No country in Latin America works harder to protect its ecology than Costa Rica. Many are trying to catch up, but they’ve lost precious years that Costa Rica has labored to preserve its ecological contribution to the world.

Despite being one of the smallest countries in the world, Costa Rica houses about six percent of the world’s biodiversity. For this reason, when folks want to see all the cool animals in the wild, they book flights to the land of pura vida.

Despite being one of the driest parts of Costa Rica, Tamarindo still offers tons of wildlife to check out, starting with the howler monkeys, crocodiles, and too many birds and butterfly varieties to name quickly.

For this reason, Tamarindo makes a good place to centralize a vacation in Costa Rica. In between excursions into the jungle, one can retreat to the soft beaches of Tamarindo for chilling or surfing.

Considering the biodiversity mentioned, this list is a mere smattering of what is flying, slithering, hanging or otherwise swimming around Costa Rica, but these are five of the special ones.

Cross all of these off your list and join an elite group of humans on planet Earth, most of whom are professional biologists.

Strawberry Poison Dart Frog

Identifying the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog is easiest when with a guide. They are tiny, like the size of your last finger bone. Not to mention, there are about one or two dozen morph variations for these cute little creatures.

The most popular morph in Costa Rica is the Blue Jean variety. That name comes from the fact that the legs of these otherwise bright red frogs are blue like they’re wearing jeans.

Strawberry Poison Dart Frogs range from central Nicaragua into Panama, making Costa Rica the perfect centralized place to find them.

Tamarindo isn’t the best place to see one, though. Head to humid lowland areas, like La Fortuna.

Bare-necked Umbrellabirds

One can find a variety of umbrellabirds in Central and South America, but the Bare-necked species lives only in Costa Rica and parts of Panama.

With all the other wingéd creatures to see, birders tend to look for them in Costa Rica. It’s a matter of time economy. One simply gets more fauna for her plane ticket.

The bare-neck designation refers to the bare wattle hanging from their bright red chests. Other umbrellabirds have a thick plumage on their wattle, which splays multi-directionally when they need to show off.

Males, during mating season, inflate this part of their bodies to make themselves look like the best catch in the canopy. When one of the boys does this, he’ll usually let fly with some crazy sounds too, something like a thump on an empty barrel.

Golden Toad

Once upon a time, Golden Toads proliferated in Costa Rica like rabbits. In recent years, their numbers have dropped so low that it would be worthy of a call to National Geographic or the BBC if you spotted one.

They are technically critically endangered, not yet extinct, which means there may be some out there somewhere, burrowed in a hole in the ground. That is their preferred place to chill, out of sight.

Among toads, these golden beauties once numbered in the thousands, but the last time someone saw one was in 1989, and they only saw one male at that time.

Scientists believe that a combination of El Niño weather patterns and fungus are what drove them to the brink, but don’t despair.

Many species once thought extinct have come back from worse. You could be the person to find the first one in decades.

One thing is for sure, you won’t find one in your backyard.

Resplendent Quetzal

This is one of those birds that stops everyone in their tracks, even folks who could care less about birds. Related to the trogan, families of which one can hear around Tamarindo most mornings, the quetzal is quite profound by comparison.

Whereas the trogans in Tamarindo make for a lovely atmosphere, emitting pretty morning birdsongs, the quetzal is an incredible sight to behold.

Trogans are bluish-green and ruby-chested, but quetzals are covered in bright jade and crimson, like a Christmas decoration floating on gossamer winds.

Unlike no other bird, a huge tail of iridescent bluish-green feathers floats behind them wherever they go.

Where one used to find these gems from the Yucatan Peninsula to Colombia, the best place to find one today is in Costa Rica.

Guatemala, where once thrived, not only claims the quetzal as their national bird but also the name of their currency.

Three-Toed Sloth

Sure, Costa Rica isn’t the only place to see sloths, but it is the best place to see them, especially the Three-Toed version. You will have to leave Tamarindo to see one, though.

Most of what you will find in Costa Rica is the Brown-throated three-toed sloth.

Although sloths get nowhere fast, this variety has managed to spread as far as the southern end of Brazil, and as far north as the southern end of Mexico.

Despite this spread, the best place to find one is Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast.

There they roam wild, but if you’re not able to spot one in the jungle, there is a sanctuary near Puerto Viejo, south of Liberia, Costa Rica.

There you can get very close to all the sloths of Costa Rica.

Do yourself a favor and pick up some binoculars before leaving for Costa Rica. There is so much to see which you’ll only see from a distance. That doesn’t mean those sights aren’t worth trying to spot.

As mentioned, a guide invaluable. Let Horizon Pacific Vacations help you find the right tour and guide for your vacation. We love helping out.

Horizon Pacific Management & Rentals is located in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Offering vacation rentals, property management, long-term rentals, as well as a complete concierge service. Providing you with a local contact during your stay, Horizon Pacific is a company you can trust, with the experience you need.