Tenorio Volcano NP - Rio Celeste

Volcano Tenorio National Park is located in the north of Costa Rica. The 11,900 ha of the park include rain forest and primary cloud forest. Many different species of animals live in this park, for example the rarely seen Tapir. The main reason for a visit is the beautiful river Rio Celeste and its waterfall. What makes Rio Celeste so unique is the name-giving color: Bright turquoise-blue!

Typical "I was here" pic, next to the NP sign.

The trails can be muddy, slippery and steep... so I would recommend hiking shoes or boots (at the entrance they have boots for rent). Meanwhile, the Tenorio National Park is quite popular, so if you don't want to hang around with many tourists, you should arrive early in the morning. Especially at the waterfall, it gets quite crowded later in the day and there might be "selfie-jams". Swimming is forbidden, which protects nature and is beneficial for landscape photography.

Stairway to the waterfall

Rio Celeste - Waterfall

Surrounded by this amazing landscape, it can be hard to focus on the search for reptiles. It was funny to see almost all the other visitors walking past this small venomous snake, without seeing it. I showed the snake to people who politely asked me what I was photographing.  Also I gave them some quick information about this interesting animal.

Eyelash Viper (Bothriechis schlegelii)

It was way easier to spot the curious White-nosed Coati. Feeding wild animals is prohibited in the national park. Some people still do it anyway, so the Coatis often come close to humans, begging for food.

White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica)

Rio Celeste

Do you see this gorgeous creature?

My favorite observation of the day was this -at least 2 meter long- Tiger Rat Snake (Spilotes pullatus). It was climbing elegantly in the trees at a height of about 4 meters. This snake is non venomous and diurnal.

Tiger Rat Snake (Spilotes pullatus)

Rio Celeste

The landscape with its fantastic river is a very good reason to visit the park. There is also the possibility to observe some animals. I was very happy about the sightings of the snakes! But I can reassure those who want to enjoy the landscape without seeing any snakes: if you don't look for them, it is very unlikely to see any. Of course they are around - that's the jungle.

The sixth leg

They may not be very popular in general, but I think they are extremely interesting and photogenic: Insects.
Here is a little insight into the insect world of Costa Rica. I took all these pictures with my 100mm f2.8 macro lens.

I will start with the most popular one, a butterfly. The Rosita Patch (Chlosyne rosita). Both pictures show the same animal. I especially like the looks of the underside of the wings.

I am not entirely sure about the ID of this one, but I assume it's a Leafhopper (Paromenia auroguttata). During a night-time search for Glass Frogs along a stream I found this little "false alert" creature underneath a leaf. 

This Lubber Grasshopper (Taeniopoda sp.) can occur in very high numbers. It was a little windy while I took the picture, so it was the best to focus on an individual on the ground, instead of the other ones shaking around in the vegetation.

A very pretty, golden beetle: The Shining Leaf Chafer (Pelidnota strigosa) 

Most katydids are herbivores. The Rhinoceros Katydid (Copiphora rhinoceros) feeds on plants too, but thanks to its mighty jaw, it is able to prey also on animals. The diet includes insects and invertebrates and even small frogs or lizards.

I don't know what species of grasshoppers those are, but they make sure, there will be offspring.

Frog Kindergarten

Shortly after its metamorphosis, the Noble's Robber Frog (Craugastor noblei) has quite different proportions than adult specimens. The head looks way too big for the small body.

The Red-eyed Treefrog (Agalychnis callidryas) will have much more intense colors when fully grown. 

This Green-and-black Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates auratus) already has its beautiful colors, but still the cute baby face.

Maybe it is the first night out of the water for this tiny Masked Treefrog (Smilisca phaeota). Recently it used to swim in the pond as a tadpole.

I also want to present a young Leaf Litter Toad (Rhaebo haematiticus). Because of their size (about 2 cm) and camouflage it is easy to overlook.

Brown-throated Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)

Brown-throated Sloth (Bradypus variegatus) moves from a tree trunk to a thin branch. As is usual for these cozy animals, this is done very carefully and slowly. Have fun watching the video:

Variable Viper

I already mentioned it in my post about the Camouflage Viper: Eyelash Vipers (Bothriechis schlegelii) are extremely variable in coloration. Here I want to share some examples of color morphs with you.

This pale green coloration seems to be quite common. I have seen this juvenile Viper near La Fortuna.

When I am searching for gold in the rainforest, I am not talking about precious metals. In spanish this yellow color morph is called "oropel" (tinsel / gold).

This light-brown to salmon colored Eyelash Viper was coiled up on a leaf of a Panama Hat Plant (Carludovica palmata), next to the trail in Cahuita National Park.

I have never seen another viper in this extremely bright color. The camouflage is actually very good, because the snake looked pretty much like the lichens on the branches.

I conclude with my favorite: The "christmas tree" color morph. Such a stunning snake!