Ultimate Rainforest Photography, June 23 to July 4, 2022

Ultimate Rainforest Photography

Costa Rica

June 23 to July 4, 2022

Rainforest photography is all about knowing your subject and having a diverse photographic skill set. Greg and Paulo share the techniques they use to capture some of their favorite rainforest bird, wildlife, macro, and landscape images.

Date

June 23 to July 4, 2022

$

Price

$4,999

Difficulty Level

Easy

4

Available Spots

View the itinerary below, read more about the tour, or sign up now!

About the Workshop

Ultimate Rainforest Photography

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About the Workshop

Ultimate Rainforest Photography

Leaders

Paulo Valerio

Costa Rican born and raised, Paulo Valerio is an ecologist, tourism entrepreneur, and nature photographer. Paulo graduated as a tropical ecologist from the Biology School of the National University. During his graduate studies, he specialized in the development of sampling and research methods for high-flying bats in the rainforest canopy.

Involved with ecotourism since 1992, Paulo has worked as a naturalist guide and field instructor for several companies, has developed and directed field study programs and taught tropical ecology at various universities in Costa Rica and the US.. He is also a nature photographer and birdwatcher. Paulo recently also decided to pursue a long time interest and passion and obtained his PhD in traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture.

You can see Paulo´s photography at his website.

Greg Basco

Gregory Basco is a professional nature photographer based in Costa Rica. After completing graduate degrees in political science and tropical ecology (his doctoral dissertation focused on the politics of ecotourism in Costa Rica), Greg worked in conservation before turning to photography full-time in 2006. His images have been awarded in the Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Nature's Best Windland Smith Rice competitions and have appeared in numerous magazines and books around the world.

His latest major project is the second edition of the large format printed book National Parks of Costa Rica in conjunction with Zona Tropical and Cornell University Press. His popular e-books include The Guide to Tropical Nature Photography, Lightroom for the Nature Photographer, and the upcoming Flash for the Nature Photographer.

You can see more of Greg's work at his website.

Gallery

Info

Airport

You should arrive to and depart from Costa Rica's Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO). Our driver will be waiting to provide your private transfer to our capital city hotel.

Electricity

Electrical outlets are US-style. Those coming from Europe or Asia may need travel adapters. We will send more info after signup.

Insurance

We strongly recommend you purchase trip insurance that includes trip cancellation and medical coverage while overseas.

Medical

Costa Rica does not require any vaccionations to enter the country. Please consult with your doctor regarding general travel vaccinations.

Internet Access

All of our hotels have free WIFI. We will also have cell data coverage for most of the trip.

Certified

All of our services are conducted by fully licensed travel, lodge, and transport operators. This is part of our commitment to providing a professional travel experience.

Recommended gear

Tele lens 500 mm or longer
Teleconverters
Camera body or bodies
Medium zoom lens, e.g., 70-200 mm, 100-400 mm
Macro lens
Radio flash transmitter and receiver
Wide angle lens
Cable release
Off-camera TTL flash cord
Telephoto flash bracket
Flash plus Better Beamer for birds and wildlife
Rain cover for camera
Small softbox or diffuser
Small pack or shoulder bag for daily shooting

View the full Itinerary +

Day 1, Arrival/San Jose

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, 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 gardens. The hotel has free wireless Internet throughout the grounds and in the rooms.

Day 2, Atlantic Rainforest

After an early breakfast, we check out and head to our first destination, a rainforest lodge where Foto Verde Tours has worked to set up a feeder that offers unparalleled opportunities to photograph keel-billed toucans, chestnut-mandibled toucans, and brown-hooded parrots, hummingbirds, and bats. We arrive at the lodge for lunch and set in immediately to photograph at the feeders!

Day 3, Atlantic Rainforest

Today we concentrate on photographing the amazing king vulture at a private blind. We'll also photograph toucans, oropendolas, parrots, and tanagers throughout the day. And this evening we have a special treat – bat photography!

Day 4, Atlantic Rainforest

This day we'll split the group into two. In the morning, half of us will head to a nearby house for hummingbird and macro photography. The other half of the group will visit another local house to photograph honeycreepers. After lunch back at our lodge, we'll switch it up. At the end of the day we'll enjoy a well-earned cold drink after this busy day of photography!

Day 5, Arenal Volcano

After an early breakfast, we travel to the Arenal Volcano area. Though currently experiencing a lull in activity, until recently Arenal had been the country's most active volcano, with continuous emissions of lava and incandescent pyroclastic flows since the beginning of the recent active cycle in 1968. En route to Arenal, we stop for lunch at a restaurant that has a large population of wild iguanas. We arrive at our lodge in the afternoon and, after check-in, photograph the sunset over Lake Arenal.

Day 6, Arenal Volcano

Today we travel to a nearby spot with an amazing collection of frogs, snakes, and lizards. This place is run by good friends of Foto Verde Tours, and the staff there will help us to photograph these colorful 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 to begin working on creative lighting for pleasing macro images. We will enjoy a delicious home-cooked lunch as well as refreshments and coffee throughout the day. We return to our lodge in late afternoon to photograph the sunset and the Arenal Volcano.

Day 7, Cloud Forest

This day we have a chance to do some very special photography. We will spend all day and even the early evening photographing frogs, reptiles, and snakes out in the forest with wide angle lenses and flashes. We'll learn Greg's flash techniques for seamlessly blending flash and natural light. We enjoy a late dinner and then a well-deserved rest after we finish.

Day 8, Cloud Forest

After breakfast, we travel to the higher cloud forests of the northern Central Volcanic Mountain Range and our last lodge and photography base for the rest of our trip. Our lodge 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. With its rushing mountain streams, cool air, and orchid and moss-festooned trees, the area is akin to a tropical Colorado. En route, we stop at a local farm where Foto Verde Tours has worked to set up photo opportunities of the wild, free-flying great green and scarlet macaws that inhabit the owner's large farm property. Upon arrival to our lodge, we can explore the cloud forest for macro and landscape photos. This evening, Greg will do a presentation on the technical and artistic aspects of multiple-flash hummingbird photography.

Day 9, Cloud Forest

After breakfast today, we set in immediately to begin photographing hummingbirds at our multi-flash setups right on the lodge grounds. We will concentrate on the violet sabrewing (Costa Rica’s largest species), green hermit, purple-throated mountain gem, and green-crowned brilliant. Greg and Paulo will run the setups and provide attractive native flowers to ensure that you capture some fantastic hummingbird images. Foto Verde Tours is the only company that has permission to do multi-flash hummingbird photography at this lodge. When not on the setups, you can relax and download images, shoot the black guans, tanagers, agouti, and coatimundi, or explore the cloud forest trails for macro and landscape photography.

Day 10, Cloud Forest

We visit a nearby waterfall that is 110 meters high and offers beautiful photographic opportunities of the waterfall itself and the surrounding cloud forest. There are some absolutely world-class landscape and lush tropical foliage images to be made here. In addition, we have permission to set up our multiple-flash here to take advantage of some very interesting small hummingbird species such as black-bellied hummingbird, coppery-headed emerald, and green thorntail. We'll shoot throughout the day, alternating our time between the setups, perched hummingbirds, and landscape photography.

Day 11, Back to San Jose

After breakfast, we check out and head back toward San Jose. En route, we stop at a local farm where Greg has worked to set up photo opportunities of the wild, free-flying great green and scarlet macaws that inhabit the owner's large farm property. We arrive to our capital city hotel in the afternoon with time to relax and then enjoy a farewell dinner in the evening at the hotel restaurant.

Day 12, Airport

Private transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Itinerary includes

Full-time photo instruction and setups by Greg and Paulo
Lodging as specified in DBL occupancy
Meals as specified
Private transfers to and from hotels on first and last days
Professional driver/photo/nature guide and private transportation in spacious tour bus
Multiple-flash hummingbird and other photography setup equipment
Entrance fees for all described activities
Taxes on all services listed above

Itinerary does not include

Airfare
Alcoholic drinks
Gratuities
Dinner the first night
Non-meal time snacks
Non-meal time soft drinks and bottled water
Single room supplement - $tbd

Booking a tour with us is easy!

1. Register for your tour using the form at the end of each workshop page.

4. Send us your traveler info form.

2. Send us your reserve deposit.

5. We will send you your final invoice.

3. Book your international air travel.

6. We´ll send you everything you need to know before you hop on the plane!

FAQ

+ Will someone be there to meet me at the airport?

Certainly! We take care of you from the moment you step off the plane until the moment you leave to return home. We'll send you all of the info you need to know regarding arrival in a final info message before the trip.

+ I plan to arrive a day early. Can you help?

Definitely, we'll be happy to make your reservations to ensure that you get to the same hotel that we have booked for the official first night of the tour. By the way, private transfers to and from the airport are always included in our tours, and you can use this transfer whether you arrive early or depart later than the official dates.

+ What kind of clothes should I bring?

In general, your best choices are lightweight garments that breathe and dry quickly, and you'll want a mix of long sleeves and short sleeves. A light polar-tec and a good rain jacket are also good to have. For meals, it's informal at the lodges and in the region in general. A pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and a clean shirt are just fine for dinner, even in the capital city hotels. Lightweight hiking boots are fine for your photography out in the field, and if you're visiting a beach area, you will want sandals or aqua shoes as well. Of course a good hat and sunscreen are important. We will send you clothing information specific to your trip after you've signed up.

+ Can I have laundry done?

Many of the lodges we use offer laundry service for a cost of approximately $1 per garment with same or next day service. We will indicate to you which lodges have laundry service after you've signed up for a given trip.

+ Can I drink the water?

This is probably the question that our clients ask us the most. And it’s the one for which we have the least definitive answer, except to say that beer is always a safe choice!. Water in and around capital cities is treated with chlorine and generally can be consumed with no worries. The lodges that we use for our photo travel often have their own well water, which is tested regularly by the Ministry of Health. Nonetheless, upset stomachs do occur as a result of change in diet or simply bacteria different from those to which Northern stomachs are accustomed. Serious disorders such as Giardia or amoebic dysentery are virtually unheard of. Bottled water is very widely available at our hotels and lodges, and a conservative strategy would be to use it as often as possible when outside the capital. As with travel to any foreign country, immodium pills are good to have along, and some of our clients also bring along Cipro or other broad-spectrum antibiotics. Some go so far as to begin taking antibiotics before arriving in-country. For antibiotic use, we suggest you consult with your physician. That said, we have very very few problems with water and food-related issues on our tours. During the tour, we will indicate to you where and when it might be better to stick to bottled water.

+ I'd like a single room. Can that be arranged?

Certainly. Simply indicate your rooming preference on the workshop signup form. There may be an extra for the single room supplement. This is simply the difference due to what our hotels and lodges charge us. We do not take a commission for single room supplements.

+ I'm traveling by myself but would like a double room. Can that be arranged?

It depends. If we can match you up with a suitable solo traveler who also wants to share, we will be happy to place you in a double room.