14 – 27 January, Costa Rica, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio, Uvita
Costa Rica has all the makings of a tropical paradise. It is filled with ancient tropical cloud forests, delicious mammals and fantastic reptiles (buy here).
Unfortunately this wonderful paradise is under a massive and constant threat. I was shocked and awed to learn of the vast swathes of parasitic Sepo that have taken up residence in this region.
 Hello, my name is b.rad and welcome to my extended tour of the flora and fauna of Costa Rica. |  The beautiful and dense cloud forests provide everything the animals need for a good time. |
 A white faced cheeky monkey looking for some fun. |  Note: Keep wear long pants and don’t tease the cheeky white faced monkeys. |
 A gaggle of wild pygmy chickens and ducks in a makeshift zoo. They are on the edge of extinction due to there deliciousness. Poor little buggers. |  Manuel Antonio national park. One of the most beautiful beaches in in the world, unfortunately also under threat. |
 A lackadaisical beach racoon looking for some ants, ahh pura vida. |  More white face cheeky monkeys looking for fun. Beware!! |
 Green lizard winning at hide and seek. (cheeky) |  The plumage on the scarlet mackaw is magnificent. |
 A squadron of pelicans. (My new favourite bird. Join the facebook group here) |  My favourite shot, a very rare Long Necked Yellow Titt, only found in Costa Rica. |
Costa Rica is a beautiful place with lots of nice animals. The surf is huge at Dominical, and my favourite spot is the beautiful Marino Ballena National Park at Uvita, it’s quieter and feels more local as not many people make it down that far.
Some advice if you are backpacking through the area: I would skip Costa Rica completely. Its bordering countries; Nicaragua and Panama are much more fun. They are full of adventurers and they are half the price of Costa Rica, which, unfortunately is filled with American retirees and package holiday makers.
x.b.rad.
