Some of you may remember me writing about Chris and I planning our honeymoon last year. We were looking for a place that could serve as a romantic getaway and also have interesting wildlife to discover.

After researching, we decided that Costa Rica – the land of sloths, toucans and hummingbirds – was the perfect choice.

The time finally came and last month we headed off for our three-week-long adventure.

We visited five regions, as I was keen on exploring different ecozones and studying endemic species.

Our adventure started in the Arenal area, where we had the opportunity to try zip-lining. That first day I did not take my camera and soon regretted my decision after spotting eyelash pit vipers and a northern tamandua on the way back; particularly the latter, a type of arboreal anteater which is rare to the region we were in. From then on, I always carried my gear.

In Arenal, I also discovered a new passion – frogs! Costa Rica is home to more than 150 frog species, although I only managed to see a dozen of them. The most iconic is the red-eyed tree frog.

Our next stop was Boca Tapada – an actual birdwatching paradise.

There was nothing better than enjoying breakfast with hummingbirds and admiring a family of toucans visiting the lodge.

The keel-billed toucans, with their spectacular over-sized bill, are one of the most recognisable neotropical birds.

They live in groups led by a single leader whose direction the rest follow.

This is a useful behaviour to know in photography, as you can predict most of the group’s movements by figuring out who the leader is.

Our next destination was a lodge in the Talamanca Mountains that stole our hearts. We were spoilt with a scenic view of the mountains from our living room window.

Here, I also discovered my new favourite bird species: the golden-browed chlorophonia! Yes, that’s right. . . the chlorophonia may have surpassed my ever-beloved common kingfisher!

The resplendent quetzal is the signatory species in this region and you can find it printed on almost everything; from a quetzal portrait on the coffee box to bird t-shirts (that Chris and I bought for ourselves, obviously!). My luck did not fail me, and I was over the moon that we got to see these majestic birds.

The local farmers look after the quetzals and put up some nice-looking perches both for the birds and the photographers, but I focused on photographing them in their natural environment.

Our next stop was Uvita, where we saw our first humpback whales – a mother and her calf – before we headed south to Osa Peninsula.

Osa delivered loads of positive experiences: we had a chance to snorkel with sharks, see sloths and take a trip to the wildest nature park in Cota Rica – Corcovado National Park – and we enjoyed delicious cocktails too!

The two-day trip to Corcovado was the most challenging. A culmination of high temperatures, mosquitos that were constantly feasting on us, plus the 10kg photography gear that I carried over my shoulder made it utterly draining. It was worth it, though, as we had an amazing moment with a family of tapirs.

Three weeks later, our Costa Rican dream came to an end. We were sad to be leaving, but also hopeful that we would return one day, as there is still so much to explore.

As you can imagine, I took thousands of photos during our stay and I still have not uploaded all of them, but picked the highlights to share with you.

Now, as they do in Costa Rica, it is time to say ‘pura vida’ – have a pure and happy life.

Speak to you next month!

www.zanslens.co.uk

www.facebook.com/zanslens

www.twitter.com/zans_lens