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
How to actually see them
Specialist entomologist guides
I have direct contacts with insect specialist guides in Monteverde and the Caribbean. They know what's active right now, where specific beetles and butterflies are emerging, and can identify species on sight. None of them are listed on any booking platform.
Night walks — where it gets extraordinary
Most tropical insects are nocturnal. A guided night walk with a UV torch reveals katydids, hawk moths, beetles, and species that never show up in daylight. My lodge partners include private reserves with expert-guided night walks built in.
Macro photography setup
The best macro subjects — glasswings, metalmarks, sphinx moths on flowers — come down to timing and microhabitat. My specialist guides know which plants attract which insects, and at what hour. Bring your macro lens, we'll find the shot.
Leafcutter ant highways
One of the most photogenic sights in the country: multi-lane highways of ants hauling leaf fragments back to the colony, each piece bigger than the ant carrying it. Colonies are everywhere, and watching the operation for an hour is genuinely mesmerising.
Ready to plan your insect trip?
Tell me your focus — macro photography, specific species, beetles, butterflies — and I'll connect you with the right guides and the right forest.