Costa Rica is a leading world nation in conservation, protecting roughly 25% of it's natural environment in the country's 26 national parks. This is for good reason;Â tropical rainforests are often referred to as "jewels of the earth" - they are home to two-thirds of all living animal and plant species on the planet.
Bordered by both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, with Panama to the south and Nicaragua to the north, the country is just over twice the size of Wales. It is a peaceful country having abolished the need for an army since 1948.
An example to the rest of the world, Costa Rica is on track to become the first carbon-neutral country by 2020, with 99% of the country's energy needs met through a combination of geothermal, hydroelectric and wind power.
So my time at Laguna came to an end, although I could have quite easily spent months there. The next area on my travels would take me up into the central highlands, to the Caribbean cloud forest, in an area known as the Bosque de Paz Biological Reserve.
En-route, we stopped at a local farm where the owner has planted favoured nesting trees for Scarlet Macaws and Great-Green Macaws. The farmer also feeds them to attract them in. It was a welcome sight - not only for how amazing they look but the fact that they're endangered. Shockingly, before 2005 there were more pet Macaws in New York City that in the wild in Central America. Since then, thanks to efforts like this, the two species have started to make a comeback expanding into healthy flocks in Boca Tapada and on the Pacific Coast in the country.
There were fantastic photo opportunities of both perched and in-flight images here...
On arrival at Bosque de Paz in the Caribbean cloud forest we felt instantly better for being a cooler climate. It was similar to a summer's day in England and, following the hot humid conditions of Laguna, it was welcome.
The area we had stopped at is well known for it's amazing population of the 'jewels of the rainforest'; hummingbirds. The lodge we stayed at put up feeders so they buzzed around everywhere. This gave an opportunity for a technique I was looking forward to learning more about - multi-flash setups to freeze the action of the hummingbirds.
Using four flashes carefully positioned to create a natural feel to the image, you can freeze the action of these tiny birds without the need for an extremely fast shutter speed. The technique is capable of capturing the action at anywhere between 1/15,000 of a second to 1/30,000 of a second.
It was great fun to have a go!
I think it was safe to say I got very carried away with photographing these hummingbirds! I've only put up four here for this blog, but if you'd like to see more there are plenty in the stock images section.
Each morning I'd awake to the sound of the rushing rapids of a river that ran nearby the lodge. The cooler climate was so welcome. When not getting overly-excited about photographing hummingbirds I went walking into the forest along trails leading from the lodge. They took you into, what felt like at least, deep jungle in the cloud forest.
Lush green vegetation was everywhere, with epiphites like bromeliads growing off other plants, each vying for sunlight - prime real-estate in a dense rainforest!
The river had swelled due to a lot rainfall recently and so it gave for some great opportunities for landscape photography, something I always try to do a bit of to show the wildlife's environment...
We also had a visit to Catarata del Torro, an impressive waterfall not far from the lodge - the opening photo to this blog shows it surrounded by the mist that makes the cloud forest unique.
Further landscape images were possible here when, again, not focusing on the hummingbirds...
So we were on to our next lodge of the trip. Straight after breakfast we were on the road, this time coming down the mountain range that separates the Caribbean side from the Pacific side, through San Jose (very busy with traffic) and back up the Talamanca Mountain range to Paraiso Quetzal Lodge.
We arrived in time for lunch (you never go hungry in Costa Rica!) with some stunning views. While the photo below was taken at sunrise the following day, the view was nonetheless the same...
The area is fantastic for bird life. We were here to spot some particularly colourful hummingbirds and, while their activity was low, we still had some chances. The hummingbirds had less interest in the feeders around the lodge as a local flower (which I didn't get the name of) was blooming early in the forest. The flower is a favourite of hummingbirds and therefore they're less interested in the feeders.
We still had plenty of opportunities to see and photograph the birds in the area though...
The main purpose for visiting Paraiso Quetzal Lodge was to look for what has been called the 'most beautiful bird in the world'; the Resplendent Quetzal.
We tried many different locations, including their favoured Avocado trees which they love to eat, but unfortunately didn't have much luck.
So we tried a different area; the Savegre Valley. About half way down a steep and winding road we noticed three people at the roadside with a spotting scope. It turned out they were looking at a Quetzal!
Photographically speaking none were in a great position, but given our luck I tried to make do with the circumstances and I'm happy with the two photos below. On high spirits we continued to our lunch stop, the Havana Restaurant, only to find another two Quetzals right by a viewing platform! Again, not great for photography but I wasn't complaining after no joy the previous two mornings.
No trip to Costa Rica would be complete without some time dedicated to the amazing variety of reptiles and amphibians that call the country home.
The photos below are a collection from places across the country, but notably in the more hot and humid areas. My last stop of this trip saw me return to my favourite area from four years ago; Sarapiqui.
Just like Laguna it is a sweatbox of lowland rainforest on the Caribbean side. The conditions are perfect for many different species in the lowlands, including a favourite of mine; the Golden Eyelash Palm Pitviper, also known locally as 'Oropel'...
When I first got into photography I was all about the frame-filling portrait images. Now, when the circumstances work, I much prefer the environmental images showing the animals in their habitat, like the photos below show...