The authorized regions or countries are reviewed periodically. The list in effect as of August 19 is as follows:
 

• THE EUROPEAN UNION, SCHENGEN ZONE, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM: for flights from the European Union, the Schengen Zone, and the United Kingdom, for citizens and residents of the European Union, the Schengen Zone, and the United Kingdom.
• CANADA: for flights from Canada for citizens and residents of Canada and for citizens and residents of the European Union, the Schengen Zone, and the United Kingdom.
• SOUTH AMERICA: for flights from Uruguay for citizens and residents of Uruguay.
• ASIA: for flights from Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and the People’s Republic of China for citizens and residents of Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and the People’s Republic of China.
• OCEANIA: for flights from Australia and New Zealand for citizens and residents of Australia and New Zealand.
• As of September 1: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Residents of six states): New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Connecticut.

Requirements to enter Costa Rica:  

• Complete the electronic epidemiological HEALTH PASS form, available at https://salud.go.cr.
• RT-PCR diagnostic test with a negative result; the sample must have been taken within 48 hours of travel to Costa Rica.
• Passengers coming from the United States of America must prove through their driver’s license that they live in one of the six authorized states.
• Traveler’s Medical Insurance – international or purchased in Costa Rica.

Local insurance policies authorized for travelers are currently available through the National Insurance Institute (INS – Instituto Nacional de Seguros) www.grupoins.com/seguroparaviajeros and by insurance company Sagicor www.sagicor.cr/seguro_para_turistas/.

For international insurance policies, tourists must request a certification from their insurance company, issued in English or Spanish, verifying at least three conditions:

• Effectiveness of the policy during the visit to Costa Rica.
• Guaranteed coverage of medical expenses in the event of becoming ill with the pandemic COVID-19 disease while in Costa Rica, for at least USD $50,000 (fifty thousand United States Dollars).
• Includes minimum coverage of USD $2,000 for lodging expenses issues due to the pandemic.

Passengers who fail to comply with these requirements may not enter the country.

Upon landing in Costa Rican territory, travelers must wear face protection and comply with the strict protocols of the air terminal with regard to physical distancing, disinfection of carpets, taking temperature readings, and must follow any other sanitary instructions.

Opening to Private Flights

As of September 1, private flights from the United States will also be allowed to enter Costa Rica, given that their size and nature means they present a much lower epidemiological risk.

The same requirements as set forth above, shall be applicable to persons on private flights. In the event that they come from a state or country that is not authorized, they shall be subject to an exception procedure and reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Gradual Maritime Opening

In compliance with the same entry requirements required by Costa Rica since last August 1, private yachts may also enter the country as of September 1. If passengers do not carry a negative PCR test, or if they sailed from a city or port that has not been authorized to date, they will receive a health quarantine order, which will discount the number of days on the high seas, counting from the last port departure date recorded in the yacht’s log.

Where can I find updated official information on the situation of COVID-19 in Costa Rica?

You can stay informed at the following links:

Ministry of Health:

https://www.ministeriodesalud.go.cr/index.php/centro-de-prensa/noticias/741-noticias-2020/1725-situacion-nacional-covid-19

Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT):

https://www.ict.go.cr/en/institutional-services/coronavirus-support-material-tourism-sector.html

Presidency of the Republic:

https://www.presidencia.go.cr/noticias/

Migration Office:

https://www.migracion.go.cr/

Juan Santamaría International Airport:

https://sjoairport.com/en

Daniel Oduber International Airport (Liberia International Airport):

https://lircr.com/en/

Here’s the extract:

1. Playa Tortuga Conservation Volunteer Project, Costa Rica

“Our visit to the Playa Tortuga project was fantastic. Oscar and all the staff were great, and we were able to be involved with all the projects currently going on at the reserve.” – The Chicco Family, July 2019

Volunteering at this project in Costa Rica will expose you to life at a biological research station in a tropical rainforest reserve. Volunteers will take part in sea turtle research, crocodile monitoring, mammal surveys, tree boa studies, environmental education and butterfly garden projects all year round.

Why this project made our list; This research project in Costa Rica experienced another great year with volunteers in 2019, receiving lots of brilliant feedback from solo travellers and families alike. They manage to accommodate everyone on their journey to this biodiversity hotspot of Central America, where volunteers love that they have the opportunity to help actively with the scientific and conservation-related research on a broad range of animals.

Click here to see the full article. 

During the 20 weeks that the study will last, the student basically search for the frogs at night with a flashlight and he takes note on which plant they are, then he tries to catch the animal and try to see if it is a male or a female. Then he measures the total length and the legs of the frogs to see if there is a difference between males and females.

The red-eyed tree frog mostly prefer plants with big leaves, such as palms, banana plants and the guacimo blanco, but this can change after the study is finished and he can analyze the results.

At this point, after 10 weeks, he has found 172 frogs and clutches of eggs. On his opinion males are way easier to spots than females: so far he counted around 140 males, but just 17 females.

Other important information is that he also detected some predators for the eggs of the red-eyed tree frog, like the cat-eyed snake and the big crickets.

For the final results of this study, we will have to wait for other 10 weeks, and keep learning more interesting facts about the red-eyed tree frog.

Why is this study important?

Mammals need a large amount of habitat for foraging and reproducing, Agoutis have a smaller habitat (2 km2) and ocelots a way larger habitat (50 km2), if not more. Despite the size,  all of these mammals are vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and loss, such as logging, construction of roads and properties. But what is the effect of properties here in in Ojochal? What does it do with the size and abundance of the mammals.

In some of the forest, mammals are responsable for 66% of the seed disperse, playing a vital role in the seed dispersal of the rainforests. Also, by eating plants, the will create space for other plants. Or they will increase the biodiversity by eating the dominant plants, leaving space for the other less dominant species.

Camera locations:

Results:

• 13 different species
• 7 different mammals at the reserve
• 11 different mammals at the properties

• 343 mammals captured on camera
• Ridgeline is the only property with a higher abundance than the reserve
• Farmland has the lowest relative abundance
• The agouti has the highest abundance with 52,48%
• Primary forest has the highest biodiversity
• The maintained garden has the lowest biodiversity

On Bas’s words the study was too short to draw a significant conclusion, but there are some indications. For example:

• The primary forest on slope and the ridgeline have a higher biodiversity, compared to the reserve, probably because of the big primary forests near the property, and the low human disturbance
• The old cashew plantation has a low abundance and number of species. Some possible causes are: no food, disturbance, etc.
• The creek has a lower biodiversity,  and that might be because of high pet activity, gardeners or a position too close to the creek
• The maintained garden has a low biodiversity, which is the most logical result, since the garden has no forest, a high human and pet activity.
• The farmland has almost no mammals, probably for the presence of traveler and no suitable vegetation and human activity

The study will last 22 weeks, and it started with a meeting between him and the property owners to explain what this study is about.

There are 3 trail cameras at the Reserva and other 3 cameras on 3 different properties in Ojochal, that after 6 weeks will be set on other 3 different properties.

Some of the mammals that the student has found on the cameras at the Reserva Playa Tortuga are: agoutis (more than 40) (Dasyprocta punctata), raccoons (Procyon lotor), pacas (Cuniculus paca), ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), among others. Meanwhile, at the properties the cameras have recorded also ocelots, agoutis, zorro pelón (Didelphis marsupialis), etc.

So far, at private properties the mammals are equally spotted than at the reserve. It’s important to mention that sometimes when the pressence of mammals are less, some factors are: the construction of big fences, roads and especially domestic pets, such dogs and cats, even though some of the the owners say their pets are kept inside the house.

After the camera setting is done, Bas will check and compare the footage, and when the results are ready, he hopes to make a presentation to show this to the neighbors who participated and the rest of the community.

The methodology is to walk 3 times per week to find the tents where the bats sleep and hang out. Those tents are found off the tracks of the reserve. Even though is not very easy, these can be recognized because of the holes the bats make by biting and chewing the veins and midribs of leaves.

Once the tents are found, Michelle sets the GPS location; count the number of bats; identify the plant species, the shape of the tent, and also with the help of RPT staff, catch the bats to identify the sex.

She normally finds groups of maximum 10 bats, where there are around 5 babies.

There are 17 tent-making species, and so far Michelle has identified 2 of them.  She still has a few months left so hopefully some more species can be found.

The bats are flying mammals, and play an important role in many environments around the world. Some plants depend partly or wholly on bats to pollinate their flowers or spread their seeds, while other bats also help control pests by eating insects. In this area, they don’t have predators, and mainly they eat fruits and insects.

Photo credits © Michelle Bakker

Tessa will use 6 cameras that are installed around the trails of the reserve, which will be 24 hours on. After checking the footage, she will be able to detect the location, when the ocelots are active and other important information that may be used in the future, among other things, in reforestation plans for the coastal area to establish Biological Corridors.

She’s checking the cameras 2 times per week, 1 at morning and 1 at night. Tessa also will study any footprints of this mammals and set the location with a GPS.

On the past  the cameras from RPT have captured some footage of ocelots — a nocturnal animal that is not usually seen. Ocelots have unfortunately faced many challenges, from fur trade to habitat destruction.

According to Jack Ewig, owner of Hacienda Baru, “the size of an ocelot’s territory is extremely variable”. He quotes the book “Mammals of Costa Rica” of Mark Wainwright, that mention that the range of the territory of an ocelot can vary from 100 hectares to 3,100 hectares. Ewig thinks that the difference has to do with the abundance of prey. Ocelots eat mainly small rodents like spiny rats, although they also eat larger rodents such as tepescuintles and agoutis, as well as iguanas, small alligators, coatis, raccoons, young sainos, foxes and many more. In other words, they will eat everything they can catch and kill. It seems logical that there is a much higher density of ocelots in a tropical forest with a high level of biodiversity and an abundance of prey.

Since I have been here I have been able to assist on multiple projects. One of my main responsibilities has been assisting with the crocodilian monitoring study. I have been going out once a week to assist on mark recapture of American crocodiles and spectacled caimans. I assist with capturing, biometric measurements, and habitat conditions.

I also help to take GPS points of all observed crocodilians while out on the river. I also have assisted with tracking of crocodiles and caimans with GPS loggers and downloading points to look at individual movements on the river. Another project I have assisted with was the sea turtle patrolling to help tag new sea turtles as well as collecting eggs for the hatchery. I assisted with hatchling release and excavations during the hatching season.

In September of 2016 an erosion project was started on Playa Tortuga. This year I helped to continue the study to look at sand loss on the beach. Finally, I go out three times a week walking throughout the reserve doing monkey surveys. The main objective being to see how many troops are on the reserve and observe their behavior.

I have very much enjoyed my time here at RPT. I have been able to partake in many projects and work with amazing people, while getting to educate volunteers throughout the world. It was a great six months, and I am very lucky to have been a part of these projects and the reserve!”.

I am an Applied Biology student at the HAS University in the Netherlands. For our internship, we get the opportunity to do this abroad. So I was looking for an internship in Costa Rica, one of the most beautiful countries in the world because of their great biodiversity and untouched nature.

Measuring the snake’s length

Via school I came in contact with Oscar Brenes, biologist and director of Reserva Playa Tortuga. He offered me a research with snakes, investigating the (density and distribution of) snakes in the area around RPT. Besides, I take morphological measurements to see if there are major differences in morphology between species. For this, I have to catch the snakes and bring them back to the station.

The catching of snakes is not really hard, while the finding of snakes is the exact opposite of easy. To do this, I made squares in the area to investigate at daytime. At night, I am going over trails in the forests to look for the snakes. Besides, I place PVC tubes as a trap in already excisting holes where snakes can go in to sleep, whereafter I can take the PVC tube with the snake. After catching, I bring them back to Reserva Playa Tortuga to do all measurements such as length, body girth and mass.
Besides snakes, I am helping with other researches such as a mammal monitoring, sea turtles monitoring and a crocodile and caiman monitoring program. All of this work is done with the best team consisting of staff, volonteers, locals and interns. RPT provides a great work environment with good facilities.

In your free time, there is a lot to do such as visiting National Parks, going to town like Dominical or Uvita, or just go for a cooling swim in the sea or river nearby the station. On fridays and sundays, a volleyball day is organised at the beach, a great place to learn people from all over the area!

I am an Applied Biology student at HAS University in the Netherlands. As part of my education I got the privilege to do an internship abroad. I chose for Costa Rica and RPT because of the biodiversity, beautiful location and good reviews of other students.

During my time at RPT I am working on my own research and helping with other researches. The variety of this work and working in a passionated team is really stimulating and helps to gain knowledge and grow as a person.

Setting up the camera traps.

My own research is about mammals, in special the family Procyonidae. The aim of this study is to find out which type of environment (different areas within the property) each mammal species of Procyonidae prefers the most. This study includes working with camera traps and mammal walks. These mammal walks take place during the day and during the night. On these walks you look for (signs of) mammals. The camera traps are placed in different areas within the property of RPT. These areas are dense forest, open forest, open area, water area, and an old banana plantation.

First crocodile/caiman night.

Some of the other researches I am helping with is a study on snakes, a crocodile monitoring program, turtle program, etc. RPT provides a good work environment, the team consists of experienced staff, interns, and volunteers. Every time you go out for your study at least one person of the staff joins you and some of the volunteers join. When you are doing your own research they really give you the opportunity to lead the research which is a good experience. Of course will they always provide help or feedback regularly.

When you are off there are lots of interesting places to visit, this is no problem with a bus stop almost in front of the station. Sunday is your day off, this day everybody goes to the beach to play some beach volleyball. Great fun and a good way to bond with each other.