Costa Rica is a dream destination for nature and landscape photographers. The small, Central American country is brimming with fantastic photo opportunities, and its rich biodiversity is unmatched. Over 500,000 species of colorful wildlife flourish in lush rainforests and misty cloud forests throughout the country. This accounts for nearly 5% of species worldwide. Vibrant rivers and jungle streams lead to hundreds of breathtaking waterfalls. Pristine beaches and glassy lakes produce extraordinarily dramatic sunsets. Over 200 volcanoes – five of which are currently active – majestically rise above the verdant landscape. Additionally, volcanic hot springs flow freely across the magical tropical paradise.
Given the remarkable abundance of gorgeous scenery, it should be easy to plan a successful photography trip in Costa Rica. Still, it takes more than simply booking a flight and packing a camera. As someone who leads multiple photography workshops in Costa Rica each year, I’ve learned what makes the difference between a good trip and a truly unforgettable one.
Choosing the Right Season
The weather is the primary factor to consider when planning the perfect Costa Rica photography trip. My first photography adventure in Costa Rica was with a photographer friend in November 2012. We arrived near the end of the rainy season. The travel industry affectionately calls this the green season. It begins in May and continues through mid-December. For those seven months, throughout the entire country, it rains nearly every day. Due to that, prices are reduced, and without understanding why, it’s easy to become enamored by rainy season rates and book a trip.
The Wet Season
While not a bad decision to explore Costa Rica during the wet season, it does limit what can be accomplished. For photographers looking to capture as much as possible, it’s important to know that Costa Rica’s rainy season is no joke. On my first trip to Costa Rica, traveling through and photographing five of the country’s seven provinces, it rained 12 out of 14 days. That’s not to say it was twelve days of torrential downpour, but at some point during each of those days, the skies opened up. Some days left us confined to our hotel room, watching sheets of water cascade down the entire day, while other days produced lighter, intermittent showers. That first experience, combined with living in the country for the last ten years, taught me the importance of Costa Rica’s two distinct seasons, and how much they each affect photography.
The Dry Season
In contrast to the wet season, the dry season – from mid-December through the end of April – is the ideal time for photography tours in Costa Rica. Yes, prices are higher, but for good reason. The entire country is bathed in tropical sunshine, there’s very little rain, and photographs that were unattainable during the wet season become plentiful.
Challenges of Photography in a Humid Climate
I will always remember exiting the plane the first time I arrived in Costa Rica and walking into the thick, hot wall of humidity. It nearly took my breath away. Regardless of season, humidity is high in every part of Costa Rica, and photographers should know that lenses and camera sensors become fogged when transferred to the humid climate from air-conditioned buildings and vehicles. Sometimes, this can be eliminated quickly by wiping lenses with a lens cloth, but it can also take time for camera sensors to acclimate to the extremely humid climate.
Silica gel packets have mixed reviews for the prevention of fogging in humid climates, but I keep a few in my camera bag anyway. Another tip is to set your camera bag outside before heading out to shoot, but if you then travel to your destination in an air-conditioned vehicle, that’s pointless. Really, the only solution is to let your gear acclimate on location, and be aware that if a scene requires quick action, it could be missed due to fogging.
Photography Gear to Bring
In order to effectively capture all that Costa Rica has to offer, choosing the right photography gear is crucial. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula, as gear depends on subject matter, but a good tripod is mandatory. Tripods provide stability and enable creative exposure techniques, allowing multiple exposures of every scene for greater flexibility in post-processing.
Filters
Another mandatory tool is a circular polarizing filter (CPL). Circular polarizing filters reduce glare on water, rocks, and foliage, and reveal details beneath water surfaces. CPLs also make greens and blues more vibrant, which is perfect for Costa Rica’s lush, water-filled landscapes. CPLs rotate, so the amount of their effect can be controlled. Most CPLs block 1 to 1.5 stops of light, creating more motion in water and cloud movement in the sky. If you’re only packing one filter, make it a CPL. Mine rarely leaves my lens.
Lens
Lens choice is also important. As a landscape photographer shooting with Nikon gear for over three decades, I rely on the Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR and Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR zoom lenses. These lenses produce 90% of my Costa Rica landscape photographs and provide exceptional coverage.
Editor’s note: The Nikkor 16-35mm is no longer available; a good, current choice might be the Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 or Nikon NIKKOR Z 17-28mm f/2.8. Both are for the modern Z Mount.
For wildlife photography in Costa Rica, longer lenses are key. I favor zooms for their flexibility, especially the Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR, which balances reach, image quality, and price. Many wildlife photographers prefer faster, more expensive lenses, but for Costa Rica’s diverse conditions, this lens works well without breaking the bank.
If you’re using a mirrorless camera and a 70-200mm lens, consider adding a quality teleconverter. The Nikkor Z Teleconverter TC-2X pairs beautifully with the Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S lens, and produces spectacular photographs of Costa Rica’s wildlife while maintaining excellent bokeh.
Logistics for Photographers
Photographers accustomed to traveling on good roads often plan too many locations for Costa Rica photography trips and fail to reach every destination on their itinerary. They look at maps online and see relatively short distances between locations, and think travel will be quick and easy. Reality is much different.
Driving in Costa Rica is an adventure. Costa Rica is a mountainous country, and most roads are narrow, steep, and winding. Many roads are in poor condition, and large trucks, buses, and roadside crews often cause delays. Outside the capital city of San Jose, street signs are nonexistent, and houses and commercial buildings do not use numbers. Smartphone apps like Waze are helpful for finding popular locations, but lesser-known locations are often not featured on those applications. For destinations off the beaten path, a 4×4 vehicle is mandatory, as many remote locations are inaccessible in standard vehicles.
Outside major tourist areas, very little English is spoken, so knowing Spanish is incredibly helpful. Even if your Spanish is good, it can still be difficult to find locations because directions in Costa Rica are given like this:
Continue forward until you see the third green house on the right. Turn left and follow that road until you see the church, then after 2,500 meters, turn right. Follow that road until you get to the house with the broken-down truck in front and turn left. Continue until you see the coffee farm and turn right. Follow that road for about 15 minutes, and you will arrive at the home of the property owner. If he’s there, you can ask for access to the property and pay him.
Conclusion
For photographers, Costa Rica is a magical tropical paradise, teeming with spectacular landscapes, unparalleled biodiversity, and remarkable wildlife that other destinations cannot match. The small, third-world country features a tropical, humid climate and two distinct seasons that greatly affect photography. Choosing the right photography gear is important, and it’s a time-consuming adventure, driving on Costa Rica’s roads, searching for locations. In tourist areas, tours that visit popular destinations can be arranged through hotels. Group tours operate under time constraints, most often are not at locations when the light is best, and guides and tourists do not like to wait for photographers to take photos.
Planning the perfect Costa Rica photography trip is certainly possible, but it requires research and preparation. If you don’t have the time or desire to put in that effort, or a partner with whom to explore the country, the best solution is to join a Costa Rica photography workshop with a local nature guide and professional photographer. This allows you to relax and fully appreciate the sensational beauty of Costa Rica, without the stress of finding and making accommodations, driving, and searching for locations on your own. You will learn new techniques, improve compositions, and advance your photography and post-processing skills, as well.
