Golfo Dulce
Our last day in Costa Rica began with a beautiful sunrise. Sea Voyager dropped anchor next to an interesting ecosystem located in Golfo Dulce. Into this small gulf, flow numerous rivers from the surrounding rainforests. To 16th century Spanish explorers, the gulf’s waters appeared to be less salty than the ones found in the Pacific Ocean. They named it Golfo Dulce which means “Fresh Water Gulf”. This gulf is a unique tropical fjord that has changed dramatically throughout the years. It is a dynamic and ever changing environment.
One of the rivers that flows into this gulf is Rincon River. Mangrove forests cover great parts of this gulf and they are among the most productive and biologically complex ecosystems on Earth. With one foot on land and one in the sea, mangroves occupy a zone of desiccating heat, choking mud, and salt levels that could kill an ordinary plant within hours.
There is no better way to go and explore this place than by Zodiacs or kayaks. So right after breakfast, we geared up and went to explore. Some decided to take a walk to enjoy the birding along a rural road. Others exercised kayaking along the mangrove forest while the rest enjoyed our exclusive Zodiacs. We could appreciate roseate spoonbills roosting in the canopy, shellfish attached to the roots as well as crabs. Each mangrove provides a nursery ground for fish. Each of them has an ultra filtration system to keep the salt out and a complex root system that allows them to survive this area poor in oxygen.
After understanding the calls for mangrove conservations, we returned to the ship and got prepared for our next destination. During lunch, Sea Voyager repositioned and dropped anchor in front of a fantastic botanical garden lovingly created and cared for by an American couple, Ron and Trudy Macallister. They began their endeavor on an abandoned cacao plantation around 26 years ago.
After an interesting lecture about reptiles of Costa Rica and Panama, given by our guest lecturer Chris Andrews from the California Academy of Sciences, we were ready to go ashore and explore this garden. With a huge collection of tropical plants and flowers, this garden was a perfect place for birding. We explored with our cameras and binoculars to enjoy the dynamics between flora and fauna.
As we returned back on board, a pair of scarlet macaws flew by giving us a farewell from Costa Rica. Around 125 nautical miles lay between us and our next destination, Coiba Island National Park in Panama.
Our last day in Costa Rica began with a beautiful sunrise. Sea Voyager dropped anchor next to an interesting ecosystem located in Golfo Dulce. Into this small gulf, flow numerous rivers from the surrounding rainforests. To 16th century Spanish explorers, the gulf’s waters appeared to be less salty than the ones found in the Pacific Ocean. They named it Golfo Dulce which means “Fresh Water Gulf”. This gulf is a unique tropical fjord that has changed dramatically throughout the years. It is a dynamic and ever changing environment.
One of the rivers that flows into this gulf is Rincon River. Mangrove forests cover great parts of this gulf and they are among the most productive and biologically complex ecosystems on Earth. With one foot on land and one in the sea, mangroves occupy a zone of desiccating heat, choking mud, and salt levels that could kill an ordinary plant within hours.
There is no better way to go and explore this place than by Zodiacs or kayaks. So right after breakfast, we geared up and went to explore. Some decided to take a walk to enjoy the birding along a rural road. Others exercised kayaking along the mangrove forest while the rest enjoyed our exclusive Zodiacs. We could appreciate roseate spoonbills roosting in the canopy, shellfish attached to the roots as well as crabs. Each mangrove provides a nursery ground for fish. Each of them has an ultra filtration system to keep the salt out and a complex root system that allows them to survive this area poor in oxygen.
After understanding the calls for mangrove conservations, we returned to the ship and got prepared for our next destination. During lunch, Sea Voyager repositioned and dropped anchor in front of a fantastic botanical garden lovingly created and cared for by an American couple, Ron and Trudy Macallister. They began their endeavor on an abandoned cacao plantation around 26 years ago.
After an interesting lecture about reptiles of Costa Rica and Panama, given by our guest lecturer Chris Andrews from the California Academy of Sciences, we were ready to go ashore and explore this garden. With a huge collection of tropical plants and flowers, this garden was a perfect place for birding. We explored with our cameras and binoculars to enjoy the dynamics between flora and fauna.
As we returned back on board, a pair of scarlet macaws flew by giving us a farewell from Costa Rica. Around 125 nautical miles lay between us and our next destination, Coiba Island National Park in Panama.
