Costa Rica 2025 was a truly amazing experience with Photo Tour Trekkers taking us to 4 simply unique and awe aspiring regions of this beautiful country. We arrived on the 4th of March in San Jose and greeted by our guide Minor Haldego and our driver Daniel. Our first stop would be at Cerro Lodge, Puntarenas, CR on the western Pacific part of Costa Rica near the Tarcoles river. With 2 nights here we visited several places including Playa Azul, Puntarenas, CR where we boarded a boat to capture birds found in the estuary of the Tarcoles river. On the morning of the 6th March we left these unique lowlands to head north to the foothills at the base of the Arenal volcano pictured above. On our way to Hotel Los Lagos, Alajuela, CR where we would spend the next two nights, we stopped for a few hours at San Luis Canopy , Alajuela, CR to photograph tanagers and other colorful birds at some feeders that our guide knew about. On day 6 we spent the day at the world renown Arenal Observatory walking the gardens and trails capturing many new species and “Life birds” for me. Day 7 had us back on our bus headed for our next destination Laguna Lagarto Lodge, Alajuela, CR, but this won’t be the last time I visit this observatory and the captivating beauty of the Arenal volcano. Laguna Lagarto Lodge was another gem on this trip with it’s specialized photo opportunities for close up photo opportunities for King Vultures, flash photography for Hummingbirds and Bats, and Macro for Snakes and Frogs. Off the beaten track and close to the Nicaraguan border on the Eastern side of Costa Rica offered unique and hard to find species of birds to photograph. I could have easily spent another 2 days there walking the trails and watching the feeders as I know I missed many birds. As we said goodbye to Laguna Lagarto Lodge we packed up and headed on our longest journey south to the cloud forests in Parque Nacional Los Quetzales, in an breath taking area known as San Gerardo de Dota. Here we spent 2 nights at Hotel Sueños del Bosque Lodge. We found and photographed the sought after Resplendent Quetzal getting up a 4 am to drive to a location for sunrise where several had been seen. Then we spent the remainder of the morning at Paraiso Quetzal Lodge and the afternoon at the Batsú Gardens photographing birds. On the 12th of March our guide Minor took us on a morning walk on the trails near our hotel before we left Parque Nacional Los Quetzales for our last night in San Jose at Hotel Bougainvillea, Heredia, CR. Here their amazing gardens were home to many species of birds where we had the opportunity on our last evening before leaving Costa Rica to wander around photographing the resident owls and mot mots before our farewell dinner. Thanks to my roomate Dave for making this a amazing trip. In the end I seen over 200 species of birds, monkeys, lizards, frogs, snakes, lizards, and an array of amazing scenery. Looking forward to my next adventure in Costa Rica. “Pura Vida” !!!