Strawberry Poison Dart Frog — Costa Rica
The strawberry poison dart frog (Oophaga pumilio) in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica's Tortuguero and the Boca Tapada region — the species' extraordinary colour polymorphism (the same species exhibiting vivid red-and-blue 'blue jeans' morph, all-green, all-blue, all-yellow, orange, and white morphs in different populations separated by only 10 kilometres, driven by sexual selection rather than geographic isolation) creating one of evolution's most dramatic visible examples of rapid colour divergence. The male's territorial calling (the quiet insect-like buzzing from leaf litter at foot level), the female's tadpole transport (carrying each tadpole individually on her back to a specific bromeliad water-filled tank for development), and the larvae's nutritional dependency on unfertilised 'trophic eggs' the mother lays specifically for food creates a complete parental behaviour of extraordinary complexity in a 2-centimetre frog. The Caribbean coast's rain forest context and the red-and-blue morph's vivid colouring create Costa Rica's finest small-scale amphibian encounter.
About this spectacle
Step into the leaf litter of Costa Rica's Caribbean lowland rainforest and you enter a world governed by a thumbnail-sized frog blazing with colour. The strawberry poison dart frog (Oophaga pumilio) announces itself not visually at first but acoustically — a soft, insect-like buzzing rising from the forest floor at ankle height. Then the red-and-blue 'blue jeans' morph materialises: a vivid scarlet body atop cobalt legs, moving with unhurried confidence across root and fallen leaf. Crouch low and the drama deepens. Males stake out tiny territories with relentless calling. Females carry single tadpoles on their backs, navigating upward to deposit each one in a specific bromeliad pool, then returning to lay unfertilised trophic eggs as food. Within a 10-kilometre radius, the same species appears all-green, all-blue, yellow, orange, or white — discrete, stunning colour worlds separated by a short trail walk. The encounter is intimate, silent, and philosophically arresting: evolution's colour engine running visibly in real time.
When to go
Jan — Dec
Getting there
Nearest airport: SJO. Nearest city: Limón.
Booking options
Goyova doesn't process bookings directly. When you tap "Plan this trip" in the app, you'll see options from our partner providers — accommodation, tours, transport — with affiliate links where applicable. See our affiliate disclosure for details.
More like this.
Peak season Aardvark Night Foraging — Kalahari Botswana
Maun, Central District, BW
Peak season Aardvark Night Foraging — Kalahari South Africa
Upington, Northern Cape, South Africa
Returns Jan 2027 Adélie Penguin Highway — Ross Sea Antarctica
Cape Royds, Antarctica, AQ