Golfo Dulce & Casa Orquideas, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
After navigating all night from Coiba Island, we crossed the border to start our first day in Costa Rica. Our destination was Golfo Dulce, which is considered a very unusual environment. Known as a tropical fiord, this gulf has very little circulation of water with the Pacific Ocean. A mouth with a depth of only 150 feet shelters a body of water that reaches down to 800 feet. Protected by the wind, it seems like we were on a lake, where we appreciated bottlenose dolphins, yellow bellied sea snakes and several species of seabirds.
Our first outing was Casa Orquideas. This is a wonderful botanical garden in the middle of the rainforest that limits with the Piedras Blancas National Park. The abundance of color in the manicured areas attracts many bird species. Cherrie’s, blue grey and golden hooded tanagers, spotted crowned and thick billed euphonias, red legged and green honeycreepers were conveniently exposed among the blooming plants. A nesting female of red capped manakin was incubating its eggs on the side of the trail. As we heard a distinctive call and looked up to the intense blue sky we could see two white hawks as they were soaring above the property.
After an interesting walk where there were native and exotic species of plants, we were pleasantly surprised to find birds and even tent making bats.
Once we came aboard, we swam from the stern in the calm water of the gulf. The ship was repositioned to Rincon River located in the western corner of the gulf.
Some adventurers decided to experience a private discovery of the area on the kayaks into the mangrove estuary. The other groups walked or took a Zodiac cruise to the meeting point. After a first hand experience with the mangroves, we came back aboard to let the officers of the Sea Voyager take us to our next destinations overnight.
