Ski Southeast Messageboard

My wife and I just got back from seven days in Costa Rica, almost entirely spent on the Caribbean side as far south as you can go. We stayed in a B&B in Punta Uva, which is just south of Puerto Viejo and just above the Panama border. As far as I can tell, it's as close to immersing yourself in true Costa Rican culture as you can get as a "tourista". No fancy hotels or resorts, the locals were friendly, and we got to do some pretty kick-*** stuff. Obviously I didn't take the camera with me zip-lining, white-water rafting, or climbing waterfalls, but I did get some sweet shots around the beaches and in the jungle. Here you go:



First, the pretty landscapes:



The beach at Punta Uva:

















Cahuita Nat'l Park:





The beach just south of Manzanillo:













Storms roll in pretty quickly, but they disappear just as fast:









And then there was the wildlife:



Golden Orb spider- apparently this spider has the strongest web in the world.





Yellow Pit Viper... in the wild. Thank goodness for 200mm zoom lenses.





Don't lick this guy.





Like a sloth.





Howler monkeys were all over the place, waking us up each morning at 5:00 with the sunrise.





White-faced monkeys too... this one was waiting to poach a sweet camera from some poor tourist.





Another sloth:





We went to the rescue center in town and got to play with howler monkeys- these guys rule.





And finally... this local caught dinner (a "grunt" fish) just off the beach and was cleaning his catch before tossing it onto the grill for dinner. Not a bad place to live.... or visit.

that viper picture is insanneee. i love costa rica, could definitely live there.

Ohhhhh Steve those are just killer shots! What zoom did you use on the "up-close" sloth? They are such cool characters. I imagine howler monkeys are the most effective alarm clock on the planet. Very awesome that you got to hang out in a rescue center with them. Your photog gear and skills are just off the charts. The color on that pit viper is phenomenal. How close were you to the frog? (Poison dart variety or a small tomato?). Seriously killer TR...as always.



(anyone else notice the snake below the white-face monkey?)

All of these shots were taken with the Sigma 18-200mm OS lens.



The shot of the frog was taken from probably about three feet... they were surprisingly calm when we were close. It's a poison dart frog, you are correct. I actually saw another one that was bright green with black dots the last day in CR, but I didn't have my camera with me.

@mommehK 274165 wrote:(anyone else notice the snake below the white-face monkey?)



I'm pretty sure that is the deadly stick viper.

These pictures are awesome! The beach is so beautifu!. Costa Rica is now on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing.

Maybe my eyes are really screwed, but I swear that "stick viper" has a head on it....

Dang it KD your pics ALWAYS deliver! I really like the wildlife pics, top knotch; as always

very nice

@Ski Bunny 274171 wrote:These pictures are awesome! The beach is so beautifu!. Costa Rica is now on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing.

Steve could make being stranded on a life raft in the middle of the Pacific look amazing



KD: Did you need to speak a lot of Spanish or were you fine speaking English?