Corcovado National Park and Playa Caletas
This morning the sunrise was magical. After breakfast we started going into shore. Around 8:00 A.M. black clouds started to congregate around us and we feared another storm like the one we experienced yesterday afternoon. But in the tropics everything is unpredictable and soon the sun came out and a fresh breeze accompanied us during the entire day. The temperature remained in the low seventies Fahrenheit, which made all our activities all the more pleasant.
Since the 1970s, the people and government of Costa Rica have been seriously committed to the conservation of their forests. This country is approximately the size of West Virginia (or of Holland) and about 24% of its territory is under some kind of governmental protection. Corcovado National Park is one of the most pristine parks in the country’s “System of Conservation Areas.” It possesses some of the most impressive primary forests. To get there, one must either do it by boat (as we did it) or by plane, then car, then boat, which is the way most people do it. It is this magnificent isolation that has preserved Corcovado’s forests.
Our walks through the forest led us to a clear and fresh waterfall in the midst of a jungle, the likes of which most of us had only seen in the movies or in our dreams. However, the feeling of being there is something that cannot be described with words. By noon our adventure in the rainforest was over. Perhaps the most exciting (and scary) experience was the one that some of us had as we encountered a fer-de-lance snake on the path.
Lunch was a barbeque served on Caletas Beach not far from the park. It was a relaxing day in which everyone could “do their own thing”: some of us went horseback riding, others went birdwatching or swimming on the beach or simply relaxed under the trees.
Back on the ship the sun once again “showed off” it’s ability to impress us with its combination of colors. We stood on the sun deck for almost an hour enjoying a spectacular sunset that no firework show could ever challenge. It has definitely been a good day for our spirits.
This morning the sunrise was magical. After breakfast we started going into shore. Around 8:00 A.M. black clouds started to congregate around us and we feared another storm like the one we experienced yesterday afternoon. But in the tropics everything is unpredictable and soon the sun came out and a fresh breeze accompanied us during the entire day. The temperature remained in the low seventies Fahrenheit, which made all our activities all the more pleasant.
Since the 1970s, the people and government of Costa Rica have been seriously committed to the conservation of their forests. This country is approximately the size of West Virginia (or of Holland) and about 24% of its territory is under some kind of governmental protection. Corcovado National Park is one of the most pristine parks in the country’s “System of Conservation Areas.” It possesses some of the most impressive primary forests. To get there, one must either do it by boat (as we did it) or by plane, then car, then boat, which is the way most people do it. It is this magnificent isolation that has preserved Corcovado’s forests.
Our walks through the forest led us to a clear and fresh waterfall in the midst of a jungle, the likes of which most of us had only seen in the movies or in our dreams. However, the feeling of being there is something that cannot be described with words. By noon our adventure in the rainforest was over. Perhaps the most exciting (and scary) experience was the one that some of us had as we encountered a fer-de-lance snake on the path.
Lunch was a barbeque served on Caletas Beach not far from the park. It was a relaxing day in which everyone could “do their own thing”: some of us went horseback riding, others went birdwatching or swimming on the beach or simply relaxed under the trees.
Back on the ship the sun once again “showed off” it’s ability to impress us with its combination of colors. We stood on the sun deck for almost an hour enjoying a spectacular sunset that no firework show could ever challenge. It has definitely been a good day for our spirits.
