree frogs, and poison frogs in Victor’s collection. We will photograph all of these animals on natural stages that we will set up on site. This is a great opportunity to photograph a number of species that are very difficult to find in the wild and also to continue our work on multiple flash setups for pleasing macro lighting. We will enjoy a delicious home-cooked lunch as well as refreshments and coffee throughout the day. We return to the Arenal Observatory Lodge in late afternoon to photograph the sunset and the Arenal Volcano.

Day 10, March 30 San José - Arenal Observatory Lodge (B), lunch en route,
Hotel La Condesa overnight (D)

After more early morning photography around the grounds and feeders, we pack up and leave for San José and the La Condesa Hotel, which has excellent, free wireless Internet throughout the grounds, including in the rooms. We will stop for a typical Costa Rican lunch en route. 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.

Day 11, March 31 Airport - Hotel La Condesa (B)

Private transfer to the airport for your flight home.

©Greg Downing

THIS ITINERARY INCLUDES

THE ITINERARY ABOVE DOES NOT INCLUDE

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

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