Mosaic Retreat: Costa Rica
Flora & Fauna
Carol Shelkin and Pam Goode
November 23 – December 1, 2013
$1960
The smallish country of Costa Rica is BIG with heart-thumping nouns: Rainforest; Jungle; Puma; Volcano; Rapids; Blue Morpho; Cloud Forest; Waterfalls; Toucan; Lava, Strangler Fig.
The numbers-story goes like this:
- 19,700 square miles, ranking 129th in landmass worldwide, and, closer to home, about the size of West Virginia or Denmark.
- 801 miles of curvy coastline on the Pacific; 132 miles fronting the Caribbean, much of which is inaccessible by car.
- Elevation ranges from 0 – 12,530 feet above sea level
- 12 distinct ecosystems
- Within only .25% of the world’s landmass, Costa Rica hosts 5% of the world’s biodiversity
- Constitutionally abolished its army in 1949, and is one of the world’s 22 longterm stable democracies
- In 2012 Costa Rica is scheduled to become the first country on the continent of the Americas to ban recreational hunting
- In 2007, the government announced an initiative to become the first carbon-neutral country by 2021
- Literacy rate of 94.9%
- 11 degrees North of the Equator, with a tropical climate determined by elevation
Impressive? Absolutely! But numbers pale up against the visual stimulation of this land filled with gentle people and wild nature. Below is a little gallery of photos from my trips to Costa Rica over the last 13 years. Click on the first image to flip through paradise in larger format.
-
- Creek Crossing, Monteverde
-
- Down the Mountain, Monteverde
-
- Red-Eyed Tree Frog (via Wikipedia)
-
- Manuel Antonio
-
- Beach at Manuel Antonio
-
- Down the Mountain, Monteverde
-
- Beach Path, Manuel Antonio
-
- Trailing, Gunacaste
-
- Ribbon Roots of the Strangler Fig
-
- 18″ Lizard Camouflage
-
- Birds on the Feeders
-
- Easy Trail
-
- Monteverde
-
- Arenal Volcano
-
- Private Swimming Hole, Osa Peninsula
-
- Lava Flow Hike, Arenal
-
- Osa Peninsula by Air
-
- Monkeys, Osa Peninsula
-
- Flora
-
- Cloud Forest, San Ramon
-
- Kapok Tree, Pollinated by Bats
-
- Cabin, Osa Peninsula
-
- Flying Leap
-
- Pacific Coast
-
- Getting There is Half the Fun
-
- Ready to Roll
-
- Beach Luggage Transport
Get up close with us in Costa Rica — what better place to capture the splendor of quirky and art-inspiring flora and fauna?
Read Retreat Description here.
Read about Pam’s Virgin Trip to Costa Rica here.
Contact us here.
Mosaic Art Retreats 
One Response to “All About Costa Rica”