First Days – From San José to La Gamba

¡Hola!

Do you know where I am?

Right now, I’m sitting on the terrace of the La Gamba tropical field station – in Costa Rica!

This time, I’m here as part of my studies – about 20 biology students have travelled here for a 20-day research excursion.

our group

Despite our busy schedule, I still find a few moments to write and share some photos from the previous days. No promises for the rest of the trip, but I’ll do my best to check in again. 😉

Below, you can already see what we encountered on our journey from the capital San José to La Gamba.

I’m realising that Icelandic air suits my brain much better – at the moment, I can barely string together more than a sentence.

The first day

San José | Volcán Irazú | Cartago | La Georgina

After a sleepless night, we took a bus up into the highlands above San José, heading towards the active Irazú volcano. The rising smoke is a clear reminder of its activity. The tree line here is much higher than in Slovenia.

New plant species everywhere.
My first time seeing colibri!

The volcano has two craters – this one is younger and dry.

The other one is larger…

…and filled with water.

Super thick, rough, and giant leaves – to the touch, they remind me of “non-dangerous” sandpaper.

Just step slightly off the path, and you find yourself in a landscape like this – wow!

Sun – mist – clouds… The weather changes rapidly and unpredictably.

These are the trees I came here to see.
Moon?

Oh, and by the way – the viewpoint at the top of the volcano stands at over 3,300 metres above sea level! Even a slightly faster pace leaves your heart racing…

After descending into Cartago, we visited the local market, where we tried around 20 different types of fruit.

I have a new favourite – maracuyá (in the photo). YUM!

Bamboo, and in the background, the hill where we waited for the sunset.

Cloud forest at over 3,000 m above sea level.
sunny
shady

the second day

La Georgina | La Gamba

Our accommodation.
Breakfast – eggs, rice & black beans (= gallo pinto), and some fruit – a typical Costa Rican meal.

Before breakfast, we explored the local Páramo ecosystem.

Many plants grow on tree trunks – these are called epiphytes.

A stick insect!
I’m sure you’ve noticed from the scrolling that these trees are seriously tall. Some are wide too.
In front of our accommodation, there were hummingbird feeders – visitors could watch them up close from the window. I spotted this one outside after our morning walk.

We visited sugarcane farmers.

Here, sugarcane is cut by hand before being transported to factories, where it is processed into table sugar. Sugarcane contains 20% sucrose.

Mango. Still on my tasting list.

Guess what leaves these are?

Pineapple!
I don’t envy the workers on the plantation – the heat and humidity were intense.
We also visited an indigenous village, where locals are famous for crafting various products inspired by nature.
A remaining structure from the United Fruit Company – an important part of Costa Rican history. You can Google for more. 😉
A park full of exotic tree species – this one is a close relative of the baobab.
Iguanas in this park are like squirrels back home. We almost ran one over as it casually strolled across the road.

These incredible leafcutter ants cut leaves from selected trees and carry them through their underground tunnels to their nest. They create clear, several-centimetre-wide pathways on the forest floor.

Once they deliver their load, they return for more.

More birds coming soon (hopefully)!
Our transport & a quick stop at a market near the tropical station

Final destination: The La Gamba Tropical Station!

*Off the west coast of Costa Rica – well, actually 550 km away – lies Cocos Island, where Jurassic Park was filmed!

MORE COMING SOON. 😉

<3, Alenka