If you are looking to escape the hustle (and maybe a snowstorm lol) for a week of wildlife and relaxation, Costa Rica may be the ultimate destination. I love it! Let’s chat about the gear I used and a quick breakdown of my seven-day “avoid the tourists” road trip. I will admit, it was overly ambitious to drive hours to all these spots in just one week but I saw it as a scouting mission for you guys! I recommend choosing two main areas for one week so you can slow down and enjoy yourself. Check out my video below for the beautiful visuals.
Camera and Gear Recommendations
I brought two cameras with me on this trip. My workhorse for everything was the mighty Nikon Z8. With a fully electronic silent shutter, I was able to turn off all shutter sounds to prevent spooking the wildlife. Also, the Z8 can shoot 4k, 120 frames per second for some really super slow mo of the birds. It’s also rugged and comfortable to hold all day. My backup camera was my Nikon Zf, which is more than capable of doing the job if the Nikon Z8 were to stay behind. I used the Zf as my main video camera as it can shoot 4K, 60 frames per second. The Zf also has great low light performance so I used it during my night walk.
Now although most recommend a 600mm, my go-to lens was the Nikon Z 400mm 4.5S. Wow, what a lens! It was the perfect balance between performance and portability. The Nikon 180-600mm would have been more versatile, but personally, I like my back muscles. I was able to use DX crop mode on the Z8 to capture 20mp photos at about 560mm. For video, the Z8 can shoot DX 4k120p video at a whopping 2.3 times zoom! That gave me a 920mm equivalent for some epic video shots! My “macro” lens was the budget Nikon 70-180mm. At 70mm, this lens can get very close with a 1:1.3 magnification (0.73x).
If you are not a Nikon shooter, here are some camera and lens combos that would feel right at home in Costa Rica.
Sony: Your high 60-megapixel choices are your Sony a1, Sony a7Rv, or a smaller Sony a7cr. The Sony a7IV or a7V would also be great choices. If you’re on a tighter budget check out the a6000 series like the a6700. The typical go-to for birding is Sony’s 200-600mm. Budget conscious individuals can take a look at Sigma or Tamron’s offerings.
OM-System. If you want to downsize your entire kit, the formally-known-as-Olympus cameras and lenses are perfect for Costa Rica. The cameras are basically waterproof and with the micro four third sensor, lenses have quite the reach. For cameras, the flagship is the OM-1. Budget-wise, you have the smaller OM-5 Mark II. Birders love the 300mm f4 lens. The 150-600 gives you the full frame equivalent 300-1200mm. Pro birders will gravitate to the fantastic 150-400 with its bright f/4.5 aperture.
Canon has the R5 line as well as the R7, a crop sensor camera. If the RF lens lineup is beyond your price range, you can adapt older EF lenses to the camera using an adapter.
With all this said, remember that it’s not about the gear, but the skill of the photographer. Practice on your backyard birds to figure out which autofocus and other camera settings work best.
Summary of My Overly Packed Itinerary
- Arrival & Transport: Landed in Alajuela (near the capital of San Jose). Pro Tip: Rent from a local business like Adobe Rental or Jumbocar to avoid hidden fees often found with big chains (Bring along printed proof of your credit card coverage in case). While my small car did the job, a 4×4 is highly recommended for some of the roads.
- Chinchona Waterfalls: Started by heading north. Skipped the crowded touristy spots and visited the family-run Chinchona Waterfalls. For a small fee, you can hike to stunning cascades—just be prepared for a strenuous climb back up! My best shots of hummingbirds were here, right at the entrance.
- The Birding Paradise (Laguna del Lagarto): Headed further north toward the Nicaraguan border. This area is a mecca for birders. The lodge offers night hikes (mine was with Henry) to see frogs and nocturnal life. Early morning sessions over breakfast seem like cheating. You’ll easily see toucans, King Vultures, kingfishers, crocs, lizards, creepers and tanagers. My accommodations were simple, but I was here for the birds.
- Sleeping in the Rainforest: (Chilamate Rainforest Lodge): I drove south and decided to check out the Sarapiqui area. My lodge was smack dab in the forest which was fun to film but not fun to sleep. The rooms were ‘meh’ and with all the humidity, I missed my AC back in NJ. However, I had the rainforest on the grounds all to myself which made filming easy. Howler monkeys galore here.
- The West Coast (Tarcoles Birding Hotel): Drove to the Tarcoles area, famous for the Crocodile Bridge. While a bit touristy, a riverboat tour is a must for seeing crocodiles up close. I was pleasantly surprised how many birds I captured! The highlight was seeing my first wild macaws. That’s a lie, the highlight was seeing a vulture eating the INSIDE OF A CROC! They don’t show you that on TV. My hotel was quiet and relaxing with a pool.
- The Search for the Quetzal (San Gerardo de Dota): My final area was a trip to the high-altitude cloud forests south of the capitol, San Jose. The temperature drops significantly here, creating a misty, magical atmosphere perfect for finding the “Muppet bird”—the Resplendent Quetzal. That’s basically why everyone is here. The big groups looking for the bird made it feel a little less special, but seeing the Quetzal made it all worth it.
Travel Tips:
- The humidity will wreak havoc on your gear if you are not mindful. If you’re staying in an air conditioned room, keep your gear packed in your bag and warm (I like to sleep with mine). One trick is if your bathroom has a window, make the bathroom an “outdoor” space and keep your gear bag in there. Another is to use a blow dryer to heat your camera surface up to prevent condensation.
- Bring along sensor and lens cleaning kits like these.
- Birds probably see you and mammals will hear and smell you a mile away (ew). But I wish I had packed a green poncho instead of the blue one that screamed “TOURIST!”
- Double the GPS driving times if your drives are long and though Costa Rican traffic. Single lane highways are rough especially if you’re used to the New Jersey Turnpike.
