This entailed a three or four day journey, on foot or on horseback, and meant spending at least two nights in the cold and often rainy highlands. Many were ill-prepared for the inclement weather and, if they did not succumb to hypothermia on the spot, perished from complications such as pneumonia later on. When Dr. Skutch first purchased the land, the cleared area around the house was one of the few clearings in the entire valley of San Isidro del General. The author of more than twenty books and contributor of countless articles published in the scientific literature, Dr. Skutch is undeniably the foremost naturalist living in Costa Rica. A highlight of any visit to Los Cusingos is sitting on the porch and watching the birds that come to the feeding tray across the yard.
Insect repellent is recommended since there are frequently small black flies that can be bothersome.
Dr. Skutch chose this name because of all the numerous native bird species on the farm this was one that was well known to neighboring residents and also is a species unique to the southern Pacific portion of Costa Rica and western Panama. It has also persisted over the years while other large species have disappeared due to the amount of deforestation in the region. The forest is not all in one block, however, but scattered about the property in patches of varied sizes. You have to cross some pasture to get to these forests. Another alternative is taking the gravel road to the right just before reaching the University for Peace and following it down towards the community of Piedras Negras, stopping whenever you come to some forested portions.