Penisula de Osa, Costa Rica
Well, what can I say? We had a typical day in a rain forest, although it actually wasn’t that typical at all. Let me explain.
First, we were not in just any kind of rain forest; we were in Corcovado National Park, one of the most renowned and wildest parks of the Costa Rican national park system. This is the kind of place that you only access by boat or small plane (where it is possible to land only in the dry season). And what a place! This is truly one of the most pristine places of Central America, one of those places that you could walk for a week without seeing a leaf move or walk ten steps onto a trail and find yourself face to face with a jaguar, the biggest cat on the American continent.
We divided ourselves into groups and went off on various trails depending on our interest: getting some exercise or walking our way to see a waterfall and swim in a river pool, or just a nice stroll through the forest looking for wild life in the rain forest. By the way, today it lived up to the name of rain forest, because even though we didn’t see that much rain in the morning, the humidity on the trail and in the forest was obvious. But it was worth it to walk on the muddy trails not only to see a beautiful tropical rain forest but to experience some of the unique tropical animals in their wild ecosystem: howler monkeys, coatis, scarlet macaws, and even the Central American spider monkeys, one of the most endangered species of primates in this region.
Our Capitan repositioned the ship while we were having lunch, and later we went over to shore for a variety of activities. Some of us went hiking and got a chance to see toucans, tanagers, caracaras, and white throated capuchin monkeys. However, the most surprised by far were the ones that went horseback riding. To their amazement, they found a sea lion on one of the beaches they crossed on their ride. And yes, you are reading correctly, a sea lion in Costa Rica resting on a beach of the Penisula de Osa after a long journey either from the Galapagos Islands or Baja California!
So what can I say? Another typical day in the tropics, where you go out in the field and have no idea what you are going to see.
Well, what can I say? We had a typical day in a rain forest, although it actually wasn’t that typical at all. Let me explain.
First, we were not in just any kind of rain forest; we were in Corcovado National Park, one of the most renowned and wildest parks of the Costa Rican national park system. This is the kind of place that you only access by boat or small plane (where it is possible to land only in the dry season). And what a place! This is truly one of the most pristine places of Central America, one of those places that you could walk for a week without seeing a leaf move or walk ten steps onto a trail and find yourself face to face with a jaguar, the biggest cat on the American continent.
We divided ourselves into groups and went off on various trails depending on our interest: getting some exercise or walking our way to see a waterfall and swim in a river pool, or just a nice stroll through the forest looking for wild life in the rain forest. By the way, today it lived up to the name of rain forest, because even though we didn’t see that much rain in the morning, the humidity on the trail and in the forest was obvious. But it was worth it to walk on the muddy trails not only to see a beautiful tropical rain forest but to experience some of the unique tropical animals in their wild ecosystem: howler monkeys, coatis, scarlet macaws, and even the Central American spider monkeys, one of the most endangered species of primates in this region.
Our Capitan repositioned the ship while we were having lunch, and later we went over to shore for a variety of activities. Some of us went hiking and got a chance to see toucans, tanagers, caracaras, and white throated capuchin monkeys. However, the most surprised by far were the ones that went horseback riding. To their amazement, they found a sea lion on one of the beaches they crossed on their ride. And yes, you are reading correctly, a sea lion in Costa Rica resting on a beach of the Penisula de Osa after a long journey either from the Galapagos Islands or Baja California!
So what can I say? Another typical day in the tropics, where you go out in the field and have no idea what you are going to see.
