Costa Rica Art Vacations

Day 1

Welcome to Costa Rica! Arrive at the Juan Santamaria International Airport where you will be met by Horizontes Tour Company and transferred to the Bougainvillea Hotel. Welcome dinner and lecture by Mindy Lighthipe and slide show of Costa Rica Flora and Fauna by Nancy Richmond. Overnight at Bougainvillea Hotel (D)

Day 2

Morning trip to Our first morning takes us to Amigos de las Aves in Alajuela. Artists will meet Margot and Richard Frizius, breeders of endangered and rare Macaws. Mindy will give a lecture on bird anatomy. In the afternoon you will see native butterflies in every stage of their life cycle at the Butterfly Farm. There will be opportunity to photograph and sketch. Upon return to the hotel we will have a lesson on photographing flowers using the macro setting on the digital camera. In the evening Nancy will give a demonstration on the difference between a good close-up photo and a bad one.Overnight at Bougainvillea Hotel. (BLD)

Day 3

We will start the day with a visit to Ileana Tehran’s garden. Ms. Tehran is founder of SACRO (Save Costa Rica’s Orchids), an organization dedicated to maintaining natural habitats where orchids grow wild. Her artistic attention to detail and a love of orchids and tropical plants have created perhaps the most enchanting and exhuberant private garden of Costa Rica. We will transfer to Trogon Lodge. (BLD)

Day 4

We will spend the morning on a guided tour of Cerro de la Muerte, (Mountain of Death) and learn about this distinctive ecosystem and its’ strange, stunted "paramo" vegetation. In the afternoon we will travel on the Pan American Highway and settle into the town of San Vito at El Ceibo Hotel. In the evening Mindy and Nancy will be available for downloading images, photo editing and file management. Overnight at El Ceibo Hotel. (BLD)

Day 5

Today we head for Wilson Gardens, Las Cruces Biological Station. Wilson has one of the finest collections of palm trees in the world, together with a spectacular array of bromeliads, ferns, heliconias, bamboo, aroids, marantas, and orchids. We will spend the day drawing and photographing this tropical paradise.
Overnight El Ceibo Hotel (BLD)

Day 6

Today we will drive to the Sierpe River and take a boat tour and head for the ocean. We will see many birds and animals that live on the river includintg caimains, sloths and monkeys. Our hotel is Bay Drake Wilderness Camp which has "tent cabins" located right on the beach overlooking the Pacific ocean. (BLD)

Day 7

Today we will take a guided tour of one of Costa Rica’s remote areas; Corcovado National Park. You may see tapirs, monkeys and possibly a jaguar. There are over 400 species of birds including hummingbirds, trogons, toucans and scarlet macaws. We will hike, sketch and photograph the day away. Overnight at Bay Drake Wilderness Camp. (BLD)

Day 8

Today is a free day to enjoy the beach, read a book or paint. An optional SWIM WITH DOLPHIN tour is available. Please ask for further details and prices. In the evening there will be a slide lecture by Nancy on her work as a photo journalist. (BLD)

Day 9

We will take an early flight back to San Jose and return to the Bougainvillea Hotel. Horizontes has arranged for us to meet and converse with Costa Rican artists and see some of the contemporary work being done locally. Bring your portfolio for sharing! We will end the day with a farewell dinner. Overnight at Bougainvillea Hotel (BLD)

Day 10

Transfer to the Juan Santamaria International Airport 3 hours before your international scheduled flight. (B)

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