Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica
Our last day in Costa Rica was spent entirely in the large bay of Golfo Dulce bounded on the west and north by the Osa Peninsula and on the east by mainland Costa Rica. As the sun rose and began warming the air we anchored off a high densely forested ridge. Just above the shoreline someone spotted the sign of the small botanical garden we would visit right after breakfast. Casa Orquideas is a work of love by a transplanted American couple, Ron and Trudy MacAllister who have put over 20 years of hard labor in to making a lovely piece of paradise. Pebble paths wind among plantings of mostly native plants and a scattered few non-native species. We were first introduced to the energetic couple and then divided into groups with the ship’s naturalists to explore the relatively small area of the gardens. However, even though the gardens cover a relatively small amount of property, one could spend hours walking slowly around the pebble paths to take in all of the lovely plants and search for birds flitting around through the treetops. Most of us had an opportunity to see the beautifully pure white and black hawk, aptly named White Hawk. A ghostly figure as it moved from tree branch to shaded shrub. This was just one large bird among dozens of smaller bird species inhabiting the trees and forests around the gardens. Chestnut-mandibled toucans were also a very popular species seen gliding through the trees or just heard in the tree canopy on the slopes surrounding the garden.
Returning to the ship a few people took advantage of the warm waters of the gulf and swam from the aft part of the ship. A little exercise worked up an appetite for the day’s lunch served in the lounge where we could see the scenery passing by as we moved further into the gulf. The afternoon found us anchored at the very end of the gulf at a spot called Rincon. Rain clouds threatened but for those of us venturing out we experienced only a few sprinkles. Typical of tropical rain at this time of year, rain is very local and can pass within a second from getting wet to bright sun. A few people opted to walk for exercise on the quiet road just above the shoreline. A few of the walkers stayed with Fico to focus on looking for birds. A group of 6 kayaks launched from the stern of the ship to explore quietly along the mangrove channels and then into the river. The majority of people chose to cruise slowly by Zodiac along the mangroves and into the river. Many species of birds were observed perched in the mangroves along the river and in the trees bordering the banks. A sharp eyed guest spotted a light brown lump in one of the trees overhanging the river bank. Upon closer inspection we could see that the lump was actually a two-toed sloth and on it’s belly was a small but very active baby, already feeding on the same leaves its mother was consuming. As the sun disappeared behind the hills to the west the last of the Zodiac cruisers, walkers, and kayakers returned to the ship. During the evening we would make our way out of Costa Rican waters and into Panama.
Our last day in Costa Rica was spent entirely in the large bay of Golfo Dulce bounded on the west and north by the Osa Peninsula and on the east by mainland Costa Rica. As the sun rose and began warming the air we anchored off a high densely forested ridge. Just above the shoreline someone spotted the sign of the small botanical garden we would visit right after breakfast. Casa Orquideas is a work of love by a transplanted American couple, Ron and Trudy MacAllister who have put over 20 years of hard labor in to making a lovely piece of paradise. Pebble paths wind among plantings of mostly native plants and a scattered few non-native species. We were first introduced to the energetic couple and then divided into groups with the ship’s naturalists to explore the relatively small area of the gardens. However, even though the gardens cover a relatively small amount of property, one could spend hours walking slowly around the pebble paths to take in all of the lovely plants and search for birds flitting around through the treetops. Most of us had an opportunity to see the beautifully pure white and black hawk, aptly named White Hawk. A ghostly figure as it moved from tree branch to shaded shrub. This was just one large bird among dozens of smaller bird species inhabiting the trees and forests around the gardens. Chestnut-mandibled toucans were also a very popular species seen gliding through the trees or just heard in the tree canopy on the slopes surrounding the garden.
Returning to the ship a few people took advantage of the warm waters of the gulf and swam from the aft part of the ship. A little exercise worked up an appetite for the day’s lunch served in the lounge where we could see the scenery passing by as we moved further into the gulf. The afternoon found us anchored at the very end of the gulf at a spot called Rincon. Rain clouds threatened but for those of us venturing out we experienced only a few sprinkles. Typical of tropical rain at this time of year, rain is very local and can pass within a second from getting wet to bright sun. A few people opted to walk for exercise on the quiet road just above the shoreline. A few of the walkers stayed with Fico to focus on looking for birds. A group of 6 kayaks launched from the stern of the ship to explore quietly along the mangrove channels and then into the river. The majority of people chose to cruise slowly by Zodiac along the mangroves and into the river. Many species of birds were observed perched in the mangroves along the river and in the trees bordering the banks. A sharp eyed guest spotted a light brown lump in one of the trees overhanging the river bank. Upon closer inspection we could see that the lump was actually a two-toed sloth and on it’s belly was a small but very active baby, already feeding on the same leaves its mother was consuming. As the sun disappeared behind the hills to the west the last of the Zodiac cruisers, walkers, and kayakers returned to the ship. During the evening we would make our way out of Costa Rican waters and into Panama.
