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BLOG 16: Dominical Eco Feria & Crocodile River Tarcoles

Published: 26.02.2026

BLOG 16: Dominical Eco Feria & Crocodile River Tarcoles

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fish or squids driven to the surface by dolphins or predatory fish. </p>

<p style='text-align:justify'>Although they are marine birds, unlike many other seabirds, frigatebirds cannot swim and never land on water, also because their feathers are not water-resistant. </p>

<p style='text-align:justify'>They are known for their agile flight behavior but are quite awkward on land as they typically only have their breeding colonies here.</p>

<p style='text-align:justify'>But how do these birds manage to stay airborne for weeks? They can sleep in flight, usually shutting down one, rarely both, hemispheres of their brains while still being able to see with one eye and navigate. While they sleep in the air only about 42 minutes a day in very short phases (often around 10 seconds), they sleep for over 12 hours a day on land. Despite the extreme sleep deprivation during their weeks-long flight over the sea, they remain capable, puzzling scientists to this day.</p>

<p style='text-align:justify'>On this subject, I highly recommend the publication by the Max Planck Society Munich, “Frigatebirds: Napping Between Sky and Earth” </p>

<p style='text-align:justify'>“www.mpg.de/10784095/schlaf-fregattvogel”</p>

<p style='text-align:justify'>from 2016.</p>

<p style='text-align:justify'>Researcher Niels Rattenborg and his team conducted intensive studies on this topic, the content and results of which are described very clearly in the aforementioned publication.</p>

<p style='text-align:justify'>After this highly interesting boat trip, we head back on the roads towards San Jose. Some stretches are expanded to four lanes and are toll roads (toll fee ranging from 1 to 3 €), but usually shortly after a toll booth, the road goes back to just two lanes... As we cross the mountain range — fish or squids driven to the surface by dolphins or predatory fish. </p> <p style='text-align:justify'>Although they are marine birds, unlike many other seabirds, frigatebirds cannot swim and never land on water, also because their feathers are not water-resistant. </p> <p style='text-align:justify'>They are known for their agile flight behavior but are quite awkward on land as they typically only have their breeding colonies here.</p> <p style='text-align:justify'>But how do these birds manage to stay airborne for weeks? They can sleep in flight, usually shutting down one, rarely both, hemispheres of their brains while still being able to see with one eye and navigate. While they sleep in the air only about 42 minutes a day in very short phases (often around 10 seconds), they sleep for over 12 hours a day on land. Despite the extreme sleep deprivation during their weeks-long flight over the sea, they remain capable, puzzling scientists to this day.</p> <p style='text-align:justify'>On this subject, I highly recommend the publication by the Max Planck Society Munich, “Frigatebirds: Napping Between Sky and Earth” </p> <p style='text-align:justify'>“www.mpg.de/10784095/schlaf-fregattvogel”</p> <p style='text-align:justify'>from 2016.</p> <p style='text-align:justify'>Researcher Niels Rattenborg and his team conducted intensive studies on this topic, the content and results of which are described very clearly in the aforementioned publication.</p> <p style='text-align:justify'>After this highly interesting boat trip, we head back on the roads towards San Jose. Some stretches are expanded to four lanes and are toll roads (toll fee ranging from 1 to 3 €), but usually shortly after a toll booth, the road goes back to just two lanes... As we cross the mountain range

Cordillera Central,” the road is in a constant up and down. Then we struggle through the partially clogged streets of the outskirts of San José – and here it starts to rain as evening falls. Quite in the dark, we then ascend to 1,900 m to the “Poas Volcano Lodge” – it is not only very wet and foggy here, but also pretty cold. It’s about 8 degrees in the evening – and in the not very well-heated room, it’s not much warmer. We are accommodated in the somewhat secluded “Field House,” a very large holiday home for up to 6 people with several rooms, kitchen, veranda, etc., but only a small – unheated – stove in one room. Luckily, there are electric blankets; otherwise, we would probably have frozen half the night.</p>

BLOG 16: Dominical Eco Feria & Crocodile River Tarcoles

The Day's Travel Route

The Famous Weekly Market

The Famous Weekly Market

The Famous Weekly Market

VW Bus Type 2 'The Frog'

VW Bus Type 2 'The Frog'

We are about to see the crocs

The landing stage is not very reassuring

At the Rio Tarcoles

Toucan in the distance

Green Iguana

Crab Hawk & Heron on approach

Great Egret

Bare-throated Tiger Heron

Amazon Kingfisher / Kingfisher

Crested Caracara

American Crocodile

American Crocodile

River rubbish & Black Vulture

Jesus Christ Lizard / Basilisk

Herons & Crocodiles

Magnificent Frigatebirds

Magnificent Frigatebird

American Crocodile

American Crocodile

Yellow-headed Caracara

American Crocodile

Drive

Oxygen Jungle Lodge → … → Poas Volcano Lodge

250 km

Tour

Bootsfahrt auf dem Tarcoles River

Water sports · 1h 30m · Pauline

Attraction

Eco Feria Dominical

Dominical, Costa Rica

Worth seeing

Poas Volcano Lodge

Poás, Costa Rica

Our journey through Costa Rica is coming to an end, today we face a very long drive of about 250 km to the region of the Poás Volcano, north of San José.

After two relaxing rest days, we leave the Oxygen Jungle Lodge and travel along the west coast of Costa Rica again, this time heading north.

We will soon make a brief stop in Dominical. The local weekly market

Weather

Rainy season · 8°C

Mood

AdventurousOff the beaten track

Highlights

Stopp auf der Eco Feria in Dominical
Bootsfahrt auf dem Tarcoles River mit vielen Krokodilen und Vögeln
Übernachtung in der Poas Volcano Lodge bei kühlem, nassem Wetter

Topics

Road tripNatureWildlifeEat

Cost

Maut auf der Fahrt Richtung San José€1
Maut auf der Fahrt Richtung San José€3

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Answer (1)

William6 months ago

William

Don't forget to be nice :)

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