Osa Peninsula, Caletas Reserve & Corcovado National Park
The rising sun illuminated our faces while we were witnessing the admirable green lush vegetation of the Osa peninsula. The vitality of the sounds from the wave action, macaws and howler monkeys increased our interest to explore this realm.
Today our guests went hiking the trails around Caletas reserve or horseback riding along the beach. White-faced capuchin and Central American spider monkeys put on a great extravaganza with their jumps and agile balance on the canopy of the forest.
After a refreshing swim at the beach near Caletas we returned to the ship to head to our next destination: Corcovado National Park.
Corcovado National Park is part of the 25% of Costa Rica’s territory devoted to conservation. The creation of this park proved the commitment from the government of Costa Rica to preserve the natural heritage for future generations. From 1970 through the mid 80’s gold mining, squatters, loggers and even the interest from hotel developers created a disjunction from the original plans in protecting this ecosystem. Finally, the presence of scientists, researchers and travelers supported the efforts to advocate this land to preservation.
Thanks to all of these key decisions, we were able to show our young guests and their families the importance of the rainforest and its ecology. The waterfall hike and Rio Pargo trails brought some great memories with the sightings of basilisk lizards, American crocodiles, and Central American agoutis among other species. Even the marine life claimed for our attention, when a couple of adults and about six juvenile Pan-tropical spotted dolphins filled us with the incredible sensation Osa Peninsula evoked in us.
