Rio Rincon & Casa Orquideas
Four days in Central America have given us a real sense of what it is like to be in the middle of the rain forest, sharing pristine surroundings with the animals that inhabit it.
On our last day of exploration in Costa Rican waters, we have chosen an area known as Rincon, which holds a large ecosystem primarily formed by mangroves trees. Rincon itself is a small town two miles up the river that bears the same name, Rio Rincon. The ocean was calm, almost as if the entire surrounding were a large lake, but this calmness of the ocean is due to the natural barrier of a bay, surrounded by tall black mangrove tress that usually are enough to slow down the speed of the wind.
Our morning was full of options, as the stillness of the water gave the greatest chance for kayaking into and up the river. This was by far the most popular choice among the guests, as there was no kayak left on board once the option was announced! Colorful kayaks and overwhelming sounds of wildlife coming from the forest were the perfect combination for exploring of the river.
The rest of our guests chose to be accompanied by our guides for Zodiac cruises and for a nice walk along the main road near the river, where multiple species of birds were encountered.
For our afternoon, we navigated not too far across the bay to encounter a couple of Americans, Ron and Trudy McAllister, owners of a large beach front property; they decided some twenty-seven years ago to make their dreams come true and construct of one of the largest and most complete privately owned botanical gardens of the region. Casa Orquideas was the perfect spot in the afternoon to admire well over six hundred species of plants, its flowers and all the birds and pollinating species that these attract. As one could expect, it was hot and humid; as soon as we completed our exploration of the endless paths of the garden, the majority of the guests decided to jump quickly in the refreshing waters of the Pacific. And in doing so, we ended our final wonderful day of exploration on Costa Rican land.
