James Davis, Professional Freelance Travel Photographer Visits Costa Rica!!

James Davis a renound UK Travel Photographer recently visited Costa Rica with the help of Costa Rica Holiday (Costa Rica Vacations UK) and here is what he had to report!!

If there is one thing I look forward to in an English winter its getting away from an English winter! What’s more, as if you couldn’t guess, it is going off to a guaranteed warm place. Although I have been to many countries during my forty year career as a travel photographer, last January saw me setting out to a part of the world where I have seldom been, Central America and to a country there I had heard much about but not visited at all, Costa Rica. This latest freelance assignment I had set myself also included a cultural style cruise up the Pacific coast of several Central American countries which set out from Caldera Port in Costa Rica so what better excuse to start my trip with a few days to see more of the countryside of Costa Rica which I had been so recommended to do before my voyage?

I was very impressed with the website of Costa Rica Holiday which I found during my travel researches on the internet last year but I was even more impressed by the advance service I received when making contact via their special dedicated UK phone line to find out about what to see and how to get around. Indeed this phone line proved to be a huge advantage when I went on to make my firm arrangements for a dedicated tour, the best way for anyone with limited time needing to see the main points of interest in the most economic way. Please note I am not being paid to say this – I was not commissioned by Costa Rica Holiday but would like to tell you that I really found that nothing was to much trouble for them including all my queries and questions and final bookings which were dealt with immediately (during “UK time”, that is about 2.30pm to my bedtime here at home!), every time.

I had just a few days before the cruise and on arrival in San Jose headed straight for Monteverde and the famous cloud forest area. I am very keen on trees and wildlife and the cloud forest lived up to all expectations as a must see place for both, even if with the short time that I had, most of the wildlife was in the form of fascinating humming birds. These amazing little spectacularly colourful birds are constantly stunning to watch and marvel at, how they hover and feed with wing speeds so fast that even with my shutter speeds of 500th to an 800th of a second not freezing the movement without some blurring! In another photo you can see one of the footbridges that take you on the easy route to see the tops of the treetops on a beautiful forest walk where enthusiastic locally trained guides are a mine of information on the flora and fauna.

Then it was the long scenic drive down from the hills passing over Tarcoles Bridge where everyone stops for some unusual shots of crocodiles in the shallows below. I liked the idea of keeping the gentle egret in the photo with them. A sort of beauty and the beast picture!. Then on to visit the Pacific coast and beaches, another of my favourites to visit and photograph. I stayed at Manuel Antonio which although commercialised, something I normally say “not for me..”, in this instance I found it excellent due in no small way to the friendliness of the locals. Down at the beach when passing the many colourful stalls, paintings and vendors and asked if I would like to buy something, no-one minded in the slightest if I said no (I carry so much photo equipment its impossible to take many souvenirs home). This was a treat in comparison with so many places I’ve been and scores tops marks for me. Long may it remain this way! The beach was beautiful to photograph as were the highly coloured wraps and materials for sale wafting in the light breeze as you can see in my picture.

My other two photos were taken after departure on the cruise when our first port of call after Caldera was Puntarenas with shore excursions to La Paz, another “must see” in Costa Rica with visits to the stunningly beautiful La Paz waterfalls and gardens with one of the best butterfly aviaries in the world. They breed the most exotic butterflies here – I even saw chrysalises that shone in the colour of bright gold looking just like gold nuggets! Finally, not so far away, the awesome and spectacular Poas Volcano seen in the best possible conditions on my particular visit (volcanos are so often clouded over!) made an amazing and fitting end to my thoroughly enjoyable and photogenic tour.

Thanks again to Costa Rica Vacations not to mention the stirling job they did on finding and returning my suitcase, lost for most of stay in Costa Rica by a certain American airline and absolutely no fault of anyone else but the airline’s!

 

This article was written by James Davis a specialist photographer for Holidays in Costa Rica.

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