After a few teething problems with the rental car, we are on the right track. A short stay in the cloud forests of Parque los Quetzales, in which we marvel at the hummingbirds, but skip the Quetzal Tour, is a stopover on the wonderfully developed route on the Transamerica to the southwest. We take the ferry across the Sierpe River, then through dense forest, individual rivers and small villages to what appears to be the end of the world, to the Sabalo Lodge. Excursions on, among other things, an adventurous jungle road into Drake Bay, a river trip through the waterways of the marshland and a lot of relaxation in this little paradise comfort us that no Corcovado hike is possible. We can only look for the animals to a limited extent, but here we get a visit from them ...

We drive north along the Pacific coast to Baru.

In "Quinta Heliconia", a villa with a huge area, we spend the next few days including Christmas. Walks in the garden, a visit to a frog garden by the river further inland and probably the most adventurous journey of our life, on which our GPS takes us over mountains and valleys and where we doubt whether we will ever arrive in Matapalo but have no opportunity to turn back, are adventure enough for us.

We enjoy the wonderful meal including specialties from the sea, photograph birds, explore the valleys in the hinterland and watch a sloth on earth excursion. The sunset is beautiful here, the moods are unique and the temperature makes us forget the winter at home.

At La Ensenada Lodge we are in a nature and bird paradise. Hiking trails through the hills with a wonderful view of the sunset, a jetty full of sea terns, a seashore with small villages, plantations and salt pans allow us a varied program.

There is something to see and photograph everywhere, we live outside and enjoy the different times of the day with the different moods and animals, sounds and smells.

It's a shame, a boat trip cannot be organized, but we still don't get bored. We would have gladly followed the recommendation of a young family on the Nicoya Peninsula to the Curù reserve, but we didn't manage to do so during the main Christmas travel season.

The nights we have booked are behind us, the great freedom ahead of us. We decide to travel to the bird and photo paradises. We leave the coast and resien inland and further north. We spend the night on the Rincon de la vieja volcano, drive through the endless pineapple areas to the shores of the lake of Cano Negro. It's not the best time to travel here, the water has receded, the bird life on the train. Nevertheless, on the boat trip through the remaining wetness of the huge swamp area we see a new facet of Costa Rica's wonderland.

The garden of our lodge alone is enough to show us a variety of bird species and the different ecosystems in this small country naturally lead to ever new sightings of species.

Boca Tapada is considered a photographer's highlight. It will actually be, rather by chance, for us, but also far more than that.

The quiet but wonderful lodge with its bungalows above the river, the guided hike through the paths of the jungle with its animal sights and attractions as well as the well-known photography lodge offered inspiration and adventure. The encounter with Jeffrey Munoz , a local biologist and photographer, made it possible for us to do what we thought was impossible, namely to photograph bats in their natural surroundings at night. This shows how a place with photography can generate many sources of income for the local population. A garden becomes a frog and photo paradise with water and feeding places.

It cannot be as close to the beautiful national birds of Costa Rica as at the beginning of our trip, without seeing one let alone photographing them. So once again we cross the capital San José and climb the serpentines of the mountains to the Los Quetzales Lodge. We enjoy the view of the thousand hills and valleys towards the distant Atlantic from the bungalow with all-round panoramic windows. At night it gets icy despite hot water bottles and blankets. Both the bird-rich garden with hiking trails and the Quetzal excursion are great and reward us for the drive back.

High above the lights of Alajuela we spend the night on the coffee plantation of Siempreverde, walk through the trees, sit in the garden and finally enjoy the hangman's meal in the Mirador del Valle.