Costa Rica, April 2026
Inspired by comments from Jon on a recent podcast about encouraging new members to the community who ideally write trip reports, I have written up this report of an independent trip (not a hardcore mammal watching expedition) to Costa Rica that I have taken this spring, in the hope that it is useful to give other independent visitors a realistic idea of what to expect. I visited Tarcoles, La Fortuna, Aguas Zarcas, La Selva OET and San Gerardo de Dota. Having struggled to find information about the guided activities offered at La Selva, I provide some details about them. I also offer some comments about the Thermal Master T2 Max, which I had gotten shortly before the trip.
Edit: Since I have written this report, I have extensively tested my Thermal Master locally. I realized by chance that the camera actually has a ring for manual focus around the lens, which considerably improves its performance (given the small size of the camera, I have regrettably failed to notice this earlier …). In mild late summer nights, animals such as rabbits and foxes were clearly visible and identifiable by shape in the thermal imager, and even a toad on the ground was visible from a few meters away.
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4 Comments
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Jan Schaefer
I’m glad you enjoyed it , Jim, and how great that you saw the otter at La Selva. I think La Selva really is a place that rewards patience. If you ever go back to CR, I gather from what Jeison told me that Carara NP offers a good chance of seeing Northern Ghost Bat (but others may be better informed about this than me).
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Jon Hall
Great Jan. I’m amazed anyone listens to me – especially after spending time with my kids – so thank you! I look forward to reading this when I get a better connection.