From real-life Kermit look-alikes to miniature candy-colored frogs, Costa Rica’s amphibians are wildlife to notice.
Maybe it’s the special role they hold in fairytales – think: Prince Charming – frogs and toads seem to hold a certain appeal. They are strikingly unusual creatures that make a whole symphony of strange sounds, and are simply “ribbet-ing”.
In the tropics like Costa Rica, you can’t help but be enamored with rainforest frogs. They have all kinds of neat features, like red eyes, or green bones, translucent skin and neon colors. At night, their better-than-a-Disney-movie-soundtrack of chirps, croaks, tinks, and booms keep you company.
Costa Rica is home to 133 species of frogs and toads. You can find 54 species at Veragua Rainforest Eco-Adventure in the Talamanca Mountains of the Central Caribbean region. Known as a hotspot of biodiversity in Latin America, Veragua is the most frog-diverse place in all of Costa Rica. And new species are discovered all the time.
Nature tours at the popular eco-adventure park include visiting Veragua’s unique set of frog habitats, starring many of the frogs and toads that live in the Caribbean rainforest. Fun, interactive exhibits created by staff biologists teach you about the dazzling creatures.
Day becomes night in the fascinating Nocturnal Frog habitat, so you can see nighttime frogs and toads in action. With your guide’s help, and a small flashlight, you can spot the intriguing amphibians. When the park is closed, night turns into day to allow the frogs to sleep.
In the open-air Daytime Frog area, you will see native frogs that are most active during the day, such as the colorful Strawberry poison-dart frog (Dendrobates pumilio) and famous Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas).
There are also rare frogs like the very rare and endangered Tiger Frogs and Talamanca Glass Frogs – both being studied in scientific investigations by research biologists with the Veragua Foundation for Rainforest Research.
Learn more about rainforest frogs in Costa Rica, along with other amazing wildlife, at Veragua Rainforest Eco-Adventure. The rainforest adventure park is a top attraction in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, and one of the best shore excursions from the Caribbean port of Limon.
Open Tuesday to Sunday (and cruise ship Mondays), from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Entrance is free for children under 4 years old. Tours start every hour on the hour; the last tour begins at 3:00 p.m.
Article by Shannon Farley
