Monteverde, situated in the misty mountains of the Costa Rican cloud forest, is teeming with incredible biodiversity from rare birds, to exotic plants, to captivating insects; the focus of this adventure!

🦋 Do you want to spend five days nature journaling in the Costa Rican cloud forest learning about butterflies, seeing rare birds and hanging out with other nature journalers? 

🦋  Do you want to watch mesmerizing Blue Morpho butterflies emerge from their chrysalises?

🦋 Do you want to learn more about tropical insect biodiversity while also improving your art skills?

Insects and arachnids at the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens, will be our main focus but there will be plenty of other wildlife, plants, fungi, and breathtaking landscapes to nature journal.

Monteverde Butterfly Gardens is an educational center committed to teaching people about Costa Rica’s insects and arachnids. We have created a unique collaboration with them that will allow us to nature journal inside their enclosed butterfly habitats, observe dozens of species of live insects, learn from their experts, and contribute to an educational project! With up to forty species of butterflies at different stages of development there will be plenty for you to sketch and nature journal. 

Imagine having VIP access to a world class butterfly garden with the support of a nature journal educator (Marley) and an entomologist (Nancy) ready to help you.

Wonderful meals are provided and your accommodations are in a luxurious permaculture eco-lodge with kilometers of gardens and trails. You will be part of a team of like-minded individuals that create a sense of camaraderie and a vibrant learning community. All you have to do is bring your curiosity and your nature journaling supplies!

🪲 Are you the one that is always looking at shiny bugs while everyone else is talking about sports?

🦗 Do you find yourself sometimes correcting people on the definition of an insect?

🐞 Do you find yourself looking at the ground while everyone else is looking at the trees?

🐛 Are the words elytra, cephalothorax, and complete metamorphosis in your active vocabulary?

🦂 Have you always wondered about these little creatures that look like aliens or robots and wanted to learn more about them?

🐝 Are you wanting to conquer your fear of spiders, wasps, or other creepy crawlers? 

If you answered YES! to any of the above questions then you should join the team of nature journalers in our insect intensive Butterfly Blitz. 

MARLEY

Marley is a nature journaler and educator. He longs for a reintegration of art with science and words with images, a synthesis that he develops in his journals. Nature Journaling became a fundamental practice for Marley when he discovered how it could synthesize his interests and  accelerate his learning. As an educator, Marley is constantly sharing, inspiring, and provoking learning in nature and on paper.

Experience: Over 10 years teaching, nature journal expeditions on 3 continents, more than 200 free educational videos online. Fluent in Spanish, well-traveled.

Collaboration:  Do you want to enhance the level of creativity, visual problem-solving, and observation skills at your school or organization? Do you want someone to train your educators in how to use nature journaling? Marley has trained teachers and helped launch nature journaling initiatives in California, the Amazon, Costa Rica and the Galapagos.

Approach: Do you want a fun, rich, holistic learning experience? Marley combines engaging whole-brain activities with a healthy dose of cross-cutting concepts and transferable skills, sprinkled with meta-cognitive exercises. Get a free taste in Marley's weekly

Nature Journal Show.

~~🪲~~

NANCY MIORELLI / SCIBUGS

Nancy is a passionate, self-proclaimed, PR representative for insects. While earning her Master's degree at the University of Georgia in Entomology, it became crystal clear that most people did not see insects the way she did.

In attempts to combat this "kill it with fire" mentality, Nancy started several science communication projects including a YouTube channel, and co-founded the blog Ask an Entomologist which seeks to answer the public's questions about insects using scientific literature and written in a way that is both fun and accessible.

Following her Master's, Nancy flew to the heart of the Ecuadorian cloud forest where she worked in an ecolodge showing tourists the beautiful and hidden world of the smaller majority; leading environmental education programs, guiding tours, and giving natural history presentations featuring insects.

After two years, Nancy traded her leafy green jungle for the concrete jungle of Quito where she designs her own tours under the brand SciBugs which focuses on the interconnectedness of ecology (especially insects), geology, conservation, local culture, and ecotourism. She is licensed in Ecuador and has been working in Ecuadorian Tourism for the past nine years.

~~🦋~~

MONTEVERDE BUTTERFLY GARDENS

The Monteverde Butterfly Gardens have been teaching people about Costa Rica's insects and arachnids for over 30 years. They have made it their mission to change the way people think about these small, misunderstood creatures. This may seem like a daunting task, but their bugs and tour guides can win over even the most skeptical visitor!  With up to 30 species of butterfly in 4 different habitats, over 20 species of live insects and arachnids in our nature center, an active leaf-cutter ant colony and the best guides in the business, they truly have something for everyone! 

PRE-REGISTRATION:   Join the waitlist to hold your spot by clicking the Book Now button! You'll get an official invite from me before booking goes live to the public. 

Booking officially opens publicly July 20, 2025  

Registration Closes: August 31, 2025

First come first serve!

Spots are limited to 7 participants! 

Trip Dates:

December 4-8, 2025  

Cost: 

1,800 USD per person All-inclusive tour package!

(Payment plan available)

A $300, non refundable deposit, is required to hold your space.  

To participate, you will be required to sign through We-Travel the Cancellation Policy, Code of Conduct, and Waiver. 

Are you wanting to spend EVEN more time in Costa Rica journaling?

Do you want to escape even MORE North American winter?

Draw landscapes and sea turtles on our BEACH VACATION!

Welcome to Costa Rica! Right away you'll be whisked away from the city to the misty mountains of Monteverde.

🐞Settle into out comfortable lodging while we do introductions.

🐞Optional cocktails or tea watching while sunset and landscape painting.

🐞Dinner. 

🐞After dinner presentation on basic insect anatomy and implications for drawing bugs!

Please note that the itinerary may be subject to change due to availability, weather, safety concerns, or other unforeseen circumstances.

🦋Optional early morning bird walk.

🦋Breakfast. 

🦋Privately Guided tour of butterfly garden.

🦋Private access and Nature journaling  class about butterflies and other bugs!!!

🦋Lunch.

🦋Afternoon free study at butterfly garden until 4pm.

🦋Optional cocktails or tea watching sunset and landscape painting. 

🦋Dinner. 

🦋After dinner presentation on nature journaling in the dark and nature journaling in wet tropical conditions.

🦋 Optional night time walk and nature journaling.

 Please note that the itinerary may be subject to change due to availability, weather, safety concerns, or other unforeseen circumstances. 

🐛Optional early morning bird walk.

🐛Breakfast. 

🐛Nature journal bugs with school kids! yay! or other community project. 

🐛Lunch. 

🐛Optional siesta, you’ll be tired from those kids. 

🐛Afternoon free study. Optional cocktails or tea watching sunset and landscape painting. 

🐛Dinner meet and greet at Butterfly garden.

🐛 Optional night time tour of butterfly garden.

 Please note that the itinerary may be subject to change due to availability, weather, safety concerns, or other unforeseen circumstances. 

🪲Optional early morning bird walk. 

🪲Breakfast.

🪲Personal deep dive projects and one on one reviews with Marley. 

🪲Lunch. Afternoon free study and more one on one reviews with Marley. 

🪲Optional cocktails or tea watching sunset and landscape painting. 

🪲Dinner. ((Community Moth Night and Nature Journaling! AKA infect the muggles.)) 

 Please note that the itinerary may be subject to change due to availability, weather, safety concerns, or other unforeseen circumstances. 

🐝You have the morning to yourself to say goodbye to the cloud forest. 

🐝Hop on our shuttle and take a 2 hour scenic drive back Liberia.

🐝 Lunch break to have traditional Guanacastecan food. 

🐝Those who are going on the Nature Journal Beach Vacation will continue on to Playa Negra.

 Please note that the itinerary may be subject to change due to availability, weather, safety concerns, or other unforeseen circumstances.