a mangrove tree at low tide on a sunny afternoon near where the Tempisque River empties into the Gulf of Nicoya

the towering Nauyaca waterfalls are tucked into a gorge in the rainforest hills about Dominical beach

sunrise over a reef in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge

a Puya bromeliad stands out against a starry sky in a highland bog at 10,000 feet on a cold night in Tapanti National Park

Active crater of Poas Volcano, Costa Rica

dawn over Carara National Park

dawn in a lagoon in Tortuguero National Park

Arenal Volcano

the last rays of light paint the highest peaks of the Juan Castro Blanco National Park

Mangrove tree and bioluminescent dinoflagellates in the Pacific Ocean near Cabo Blanco Refuge

night sky over Juan Castro Blanco National Pak

sunset on a secluded beach in Corcovado National Park

Rivers meet in a dramatic gorge in the Braulio Carrillo National Park

The Toro River descends from the heights of the Braulio Carillo National Park into the lowlands

classic beach scene in Cahuita National Park

dawn over Carara National Park

estuary in Cahuita National Park

an abandoned barge in the town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

a tide pool at the end of the day just outside of Cahuita National Park

a trail in the famed Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve

a nature photographer contemplates the mysteries of life, or perhaps what to have for dinner, on a hanging bridge in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve

the towering Nauyaca waterfalls are tucked into a gorge in the rainforest hills about Dominical beach

cloud forest in Monteverde

cloud forest canopy in Monteverde

a trail at the Sky Walk in Monteverde

an elevated walkway in the swampy rainforest at Evergreen Lodge in Tortuguero

the brutally dry and windy conditions leave little life on top of the Cerro Ingles in Santa Rosa National Park

sunset on a secluded beach in Corcovado National Park

the mouth of the Rio Sirena in Corcovado National Park

rainforest in Corcovado National Park

sunset near the mouth of the Rio Sirena in Corcovado National Park

a tree begins to grow in a meandering stream in Corcovado National Park

Denuded pastures surround the Tenorio Volcano National Park

a secluded pool in the Miravalles Protected Zone

A long exposure produced star trails as a Puya bromeliad stands out against a starry sky in a highland bog at 10,000 feet on a cold night in Tapanti National Park

dawn over Carara National Park

sunrise over a highland bog in Tapanti National Park

The scrubby tropical dry forest in the high hills of Santa Rosa National Park looking toward the Pacific Ocean

the beautiful Savegre River in the Talamanca Mountain Range is Costa Rica's best area for observing the Resplendent Quetzal

the sun sets over the windy Naranjo Beach in Santa Rosa National Park

Reflections of rainforest and sky in the Rio Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

breaking waves against rainforested coast of the Gandoca-Manzanillo wildlife refuge, taken from a small fishing boat in the ocean

view over Playa Naranjo as the sun sets during the dry season in Santa Rosa National Park

The Laguna Hule (Rubber Lake) is an extinct volcano crater just to the east of the Poas Volcano

aerial view of beach at Playa Naranjo in Santa Rosa National Park

pasture in Guanacaste National Park

Cloud forest interior in Juan Castro Blanco National Park. The EXIF data don't show up because this was taken with film. If I remember correctly, I used a Canon Elan 7, Canon 100 mm f2.8 macro lens, f8 or so for around a second, tripod, mirror lockup. I was photographing a bug or something with my macro lens when the sun suddenly broke through the mist, giving the forest behind me a beautiful, painterly light. I whirled around quickly and took this shot. Seconds later the diffused sunlight was gone.

dry forest vegetation in Santa Rosa National Park

the Talamanca Mountains in late afternoon

late afternoon light over a hilly pasture in the Central Valley

the Talamanca Mountains in late afternoon

Costa Rica's Rio Celeste, in the Tenorio Volcano National Park, is famous for its sapphire blue waters which result from a mixture of copper, sulphur, and silica colloids.

sunrise over a lagoon in Tortuguero National Park

moon and clouds over Bosque de Paz Ecolodge

tropical dry forest of Guanacaste

a difficult to access lookout point yielded a great view of Tortuguero National Park

the Rio Blanco below Rincon de la Vieja National Park has colorful water resulting from volcanic activity

dawn breaks over the rainforest in the La Selva Biological Reserve

vegetation in the jungle canals of the Tortuguero National Park

tropical dry forest of Guanacaste

a highland bog at dawn in the Tapanti National Park

Costa Rica's Rio Celeste, in the Tenorio Volcano National Park, is famous for its sapphire blue waters which result from a mixture of copper, sulphur, and silica colloids.

breaking waves against rainforested coast of the Gandoca-Manzanillo wildlife refuge, taken from a small fishing boat in the ocean

a secluded beach in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge

Denuded pastures surround the Tenorio Volcano National Park

multiple small cascades in a cloud forest reserve in the Central Valley

dawn over Carara National Park

breaking waves against rainforested coast of the Gandoca-Manzanillo wildlife refuge, taken from a small fishing boat in the ocean

colorful sunset over the high mountains of the Juan Castro Blanco National Park

sunset on a secluded beach in Corcovado National Park

the beautiful Savegre River in the Talamanca Mountain Range is Costa Rica's best area for observing the Resplendent Quetzal

The Laguna Hule (Rubber Lake) is an extinct volcano crater just to the east of the Poas Volcano

The Toro waterfall is 110 meters high and located in one of the wettest areas of the country and on the planet. The area receives over 6000 mm of rain per year and is home to a number of Costa Rica's hydroelectric power plants.

Costa Rica's Rio Celeste, in the Tenorio Volcano National Park, is famous for its sapphire blue waters which result from a mixture of copper, sulphur, and silica colloids.

a feather in Rincon de la Vieja National Park

hanging bridge in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve

swallows bathe in the spray of a towering waterfall in the Juan Castro Blanco National Park

a towering waterfall in the Juan Castro Blanco National Park

dawn over Carara National Park

Potato fields and remnant cloud forest trees on the slopes of the Irazu Volcano

a Cecropia leaf fallen in a pool below a small cascade in the Santa Elena Forest Reserve in Monteverde

dawn over Carara National Park

Costa Rica's Rio Celeste, in the Tenorio Volcano National Park, is famous for its sapphire blue waters which result from a mixture of copper, sulphur, and silica colloids.

the elfin cloud forest at the very top of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve is subject to constant high winds

dawn in a lagoon in Tortuguero National Park

mossy branches in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve

sunset over Lake Arenal

sun rays hit part of the Tilaran Mountain Range

a trail through a tropical dry forest pasture in Guanacaste

rocky stream inside the Rincon de la Vieja National Park

the Rio Blanco below Rincon de la Vieja National Park has colorful water resulting from volcanic activity

sunset on a seculded rocky cove on the Osa peninsula

the beautiful Savegre River in the Talamanca Mountain Range is Costa Rica's best area for observing the Resplendent Quetzal

a secluded beach at sunset on the Osa Peninsula

A long exposure on an overcast day at a beach near Dominical

The Pavon waterfall is characterized by a giant rock wedged at the top of the falls

night scene near the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve

a gorge near the Toro Waterfall

The Toro waterfall is 110 meters high and located in one of the wettest areas of the country and on the planet. The area receives over 6000 mm of rain per year and is home to a number of Costa Rica's hydroelectric power plants.

a gorge near the Toro Waterfall

a geothermal steam vent in Rincon de la Vieja National Park

a geothermal bubbling mud pool in Rincon de la Vieja National Park

a geothermal steam vent in Rincon de la Vieja National Park

a gorge in the cloud forest portion of Rincon de la Vieja National Park

sunset over the Tilaran Mountain Range and the Arenal Volcano

sun breaks through the for at dawn over a lowland rainforest in northern Costa Rica

the La Paz river

trickles of water cascade down a rocky slope in the dry forest near Lomas Barbudal

Mangrove tree and bioluminescent dinoflagellates in the Pacific Ocean near Cabo Blanco Refuge

Mangrove swamp in Curu Wildlife Refuge

Costa Rica's Rio Celeste, in the Tenorio Volcano National Park, is famous for its sapphire blue waters which result from a mixture of copper, sulphur, and silica colloids.

rainbow over a tree in an open savannah in Guancaste

Llanos de Cortez waterfall, an oasis in the tropical dry forest of Guanacaste

Pozo Verde, an emerald lake hidden at 7,000 feet in the Juan Castro Blanco National Park

light rays peek through a cloud forest

Tree ferns in the forest near the Arenal Volcano

cloud forest remnant trees arise from a deforested pasture just outside of Juan Castro Blanco National Park

secluded stream in the Bosque de Paz private reserve

Pozo Verde, an emerald lake hidden at 7,000 feet in the Juan Castro Blanco National Park

Cloud forest with late afternoon light in the Juan Castro Blanco National Park

Tropical dry forest tree and rocky beach at low tide near Playa Montezuma on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula

The Toro waterfall is 110 meters high and located in one of the wettest areas of the country and on the planet. The area receives over 6000 mm of rain per year and is home to a number of Costa Rica's hydroelectric power plants.

Arenal volcano erupts at night

stream in the La Selva Biological Reserve

sunset over Lake Arenal and Arenal volcano

sunrise over tropical dry forest near Ocotal Beach

the first rays of sun hit a cloud forest near the Barva volcano

cloud forest, Villablanca

a rainbow forms over the Tilaran Mountain Range in Costa Rica

Sunrise over the Golfo Dulce as seen from the tip of the Osa Peninsula

Playa Hermosa

Backwater stream in Tirimbina Forest Reserve

cloud forest, Los Angeles Cloud Forest Reserve

Talamanca Mountain Range at dawn

Active crater of Poas Volcano, Costa Rica

Sunset over rainforest hills near Tuis de Turrialba, Costa Rica

Forest in Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve (zoomed during exposure), Costa Rica

Cloud forest vegetation, Costa Rica

La Paz waterfall, Costa Rica

elephant ear leaves in a cloud forest light gap

A flooded rainforest near Costa Rica's Tortuguero National Park. The black water is a result of the tannins found in rainforest leaves.

Dominaclito Beach, Costa Rica

Mountains in the Lauca National Park in Chile

A vizcacha at sunset in the Lauca National Park in Chile

A rare stream creates a lush oasis in the high deserts of the Lauca National Park in Chile

mountains in the Lauca National Park in Chile

A rare stream creates a lush oasis in the high deserts of the Lauca National Park in Chile

The sun rises over a geyser in the highlands of the Atacama Desert in Chile

A rare tree in the Atacama Desert of Chile at night wth the Milky Way

Mountains in the Atacama Desert in Chile

A lone vicuña stands along the dramatic shoreline of a salt lake high in the Atacama desert of Chile

Flamingos fly against the dramatic shores of Laguna Tayactu in the Atacama Desert of Chile

A salt lake at nearly 15,000 feet elevation at sunrise in the high mountains of the Atacama Desert in Chile

The moonlike landscape of Chile's Atacama desert

The sun sets as the moon rises over the vast Amazon rainforest

Dawn breaks over a rainforest lodge owned and operated by an indigenous tribe in the Amazon region of Ecuador

Sunrise over the Napo River in the Ecuadorian Amazon region

Sunset over the misty Talamanca Mountain Range in Costa Rica

Typical view in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Cloud forest, Ecuador

Sunset over the Talamanca Mountain Range, Costa Rica

Cotopaxi Volcano, Ecuador

The Savegre River forms the central vein of a new UNESCO biosphere reserve in Costa Rica