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38 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 PANSZA

Costa Rican Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) squawk and litter the ground beneath the high trees in which they perch with rotting fruit and
molted feathers.

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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 39TRAVELOGUES

During winter break 2005/2006, my sister and I traveled to
Costa Rica. We were undergraduates in a class intended to

experience three ecosystems: dry forest, cloud forest, and rain
forest. Our journey into this phenomenally biodiverse country
began at the very small airport in Liberia. Open to the elements,
humidity covered us like a thick blanket — but I could hear calls
of exotic birds in the open rafters of the airport roof, and they
reminded me why I was here. The drive to our first destination
was bumpy and slow. The driver informed us that some of the
locations we would visit had been inaccessible except by horse-
back or ATV until the last few years. The scenery was spectacu-
lar, although patches had obviously been clear-cut; much culti-
vated land is devoted to tropical plants, especially bromeliads,
which are exported to Europe and the U.S.

With a very pro-environmental democratic government,
and a highly literate (including computer-literate!) populace, the
standard of living in Costa Rica is among the highest in Latin
America. Nevertheless, Costa Rica still has a relatively impover-
ished underclass. I observed houses made of pieces of tin and
surrounded by naked children and livestock. Alongside poverty,
we also observed some large haciendas, mostly associated with
cattle ranches, the primary cause for deforestation in Costa Rica.

We first stayed at the base of the Rincon de la Viejo volcano,
and had a terrific view of the crater on one side and unspoiled dry
forest on the other. After dark, the croaking serenades of House
Geckos (Hemidactylus frenatus) and Cane Toads (Bufo marinus)
were common. These species have adapted well to human-altered
environments, and many a hotel pool in Costa Rica hosts toad
parties well into the wee hours. A pre-sunrise concert of birds,

interrupted periodically by raucous parrots, preceded zip-lining
in the canopy. A huge male Black Iguana (Ctenosaura similis)
basking on a rock made the trip back worthwhile. Black Iguanas,
known locally as “Garrobos,” also seem surprisingly well adapted
to human presence. These animals were abundant in many of the
sites that we visited. An afternoon hike along the Pailas Trail was
enlivened by Black-handed Spider Monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) and
our first close encounter with massive Strangler Figs (Matapalo
ficus), Coatis (Nasua narica), and an Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata).

T R A V E L O G U E S

A Costa Rican Adventure
Janelle M. Pansza

Department of Biology, Avila University, Kansas City, Missouri

Anoles (Anolis sp.) were ubiquitous along the edges of forests.

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In areas frequented by ecotourists, wildlife, such as this female White-
collared Manakin (Manacus candei) lose their fear of humans.

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40 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 PANSZA

Cattle ranching is the principal cause of deforestation in Costa Rica.

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Green Iguanas (Iguana iguana) often bask on branches overhanging forest waterways.

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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 41TRAVELOGUES

At the Santa Marta Ranger station in Guanacaste National Park,
we saw our first snake, a beautiful Green Vine Snake (Oxybelis
fulgidus) drinking at a rainwater pool.

The next ecosystem we visited was the cloud forest at
Monteverde. The hills were green to the very top of the moun-

tains, and you could see all the way to the ocean. Green Iguanas
(Iguana iguana) were common in roadside trees. When we
reached our lodge, the weather was rainy, cool, and windy.
Investigating munching noises in a nearby tree, we spotted a
Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus didactylus) mere meters from our bal-

Coati Mundis (Nasua narica) have become proficient panhandlers.

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Zip-lining through the canopy provides a totally different perspective of the forest. 

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Clinging to the front seat of the “turismo” bus for dear life, I
anxiously awaited certain death as the bus squeezed past

cars on the winding, narrow road leading to the small town of
Atenas near San Jose. I wanted to close my eyes but couldn’t sac-
rifice the view. Within a half hour, the landscape had changed
from crowded city to meandering emerald green hills and slopes.
Tropical trees draped over the serpentine road, and small houses
littered the roadside, their occupants busy in the fields beyond.

We spent some time at the School for Field Studies in
Atenas. Drifting through town, I gazed into store windows and
savored the sweet aroma of baking breads and empañadas.
Uniformed school children sat on the steps of a whitewashed
church, and people were quietly strolling and relaxing on
benches in a park that seemed to blend naturally into the green-
ery encompassing the town.

Three days later, we drove through mountain slopes pat-
terned by a mosaic of coffee plantations, arriving at Poás
National Park by mid-morning. Fortunately, clouds had not yet
risen over the crater, so the chamber was clearly visible. Water
gurgled and bubbled while sulphurous gases seeped out of the
sides and a biting wind tried to steal my hat. Within minutes,
clouds wafted over the crater, covering it like a blanket. While

walking up a trail to a crater lake, a Poás Squirrel (Syntheosciurus
poasensis), endemic to the park, tried to charm us in exchange
for food. The lake’s deep blue water contrasted sharply with the
tangled dark green forest around us.

The next day, during an eight-hour drive over the central
mountain range, we pulled off the road. The air was crisp, thin,
and chilly. Anxious to stretch our legs, we piled out of the bus
and attacked a hill covered with sub-alpine páramo vegetation.
Huffing and puffing, I reached the top, almost 11,000 feet high
and above the clouds. Below me lay richly verdant mountain
slopes and birds soaring in the distance. The view will be a snap-
shot in my memory forever.

Several hours of pouring rain and narrow, bumpy roads
later, we arrived in the swampy town of Sierpe, from were we
were to visit the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park,
traveling through mangroves and out into the ocean. A three-
hour ride, weather permitting, would take us to Sirena Station.
Soon, the narrow river view opened to an endless vista of ocean
stretching into an azure sky. The water turned from murky
brown to a deep, transparent blue. The boat pulled into a cove
where a waterfall cascaded into the ocean, and the boulders
housed an array of tropical birds. Later, a school of dolphins

42 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 PANSZA  / CHAMPLIN

cony. Our final day in the cloud forest was spent touring a rep-
tile farm, the serpentarium, and the frog house. Of 135 species
of snakes found in Costa Rica, 17 are venomous. This informa-

tion was not entirely academic. A girl on the same trip the year
before was bitten by a Fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper) and had to
spend several weeks in the hospital.

During the rainforest portion of our trip, we saw a Green
and Black Dart Frog (Dendrobates auratus) and a smaller “Blue
Jeans” Dart Frog (Dendrobates pumillio). At the La Selva
Biological Station, we spotted several species of anoles (Anolis
spp.), more large Green Iguanas, and, down by the river,
American Crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) and Spectacled
Caimans (Caiman crocodilus). Near the Pacure River, we shared
our cabins with many little geckos. Anoles were all over the front
porch, Ground Lizards (Ameiva festiva) were common on the
grounds, and basilisks (Basiliscus spp.) basked on rocks along the
riverbanks. We did see some individuals running on their
hindlimbs but never saw one running on water, a skill for which
they received the common name “Jesus Christ Lizard.”

Our last stop was in San Jose. Half a day in the large, busy
city was quite a culture shock after passing the previous few weeks
in the green serenity of the forests. Costa Rica was an experience
of a lifetime. Although I had been forewarned, I was amazed to
see such biodiversity in such a small geographical area. I recom-
mend a visit to anyone with even a casual interest in nature —
but make sure you bring a good camera. PURA VIDA!!!

From Here It’s Possible: 
A Texan Visits the Tropics

Kaela E. Champlin

Department of Natural Resource Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

Insects, such as this katydid, often exhibit remarkable cryptic patterns
and colors, in this instance, looking just like a leaf, scars and all.

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