Costa Rica 2022.
In November I was guiding a group of tourists from Pathfinders Travels in Costa Rica. I had arranged and planned that trip in 2021. The trip got fully booked in a few days. We hade a great journey and among the places we visited was Valle del Silencio, Olan, Cerro Arbolado, Yatama Lodge and their fantastic forest etc. We had a wonderful driver, Juan, that was with us all the time. I hope to work with him on future trips. Our guides Juan at Yatama Lodge, Omar and Jennifer at Picoaventures in Olan was great and I miss them all already.
Before the customers came I was out with Daniel Jiminez looking for orchids. We had also a nice orchid trip after the customers left. I visited Lankester Botanical Gardens a few times to and talked a lot with Diego Bogarin about future collaboration, field trips etc. So many interesting things in the pipeline!
During our walks in the cloud forest I found many interesting Lepanthes species and also Telipogon sp, Thrichosalpinx sp, Dracula sp, Warrea sp etc etc. Among them the yellow tiny Lepanthes that me and Daniel found the first time at Cerro Arbolado 2010. Then we thought it was L mariposa. But now we know it´s a new species. Picture below. Yet to be named and published. Also among the finds was the elusive and beautiful Lepanthes matamorosii. I found one plant flowering in Valle del Silencio. The weather we had there was very…very wet and humid. We had heavy rains and fog so taking photographs with the Nikon camera was an challange. So had to use the iPhone that worked better in humid conditions.
I will post some pictures from the trip over the next weeks. Enjoy!
You can also see pictures from the trip at my INSTA: @theorchidhunter. Also at my company INSTA: @unxplored.adventures and the Facebook page: Unxplored Adventures
Do you have an travel agency or just a group of nerds that are interested in unique nature trips to Costa Rica, Peru etc. Let me know! Have a look at: www.unxplored.se.
Lepanthes matamorosi In Situ.
Spiny-Headed treefrog at Yatama.
The group in Valle del Silencio.
Lepanthes sp
Juan our guide to the left, then: Lotta, Jan-Erik, Jessica, Anna-Karin and Stefan guring a hike at Yatama Lodge forest.
Warrea costaricensis at La Marta. A very rare orchid.
Me on the way to Valle del Silencio.
Lepathes sp.
The yellow Lepathes sp. Found many of them at Cerro Hoffman, Cerro Arbolado. All at around 2200-2500 meters.
Unknown Lepathes sp.
A beautiful forest stream at Yatama.
There will be more…..
www.unxplored.se is now online!
The homepage for my travel agency: UnXplored Adventuresis online. http://www.unxplored.se
In Swedish but possible to get translated soon.
I will produce and arrange very unique trips and expedition to countries like Peru, Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia and Nepal to start with. My aim is to arrange a few trips every year. Some just once and some of them a few time in a year. These trips will be a mix of hiking, adventure, expedition, nature, biodiversity, research, lots of orchids, flora and fauna, photography etc.
Also I would like all trips to give back to the areas we travel to. It could be to buy forest for local reserves, buy material to remote villages and schools etc.
There will be more soon….
UnXplored Adventures.
Finally a dream came true!
I have now started “UnXplored AB” – UnXplored Adventures.
The aim was to start a travel agency and produce very different nature-/photo-/expedition-like trips to places where not many tourists go and even places where no one has ever been to. This have been a dream for many years. Now it´s done!
Primarily my company will arrange nature trips to countries like Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Sikkim, Nepal etc.
All trips/expeditions I arrange will donate funds to local projects like replanting rain forest, giving material to local schools far out in the jungle, finding new species and give them to local institutions etc. Giving back something to the areas we visit.
2022 will be an exciting year. I am blessed to have such a fantastic girlfriend and friends that helped me through this! Thank you!
STOP THE WAR! #Ukraine
My thoughts goes to the People of Ukraine. It´s horrible that a modern country can do such a evil act in these modern times. STOP THE WAR! No normal human being starts a war like that.
SHAME ON YOU!
Platystele – The smallest orchids in the world.
Platystele species are the smallest orchids in the world. Some of the smallest species are P tica (the species I found in Colombia that could be another sp), P jungermannioides, P microtatantha etc. The smallest flowers range from 1,1mm to 2 mm in size.
They are hard to find in the rain forest. A little bit like finding a needle in a rain forest. If you know where to look you will find them.
Here are some pictures of Platystele orchids In Situ, some that I have grown etc. Enjoy.
Very soon I will have some big news….
Lepanthes sp Ecuador.
Here a new Lepanthes sp from Ecuador that will be published soon. Flowers 5-7mm big.
The year 2021 and plans for 2022.
I made big decisions this year, 2021.
I have been working as a seller for five years at a big company here in Sweden, similar to “Home Depot” in the US. This wasn’t really “ME”. And all the time during that period I have been planning trips, expeditions, dreaming of exploring remote rain forests etc. Just to have some hope and survive the day. Rickard a college at my job changed his job situation and was pepping me all the time. Also his new boss Tobias. Giving me inspiration to do something else. They told me “Just do it”…
Early 2021 I decided to pursue a dream I have had for many years. A TV series. An odd idea that includes many of the things I love like exploration, rain forests, orchids etc. An unique idea I mailed out to many production companies in Europe and the US. Some showed interest and one especially in the UK. So we have had Zoom meetings and I have emailed ideas etc. Also ideas for an “one-off” film. So if there is a buyer of my ideas…then I have a LOT of work to do. This really made me think. Unique film ideas and trips is what I shall work with. Not selling nails, wood and drills. So I refine my ideas all the time and hope that there will be a buyer soon.
During this year I have also talked a lot to Josh in Peru. A great guy from the US that arrange Eco-tours in Peru, Muddy Boots . We have been planning fantastic nature trips to Peru that I hope will be out soon. He has the same kind of ideas like me and also a serious nerd. All this talking about film ideas and trips, Google Maps traveling etc with Josh really inspired me to go ahead with the plans.
I met up with Nicke at Pathfinder Travels here in Sweden at the end of this summer to present an idea for a nature/hiking/soft expedition trip to Costa Rica. We had some great days working on the idea and then he put it up on their webpage. Within 5 days it as fully booked. That´s a fantastic feeling. Someone love my ideas…! This is what I want to do…
Later on I had a slide show near Huskvarna, Sweden at UTHUSET, a fantastic outdoor shop that has it all. In my opinion the best one in Sweden. There I meet 4 people that had booked the trip to Costa Rica in 2022. That as a big inspiration boost to talk to them.
After this my brain really worked hard. 24/7. My friend Mattias and my girlfriend Linda had a serious talk to me one day and said that I should pursue my dreams and that my travel ideas are very attractive to people so why not quit my job and start producing one-off nature trips.
Three days after that I had a meeting with my boss and quit my job. A wonderful feeling and a bit scary feeling to as I am on my own. But it´s important to pursue your dreams and not get stuck in the hamster wheel with a job that breaks down your soul and inspiration day after day.
So now I will start my own company and produce very different trips to places that no tourists go to and even places where no one has been to. I will offer my ideas, packages of unique trips/expeditions to companies like Pathfinder Travels, but also arrange it all within my own company. Maybe a crazy idea but if I never try I will never know how it would be. Dreams lost in space…
I also want to combine the trips/expeditions with doing something for the areas we visit. Sponsor local projects like replanting rain forest, giving material to local schools far out in the jungle, finding new species and give them to local institutions etc. I also want to do botanical illustrations.
2022 will be an exciting year. I needed to restart as I felt something was missing. I am blessed to have such a fantastic girlfriend and friends that helped me through this.
Thank you Linda <3, Mattias, Rickard, Tobias, Josh, Nicke at Pathfinder Travels!
Lepanthes durikaensis.
The Costa Rica trip got fully booked in 5 days!
The Costa Rica trip I planned together with Pathfinder Travels here in Sweden got fully booked in 5 days! That´s fantastic. Really happy for that. So now I am planning and will arrange more “one off” trips that will go to biodiversity hot spots.
NEWS! Costa Rica 2022.
Me and Nicke from Pathfinder Travels had some nice days this week planning a Costa Rica nature expedition. The trip was almost ready over a year ago but then Covid arrived. But now the world is slowly recovering and we decided to start to ding more expedtion like trips. So now it´s out and official.
Other fantastic expeditions are in the pipe line. There will be more very soon!
Expedition Costa Rica
Cerro Echandi and Las Tablas, Costa Rica.
Some more pictures from Las tablas and Cerro Echandi in Costa Rica. These are very remote areas in Costa Rica far away from were normal tourist go. But here you can find new species. Animals that has never seen humans. An untouched paradise. Klick on the pictures for high resolution!
To be continued.
Miniature orchids 