These diminutive birds flit through many of the forests of our country, providing us with opportunities to spot them now and then in some tourist destinations. Their colors and speed are just some of their surprising features.
If you would like to know more about this incredible bird, read on and discover the curious facts we have in store for you.

1. In Costa Rica, there are 53 species of hummingbirds, which are distributed throughout the country, mainly at medium and high elevations.
2. Their wings move around 60 times per second.
3. Hummingbirds feed on flower nectar, and must consume about three times their body weight every day. They mainly drink sugary nectar, but also obtain protein from small insects.
4. These little guys are very smart! A hummingbird has the largest brain of any bird relative to its body size.
5. A hummingbirds heart can beat up to 1,200 times per minute.
6. Hummingbirds often have a very short lifespan: most do not live longer than a single year, and those that do generally only live up to 4 years. In captivity, a hummingbird can live for 15-17 years.
7. Hummingbirds spend more than half of their time preening, chirping or at rest.
8. Hummingbirds’ muscles allow them to reach surprising speeds of 50 to 95 km/h when diving during courtship.
9. The horned sungem can beat its wings 90 times per second, the fastest of any hummingbird. Its speed record has been confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records.
10. In spite of their small size and high metabolism, it has an energy-saving mechanism that involves lowering its temperature from 37.5°C to 17°C by lowering its activity.
11. Its heart rate is 500-600 beats per minute at rest, or over 1,000 beats per minute if it is excited during disputes with other hummingbirds.
12. The hummingbird has a big heart, representing 2.5% of its total weight. ❤
13. The species is endemic to the Americas: that means that it is only found in the Americas and nowhere else.
14. The bee hummingbird is the world’s smallest bird. Living in Cuba, it measures 5 to 6 cm and weighs 1.5-1.9 grams.
15. The largest hummingbird is the giant hummingbird, which lives in South America. It is 8 inches in size.

Where can we see them?

Hummingbirds can be found almost everywhere in the country, but there are certain areas where they can be seen in greater numbers, namely the highlands, the tropical dry forest and the Caribbean tropical wet forest. If you would like us to suggest some specific areas, these include: Tapantí National Park, Coto Brus, Monteverde, Palo Verde National Park, Cahuita National Park, the areas surrounding the Poás Volcano, San Gerardo de Dota, Turrialba, Sarapiquí, and others.

We will soon be able to enjoy more of these birds in our country. For now, let’s learn more while we #StayAtHome

Nestled in the mountains of Heredia and very close to the boundary of Braulio Carrillo National Park, there is a nature-filled adventure waiting for you. 

Put on comfortable shoes and some warm clothes bring your camera and get ready for a hike filled with fresh air and good memories.

Cerro Dantas is located 20 km northeast of the Universidad Nacional. It consists of 57 ha of primary and secondary cloud forest.

It’s important to note that the hike might start much earlier depending on the type of vehicle you’re using.
You can leave your vehicle about 3.7 km from the refuge in a private property with a security guard. If you want to keep going, you can park 1.9 km from the park, though this spot doesn’t have any security. There is another place 1.2 km from the entrance, but only 4x4 vehicles will be able to make it there, since the road is not in the best shape. The last parking area also has no security.

Once you reach the refuge, you can choose from between two trails: one that’s 3.5 km long and another that’s 6.5 km. Just a few meters from the reception area, you can visit the Velo de Novia waterfall, where you can go for a (very cold) dip. The waterfall is the perfect place to rest and take some nice photos.

On the trails, you’ll be able to see a variety of trees, orchids, birds, creeks and more waterfalls.

There are options to stay at the refuge, either in rooms inside the refuge or by camping; a meal service is also available. If you’re thinking of staying the night, do bring good jackets as the temperature drops at night.

Now that you know that an incredible day or weekend awaits you in Heredia, you can plan on visiting this refuge.

Don’t forget!

Rain jacket, a change of shoes, sunscreen, insect repellent, a change of clothes if you decide to swim in the waterfall, binoculars and water.

Rates

• Admission ₡3000 (cash only).
• Lunch ₡3500.
• Coffee and hot chocolate ₡1500.

Additional information

• Pets: yes
• Hikes: About two hours
• Difficulty of the hikes: Moderate

How do you get there?

By car, you’ll need to take the route to El Castillo Country Club in San Rafael de Heredia (4.9 km north of the northeastern corner of the Church of San Rafael). Once you get to El Castillo, keep going for 1 km and then turn right towards Monte de la Cruz. Keep going for 5.8 km along the dirt road; the signs will guide you.

By bus: take the bus to Monte de la Cruz, Heredia. Once you get to Monte de la Cruz, take the dirt road going north, the refuge is 5.8 km away.

This time around, our curiosity to see more of our country brought us to one of the largest districts, one that covers 80% of the total area of the Heredia province – we’re talking about Sarapiquí.

As soon as we were told about Don Leo Herra’s "Hormigas Town", we didn’t hesitate to find out for ourselves why it captures the attention of tourists visiting the area. So we got ready for our adventure with a fresh change of clothes, sunblock, and a good hat.
Leo, a 47-year-old father of three decided to leave his old job and dedicated himself to his passion: investigating the world of ants.

Leo began the pursuit of this dream in 2006, but it wasn’t until 2008 that the tour picked up momentum and gained popularity.
With training at the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), field observation in the forest, his own research, and of course looking things up on the Internet, Leo took about 2 years to learn more about these small insects.

Perfect for the whole family

This tour is highly recommended for the whole family and we don’t have the slightest doubt that the little ones will love it. Even we, the adults, found it jaw-dropping!

The day of the outing, the weather was spectacular and the warmth of this beautiful district didn’t leave our side for a single second. We were ready for the tour!

In about 1 hour we found out why ants don’t eat leaves, and why there can only be one queen in a colony.According to the people who told us about Leo, who also took on the role of tour leader, there are approximately 12,000 species of ants in the world, and about 600 ant species in Costa Rica.Ants also have the most members per colony out of all the insects.

In the "Hormigas Town" tour, you will see 3 established colonies that Leo designed in a very natural system that simulates what happens with these small insects in the forest. Usually they can travel 300 meters from where they collect their fuel (leaves) back to their colonies. Here on the tour, however, they only travel 80 meters. There is also a part at the beginning of their route called "El Súper" (“the supermarket”), which is where the ants get the raw material to make the fungus that they eat. You didn’t misread! If you thought that the ants ate leaves, you’ve been living a lie. The leaves are just the raw material that allows them to cultivate the fungus that is seen in the colonies. Certain worker ants are in charge of making food for the other ants by using leaves and their saliva.

Colonies can have up to 6 million ants

These insects have very important missions to accomplish. The worker ants mentioned above are the ones that cultivate the fungus for their food. Another group of worker ants are the ones in charge of getting the leaves. A third group of worker ants act as soldiers protecting the queen. They stand guard, looking out for intruders from other anthills. It’s also worth mentioning that they have Herculean strength, capable of carrying 300 to 400 times their own weight!What’s more, the queen plays such an important role for her colony that if she dies, her entire colony will perish too. We’re talking about a colony that can have 5 to 6 million ants within 5 years of being established - impressive!

While we toured the facilities containing the city of ants, Don Leo explained that once a year, a miracle of nature happens: "the nuptial flight", in which the queen is fertilized by the male. This provides her with millions of sperm so that she can lay eggs throughout her entire life. Once the male succeeds in his mission, he dies.

There’s no doubt that we learned a lot, and we know that you’ll enjoy it as much as we did. And if you have a niggling curiosity about how this queen is doing, there’s only one way to find out - traveling to Sarapiquí. Don Leo will surprise you with more interesting facts about these little friends.

The tour takes place within the property of Aguas Bravas Rafting, one of the companies affiliated with Vamos A Turistear, so you can take the opportunity to go on adventure tours too.

Aguas Bravas is located in the town of Chilamate, about 10 minutes from the intersection of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí. At Aguas Bravas, you can enjoy tours such as: the very popular rafting, Canopy Zipline Tour, Night Safari, Safari Float, Sarapiqui a la Carta, Sarapiqui a la Carta Plus, Eco Rafting on the Sarapiquí River, horseback riding and you’ll find accommodations too. They also have a new experience that’s now available to the public – a special rural tourism offer. They definitely have everything you need to have an incredible weekend surrounded by the purity of nature.

If you like nature, walks in the forest and spotting animals, this should be your next destination.

Located 3 km to the south of the main town of Sarapiquí, Puerto Viejo, La Selva Biological Station is an incredible center for research into neotropical biology in the province of Heredia. It is situated in the Central Volcanic Cordillera and borders Braulio Carrillo National Park.

Tourists visit the station for its bird tour, which begins around 5:45 a.m. and the night tour in which they can spot animals like snakes, frogs and more.

The station also has accommodations and a restaurant where you can spend a weekend surrounded by nature.

La Selva was established in 1954 by Dr. Leslie Holdridge, who dedicated his farm to forest research with the aim of improving natural resource management. Later, in 1968, the property was transferred to the Organization for Tropical Studies (OET), who founded the station and private biological reserve.

Every year, the station hosts over 250 scientists and researchers from 26 countries. It offers tourists and nature lovers a unique opportunity to learn and enjoy this incredible ecosystem and the biological station, a world-renowned research facility.

The reserve stands out for its species richness, with over 2,077 species of plants species, 125 of mammals (72 of bats alone), 470 of birds, 48 of amphibians, 87 of reptiles, 45 of freshwater fish and tens of thousands of species of insects, arachnids and other arthropods. It’s truly a living wonder.

The Academic Center includes a conference room, four classrooms, four laboratories and temporary offices for visiting academics.

The center has an extensive network of paved and unpaved trails (61 km), which provides convenient access to a wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

If you’d like to choose from even more activities in and around Sarapiquí, we recommend the article below, which is sure to get you excited about everything there is to do in this canton of Heredia province.

15 tours to experience in Sarapiquí

Additional information

• Tel: 25115100 / 88574999
• Email: info@tropicalstudies.org
• Facebook: Estación Biológica La Selva
• Location: Google Maps
• Admission fee for Costa Rican nationals: $28 for adults and $17 for children (consists of 3-hour tour).
• Hours of operation: 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. / 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Price of lunch: $13.
• Price of bird or night tour: $60
• Price of accommodations: $68 per person, includes hiking and 3 meals

*Visits require prior booking.