Costa Rica Landscapes Photo Tour
This amazing, all-inclusive Costa Rica photography tour capitalizes on Costa Rica’s extraordinary biodiversity and spectacular landscapes. We will explore the idyllic areas of Sarapiqui and Bajos del Toro and use La Fortuna as a base. We will photograph jaw-dropping jungle rivers, gorgeous meadow lakes, mysterious cloud forests, spectacular Costa Rica waterfalls, rustic bridges, tropical flora, and exotic Costa Rica wildlife we encounter.
With only 4 spots available, you will improve your photo skills with personalized, professional photography instruction, and enhance your digital workflow and editing skills with one-on-one Lightroom instruction. You will use various exposure techniques, neutral density and graduated filters, and learn ways to improve your compositions. You will do some focus stacking, HDR processing, and image reviews, as well. Aside from the technical stuff, you will rest well in award-winning hotels, enjoy delicious gourmet cuisine, and travel comfortably in private transportation. You will also learn about Costa Rica's extraordinary biodiversity, ecosystems, and history from our licensed, English-speaking nature guide.
Photographers of all skill levels are welcome. The only requirement is a basic understanding of your DSLR, SLR, or mirrorless camera.
What's Included
Professional photography and Lightroom instruction, professional nature guide, location expertise, all hotels, all meals, private transportation (including to and from Juan Santamaria International Airport), and all location fees.
What's Not Included
Airfare to and from Juan Santamaria International Airport, travel insurance, tips to bartenders, bellhops, cleaning staff, drivers, and guides, alcoholic beverages, laundry service, and souvenirs.
Physical Requirements
Participation requires that travelers be able to walk unassisted for three miles over uneven, potentially muddy and slippery trails, and up-and-down inclines with moderate altitude gain. There are hikes over a variety of terrain including pavement, gravel, and dirt trails with large roots, rocks, and stairs. Travelers should be aware that heat and humidity could be high in some locations and daily excursions can be more difficult during inclement weather.
ITINERARY
Day 1 - Arrive in Costa Rica
A representative from ColorTexturePhotoTours will meet you at San Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) and transfer you to our first luxurious hotel. At the hotel, our tour leader will greet you and get you settled comfortably into your room. Once all tour participants have arrived at the hotel, we will have a delicious welcome dinner.
Note: Please schedule your flight arrival between 3P - 5P CST.
Day 2 - Sarapiqui
After an early breakfast, we will depart by private transfer to the raw Costa Rica landscapes in Sarapiqui. Filled with wide rivers, rustic bridges, outstanding waterfalls, and wildlife, Sarapiqui is a photographer's dream come true. We will photograph Pozo Azul in the morning, have lunch in town and photograph tropical flowers, then head to Marsella for a peaceful, gently cascading, roadside waterfall that very few people know about. After shooting, we will travel to La Fortuna, check in to our next fantastic hotel, and enjoy a mouthwatering dinner.
Day 3 - Toro Amarillo
After a casual breakfast, editing images, and Lightroom instruction, we will depart by private transfer to tour a small cocoa farm, watch the entire chocolate-making process, and sample the different delicious confections available for purchase. Afterwards we will continue to the little known town of Toro Amarillo for a waterfall extravaganza. Upon arrival, we'll have a typical Costa Rican lunch at the on-site restaurant, then spend the afternoon photographing seven breathtaking waterfalls (some of which drop directly into the spectacular Rio Toro with its shore lined with bright orange boulders. After shooting, we'll head back to the hotel in La Fortuna, get cleaned up, and enjoy another fantastic dinner.
After breakfast, we travel by private transfer to photograph sensational Bajos del Toro (Catarata del Toro or Catarata Bajos del Toro), one of the tallest waterfalls in Costa Rica that plunges 300+ feet into a colorful mineral-scarred ancient volcano crater. Along with the awe-inspiring rainforest waterfall, there are beautiful gardens packed full of elegant orchids, speedy hummingbirds, vibrant butterflies, and if we're lucky, howler monkeys on the trail to the bottom of the falls. For more information about Bajos del Toro, read this blog post. After shooting Bajos del Toro and a typical Costa Rican lunch, we will hike through gorgeous pastures to Las Gemelas, which translates to "The Twins," and photograph the two stunning fraternal cascades, the beautiful stream below the falls, and a couple other hidden gems. Check out this blog post for detailed information about Las Gemelas. After the long day of shooting, we will return to our hotel and have another great dinner.
Day 5 - La Fortuna
After an early breakfast, we will depart by private transfer to Catarata La Fortuna, one of the most famous waterfalls in Costa Rica. After shooting away the morning and having lunch at the excellent on-site restaurant, we will travel to Arenal Volcano National Park and photograph the beautiful wedge-shaped Danta waterfall. Afterwards, we will travel to Lake Arenal for a gorgeous tropical sunset before returning to our hotel for another delicious dinner. Check out this blog post for more information about La Fortuna.
Day 6 - Depart Costa Rica
After breakfast, we travel by private transfer towards San Juan Santamaría International Airport. Along the way we will photograph the rustic bridge over the Rio Peñas and a gorgeous meadow lake, then continue to the airport where you'll catch your return flight home and reflect on the wonderful memories of your phenomenal Costa Rica Landscapes photo tour.
Note: Please schedule your flight departure no earlier than 2P.
