COSTA RICA - APRIL 1994
The following is the first of a two-part account of a trip to Costa Rica in 1994 made by a lady botanist, Sophie Wood and myself.

Years ago I had been to Costa Rica for a very short time and said that if I had the chance to go again, I would.  So, when a friend of mine, Sophie, said she wanted to go to Central America to study some orchids I took up her offer of accompanying her.  We got together and decided that Costa Rica was the best choice for her studies, and booked our tickets almost immediately.  This was going to be my chance to look for Dendrobates at last.
We left Heathrow on Wednesday 30th March and it was 8.20 p.m. local time.  We stopped off at Madrid, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and finally, San José in Costa Rica.  We booked in at the Hotel Alameda which cost us $45.00 US each for the one night.  We were exhausted, and were glad to fall into bed.
The next day, after a wonderful break-fast, we got a taxi to San José airport, Juan Santa María, and hired a Suzuki JLX four-wheel drive.  I drove around the provinces of Alajuela and Heredía to get used to the vehicle, and also to driving on the right hand side of the road!
We drove up the road leading to Poas Volcano and found a book shop selling fantastic wildlife books on Central America.  Needless to say, I spent a small fortune on them.  We bought a map and planned out our next few days, but for this day we decided to find a hotel and boy! What a hotel it was.  $140.00 US each for one night.  This was where the Presidents, film stars and the like stay.  Called the Cariari Country Club Hotel, you wanted for nothing.  You were waited on hand and foot, and the suites were fit for a king.
Saturday 2nd  After a magnificent breakfast we drove out through Braulio Carrillo rainforest to La Selva Verde.  This was a private rainforest with lodges set deep inside it.  It was very expensive at $136.00 US a night each, so we booked in for four nights. On that afternoon, while walking along a track, I heard the lovely sound of a frog  - ek, ek, ek.  Yes, it was a D. pumilio, and I caught a glimpse of it.  It was blue and red, and as you can imagine I was eager to catch it.  I scrambled down the bank and thrashed around the leaves and mud, desperately trying to catch the little jewel.  Anyone passing by would have thought I was having a fit!  At last I caught it, and took it back to show Sophie.  Out came the camera and snap-shots were taken as well as video coverage.  Upon releasing it, I found many, many more males courting females - in fact, they were all over the place!  Later in the afternoon we drove along a dirt track for 22 miles to Oro Verde, which is on the Nicaraguan border, and the vegetation was marvellous.  Bromeliads and orchids hanging from every tree limb, a miniature world on every branch!  When we drove as far as we could, due to the fact that we reached the San Juan River (that separates Costa Rica from Nicaragua) we turned round and headed back for the lodge, stopping now and then to find more of the same coloured D. pumilio along the way.
That evening we walked along the Sarapiqui River bank, which borders the reserve, and were lucky enough to see a Jesus Christ lizard run across it.  As darkness fell it began to rain, very heavily and, as we were to find out, it did so every night at around 5.30 p.m. when darkness approaches.
Sunday 3rd  We arose early the next morning and took breakfast which, as well as all other meals, is served in a bamboo-stilted hall about 20 feet above the ground, overlooking the beautiful Sarapiqui River.  It is totally idyllic.  Breakfast consisted of tea or coffee, every conceivable tropical fruit, fresh of course.  I highly recommend this place to anyone; it is Paradise.
After breakfast, we walked along one of the paths and saw an agouti, a large rodent about the size of the average dog.  It is the third largest rodent in the world and here it is eaten as a delicacy.  I tried some and it was quite tasty!  Further along the path we saw Blue-tailed skinks, and came across some bullet ants.  These were fearsome-looking creatures, being black, about an inch long and had jaws you would not believe.  Spiders were everywhere; Nephilia which build the world's strongest webs, as well as Jumping and Thorn spiders.
As I went to observe another type of ant, together with some D. pumilio, something jumped right in front of me and across my left foot.  It was a D. auratus, a beautiful green and black creature, but what made this one different was it had stunning azure-blue feet.  It was the same size as a typical example of its species, but the feet were especially lovely.  I got out the video camera and filmed the little beauty.  Later that day I was talking to one of the locals and apparently a few years ago a man released six pairs of frogs into the area.  This surely must have been one of the offspring, as D. auratus is not on the species list for this area.  After lunch we drove out to Cariblanco which has a spectacular waterfall.  Where the small road goes right past it we got a first class view.
That evening, just as we were ready to retire, I noticed something flit past my head and disappear above me.  I went in to my room and got my torch.  Upon shining it under the veranda there, to my amazement, was a colony of bats.  I counted five babies clinging to various parents.  They were great fun to watch, performing their aerobatics hunting for moths and such like.
Monday 4th  6.00 am came and Sophie went off for a guided bird walk into the rainforest.  She saw Chestnut-mandibled Toucans, Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds, Crimson-headed Tanagers and Montezuma Oropendulas, to name but a few.  After breakfast, and on the way to the car, we walked over a footbridge that went over a small stream.  Here, we came across two very large terrapins eating all the vegetation that hung down to the water's edge.  They were a gorgeous green, and seemed oblivious to us watching and filming them.  We had not gone more than about two miles in the car when, as we drove by a farm, there was a buzzing so loud it would have driven anyone mad.  There was a whole swarm of Cicadas, but these were the loudest I have ever heard.  Imagine three or four chain saws blasting away in a room.  This was how it sounded to me, no joking.  We drove out towards Tortuguero, which is heavily forested on the Caribbean side.  It has a lot of swampland, and is famous for its breeding Leather-backed Turtles.
Unfortunately you can't drive by road to the Tortuguero National Park, as we soon found out.  You either walk or fly in to a remote airstrip, or go by boat.  We did not want to go back to the Lodge so we drove on through banana plantations.  You had to be on the ball driving through these because without warning bananas would come flying across the road, hanging on a high rail, and if you were not quick enough on the brakes you would hit them with a bang.
We got back onto the main highway and found ourselves driving to a little village called Horguetas.  This is where the famous nature reserve of Rara Avis is set, and is where the entire world's famous naturalists and scientists come to study.  It is a four-mile tractor ride up into the hills, and is deep in the heart of Braulio Carrillo National Park, and is completely rainforest.  Unfortunately it was booked full for the next four days, so away we went.  Apparently, in the height of the wet season, the reserve is totally inaccessible, and if you are unlucky enough to be up there when it floods - you're stuck!
That afternoon I caught a huge, green wandering spider with about a five-inch leg span.  It was feeding under the veranda.  Whilst walking further I caught sight of a snake disappearing into the undergrowth.  Without any fear for myself, I grabbed it by the tail!  Snap!! It turned and bit me on the left forefinger.  The pain was immediate and I ran up to the Guide's quarters to get him to identify it for me.  It was one of the rarer Vine snakes - lucky for me!  Evening descended while, in a tree outside our room, two huge iguanas basked in the warmth of the last rays of the setting sun.
Tuesday 5th  We decided to drive down to Cinchana and try to get into the rainforest of Braulio Carrillo.  We set off at 7.30 am while it was still cool.  We managed to get some way in, but it became impenetrable in the end.  We looked around at the butterflies and other insects of the area, but did not venture far as we feared leaving the vehicle unattended.  We drove off in another direction and came across the Magsaysay Penal Colony, which was now empty and derelict.  The once beautiful rainforest in this area, I'm afraid to say, has been cut down for agriculture.  We picked oranges at one place and also a pineapple, which was absolutely delicious.  The first I have ever 'scrumped'.
A beautiful American Swallow-tailed Kite flew over us scouring the local fields for rodents etc.  Back at the Lodge that evening we came across a Phyllomedusa lemur tree frog on a large Cheese Plant leaf.  It was a beautiful specimen, and I would dearly have loved to have brought it back home but I had no permits for this species so, after much observation, I put it back on the plant.  Later that night, the sky was aglow with hundreds of fireflies in search of mates.  It was spectacular to see this amazing phenomenon.
Paul Armitstead