You can order your own copy of “Costa Rica A Travel Adventure Spectacular”, the full length 58 minutes DVD which features the most popular tourist destinations Costa Rica has to offer- by going to the home page of costaricalearn.com   Look to the top where it says “ORDER OUR VIDEO”  Click  and a window will open with instructions on how to order it.

Quetzal Monteverde Costa Rica

On your travels to Costa Rica are you planning to go to Monteverde?  If so you may be lucky and see the most beautiful bird in the rain forest, the resplendent Quetzal. Yes, Quetzals can be found deep in the Monteverde Cloud Forest reserve.  They make their nests in holes in the trees.  The female lays two light blue eggs. Then both she and the male take turns sitting on the eggs to incubate them.

The quetzal is found in the highland cloud forest from Mexico all the way down through Central America.   To the Mayas and the Aztecs, the quetzal was sacred.  They used the tail feathers from the male in their headdresses.  Guatemala’s  monetary unit is called the quetzal.

In was in the month of August that I was very lucky and spotted a Quetzal  not long after I started my hike into the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.  What a sight!  It was a male with his long tail feathers, seeming about two feet long.  Our guide said we were extremely lucky because this bird is reclusive and very hard to spot.

Thinking of vacationing in Costa Rica? You would love a copy of our Costa Rica travel video (DVD) “Costa Rica a Travel Adventure Spectacular” Video. You will see first hand the 10 most popular tourist destinations in Costa Rica, including the Monteverde Cloud forest.  Go to the home page of costaricalearn.com, then to the top of the page and click on “buy our Video” There You can view a 3 minute preview and also instructions on how to purchase the video.  Three years in the making , filmed and edited by Ken Creed, a National Geographic veteran and Ann Cabezas Creed, travel writer and Costa Rica Travel Agent.

Rainy season -from around mid April through around December 10th.   Exceptions are on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica the rainfall in much heavier and there is really not a dry season and a rainy season.   Seems to rain there less in October and November  (but that too varies)

NW Pacific Guanacaste beaches  is where there is the least rainfall in Costa Rica- even in the rainy season- this part of Costa Rica gets sunny mornings and late afternoon showers.

South Pacific of Costa Rica-this includes the Osa Peninsula.  Very rainy here.  Even in the dry season, rains a lot here. But in dry season usually sunny mornings and afternoon showers.

When traveling to Costa Rica you will admire how beautiful and green everything is.  That’s because of the rain,  the rich volcanic soil, and the warm tropical sunshine.

If you are planning a vacation to Costa Rica you would love to have our recently filmed travel DVD “Costa Rica a Travel Adventure Spectacular” travel video.  This full length DVD will show in their most spectacular beauty the 10 most popular tourist destinations in Costa Rica.  Just go to our home page of costaricalearn and at the top click on “buy our video.”  There you can view a 3 minute preview and all the instructions on how to order the video.

I invite you to read here on costaricalearn.com more about the weather patterns in Costa Rica.  Go to category weather patterns in the most popular touris destinations.

Let’s travel to Costa Rica to the Arenal volcano area and visit Rancho Margot.  Rancho Margot is a self sustaining organic farm located near the Arenal  Lake with  great views of the Arenal volcano.  This is indeed a unique experience for tourist in Costa Rica.  It is  400 acres of rain forest  and borders the Children’s  Eternal  Rain forest  of Monteverde.  Juan Sostheim and his family bought the property and  turned it into a working ranch where everything is grown organically.  Electricity is generated on the property by a turbine driven by water power.  Internet and cell phones service comes  from satellite.  A string wide  river runs through the middle of the property.  The Sostheim family welcomes  tourist and have 10 beautiful bungalows and a bunk house to house their guest.  You can take a tour of the ranch and learn how things are run.  You visit the organic garden,  see the cows and pigs,  plant a tree, take a horseback ride to the highest point on the property.  Here you see the beautiful Lake Arenal as well as the Arenal volcano.  You see toucans and howler monkeys.  Also, there is a yoga center on the property l0cated on the banks of the river.

We stayed two nights and three days and enjoyed every minute of it.  It was the month of July and we got rainy afternoons with big thunderstorms and lightening which was great.  Mornings were sunny and pleasant.  There is a pet toucan down by the restaurant.  He lives in a very large wired area.  I had never seen a toucan up close like that.

Rancho Margot is like a botanical garden with all sorts tropical flowers and plants.  Just strolling around the bungalows was a delight.  You really feel like you are in the jungle.  Early morning we were awakened by the sounds of howler monkeys  near by.

Juan showed us the school buses he ordered on  E Bay and they actually were delivered to Costa Rica!  Juan had them painted jungle green with colorful birds all over them.  Quite a sight!  These buses are used to transport the guest from La Fortuna over to Rancho Margot, about a 20 minute ride.

Juan  also has an animal rescue station right on the property.  He showed us a small monkey which had been brought to the station the day before.  It had been hit by some school kids, and later rescued and brought to the Juan and his staff.  They had several other monkeys which were being nursed as well as two baby deer.

Juan explained that their overall mission is to protect and preserve the  rain forest.  They bring local school children to the ranch and teach them about protecting  and preserving the rain forest.   Tourism was incorporated into the project to help raise funds to run the operation.  It is a lucky tourist who gets to experience Rancho Margot.  It is indeed a unique place!    You can find them on the web  www.ranchomargot.org  and find out all the details if you want to visit the ranch.

Experience Rancho Margot first hand because it is featured in our recently filmed  DVD “Costa Rica A Travel Adventure Spectacular” travel video.  You can order this full length Costa Rica travel video by going to Costaricalearn’s home page and go to top and click on “buy our video”  There you will see a 3 minute preview of the movie and the instructions how to order it.  If you are thinking of vacationing to Costa Rica this video is a must see!  All the popular tourist destinations are featured on it.

Where is Rancho Margot located? Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal,  La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

How to get to Rancho Margot ? When you make reservations Juan will provide information  on  how to get to the ranch.

Best time of year to visit? Mid December thru mid April rains less.   However, this area of Costa Rica is a very rainy area.  But most of the time you will get sunny mornings.  Remember you are in a rain forest which needs rain to keep it green.

Rates: Reasonable.  go to www.ranchomargot.org to check the rates, etc.