Today, on our visit to one of the most unique sections of southern Costa Rica, we wanted to start our day on board National Geographic Sea Lion the earliest way possible. At the break of dawn we advanced with our expedition landing crafts in order to discover the Agujitas River. Only accessible during high tide, Agujitas is a quintessential rainforest portrayal, with a steep river rift covered in dense vegetation. The views of the forest and, far in the distance, of the continental divide rising up to 12,400 feet inspired our curiosity to discover more of this realm. The herons were the stars of the day. We saw green herons, little blue herons, yellow-crowned night herons, and bare-throated tiger herons—however the toucans and tityras were important sightings as well.
As soon as we returned and enjoyed breakfast, we replenished our energy in order to explore Caletas Reserve either by horseback riding or walking. The stars of the morning were indeed a pair of scarlet macaws that were feasting with the fruit of beach almond tree (Terminalia catappa). As seed predators, macaws provide very little benefit to the tree due to its fruit being massively consumed by them. Nevertheless, the beach almond produces large amounts of fruit to compensate the loss inflicted by macaws.
By noon, with the companionship of some of our guests, we proceeded to the local school of Caletas to donate a National Geographic Atlas. Professor Alan was extremely moved by our gesture and he thanked us several times, affirming the enormous value of this teaching material for their school of 12 students.
After a delicious picnic lunch provided by our hotel department, we repositioned National Geographic Sea Lion to San Pedrillo Station at Corcovado National Park. During our walks in late afternoon the waterfall or pargo trail enchanted our souls with a pristine ecosystem protected by Costa Rica since 1975. The towering trees, bird life, and primates of the forest were by far unique sightings of the afternoon. After dinner the music of Napoleon—a local artist of Drake’s Bay—complemented a magical end to our day in Osa Peninsula.
