Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica
Many changes and environments have occurred over the years at the Golfo Dulce. As the ocean level rose, it flooded the gulf, which had been a fresh water lake during the last Ice Age. It was then a wonderful habitat for extensive coral reefs, until tectonic activity pushed two rivers into the gulf and at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards, the salinity of the water was so low that it was called the fresh water gulf (Golfo Dulce).
A deep gulf with a shallow connection to the ocean makes it quite an isolated place. The surrounding mountains work as shelter from the wind inside this tropical fjord. The calm seas awaited us at Casa Orquideas, our first destination of the day. Ron and Trudy MacAllister have developed a beautiful botanical garden on their property. Exotic and native species collected for their beauty or their importance for humankind reminded us of the history of our ancestors, their struggle to survive and their creativity and tenacity to domesticate and use them.
Though a botanical garden, the bird watching always plays an important role at Casa Orquideas, as if the birds were amazed by the place too. Short tailed hawks, scarlet macaws, chestnut mandible toucans, Cherrie’s tanagers, and thick billed and spotted crowned euphonias were some of the spectacular species that we could watch. After the leisurely walk, we had a refreshing opportunity of swimming off the stern in the calm water of the gulf.
After lunch we had a relaxing afternoon and a lecture on biodiversity. Later we went kayaking or Zodiac cruising in the mangroves of the area. Ospreys, black bellied plovers, semipalmated sandpipers, and spotted sandpipers were some of the migrants that winter in our rich coastal environments that we found this afternoon.
Many changes and environments have occurred over the years at the Golfo Dulce. As the ocean level rose, it flooded the gulf, which had been a fresh water lake during the last Ice Age. It was then a wonderful habitat for extensive coral reefs, until tectonic activity pushed two rivers into the gulf and at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards, the salinity of the water was so low that it was called the fresh water gulf (Golfo Dulce).
A deep gulf with a shallow connection to the ocean makes it quite an isolated place. The surrounding mountains work as shelter from the wind inside this tropical fjord. The calm seas awaited us at Casa Orquideas, our first destination of the day. Ron and Trudy MacAllister have developed a beautiful botanical garden on their property. Exotic and native species collected for their beauty or their importance for humankind reminded us of the history of our ancestors, their struggle to survive and their creativity and tenacity to domesticate and use them.
Though a botanical garden, the bird watching always plays an important role at Casa Orquideas, as if the birds were amazed by the place too. Short tailed hawks, scarlet macaws, chestnut mandible toucans, Cherrie’s tanagers, and thick billed and spotted crowned euphonias were some of the spectacular species that we could watch. After the leisurely walk, we had a refreshing opportunity of swimming off the stern in the calm water of the gulf.
After lunch we had a relaxing afternoon and a lecture on biodiversity. Later we went kayaking or Zodiac cruising in the mangroves of the area. Ospreys, black bellied plovers, semipalmated sandpipers, and spotted sandpipers were some of the migrants that winter in our rich coastal environments that we found this afternoon.
