Whether you're a first-time traveler to Costa Rica or already an experienced adventurer here, it's always beneficial to learn a little bit more about our country and the rainforest, both before and during your stay.

One useful website, WorldTwitch, lists just about every book available on Costa Rica at http://worldtwitch.virtualave.net-costa_rica_lodges.htm)

Among those listed on that website are some useful and interesting books that we recommend:

Birds of Costa Rica by F. Gary Stiles and Alexander F. Skutch (511 pp.). This is the bible of Costa Rica birding. Nothing else comes close to it. We always carry a copy on our treks and use it as our primary species reference. It's available in both English and Spanish.

Costa Rica, The Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide by Les Beletsky (426 pp.). This is nice all-around, basic paperback field guide available for rainforest trekking and covers all the most common amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals that you may encounter in Oro Verde.

Costa Rica Handbook (3rd ed.) by Christopher P. Baker (820 pp.). This is the most comprehensive paperback book on Costa Rica, and includes everything from history, culture, cuisine, politics, etc. to current travel information, and a lot of outdoor stuff. This book covers just about everything you'd like to know about Costa Rica.

Costa Rican Natural History by Daniel H. Janzen (816 pp.). This is certainly the most comprehensive, detailed reference source for understanding our country's tropical flora and fauna, although it is highly technical and not readily suitable as a field guide.