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Tropical Ecology in Costa
Rica
Sample Itinerary
| Destination | Hotel | Activities | |
| Day 1 | Chilamate | Selva Verde Lodge | Travel from Tampa to San Jose, Costa Rica. Transfer to Selva Verde Lodge, Chilamate. Initial exploration of a tropical lowland rain forest. Evening discussion: Safety in tropical ecosystems. |
| Day 2 | Chilamate | Selva Verde Lodge | Early morning bird observation. Morning and afternoon hike in tropical lowland rain forest. Evening discussion: Why are the tropics so diverse? |
| Day 3 | Chilamate | Selva Verde Lodge | Full day visit to La Selva Biological Station. Optional early morning bird hike. |
| Day 4 | Chilamate | Selva Verde Lodge | Morning Rio Sarapiqui boat tour with visit to a Banana Plantation. *Afternoon optional whitewater rafting available at additional cost. Evening hike to observe nocturnal insects, amphibians, and mammals. |
| Day 5 | Chilamate | Selva Verde Lodge | Observe poison-dart frog populations. Evening discussion: Population interactions: commensalism and mutualism. |
| Day 6 | Chilamate | Selva Verde Lodge | Early morning bird observation. Hike to contrast primary and secondary lowland tropical rain forest. Evening discussion: Volcanology. |
| Day 7 | Arenal | Arenal Vista | Transfer to Arenal. Visit and explore an active volcano. Evening visit to Tabacon Hot Springs. |
| Day 8 | Arenal | Arenal Vista | Morning visit to Arenal Observatory. Evening discussion: Pollination ecology and the coevolution of flowering plants and pollinators. |
| Day 9 | Monteverde | Ecolodge San Luis | Transfer to Monteverde. Afternoon hike in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Visit the Hummingbird Gallery. |
| Day 10 | Monteverde | Ecolodge San Luis | Full day hike in Monteverde Cloud Forest. Evening discussion: Frugivory and seed dispersal. |
| Day 11 | Monteverde | Ecolodge San Luis | Explore the cloud forest at the lodge's reserve area. *Optional Monteverde SkyWalk/SkyTrek Program at additional cost. Evening discussion: Why are amphibian populations declining globally? |
| Day 12 | Palo Verde | Rancho Humo Ecotouristic Center | Transfer to Palo Verde. Afternoon visit to Palo Verde National Park. Evening discussion: Does competition or predation structure communities? |
| Day 13 | Palo Verde | Rancho Humo Ecotouristic Center | River trip to Pajaros Island or Day trip to Barra Honda Caverns. Evening summation with professor. |
| Day 14 | San Jose | Hotel Europa | Transfer to San Jose. Afternoon free for shopping or *optional visit to InBio. Evening Farewell Dinner |
| Day 15 | Transfer to airport for flight home |