Costa Rica: Birds, Butterflies & Breathtaking Scenery
February 6 - 14, 2010
Land Cost: $1,985 per person
Estimated Total Airfare Cost: $389.00 per person

Activity: Easy to Moderate, walking and climbing steps
Accommodations: Moderate to Luxury Jungle Lodges and Hotels

Costa Rica is a small democratic nation situated in the heart of tropical Central America. About the size of West Virginia, Costa Rica possesses an unusually high proportion of the world's biodiversity, making it a "biodiversity hotspot" for scientists around the world. Literally meaning "Rich Coast" in Spanish, Costa Rica has riches beyond belief. A strong agricultural and tourism sector has made this one of the most stable Latin American economies, while exemplary nature conservation programs have directly protected over 25% of the country as designated preserves and reserves. These reserves are home to some of the world's most spectacular bird species, including the Collared Trogon, Resplendent Quetzal, Blue-Crowned Motmot, Keel-billed Toucan, Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Turquoise Cotinga, Spectacled Tanager, Green Honeycreeper, Golden-browed Chlorophonia and over 50 species of hummingbirds, just to name a few! The diversity of bird life can only be rivaled by the diversity of butterflies found in Costa Rica, which total around 1,000 different species. Among these are some of the most brilliant in the entire world, such as the Blue Morpho, Clearwing Butterflies, Thoas Swallowtail, Ruby Spotted Swallowtail, Tiger Longwing, Crimson Patched Longwing, Doris Longwing, Owl Butterfly, Silver Spot Flambeau, Pearly Malachite, and many more. It could even be argued that the now familiar term "eco-tourism" arose in Costa Rica, due to its strong community development programs being funded by educational nature tourism throughout the nation.

In your visit to this natural paradise, you will have the opportunity to explore the rainforest, cloud forest and coastal areas with the aid of bilingual Costa Rican naturalists, expedition leaders and faculty from the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida. Through field interpretations and discussions by local and international experts, you will gain a unique and intimate understanding of Costa Rica. Join the Florida Museum and Expedition Travel on this extraordinary journey to Mother Nature's paradise!

Program Leaders: Dr. David W. Steadman, Curator of Ornithology at the Florida Museum of Natural History and Mr. J. Court Whelan, Assistant Manager for Expedition Travel, Inc. and current Pre-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida.

For registration information, please contact:

Court Whelan - expeditiontravel@gmail.com
General Manager
Expedition Travel

Download the Costa Rica trip bochure (PDF)

NOTE: Dates, prices and itineraries are subject to change. Prices are per person based on double occupancy.