--- title: The Costa Rica Rainforest After Dark description: rainforest after dark --- [Nayara Resorts Blog](https://blog.nayararesorts.com) # [The Costa Rica Rainforest After Dark](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark) Written by [Albert Ghitis](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/author/albert-ghitis-1) | Oct 9, 2026 At sunset, Costa Rica's rainforest changes shifts. Frogs emerge, insects begin calling, glass frogs move toward streams, and sounds replace many of the visual cues of daylight. Around Nayara's Arenal resorts, guided frog walks, natural hot springs, wine, cocktails, and open-air dining make night another way to experience the forest, not the end of the day. Key Findings Nocturnal Red-eyed tree frogs spend much of the day resting on leaves and become active after dark to feed and reproduce. After dark Nayara's on-property frog walks focus on wildlife that's easier to locate after daylight fades. Two rainforests The forest you experience during the day and the one you hear after sunset follow different rhythms. In This Article 8 min read [01 The Second Rainforest](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark?hs_amp=true#second-rainforest) [02 Why Frogs Wait for Night](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark?hs_amp=true#frogs) [03 The Red-Eyed Tree Frog Wakes Up](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark?hs_amp=true#red-eyed) [04 Glass Frogs Over the Water](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark?hs_amp=true#glass-frogs) [05 When Sound Replaces Sight](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark?hs_amp=true#sound) [06 Walking the Forest at Night](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark?hs_amp=true#frog-tour) [07 Hot Springs After Sunset](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark?hs_amp=true#hot-springs) [08 Wine, Cocktails, and the Forest at Night](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark?hs_amp=true#nightlife) [09 What Night Reveals](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark?hs_amp=true#reveals) [10 Frequently Asked Questions](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark?hs_amp=true#faq) Costa Rica by Night ## The Second Rainforest **In short:** Costa Rica's rainforest does not simply become darker after sunset. Its activity shifts. Nocturnal frogs begin calling, insects become more audible, glass frogs move toward streams, and species hidden through the heat of the day emerge into cooler, wetter conditions. At sunset, half the rainforest seems to disappear. The other half wakes up. Daylight makes the forest visible. Green dominates everything. Birds move through the canopy. Butterflies cross open paths. Sloths appear as shapes high in the trees. Then the light fades. The forest becomes less about distance and more about proximity. You hear what you cannot immediately see. A frog calls from the edge of a pond. Leaves move without revealing what moved them. Insects create a continuous layer of sound. Moisture settles over broad leaves and branches. The rainforest has not gone quiet. It has changed shifts. Amphibians ## Why Frogs Wait for Night For an amphibian, darkness solves several problems at once. Frogs lose moisture through permeable skin. Cooler evening temperatures and higher humidity reduce that pressure. Darkness also brings out insects, creating feeding opportunities for species that spend much of the day hiding among leaves, branches, and vegetation. Then there is reproduction. Many rainforest frogs use sound to find one another after sunset. Males call from ponds, leaves, branches, and streams. To a human ear, the overlapping whistles, knocks, chirps, clicks, and trills can sound chaotic. To the frogs, they are species-specific messages. The rainforest night is full of voices because much of its amphibian life becomes social in the dark. After sunset, species that spend daylight concealed among leaves become far more active. An Icon Wakes Up ## The Red-Eyed Tree Frog Wakes Up Few animals have become more closely associated with Costa Rica than the red-eyed tree frog. During the day, it can be surprisingly difficult to find. The frog folds its bright limbs beneath its body, closes its eyes, and rests against vegetation. Its green back becomes camouflage. At night, the strategy changes. Red-eyed tree frogs become active, moving through vegetation and feeding on insects. Males call around breeding sites, and females lay egg clutches on vegetation overhanging water so newly hatched tadpoles can fall into the pond below. The animal people travel to Costa Rica to photograph is, biologically, designed for the hours when most visitors have already gone inside.   Almost Invisible ## Glass Frogs Over the Water Glass frogs take camouflage further. Their translucent or partially transparent bodies make their outlines harder to distinguish against wet leaves. Some species are so delicate that organs can be visible through the underside of the body. Their reproductive lives are closely tied to night and water. Smithsonian researchers studying glass frogs have documented species mating after dark and laying eggs on vegetation hanging over streams. When tadpoles hatch, gravity completes the journey. At Nayara Tented Camp, the reticulated glass frog is among the species highlighted on nighttime frog walks. Its pale green body is marked with yellow spots and dark patterning, but even with a guide, you have to slow down to see one. The forest rewards those who stop scanning and start looking. Daylight shows you the rainforest. Darkness teaches you how to listen to it. The Soundscape ## When Sound Replaces Sight The most immediate change after sunset may not be what appears. It is what becomes audible. Frogs call from ponds. Insects form a nearly continuous background. Leaves move. Water runs somewhere beyond the path. A distant animal can sound close, while something only a few feet away remains invisible. Naturalists learn to treat those sounds as information. A call narrows the search to a species. A particular plant suggests where a frog may be hiding. Movement on one leaf rather than another changes where the flashlight goes next. At night, seeing wildlife becomes less about covering ground and more about reading clues. At Nayara ## Walking the Forest at Night Nayara's Costa Rica resorts sit within the rainforest rather than beside it, so night doesn't require a long excursion to get interesting. Nayara Gardens organizes nightly frog watching around the resort ponds with in-house naturalists. Nayara Springs offers an on-property night walk focused on frogs living within the same forested grounds. Nayara Tented Camp similarly highlights red-eyed tree frogs, reticulated glass frogs, and other nocturnal life after dark. The advantage of a naturalist is not simply spotting more animals. It is understanding why they are where they are. Why this pond? Why this leaf? Why this call? Why now? A frog walk becomes a lesson in how the rainforest organizes itself after sunset. After the Walk ## Hot Springs After Sunset Another reason night works so well in Arenal. Heat feels different once the air cools. At Nayara Springs and Nayara Tented Camp, private mineral-rich hot-spring pools sit directly beside the rainforest. At Nayara Gardens, the Termas hot-springs circuit is secluded among vegetation. After dark, much of the visual landscape disappears. Steam becomes more visible. The sound of insects and frogs moves closer. Water that felt restorative during daylight can feel almost private once the forest beyond it turns black. The volcano created the heat. Night changes how you experience it. The Human Night ## Wine, Cocktails, and the Forest at Night Not everything after dark needs a flashlight. At Nayara Springs, Nostalgia Wine Bar turns the evening inward with wine flights and South American bottles after dinner. Amor Loco offers a more theatrical fine-dining setting. Cielito Lindo extends the evening outdoors with cocktails and rainforest views. At Nayara Gardens, Nostalgia, La Terraza, and the resort's bars create their own version of the night, while the Termas hot springs remain tucked into the forest nearby. The contrast matters. One hour, you may follow a naturalist to a pond, listening for frogs. The next, you sit with a glass of wine while those same calls continue outside. The rainforest does not stop because dinner begins.   Reflection ## What Night Reveals Daytime Costa Rica is easy to understand as abundance. Green everywhere. Birds overhead. Waterfalls. Volcano views. Tropical flowers. Wildlife hiding in the canopy. Night reveals something subtler. The same forest is governed by timing. Frogs wait for humidity. Calls replace color. Predators and prey operate in darkness. Species that were almost impossible to notice at noon suddenly become the center of attention. The rainforest does not contain one world. It contains overlapping worlds, and sunset is the handoff between them. Nayara Costa Rica ## Stay Awake for the Second Rainforest Frog walks, natural hot springs, rainforest dining, and evenings surrounded by Arenal's sounds after dark. [Explore Nayara Costa Rica](https://nayararesorts.com/our-resorts/) [Check Availability](https://nayararesorts.com/#/booking/destination/dates) About the Author [Albert Ghitis](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/author/albert-ghitis-1) Digital Marketing · Nayara Resorts Albert Ghitis leads digital marketing at Nayara Resorts, overseeing editorial, email strategy, organic social, paid social, search, and AI discovery. He also hosts Nayara Horizons. Explore the latest episodes below. Nayara Horizons ## Explore the Podcast Conversations about the people, places, cultures, and ideas behind Nayara's destinations. 01 Understanding the Atacama: A Conversation with the Atacameño Community [Watch →](https://youtu.be/kzQWMUk49io?si=F6mKVna2uN0pO7gA) 02 Guardians of Rapa Nui: A Conversation with Tau Mana [Watch →](https://youtu.be/FRPVRcUTNmk?si=2SrY7mElfqprkyJg) 03 The Collapse That Wasn't: A Conversation About Archaeology [Watch →](https://youtu.be/qFVLTTJa7hE?si=LU3lrWxrFGbL6gpF) 04 The Nayara Story: A Conversation with General Manager Jairo [Watch →](https://youtu.be/kogGcI2-pBc?si=JI-a82zE1nZODNfl) 05 A Taste of Nayara: A Conversation with Gianluca [Watch →](https://youtu.be/NuWOobuMc2k?si=g7uHgszKtOhiMekv) ## Frequently Asked Questions Why are frogs easier to see at night in Costa Rica?+ Many tropical frogs are nocturnal. Cooler temperatures and higher humidity reduce moisture loss, insects become active, and breeding activity often increases after sunset. Are red-eyed tree frogs nocturnal?+ Yes. Red-eyed tree frogs generally rest during the day and become active at night to feed, move through vegetation, and gather around breeding habitat. What is the frog watching night tour at Nayara?+ Nayara's naturalists guide guests along forest paths and around ponds after dark to look for and listen to frogs and other nocturnal wildlife. Sightings vary because the animals move freely through their natural habitat. Can you see glass frogs in Arenal?+ Glass frogs occur in Costa Rica's humid forests, including the Arenal region. Nayara highlights glass frogs as one of the species guests may encounter on nighttime walks, but wildlife sightings are never guaranteed. Can you use Nayara's hot springs at night?+ Nayara's Costa Rica properties include mineral-rich hot-spring pools and private hot-spring plunges as part of the resort experience. Access and hours vary by property and accommodation. What can adults do at Nayara after dinner?+ Options include wine flights at Nostalgia, cocktails at the resort bars, fine dining, private dinners, hot springs, and simply spending time outdoors listening to the rainforest after dark. Sources & Further Reading - [Nayara Tented Camp · Frog Watching and After-Dark Experiences](https://nayaratentedcamp.com/discover/) - [Nayara Gardens · Frog Watching Night Tour](https://nayaragardens.com/discover/) - [Nayara Springs · On-Property Frog Watching](https://nayarasprings.com/discover/) - [Nayara Springs · Wine, Cocktails, and Dining](https://nayarasprings.com/eat/) - [Smithsonian's National Zoo · Red-Eyed Tree Frog Nocturnal Behavior](https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/news/new-zoo-red-eyed-tree-frogs) - [Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute · Red-Eyed Tree Frog Biology](https://stri.si.edu/story/red-eyed-treefrogs) - [Smithsonian Institution · Glass Frog Reproductive Behavior](https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/egg-sitting-glassfrogs-create-safe-exit-tadpoles) [View full post](https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Albert Ghitis" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-09T00:24:51.102Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-09T00:24:51Z", "headline" : "The Costa Rica Rainforest After Dark", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 1500, "url" : "https://23160175.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23160175/Im%C3%A1genes%20BLOGS/2025/Red-eyed%20tree%20frogs%2c%20glass%20frogs.jpg", "width" : 3000 }, "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://blog.nayararesorts.com/the-costa-rica-rainforest-after-dark", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 60, "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png", "width" : 60 }, "name" : "Nayara Journal: Luxury Rooted in Nature" } } ```