I met Mikol in the Chamán sector of Marino Ballena National Park. Along with Andrea, he served as my naturalist guide during the tour. Michael grew up in one of the few areas of Costa Rica that still lacks electricity and piped running water—a state of disconnection that, in the past, drove him to hunt purely for subsistence.
Today, he still tracks wildlife, but now he does so using binoculars and spotting scopes to help visitors discover the natural world. He dedicates all that firsthand knowledge of habitats, behaviors, and species to animal conservation and to protecting the Osa Peninsula—one of the most biologically intense and vibrant places on the planet.
