Nature journaling in Costa Rica looks like this: Glittering hummingbirds buzz by in the tropical morning light. I jot down some quick notes and a color study. Moments later, I see two species of monkeys swinging through the trees where colorful toucans, tanagers, parrots and macaws also hop around. I capture some of the exuberance with a haiku and some gesture sketches in my nature journal. Mesmerizing orchids and bromeliads festoon the nearby trees. Soon, I’m able to observe and sketch twenty amazing species of birds!
And I haven’t even finished my cup of coffee or left the porch yet. Did I mention the quick watercolor landscape I did of the volcano view yesterday? After breakfast, we go on a walk where we can nature journal colorful poison dart frogs, crested guans, agoutis, sloths, and howler monkeys with their babies. In Costa Rica all of this can be done in one morning. (Don’t miss the videos Below).
Why Nature Journaling in Costa Rica?
- First of all, the natural beauty. Costa Rica is a mega-biodiverse country teeming with colorful, elegant, and bizarre creatures. In addition, it is blessed with some of the most beautiful and dramatic, beaches, rivers, waterfalls, mountains, and volcanoes of anywhere in the world. All of this provides a lot of eye candy and subject matter for curious nature journalers!
- Second, Costa Rica has a long tradition of conservation. This means there are many places to go but it also means that nature journaling can play a role here.
- Third, Costa Rica can be a tipping point for nature journaling and citizen science. You can contribute to conservation and science just by nature journaling and documenting some of your observations.
- Costa Rica is one of the safest and friendliest countries to travel. The tap water is safer to drink than the water in the USA!
- Even if Costa Rica were very hard to get to people would make the effort because it is so special. Luckily, it is a short flight from the USA or Canada. And once you are in the country it is easy to get around.
Want to see nature journaling adventures in Costa Rica?
I have included some of the nature journaling videos I have made in Costa Rica below. In fact, I have an entire playlist on my YouTube channel with over ten videos about nature journaling in this biodiverse little country in Central America. See the full playlist here.
Best Nature Journaling Locations In Costa Rica
The map below shows some of the locations that I think would be good for nature journaling. Subsequently, I will discuss each one not necessarily in order of what is best.
1. Central Costa Rica
The majority of Costa Rica’s population lives in the Central Valleys nevertheless you can still find tons of nature close to the capital city of San José. Here are some great locations within 3 hours of driving from the capital.
La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano
The town of La Fortuna sits near to the famous Arenal Volcano. First of all, this is a great stop to see tons of birds, sloths, streams, waterfalls, the volcano of course. In fact, La Fortuna might be a candidate for one stop visit to check off all your boxes. You can also relax in the hotsprings afterwards. Be prepared for lots of landscapito options in addition tobotanical subjects. The slopes of Arenal are covered in fascinating ferns, bromeliads, epiphytes, orchids, and other plants. Furthermore, there are lots of adventure activities to do here so if you are traveling with muggles you can send them off to do something while you nature journal. I did a whole video about La Fortuna and a whole video about nature journaling the volcano.
Monteverde Cloudforest
Next, let’s talk about one of the most famous nature tourism locations in the entire world. Even though it is very well known and sometimes feels touristy Monteverde is famous for a reason. Despite not being in the Valle Central and despite some challenging roads, Monteverde is still within close striking distance of San José. While cloudforest conditions are not the best for nature journaling the nature is so abundant and magnificent that it puts this destination in my top five best places for nature journaling in all of Costa Rica. In fact, I had to make a whole video about nature journaling in Monteverde. This is one of your chances to see resplendent quetzals, toucans, trogons, and toucanets all in one place.
Braulio Carrillo National Park
This is a huge park that spans the provinces of Heredia, San José, and Cartago and Limón. You can visit several parts of it yet you will want to be careful not to get lost. Otherwise, you can visit somewhere on the outskirts such as Cerro Danta or places near La Virgen. My personal favorite was the science field station called La Selva Biological Station. Nearby towns are Puerto Viejo de Sarapqui and La Virgen. This region has access to primary forest and the lowland humid rainforest. Conditions can be challenging for nature journaling, for example the high humidity and frequent rain, but the biodiversity will make it worth it.
2. Caribbean Coast
This region of the country is runner up for most accessible from the capital. Nevertheless, once you get there, it will feel like a whole different country! Can you imagine nature journaling sea turtles laying their eggs or the babies hatching? (it is on my bucket list still…) Not only can you watch sea turtles (if you time it right) but the Caribbean coast also offers a wide range of biodiversity and scenic beaches. Since my experience is mainly in one location I will focus on that.
Pacuare Reserve, Matina Limón
This is the only place where I have seen three species of monkeys in one nature journaling session. The Reserve is also a research station and they do a ton of work with sea turtle conservation, including the massive leatherback turtles! The beach protected within the reserve is one of the most important nesting sites for leatherback turtles in all the world! But first, you have to get there: which is a bit of an adventure. The only access is by boat through the wild canals where you are likely to see tons of birds, iguanas, and crocodilians! The birding here is also amazing. They have recorded over 250 species of bird here including the extremely rare Agami Heron. Pacuare Reserve is one of the few places in the world where the Agami herons can be seen nesting. Nature journaling by boat was a highlight!
For more about Pacuare, check out their amazing website or watch the video below of me nature journaling there. Be warned it is extremely humid and there are a lot of mosquitos.
Tortuguero National Park
Despite the fact that I have not been there I must mention Tortuguero National Park, also located on the Caribbean side of the country. This park is much more developed than Pacuare Reserve and is the third most visited park in the entire country. Nevertheless, this would be a good destination for Costa Rica nature journaling because of the diversity of species and the boat rides. I really think boat rides can be an amazing way to access and get close to thick tropical rainforest without having to hike with rubber boots and machete. The boat I was on in Pacuare was super comfy and convenient for sketching as well. However, if you are stuck with a bunch of muggles on a very touristy and fast-paced trip it might not be the best.
3. South and South Pacific Costa Rica
Next, let’s dive into the pacific side of Costa Rica. One of the amazing things about this country is how quickly you can access two different oceans and two very different bioregions. We’ll start with the most wild and remote and move our way up the spectrum to some of the most touristy natural attractions Costa Rica has to offer.
Osa Peninsula
This is one of the wildest parts of the country. Extreme rain, rugged terrain and inaccessibility of this peninsula makes some parts of it more like islands. You can only get there by boat. Other parts can be reached by land after almost a full day of travel from San José. If you want to see some of the grandest and most “pristine” tropical rainforests north of the amazon basin then this is the place to go. Corcovado National Park is the main protected area. Jaguars, pumas, anteaters, giant tapirs, coatimundis, and capuchin monkeys all abound here. And the jungle reaches all the way to the dramatic ocean cliffs and secluded beaches. Scarlet macaws are so commonplace that locals don’t even look up when dozens fly by. The biggest mangrove wetland in Costa Rica is accessible from the town of Sierpe. It is called Terraba Sierpe National Wetlands.
Check out the two videos below that I filmed last year nature journaling Osa Peninsula.
Let’s move up the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica now into Puntarenas province. There are some locations here that could compete for the one stop Costa Rican destination. However, some of them are rather touristy.
Manuel Antonio National Park
Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio might have some of the most scenic landscapes and most accessible biodiversity in the entire country. The rainforest comes right down to the ocean and there is a very aesthetic peninsula sticking out into the beautiful ocean with beaches on both ends. It is the type of landscape that painters dream about. Unfortunately, on my brief pass through I was totally turned off by how touristy and overdeveloped it was. Because of this glimpse I would not lead a nature journaling group here. Nevertheless, if you just need one stop in Costa Rica to see rainforest and scenic beach this could be it.
4. North Pacific, Guanacaste, Nicoya Peninsula
If you look at the map of Costa Rica you will see a chunky thumb-like penisula in the northwest. This is called the Nicoya Peninsula and most of it is also part of the Guanacaste province. (Therefore, it is interchangeably called Guanacaste or Nicoya Peninsula). It is possible to fly to Costa Rica and make an entire itinerary just in Guanacaste. This part of Costa Rica is notable for the seasonally dry tropical forest, beautiful beaches, mangroves, and the culture. There is a decent international airport in the town of Liberia. Let’s go to Guanacaste now and see what it is all about. Did I mention there is a long dry season that corresponds with winter in North America? Thus your watercolors will actually dry!
Palo Verde
Let’s start off at Palo Verde National Park which is in the armpit of the peninsula. There is a huge wetlands here of international importance. If you want to nature journal birds and see some of the most pristine examples of the highly endangered seasonally dry tropical rainforest then this is the location for you. Actually, this wetlands was listed on the Ramsar list of international wetlands in the 1990s.
Playa Flamingo to Playa Tamarindo
In case you were wondering, playa means beach in spanish. Indeed, this area is know for its beaches. They are scenic and wonderful in that beachy kind of way. Some people only come to Costa Rica for this. However, there is interesting nature to be seen from cool crabs to a lot more sea turtle nesting areas. However, this region is a little too touristy for my taste, unless you are a 25 year old instagram yoga influencer, in which case you will fit right in.
Playa Avellanas
Without giving away all my Costa Rica secret spots I’m going to let you in on a secret. Instead of going to touristy Tamarindo you can just go a few miles south and find a much better string of beaches for nature journaling. Playa Avellanas is all you could want in a Costa Rican beach plus there is a small estuary with a walkway that is good for nature journaling.
Playa Negra, Playa Junquillal
Continue south from Avellanas and you will reach Playa Negra and eventually Playa Junquillal. Between the two there are lots of tidepools that are great for nature journaling and dramatic coastlines for landscape paintings. Do you want to snorkel with sea turtles? There are some spots in here where you can. Playa Junquillal is a long sand beach. Past the sand beach is an important estuary. You can nature journal from kayak here but make sure you get a kayak and tour that will allow time for nature journaling. Also be prepared for mosquitoes. (see photo below). There is a sea turtle conservation program here. See more at this website.
Nature Journaling In Costa Rica Conclusion
I have spent over 10 years of my life in Costa Rica. I have nature journaled in the country on three different trips, filling several sketchbooks, on both coasts, and countless places in between. Nature journaling is a perfect match for here. It can be good for nature journalers visiting from other countries. It can also be good for education and conservation withing the country. There is one major challenge however.
What is the biggest challenge for nature journaling in Costa Rica?
The biggest challenge is going to be muggles and the frenetic pace of “normal” nature tourism. Most organized groups, tour leaders, and naturalist guides go to fast and don’t allow for the curiosity and observation that we are used to. There is a solution to this however. The solution is to travel with other nature journalers. I have been working on designing a trip for two years now! Do you want to nature journal in Costa Rica with me and a group of other nature journalers on a trip designed specifically for nature journaling? Sign up for my email list to get updates. To be even more up to date join my patreon because my patreon members will also get first dibs on the trip. Learn more about my patreon here.
But what if I’m completely new to nature journaling?
Regardless of your experience, we got you right here. Below are links to some super resources for beginner nature journalers.
Are you just getting started with Nature Journaling?
Here are tips and motivation for beginners.
