Both of these photographs are of Playa Conchal, in Guanacaste. The above photo was taken in June, and shows the shell-laden beach at the beginning of Costa Rica’s winter (invierno). Winter in Costa Rica doesn’t mean polar vortices or deep snow. It just means more rain. Temperatures remain fairly constant year round.
This photo is from yesterday, towards the end of summer (verano). It rains far less in summer, and in this part of Guanacaste the landscape transforms from the lush verdure that one associates with the tropics into a dry, almost desert-like landscape. Guanacaste is unique in that it is comprised mainly of tropical dry forest, in which trees lose their leaves during the summer. The tropical dry forest is extremely rare – only some 2% of the original forest cover remains. Nearby Guanacaste National Park provides a biological corridor from the dry coasts into the moister highlands to the east. The unique green/brown dichotomy in much of Guanacaste means that the region looks completely different during the two seasons, and thus merits exploration during each of them.
