Itinerary:
Monday Nov 3 & Tuesday Nov 4 Butterfly Breeders Seminar
On Site at the Butterfly Conservatory, El Castillo – Arenal, Costa Rica
This two day trip offers a lot more than just the Seminar. It also includes an in depth learning tour of operations at the Butterfly Conservatory, a visit to the best hot springs in Costa Rica, a special night excursion for attracting and identifying incredible bugs, and lava watching at one of the most active volcanos in the world, Volcano Arenal; all set in one of the most unique parts of Costa Rica. This package seminar/tour is one of the best ways to have lots of fun and adventure while in Costa Rica, while also learning more about butterfly breeding.
Butterflies in Paradise
IBBA 2008 Costa Rica
Two Day Pre Convention Field Trip:
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 and Thursday, November 6, 2008
Leave from Country Inns and Suites hotel each morning.
Wednesday
Le Flores butterfly farm & William Camacho’s butterfly farm.
This might be the most important single day of the Butterflies in Paradise event. These two farms will leave you stunned. The families that work them are hard working and full of love. These are real working butterfly farms, not Disneyesque interpretations. You will be impressed and you will learn. Everyone that I have taken to see them has been wowed.
Thursday
La Paz Waterfall Park. http://www.waterfallgardens.com/index.html.
They have a beautiful butterfly exhibit and much more.
Do you love natural waterfalls? This destination has four of the prettiest you will ever see. Do you love birds? Their aviary is beautiful. The jungle cat exhibit is new and wondrous. The butterfly house is one of the best I have ever seen. The lab portion is not to be missed. The food here is great and even the bathrooms (very clean) are fascinating.
Icebreaker
Thursday November 6, 2008 at 6:00 PM
This event will take place at The Terrace of the Country Inns and Suites Hotel. Come enjoy an appetizer and a drink. This event has been completely paid for by our gold sponsor, Greathouse Butterfly Farm. RSVP please so that we can plan for everyone. The first drink is free and then you can enjoy the cash bar.
Friday Field Trip and Workshops
Friday November 7, 2008
The Butterfly Farm, La Guacima
Enjoy a Butterfly Farm tour, lunch, and four workshops for a full day. Tour one of Costa Rica’s first and most famous butterfly farms. Get a behind the scenes look at their lab and packing and shipping facilities. Then enjoy a delightful catered picnic lunch in their butterfly garden. In the afternoon you will learn from the four workshops (details pending) where we will learning hands-on style in the laboratory (egg washing, disease prevention, microscope use?), in the packing and shipping room (packing pupae, adults, shipping containers?), in the butterfly aviary (butterfly photography, egg and larvae collecting?), in the butterfly garden (butterfly gardening, design, maintenance?), or in one of the three classrooms or patios (I’ve run out of things to put in parenthesis).
The Butterfly Farm tour and lunch (w/o the workshops) will leave the hotel at 8:30 and return at 1:00 PM. This is a great spouse/family excursion. Enjoy the farm and the lunch and go back to the hotel without attending the workshops.
2008 IBBA Convention
Keynote Speaker Dinner
Friday, November 7, 2008 @ 7:00 PM
Country Inn and Suites Hotel
We are expecting our keynote speaker to be exciting and dynamic. The pictures should wow us and the menu was hand selected by Maggie and the hotel manager.
Saturday AM Field Trip
The bus will leave at 8:00 for Spirogyra Butterfly Gardens. Spirogyra is one of the most intriguing butterfly exhibits I’ve ever visited. It is an oasis in the middle of a big city. The butterfly aviary will impress you and the nature trail outside will surprise you. My advice is for you to make sure that you grab one of the walking sticks before you take off down the hill. This was Maggie's favorite butterfly exhibit of Costa Rica.
Lunch on the road (on your own) at La Princess Marina, a famous local seafood restaurant, where the prices are fair, the food is delicious, and the service is fast.
Suitable for the whole family!
Sunday AM Field Trip
Leave for INBioparque at 8:00 A.M. INBioparque is an educational facility where we will have a guided tour through their trails. You will see lots of native flora and fauna while visiting their static and interactive exhibits. They even have a butterfly facility. What a coincidence! Lunch is on your own at the park. They have a nice restaurant where you will eat lunch on your own (your choice and you pay as you go). We leave the hotel at 8:00 A.M. and we leave the park to return to the hotel at 12:00 noon.
Saturday/Sunday PM Speakers
Saturday, November 8, 2008 and Sunday, November 9, 2008
Speakers only (Saturday and Sunday afternoon)
Saturday PM Speakers
Costa Rica Day
Our program chairs are hard at work putting together a great group of speakers. On Saturday we are hoping to have four speakers who can teach us more about the wonders of Costa Rican butterflies, their production, and conservation.
Sunday PM Speakers
International Day
Both afternoons of our convention will be highlighted by our speakers. For this day we are looking for speakers (2 will give 50 minute programs and 2 will give 20 minute programs) who will teach and inspire us. Details will follow as they develop.
All buses leave from and all presentations are held at Country Inn and Suites Hotel.
Banquet
Sunday November 9, 2008 at 7:00 PM
The evening will begin with a Silent Auction and then on to the dinner.
The grand finale will be an hour long Carnival style show. The cost of which has been paid for in full by our Silver sponsor, Tropical Expeditions.
Three Day Post Convention Field Trip
Monday November 10, 2008 through Wednesday November 12, 2008
Monday
Trip to Aerial Tram Park and the Gutierrez Butterfly Farm
In the morning we will be visiting Rainforest Aerial Tram Caribbean. http://www.rfat.com/ Here you can take a 90 minute through the tree tops tram trip and see what really goes on in a rainforest canopy. There is also a (SURPRISE!) butterfly exhibit, serpentarium, nature trails, and for those of you who are adrenaline junkies the zip line canopy tour.
Lunch is on your own at a typical Costa Rican restaurant.
The Gutierrez family has been growing butterflies for more than ten years. When I say growing butterflies, I mean lots and lots of beautiful tropical butterflies. I guarantee that you will learn something from these folks. They are experts, love what they do, proud, but not arrogant. It is always a pleasure to learn from someone who isn’t trying to sell you something. This is a must see for any butterfly breeder.
We will be leaving the hotel at 6:45 AM.
Tuesday
Trip to Pacific Coast/Jaco Beach
Visit Crocodiles, a butterfly farm and spend a day on the beach (all inclusive). In Ft. Lauderdale we showed you alligators, and in Costa Rica we will show you the biggest wild crocodiles you will ever see. Bring your cameras but don’t worry. You will be watching from a highway bridge high above these surly critters. The next stop is the Pacific Ocean and Jaco Beach. We will be spending the day at an all inclusive resort, The Best Western at Jaco Beach. You can swim in the warm Pacific water, in the pool, sunbathe on the beach, or spend your day eating and drinking. It is all inclusive. There are nice clean bathrooms, showers, and cabanas to change in. If you would like too there is also a nearby butterfly farm you can visit. We will leave the hotel at 6:00 AM and eat all day at the Best Western at Jaco Beach. http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=70602 .
This is all inclusive resort. Your food and bar bill are covered.
Wednesday
Trip to Poas Volcano, visit coffee field, and Lillian’s Butterfly Farm
We will leave the hotel at 8:30 AM.
How often can you visit an active volcano? If you take the Butterfly Breeders Workshop and accompany us on this day you will see two in a week. You will also see Costa Rica’s famous coffee plantations and another great working butterfly farm. First it is off to the volcano, since we want to visit it when we have the best chance of clear skies. Then we stop at one of the coffee fields where we will learn a bit about this brewed beverage while having an opportunity to taste it first hand. Lunch will be on your own at a typical Costa Rican restaurant. Try the strawberry juice. I really like it. The afternoon takes us to one of Costa Rica’s most famous butterfly breeders, or maybe I should say three of them. Lillian’s Butterfly Farm is not listed in any tourist book. It is a remarkable farm run by three very special women (sisters). Their butterflies are appreciated by the exhibitors that are lucky enough to be able to purchase them. I don’t want to say too much about this place because you will want to discover its secrets all for yourself.
