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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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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 43TRAVELOGUES

accompanied our boat. Our arrival was abrupt. The refreshing
breeze was replaced by intense humidity. We quickly disem-
barked. As the boat pulled away, I realized how isolated we were.
I felt a surge of excitement and heard the first of many mysteri-
ous howls, hoots, and screeches emanating from the jungle.

After the initial shock of the heat wore off, the Osa
Peninsula became a paradise. Sirena Station consisted of a
kitchen, screened rooms with bunk beds, and a lab frequented
by researchers. Surrounded by forest, you can sit on the porch
and watch the wildlife pass. Howler Monkeys (Alouatta sp.)
served as alarm clocks, hooting and screaming as if they were
right in the room.

If you enter as a quiet visitor, the diversity is amazing. Once
my eyes adjusted, I saw Leaf-cutter Ants (Atta sp.) hauling leaves
to their massive mounds. Bulging Strangler Figs (Ficus sp.) even-

tually smothering the trees on which they grow. One cool morn-
ing on the bank of the Río Claro, I was sitting on a tree trunk
watching a Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum), when a sudden

American Crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) basking along rivers are a common sight in conservation-minded Costa Rica.

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Hot vents in the forest provide ample evidence of Central America’s
volcanic origins.

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Costa Rican wildlife, such as this Lesser Anteater (Tamandua
tetradactyla), has become quite accustomed to humans.

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commotion in the nearby brush turned out to be a Kinkajou
(Potos flavus), rarely seen by day. Once, we stumbled onto a pack

of Javelinas or Collared Peccaries (Tayassu tajacu) sifting through
a mud pile. Most of the activity during the day is in the canopy,
where Keel-billed Toucans (Ramphastos sulfuratus) call and
Spider Monkeys (Ateles sp.) swing. At night, the rainforest truly
comes to life. Insects come out in full throttle, and the bats soon
follow. The Catch-22 of walking at night was the choice of
stumbling blindly through blackness or sacrificing my flesh to
the hordes of mosquitoes and other bloodthirsty insects attracted
to my flashlight. The hollow clicks of Red-eyed Treefrogs
(Agalychnis callidryas) echo from above, and tiny fluorescent-yel-
low Palm Treefrogs (Hyla ebraccata) chirp happily on waxy
leaves. Wading through a swampy pond, we found sleeping
Basilisks (Basiliscus sp.), Cat-eyed Snakes (Leptodeira septentrion-
alis), a caiman (Caiman crocodilus), and a treeboa (Corallus
ruschenbergerii).

When not in the forest, I ventured onto the beach. At low
tide, perfect conch shells washed ashore and melted into the
black sand. Although I longed to cool off in the water, the
prospect of encountering a Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas)
restrained me. Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) flew overhead,
squawking and littering the ground beneath the high tree in
which they perched with rotting fruit and molted feathers.
American Crocodiles (Crocodilus acutus) floated where the river
met the ocean.

Eventually, we had to leave. Coming back was a shock.
Tropical forest was replaced by small town, then by big city.
From walking, cold showers, and occasional power, we went
back to cars, electricity, and hot water. Clothing could once
again be washed, and we had options for food. Eventually, we
got on a plane and came back to the dry, flat landscape that sur-
rounds Lubbock, Texas. I don’t miss the mosquitoes, but I do
miss Costa Rica. I’ll be back...

44 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 CHAMPLIN

Black Iguanas (Ctenosaura similis), locally known as “Garrobos,” are abundant and amazingly tolerant of close approaches by humans.

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Seventeen of Costa Rica’s 135 species of snakes are venomous. This is
a light-brown Eyelash Viper (Bothriechis schlegelii), named for the scales
that protrude over the eyes.

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