In April I went to Costa Rica for a holiday. Not being well equipped for serious wildlife photography my aim was to enjoy the trip and to get some shots where I could. Costa Rica is a country that makes it easy to get wildlife pictures even if you are under gunned as far as a long lens is concerned. With so many birds and animals around, you can find yourself in close proximity and therefore able to get good images. Costa Rica has made itself the number one destination for eco tourism and it really delivers with so many national parks and wildlife centred attractions. The country as a whole has a lot to teach us; with no army, high standards of education and healthcare and almost totally powered from renewable sources; it seems to be doing a lot of things right. The people also seem to be totally onboard with the way the country has embraced ecology based tourism as a major income stream. Everybody we met was very proud of the wildlife that we had come to see and were happy to share their knowledge by pointing out the things we could hear but not see, or that were hidden away in the dense cloud forests. All in all we were impressed and inspired by what we saw. A beautiful country, wonderful people and summed up by the phrase ‘Pura Vida’; a phrase the locals use as greeting and farewell or pure exclamation of joy. Meaning ‘Pure Life’, you really do get the feeling that life in Costa Rica really is how life should be; lived in harmony with the environment and recognising it’s value to the people and to the wider world. Since returning to Wales I still find myself missing seeing hummingbirds flitting around the bushes or large iguanas hanging around in the sun. Both sites that you soon get used to. Also, the country has great surf, volcanoes and amazing coffee!
