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Tico Explorers

Explore South Pacific

Costa Rica’s South Pacific region brings together rainforest, mountain communities and remarkable coastal landscapes. Uvita, the Osa Peninsula and the Golfo Dulce invite discovery of the connections between forests, rivers and sea. Look closer with Pico and Tati, ask questions and show care by respecting local communities and leaving nature undisturbed.

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Hawksbill Sea Turtle

A narrow hooked beak and patterned shell help distinguish the hawksbill.

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South American Snapping Turtle

A long tail and powerful head distinguish this freshwater turtle.

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Almendro de Rio

Purple flower clusters stand out against a dense green crown.

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Costa Rican Oak

Acorns and leathery leaves belong to this mountain-forest oak.

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Black Mangrove

Pencil-shaped breathing roots rise from the mud around this mangrove.

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White Mangrove

Rounded leaves and two tiny stalk glands are useful mangrove clues.

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Buttonwood

Small buttonlike fruit heads help identify this coastal tree or shrub.

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Expanded Lobster Claw

An upright open arrangement of colorful bracts rises among broad green leaves.

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Wagner Heliconia

Broad pink-and-cream bracts form a colorful upright flower display.

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Spiral Ginger

Spiraling leaves lead the eye to a red-orange cone of bracts.

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Hot Lips Plant

Two bright red bracts surround tiny pale flowers in the forest understory.

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Roble de Sabana

A native tree whose pink trumpet flowers brighten forest edges and open landscapes.

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