Looking for travel info for orchid-rich areas in Caribbean/Central America

[Kevin]

Hey! So, I see there are a few people on here who have visited Costa Rica and have been able to see lots of native orchids, as well as those who have been to the Caribbean. Where would be the best places to visit in the spring (March/April) to be able to see orchids (preferably in bloom) in the wild or in a botanical garden? Which Islands are better than others? Which coast is better for Costs Rica?

Also we like snorkelling, so a combo of nature excursions and beach/snorkelling would be great. You can PM me if you have some ideas or post them here.

We just got back from a week in Jamaica and loved it! Only saw a few orchids at the resort, but want to go somewhere where we can see more in the wild!

Thanks!

 

[cnycharles]

have fun!

 

[Linus_Cello]

Barbados has an "orchid garden": http://www.barbados.org/orchid-world...m#.VbmEresYw7o

There is an orchid nursery in the Dominican Republic, but I don't know if they do tours (I do know Nancy M.): https://www.aos.org/documents/html_f.../mountford.htm

As for snorkelling, Belieze is best (Roatan also shares some of their barrier reefs). Caiman islands are pretty good.

 

[Kevin]

We are leaning towards a tour of an area, like Costa Rica. It would be amazing to see Monteverde and Arenal! Hopefully in March we could see a lot of orchids in bloom too. Any tips on that?

How safe (or unsafe) is it? I hear warnings, but how bad is it really if we are on a tour?

 

[Denver]

Costa Rica is very safe. There is some petty theft but not much more than that to be afraid of. There are definitely some areas of San Jose to avoid, but there are certainly neighborhoods in the US that I would also not want to find myself in...