A Sneak Peek into the Biodiversity of Costa Rica

It still feels surreal seeing a trail of leaf cutter ants crawling along the sidewalk or hearing a flock of green parrots flying in the sky. The skyscrapers and high-rise buildings I am use to recognizing have been replaced by green enormous mountains hiding among the clouds. Even seeing a green iguana basking underneath the sun in my backyard still surprises me. Costa Rica is filled with such rich biodiversity. I have seen many different plants and many animals. During one of our first field trips, we explored Carara National Park which is known for having one of the largest remaining populations of wild scarlet macaws in the country. As our hike was coming to an end, we got to see several white-headed capuchin monkeys jumping around, from tree to tree. After our hike we went to Tarcoles River for a boat tour where we saw several crocodiles! For our final IES Abroad field trip we went on a hike to see Rio Celeste (River Celeste). This river is unique for its two streams of crystalline water that come together and give the river a vibrant turquoise color. We also got to see the Rio Celeste Waterfall which was such a serene and breathtaking site. I have also gotten the opportunity to see Playa Blanca, one of the many beaches in Costa Rica. While visiting the beach, I got to see a humpback whale from afar! It was incredible seeing it breach in and out of the water. At one point it waved its flipper to those of us watching it from the shore! Other animals I have seen have been sloths, humming birds, and armadillos.