Wild Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Sept. 24 to Oct. 4, 2022
This trip is packed with birds, wildlife, and macro opportunities in some of our favorite locations. With a pro photographer leader and a great local guide who is an expert on macro subject, this workshop will be awesome!
Date
Sept. 24 to Oct. 4, 2022
$
Price
$5,499
Difficulty Level
Easy
6
Available Spots
Sign up fast!
View the itinerary below, read more about the tour, or sign up now!
About the Workshop
Wild Costa Rica
About the Workshop
Wild Costa Rica
Leaders
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, the mega e-book Flash for the Nature Photographer, and the new Complete Video Guide to Lightroom for the Nature Photographer.
You can see more of Greg's work at his website.
Follow him on Instagram @gregbascophotography
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 vaccinations 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
Wide angle lens
Cable release
A flash with TTL functionality
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 SantamarÃa 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. In the afternoon we’ll do some macro photography on the lodge grounds. 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 honeycreeper photography. The other half of the group will stay and explore the forests and lagoons surrounding the lodge. 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, Cloud Forest
After breakfast, we travel to the higher cloud forests of the northern Central Volcanic Mountain Range and our next lodge and photography base. 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. We’ll then have lunch at a beautiful waterfall that’s just crawling with hummingbirds. We arrive to our cloud forest lodge later in the afternoon for check-in and a bit of time to photograph agouti and black guan.
Day 6, 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. When not on the setups, you’ll be photographing the awesome macro subjects found in the lodge’s private cloud forest reserve.
Day 7, Tortuguero National Park
After an early breakfast, we depart for the boat that will take us into wilds of the amazing Tortuguero National Park. We enjoy a private boat ride to our lodge and check-in for a late lunch. In the afternoon, we head out in our boats to photograph birds and wildlife in the canals of the national park.
Day 8, Tortuguero National Park
We head out early this morning to explore the jungle canals in our boat for birds, caiman, and landscapes. We return to our lodge for a relaxing lunch and then spend the day photographing monkeys, basilisk lizards, and frogs right on the lodge grounds. In the evening, we’ll look for tree frogs around the lodge.
Day 9, Tortuguero National Park
This morning before breakfast we head over to the beach to see if we can photograph sea turtles that may still be depositing their eggs. We then return to our lodge with time to photograph monkeys. Later in the afternoon we go out into the canals again on our boat and, if the weather permits, we’ll try to photograph the national park from a hilltop lookout. We return to our lodge around sunset.
Day 10, Tortuguero/San Jose
After breakfast this morning, we return to San Jose on our boat and then our bus. We stop en route for lunch and arrive to our capital city hotel in the late afternoon. If your flight departs this evening we will take you to the airport.
Day 11, Airport
Private transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Itinerary includes
Full-time photo instruction and setups by Greg and Victor
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
Dinner the first and last nights
Alcoholic drinks
Gratuities
Non-meal time snacks
Non-meal time soft drinks and bottled water
Single room supplement - $548
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!
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+ 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.
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+ 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.
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+ 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.
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+ 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.
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+ 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.
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+ 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.
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+ 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.
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Should I bring a tripod?Yes, you always want to bring a tripod. We will advise your each trip of any need for specialized heads or flash brackets.