Sunrise at Lapa Rios

March 25^th, 5:26 am. Sunrise over the Golfo Dulce from bungalow 8 in Lapa Rios. Everybody that has been to Lapa Rios remembers those sunrises and the sounds of howler monkeys and Scarlet McCaws flying by.

Introducing Eco-Salsa to our Guests

Last night, we introduced Eco-Salsa to our guests at Lapa Rios. We wrote a salsa song just about Lapa Rios and it was a huge success. Everybody was dancing. This week, we even applied for the Latin Grammys with this album that features songs that are a tribute to Costa Rica’s most distinguished ecolodges, national parks and Latin rhythms.

The Halloween Crab

A very common land crab in the coastal lowland tropical rain forests of Costa Rica where, Lapa Rios Ecolodge is located, is the Halloween Crab (Gecarcinus quadratus).

Halloween Crabs are quite attractive with a black carapace, orange legs, and purple claws. Because they are terrestrial and so colorful, Halloween Crabs are sold as exotic terrarium pets. In the wild, these nocturnal land crabs live in small burrows in the coastal jungles of Costa Rica. Although they are terrestrial, Halloween Crabs are most common near the coast because they must return to the ocean in order to reproduce. They range from the coast to about 0.4 miles (600 m) inland, but they are seen sometimes as far as 5 km inland. Halloween Crabs emerge at night to collect fallen leaves and seedlings, which they then drag back into their burrows to eat in safety. These terrestrial land crabs can also be seen climbing trees with ease during their nighttime foraging. During the day, these colorful crabs hide in underground burrows.

Fiery-billed Aracari

The fiery-billed aracari is a kind of Toucan which is found on the South Pacific slope, where Lapa Rios Ecolodge is located, up to 500ft (1500m). This beautiful bird is found only in Costa Rica and Western Panama.

Their main diet consists of fruits and insects but they also look out for nestling birds. They live mainly in the rainforest and its adjacent clearings in straggling bands of ten or les individuals. Sometimes they descend almost to ground level to eat berries, they pass the night in old woodpecker holes where they sleep together in groups of five animals and the rest of the groups sleep in holes nearby.

Our Biogas Proyect

A great example of applied sustainability at Lapa Rios Ecolodge in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica is the biogas project. This was the idea and initiative of one of our employees. We feed the leftovers from the kitchen to our pigs and their droppings produce biogas that we catch in a plastic structure (see picture with Juan above). We use this gas for cooking on the employee kitchen have reduced the use of propane gas by over 70%. Our goal is to go 100% biogas in the next weeks. Oh, and of course the pigs are very popular with the staff as we sell the meat to them at very low prices. You know that one of the favorite meals here is “chicharones”…

Lapa Rios Ecolodge Wildcat Research and Conservation Experience 2010

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By playing a critical role in Lapa Rios’ Wildcat Research Experience 2010, we will reward you with a free night of accommodation and your meals for one day at Costa Rica’s award winning Lapa Rios, with a minimum of four night stay between May 2^nd and May 15^th, 2010.

Lapa Rios has been supporting a local team of wildcat researchers and conservationists for several years and we would like to further involve our guests in the Jaguar, Puma and Wildcat Conservation Efforts through this once in a lifetime experience.

During your four night stay at Lapa Rios in May 2010, you will be able to enjoy all of the regular tours and activities at the lodge, and we will also involve you in a variety of special activities revolving around Wildcat Conservation, such as:

• Attending a briefing on the status of the wildcat research and conservation program on the Osa Peninsula with project directors Aida Bustamante and Ricardo Moreno.
• Setting up and checking the heat sensor triggered cameras in the Lapa Rios Wildlife Reserve. These cameras are used to monitor the movement of jaguar, puma and other wildlife in the reserve and the Osa Peninsula.
• Hiking into the rainforest and helping collect wildcat footprints in the rainforest.
• Learning how to conduct an analysis of the wild cats’ diets in the rainforest.
• Working along side locals who might have been hunters before and now are active in the conservation of the wildlife, flora and fauna of the Osa Peninsula.
• Participating in talks given at local schools, community groups and hotels about the wildlife conservation program.
• Setting up and testing the program that monitors the movement of peccaries (medium sized, wild piglike mammals) with the help of GPS collars, in the reserve and Osa Peninsula.

For further Information and reservations, please contact us at info@laparios.com. For more information on the Wildcat Research conducted on the Osa Peninsula, please visit here.