Casa Orquideas, Zamia Rainforest and Golfito Town
If you were a flower, you would for sure choose to be planted in Casa Orquideas, Ron and Trudy McAllister’s garden. So much love and care have been given to these plants and blossoms that the area has turned into a paradise for plant lovers. This couple came to the Golfo Dulce area in 1974 and bought a 70 acre property in Playa San Josecito with the idea of raising their own food supplies and anything else they might need. During that time, they fell in love with plants as a whole, and started a collection from local and introduced plants from all around the world. Living in harmony with nature, they get their electricity from the sun, their water from forest springs, and cooking and refrigeration by natural gas. But not only plants are there to be found. Birds, lizards, insects and bats have made Casa Orquideas their home as well. A guided tour with the naturalists was awaiting the guests whose passion for nature goes beyond the average. For the kids, an exploration of the beach surroundings gave them the opportunity to learn how to open coconuts, old school style, and how to build a survival shelter and what to eat. Termites were the main dish. Totally compatible with our digestive system, they taste like peppery peanut butter, yummy! And they are a great source of protein. The visit finished with swimming from the beach or off the stern, and why not, from shore to the ship for good exercise, or running on the beach if the energy level was still too high!
After lunch, several possibilities were available: kayaking through the mangroves, a natural history walk, an exercise forest walk and a visit to the town of Golfito. Golfito is a former banana port 33 km from the Panamanian border. The town’s setting is spectacular, backed up by forested steep hills and located in front of the Golfo Dulce, one of the deepest gulfs of its size in the world formed by volcanic activity. The town is now a starting place to access Corcovado National Park by boat, a sport fishing center and a duty free zone established by the government in the 90’s to help the economy recover after the failure of the banana industry in the area and the invasion of poverty. The walks went through a private reserve called Zamia, which goes through the rainforest ending up in a “Mirador” (view point) for the exercise walkers and going through a river’s edge vegetation for everyone. We ended in a local “cantina” where a local fruit juice or a beer could be enjoyed. Certainly something for everybody!
If you were a flower, you would for sure choose to be planted in Casa Orquideas, Ron and Trudy McAllister’s garden. So much love and care have been given to these plants and blossoms that the area has turned into a paradise for plant lovers. This couple came to the Golfo Dulce area in 1974 and bought a 70 acre property in Playa San Josecito with the idea of raising their own food supplies and anything else they might need. During that time, they fell in love with plants as a whole, and started a collection from local and introduced plants from all around the world. Living in harmony with nature, they get their electricity from the sun, their water from forest springs, and cooking and refrigeration by natural gas. But not only plants are there to be found. Birds, lizards, insects and bats have made Casa Orquideas their home as well. A guided tour with the naturalists was awaiting the guests whose passion for nature goes beyond the average. For the kids, an exploration of the beach surroundings gave them the opportunity to learn how to open coconuts, old school style, and how to build a survival shelter and what to eat. Termites were the main dish. Totally compatible with our digestive system, they taste like peppery peanut butter, yummy! And they are a great source of protein. The visit finished with swimming from the beach or off the stern, and why not, from shore to the ship for good exercise, or running on the beach if the energy level was still too high!
After lunch, several possibilities were available: kayaking through the mangroves, a natural history walk, an exercise forest walk and a visit to the town of Golfito. Golfito is a former banana port 33 km from the Panamanian border. The town’s setting is spectacular, backed up by forested steep hills and located in front of the Golfo Dulce, one of the deepest gulfs of its size in the world formed by volcanic activity. The town is now a starting place to access Corcovado National Park by boat, a sport fishing center and a duty free zone established by the government in the 90’s to help the economy recover after the failure of the banana industry in the area and the invasion of poverty. The walks went through a private reserve called Zamia, which goes through the rainforest ending up in a “Mirador” (view point) for the exercise walkers and going through a river’s edge vegetation for everyone. We ended in a local “cantina” where a local fruit juice or a beer could be enjoyed. Certainly something for everybody!
