Costa Rica for the insect obsessed.
Most of the insects here don't even have names yet. I know the specialist guides, the right forests, and the night walks where the extraordinary things come out.
What you'll find
Specialist entomologist guides
Costa Planner has direct contacts with insect specialist guides in Monteverde and the Caribbean. They know the current seasonal activity, where specific beetles and butterflies are emerging, and can identify on sight. They're not listed on any booking platform.
Night walks — where it gets extraordinary
Insects in tropical rainforest are predominantly nocturnal. A guided night walk with a UV torch reveals katydids, hawk moths, beetles, and species that never show during the day. Costa Planner's lodge partners include private reserves with expert-guided night walks.
Macro photography setup
The best macro subjects — glasswings, metalmarks, sphinx moths on flowers — need knowledge of timing and microhabitat. Costa Planner's specialist guides know which plant species attract which insects and at what hour. Come with your macro lens ready.
Leafcutter ant highways
Among the most photogenic insects in Costa Rica. Multi-lane highways of ants carrying cut leaf fragments back to their colony — each fragment larger than the ant. Colonies are everywhere, and watching the operation for an hour is genuinely mesmerising.
Ready to plan your insect trip?
Tell Costa Planner your focus — macro photography, specific species, beetles, butterflies — and he'll connect you with the right guides and the right forest.