Casa Orquidea & Rincon River, Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica
The calm water at high tide almost reached the roots of the lush vegetation of the rainforest. The clouds were still shading the botanical garden after the sunrise. The Sea Voyager anchored so close that we could hear the toucans as they sang. We disembarked after breakfast to discover the colors of the flowers, but we found much more. Toucans, scarlet macaws, manakins and tanagers displayed wonderful colors, too.
After we came back on board, we swam from the stern. The water seemed to have the right temperature, refreshing and inviting. While in the water two groups of dolphins swam nearby, the bottlenose and the spotted.
We navigated during lunch in the Golfo Dulce to reach the western most area of the gulf to visit Rincon River. This river mouth is home to a well preserved mangrove estuary. The constant struggle between land and sea is settled in these grounds, where the roots of the mangrove trees slow down the water and help the consolidation of sediments. Among these roots live countless marine creatures using them as shelter. The productivity and wealth of nutrients of this environment contrast with the poor soils in rainforests.
The kayakers paddled in the mangrove forest as they explored the estuary. The walkers found toucans and two toed sloths and the Zodiac cruisers took a leisurely ride up the river. The Amazon, the green and the ringed kingfisher flew by while we were seeing more stationary species like the white ibis, the snowy egrets and the tricolored heron. We came back aboard to watch the sunset, wrap up our stay in Costa Rica and anxiously wait for our first day in Panama.
