Trips with specialised wildlife companies like Speyside, Naturetrek and several others
Arenal Observatory — 26/2 – 28/2 We stayed at Arenal Observatory Lodge which had breathtaking views of the Arenal Volcano from our rooms as well as from the restaurant. The volcano is no longer active but still smokes. Next destination — Guanacaste area on the Pasific — Days 8 to 9 (28/2 – 1/3)
Sarapiqui and La Selva — 23/2 – 26/2 We stayed at Selva Verde Lodge and Rainforest Reserve, a lovely place on the banks of the river. The tropical lowlands of Sarapiqui, are a wildlife-rich riparian zone along the banks of the Sarapiqui River. We had great views over the river from the restaurant. La Selva Biological Station is run by the Organisation for Tropical Studies (OTS) and was a highlight of the tour. The station is one of the four…
Tortuguero — 21/2 – 23/2 Our first destination was Tortuguero on Costa Rica’s northern Caribbean Zone. Tortuguero, which means ‘region of turtles’ in Spanish, is a very wet forested area with a network of lakes, rivers and canals. We had to travel everywhere by boat. We stayed at Laguna Lodge, an eco-touristic hotel, which is located on a narrow strip of land just 650 feet wide on the edge of the park and between Tortuguero’s main lagoon and the Caribbean…
Costa Rica is considered to be one of the most bio-diverse regions in the world. This trip took us right across the country exploring the many different wildlife habitats along the way.
Shetland – where Scotland meets Scandinavia and the North Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. In June 2012 Carol, John and I went on Mike Grimshaw’s Shetland trip. There were 12 of us in total and Mike had hired a mini-bus which we drove round in. We stayed at the annex to Sumburgh hotel. Day 1 – Saturday June 23 We arrived in a rather small plane at the airport with the runway sticking out at sea. After collecting the mini-bus…