Casa Orquideas & Rio Esquinas
Early this morning the National Geographic Sea Lion pulled into dock at Golfito, a small port town in Golfo Dulce on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Golfo Dulce is a large gulf located between the Osa Peninsula and the mainland and also the location for our activities for the day. It was our first stop in Costa Rica after spending the night sailing north from Panama. We met the customs officials and bunkered water in Golfito then continued on to an aptly named place called Casa Orquideas, or House of Orchids. Casa Orquideas was created by Ron and Trudy McAllister, two American expatriates who have lived in Costa Rica for over thirty years. They purchased a plot of old farmland and slowly began transforming it into a tropical paradise full of plants, fruit trees, vegetables, birds, butterflies, and other critters. We spent the morning exploring this botanical garden and enjoying the natural and diverse beauty of the area. We even caught a glimpse of a baby fer-de-lance coiled up under the shade of a low plant. The fer-de-lance is a pit viper and very venomous, so we kept our distance!
Back on board, we had a chance to cool off by jumping into the water from the fantail before moving to our next destination. After lunch, we arrived at Rio Esquinas, a river that empties into the northeast corner of Golfo Dulce. The estuary is covered in a dense thicket of mangroves and we had the opportunity to explore the area by Zodiac as well as kayaks. We spotted another species of snake, the northern tree boa, while cruising down the narrow mangrove channels as well as capuchin monkeys and a green iguana. The kayakers were challenged by a sudden downpour of rain, but it made for a refreshing alternative to the hot humid temperatures that we’ve become accustomed to.
This evening we will retrace our path out of Golfo Dulce and make our way around the Osa Peninsula and north toward tomorrows destination – Corcovado National Park. Another great day in Central America!
