Orchid Hunter's Photo Expedition. January 21-31, 2011
| GROUP SIZE | PRICE/PERSON IN DBL |
|---|---|
| 5 people | $3,056 |
| 6 people | $2,684 |
| 7 people | $2,577 |
| 8 people | $2,358 |
| 9 people | $2,311 |
| 10 people | $2,163 |
| SINGLE SUPPLEMENT $ 482 | |
Led by award-winning nature photographer Alexander (Sasha) Vasiljev, this exciting trip is designed to visit a variety of habitats from mountain cloud forest to lush lowland rainforest to photograph a wide range of native orchid species. Costa Rica posesses over 1,400 orchid species with 20 % found novere else. We will search for orchids, as well as hummingbirds, poison dart frogs, monkeys and other exotic wildlife and beautiful scenery. Sasha will work with you to develop your orchid photography skills through both formal teaching sessions and hands-on field shooting. You will leave Costa Rica with an exceptional orchid photo portfolio from this instructive photo expedition.
Itinerary
Day 1, Jan. 21, Arrival - San José/Airport/Hotel Bougainvillea
Arrival to Costa Rica. Meet our representative at the Juan Santamaría International Airport and transfer to your Hotel Bougainvillea near the capital city of San José. The Hotel Bougainvillea is surrounded by a beautiful tropical garden filled with great subjects for photography, including orchids, bromeliads, and passion flowers. There is free wireless Internet throughout the property.
Overnight at Hotel Bougainvillea (no meals included)
Day 2, Jan. 22, Central Valley/Lankester Botanical Garden
We meet in the hotel restaurant for breakfast and then enjoy a welcome presentation on Costa Rican orchids and orchid photography from your trip leader Sasha. Afterward, we depart for Lankester Botanical Garden located in the colonial capital city of Cartago. With collection of close to 1,000 species of orchids and world's renowned collection of miniature orchids it is a perfect place to be introduced to the orchids of Costa Rica. We will have great photographic opportunities with the orchid collection and other exotic plants on the garden's grounds. We return to the Hotel Bougainvillea to enjoy dinner and then free time to review our photos.
Hotel Bougainvillea (B, D), lunch en route
Day 3, Jan. 23, Atlantic Slope Cloud Forest/La Paz Waterfall Garden
After breakfast, we visit the La Paz Waterfall Gardens for a full day of orchid, bird, butterfly, macro, and landscape photography. La Paz is a great place to capture images of birds such as silver-throated tanagers and emerald toucanets at the feeders. There are many hummingbird species right on the grounds. The aviary offers great opportunities for natural looking images of toucans, macaws, parrots, honeycreepers, woodpeckers, euphonias, chlorophonias, and tanagers. We will also photograph cloud forest streams and waterfalls. After lunch at La Paz and return to the Hotel Bougainvillea for dinner in the evening.
Hotel Bougainvillea (B, D), La Paz Waterfall Gardens (L)
Day 4, Jan. 24, Pacific Coast Lowland Rain Forest/Rancho Casa Grande
After breakfast, we depart for the lowland rainforests in the famous Manuel Antonio area. We arrive to our hotel in late afternoon with some time to relax and search for the white-faced capuchin monkeys and squirrel monkeys that frequent the property as well as looking for orchids in the hotel’s forest reserve.
Hotel Bougainvillea (B), lunch en route, Rancho Casa Grande overnight (D)
Day 5, Jan. 25, Pacific Coast Lowland Rain Forest/Rancho Casa Grande
After breakfast, we depart for the nearby Manuel Antonio National Park, where we have the entire day to roam the trails for orchids like Sobralia, Vanilla, Brassavola, Lockhartia, Catasetum among others, as well as photographing wildlife such as white-faced capuchin monkeys, sloth, colorful land crabs and enjoying the beautiful beaches inside the park. We return to the hotel for a cold cocktail and dinner.
Rancho Casa Grande overnight (B, box lunch, D)
Day 6, Jan. 26, Pacific Coast Lowland Rain Forest/Rancho Casa Grande
After breakfast, we pack up and depart for the Central Volcanic highlands, stopping first at the Rainmaker forest reserve and conservation project. We spend the morning on the trails and suspension bridges in search of orchid species like Sobralia, Stanhopea, Epidendrum, Maxillaria, and also enjoying photographing wildlife, including two species of poison dart frogs. After lunch at Rainmaker, we continue on to the cloud forest of the northern Central Volcanic Mountain Range and our lodge Bosque de Paz. Bosque de Paz Ecolodge 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 between the Poas Volcano and Juan Castro Blanco National Parks, with its rushing mountain streams, cool air, orchid and moss-festooned trees. We arrive to Bosque de Paz in late afternoon with time to relax and enjoy dinner.
Rancho Casa Grande overnight (B), Rainmaker (L), Bosque de Paz overnight (D)
Day 7, Jan. 27 Atlantic Slope Cloud Forest/Bosque de Paz
All day hunting wild orchids on the trails and the orchid garden at Bosque de Paz. Also, endless photographiv oppotunities for many hummingbrd species, black guan, rufous motmot among others.
Bosque de Paz overnight (B, L, D)
Day 8, Jan. 28, Atlantic Slope Cloud Forest/Bosque de Paz
All day for hunting wild orchids on the trails in and the roads around Bosque de Paz. Also, visiting beautifull waterfals and the cloud forest on the property of the lodge.
Bosque de Paz overnight (B, L, D)
Day 9, Jan. 29, Atlantic Slope Cloud Forest/Bosque de Paz
After an early breakfast, we head to the nearby Toro waterfall, which is 110 meters high and offers beautiful photographic opportunities of the waterfall itself and the surrounding cloud forest, which is rich with orchids and other epiphytes. The feeders at the restaurant are a hotbed of hummingbird activity as well. We enjoy a delicious lunch at the waterfall and then return to Bosque de Paz in the evening for a relaxing dinner and time to download our great hummingbird, landscape, and orchid images.
Bosque de Paz overnight (B, D), Catarata del Toro (L)
Day 10, Jan. 30, Bosque de Paz/Hotel Bougainvillea
After breakfast, we head back toward San Jose, stopping en route at a new orchid garden outside of San Jose. This orchid garden was started by local botanist and orchid enthusiast Claudio Salas and is an interesting showcase for his laboratory propagation techniques. After light lunch at the orchid garden we arrive to the Hotel Bougainvillea in late afternoon with time to pack and enjoy a farewell dinner.
Bosque de Paz (B), light lunch at Orchid Garden, Hotel Bougainvillea overnight (D)
Day 11, Jan. 31, Departure - San José/Airport
Private transfer to the Juan Santamaría International Airport for your flight home.
Hotel Bougainvillea (B)
End of Services
- Lodging as specified
- Meals as specified
- Private transfers to and from airports and hotels on first and last days
- Professional driver and private transportation in spacious, air-conditioned tour bus
- Professional bilingual photo/nature/culture guide
- Photo guide assistance with workshops and informal photo learning
- Photo guide assistance with caption and ID info for your images
- Entrances and fees for all described activities
- Taxes on all services listed above
- Biodegradable water bottle for each participant
- Airfare
- Airport departure tax (US $26)
- Alcoholic Drinks
- Gratuities
- Non-meal time snacks
- Non-meal time soft drinks and bottled water
- Souvenirs
For more details or to register for the tour, please visit Foto Verde Tours web site :