akretiree Loc: Anchorage

In late February and early March I will be traveling to Costa Rica and Honduras on a birding/photography trip. Having never been to the tropics before, I would appreciate some Hog advice. I will be using a Nikon D7100 with Tamron 150-600mm. I'm thinking of getting a Sigma 18-300 as a fill-in lens for scenics and close-ups. Comments? Would a speedlight be advised? How about a rain cover for the camera? Would a tripod be recommended or could I get by with a monopod? Are name-brand extra batteries best or could I get by with 3rd party? (I tend to be miserly!) I will be taking a small (11") computer and external hard drive for back-up. Any and all advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

AntonioReyna Loc: Los Angeles, California

I would keep your gear to a minimum, which is always my advice but here there are safety considerations, especially in Honduras. There are areas in Honduras which have much higher security due to being tourist areas, like the tourist island, which name I can't recall, but the country as a whole is unsafe. Costa Rica is safe.

letmedance Loc: Walnut, Ca.

Mosquito repellent, a good hat, and some 30 SPF. Might also be a good idea to take a few extra memory cards, whilst in Vietnam I filled both my compact flash cards and the Ipad refused to to let me download them. It was a major challenge to find a new one.

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

You will be taking pictures of birds in the deep shadow of the canopy. You might want to take a good flash and a Better Beamer.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

here is what foto Verde tours recommend
Following you will find a list of some items you might need while in Costa Rica. This is not a definitive list and you might add anything else you consider convenient or useful.

1. Water bottle or jug: That you can keep refilling, especially for your hikes. Bottled water is available everywhere in the country.

2. Binoculars: If taking a break from photography, have some binoculars handy for wildlife spotting or landscape observation.

3. Flashlight: Power outages happen sometimes, and flashlights are a great assistance. To help you change a tire or just to walk around at night, always keep one with you. In addition, a headlamp is a great help for nocturnal macro photography, to find subjects, keep yourself safe, as an image light source, and as a focusing aid.

4. Sunglasses and hats: To protect yourselves at the beach or sunny areas.

5. Sun block lotion: Protection factor will depend on your skin type and sensibility, but that can save the day from the discomfort of sunburns. Note that the sun is strong here in Costa Rica, particularly at higher elevations and even on cloudy days.

6. First aid kit: containing basic things such as anti-histamines, anti-inflammatories, Dramamine or other motion sickness pills or patches, analgesics, band aids, gauze, antiseptic, and medication for diarrhea (e.g., Immodium, Pepto-Bismol and Lomotil).

7. Alarm clock (or an alarm on your watch or mobile phone): A great help to wake up early for photography as most of the lodges do not offer wake up service.

8. Comfortable shoes: For hikes, tennis shoes with good traction soles or hiking boots. “Tevas” or other sandals are ideal for the beach. Bring a pair of old shoes you wouldn’t mind throwing away after horseback rides or muddy hiking conditions, for they can get really dirty and smelly.

9. Comfortable clothing: Except for the highlands, the temperature is rather warm in most of Costa Rica’s locations. Hot temperatures and high humidity make T-shirts and shorts advisable, but breathable long sleeves and long pants are a great option for spending time in the forest. A pair of blue jeans and a jacket will be a good idea for your time in the capital area. If you are traveling to highland areas, a polartec jacket or sweatshirt will be nice for the chilly evenings. Same advice for the shoes is applicable for clothing: some old pants you don’t mind throwing away after horseback rides or muddy terrain hikes. Some hotels on your Foto Verde Tours itinerary will offer laundry service, and prices are normally quite reasonable.

10. Mosquito repellent: Contrary to popular belief, the mosquito situation can be much worse at your latitudes during certain times of the year than what it is here year around. However, is better to be prepared, so please pack your favorite repellant. We prefer botanical solutions, as repellants heavy on DEET have been known to melt plastic, and a shutter release button fused to your camera body would spell bad news for your photography.

11. Rain gear: In Costa Rica we can expect unexpected rains at any time! Usually they happen in the late afternoon or in the evening, but it is always a good idea to have rain gear handy, both for yourself and your photo gear. Kitchen garbage bags are a cheap and quick way to cover up gear.

12. Swimwear: It might be difficult down here to find the one you like or the one that fits!

wotsmith Loc: Nashville TN

Wow! What to take? My laptop quit in Costa Rica due to the humidity, (I was told that is common) so I would take a sealable waterproof bag to store laptop, and on amazon you can get the water absorbing crystals in a deal you plug in every day to dry them back out-put that in the bag as well.
If you shoot setups, you'll need a tripod. I used a better beamer all the time with my flash for fill in. Rain gear for you and your camera. Consider rubber boots. We walked in some muddy places. In Honduras, take PeptoBismol four times a day and you won't get sick. (see CDC recommendations, This really works), if you don't have 300mm f2.8 or 600 f4 primes, consider renting. These lenses seemed essential every day. Practice BIF at home so you'll be better. Take a macro lens for the little frogs and other wee things. I have been twice; want to go back. Costa Rica has to have the highest bird density in the world. If not where? Wish I were going again!

300mm f2.8 @ f11

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600mm f4

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AntonioReyna Loc: Los Angeles, California

Lovely images.

Harvey Loc: Pioneer, CA

I would suggest following this fellows advice and I will make a suggestion you replace Honduras with Panama one of my grandsons did a trip into Panama and up into Costa Rica last year and from hid experience I'd go the same in a heartbeat.

akretiree Loc: Anchorage

That has concerned me but my brother has lived in Honduras for 13 years and assures me we will be safe where we will be going. They want tourists so are cracking down in ecolodge areas.

akretiree Loc: Anchorage

"It's all about light" :)

akretiree Loc: Anchorage

Good info. Thanks a bunch.

akretiree Loc: Anchorage

Great photos. I hope I can do half as well. Great advice too. I hadn't heard about problems with humidity and computers.

akretiree Loc: Anchorage

Honduras wouldn't normally be on my list but my brother has lived there for 13 years so I am going to visit him and he will take me around.

Redmark

For hiking, I would consider the Peak Capture Pro with Pro pad.Its attach to my day pack shoulder strap. This allows free hands.I am using one for birding in Sumatra Java now and love it. So its just the binos around my neck.Its going to extend my passion for many years to come.
I'm going to Central and South America next year so I would be interested in your experience there.
Good luck.
(I must now learn some Spanish)

Robeng Loc: California

I believe in traveling light, with that and my experience in Costa Rica. I would bring 150mm-600mm for photographing birds & monkeys at a distance and the 18mm-300mm for just about everything else. I always bring a tripod wherever I go. I have used 3rd party batteries in all my nikons and they have been fine.