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| One of the mysterious bolas de piedra - stone balls |
After walking through the tiny town, we then took a boat downriver to Corcovado. We had a wet landing but were thrilled to be in the heart of the rainforest. We checked into the Corcovado Wilderness Lodge, situated right on the edge of the National Park.
After a brief rest, we went for a guided evening walk around the property. We saw several birds - a woodpecker, heron, macaws, and toucans - as well as a spider monkey enjoying dinner from a fig tree. Halfway through the walk, we stopped at the Margarita Bar for sunset. The view of the Pacific Ocean and Cano Island on the horizon was incredible - it's definitely where we planned to relax before dinner every night!
A huge Costa Rican Orangemouth tarantula was known to live in a tree on a side path. Tarantulas are large, venomous spiders that are primarily nocturnal, so we stopped to see if it had come out of his home. This guy was about the size of my open hand... but I wasn't going to get close enough to double check...
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| Lineated Woodpecker |
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| Central American Spider Monkey |
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| Not gonna complain about this view! |
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| Hello, darkness, my old friend |
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| Red-eyed tree frog |
After it got dark, we saw a variety of fascinating creatures, including gladiator tree frogs, red-eye tree frogs, bullfrogs, toads, tarantulas, and even a juvenile fer-de-lance snake that Manfred almost stepped on. We realized why he had emphasized the importance of having a reliable flashlight and being careful during our walks. It was an exciting, albeit slightly scary experience.
Our visit to Corcovado started early the next day as we geared up for our hike into the National Park. The park, located on the Osa Peninsula, is known for its dense rainforest and incredible biodiversity. The hike was wild and had a similar feel to the Amazon rainforest, with a lot less bugs but definitely hot and very humid after yesterday’s heavy rain.
The Osa Peninsula is a unique location, surrounded by beach and dense rainforest. Corcovado National Park, located on the peninsula, is considered one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world, with around 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity. We were excited to experience the wild rainforest and explore the area. We were greeted by a variety of bird species, with the Great Curassow being the most prominent.
As we continued our hike, we made our way down to San Pedrillo Beach. Unfortunately, the beach was home to a swarm of little invisible sand flies that relentlessly attacked us and left us with many bites.
We continued on our hike along the beach, taking in the sight of coconuts that had sprouted and even spotting a night orchid.
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| Yer so great, Mr. Curassow |
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| Didn't really want to hug these trees... |
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| A pretty little ghost anole |
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| Night orchid |
Back at San Pedrillo Beach, we saw an American crocodile in a lagoon, as well as several herons. When, as we were relaxing before our return hike, I spotted a random shape in the surf. It was another crocodile, swimming in the ocean! Crocodiles can grow up to 14 feet long and weigh up to 2,000 pounds, so I totally get it that they warned us not to go into the water!
After the hike, we made our way back to the resort for a picnic lunch on the beach. On the walk back, we were greeted by several bird species, including a Common black hawk, keel-billed toucans, scarlet macaws, and crested guans.
After a much needed shower, we had a lovely massage overlooking the ocean; then went straight to Margarita Bar for drinks.
Manfred showed us the footage from the camera traps around the park, showing tapir, peccaries, agouti, coati. On another camera, there was footage of an ocelot, puma, and jaguar that crossed the same area in the span of one week! We spent some time chatting with Manfred about conservation and education, which made for an interesting evening.
Today we opted to take a tour into the largest mangrove on the Pacific Coast. A mangrove is a plant that grows in brackish water, where fresh and salt water mix. They absorb and store a huge amount of carbon and their roots protect the coastlines from erosion, so they play a big role in fighting climate change. Additionally, they provide an important habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. The mangroves near Drake Bay make up the largest mangrove forest in Costa Rica, so we were eager to get a closer look.
We took the boat over to the Sierpe River, then slowly made our way back towards town. We stopped in several inlets to see up close the red mangroves and the animals who lived there.
Another surprising sight while motoring back downriver was a large American crocodile swimming in the Sierpe River! It was unusual to see a crocodile in this area so close to town, but the locals say that lately they’ve been told not to swim in the river because of this very risk.
After returning to the resort, we had a relaxing afternoon and evening, hanging out at the Margarita Bar and playing cards with the three kids that we'd met and befriended.
FRIDAY, APRIL 7
While our original plan was just to relax for the day, we decided to take advantage of a last-minute opportunity to join Jose’s hike through the forest surrounding the lodge. Since it was our last day in Corcovado, we decided jump on the opportunity. The hike was particularly interesting since we crossed thought both primary and secondary forest.
We saw many strange fungi, including ones that looked like fur and another that looked like white veins on the trunk of a tree. These fungi play important roles in the ecosystem, breaking down dead plant matter and recycling nutrients back into the soil.
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| Common black hawk |
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| Scarlet Macaw |
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| Not a bad place for a massage... |
Manfred showed us the footage from the camera traps around the park, showing tapir, peccaries, agouti, coati. On another camera, there was footage of an ocelot, puma, and jaguar that crossed the same area in the span of one week! We spent some time chatting with Manfred about conservation and education, which made for an interesting evening.
THURSDAY, APRIL 6
Today we opted to take a tour into the largest mangrove on the Pacific Coast. A mangrove is a plant that grows in brackish water, where fresh and salt water mix. They absorb and store a huge amount of carbon and their roots protect the coastlines from erosion, so they play a big role in fighting climate change. Additionally, they provide an important habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. The mangroves near Drake Bay make up the largest mangrove forest in Costa Rica, so we were eager to get a closer look.
On one of our first stops we spied a tiny Amazon Kingfisher, and while we were admiring the bird, our boat driver Junior spotted a three-toed sloth in the tree above. It’s amazing what the locals see that we can’t!
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| Taking a break from working at the DMV... |
Continuing up the river, we saw tons of mangrove crabs in the roots and on the bank. We also found an American pygmy kingfisher, a troop of several dozen squirrel monkeys, a sunning anhinga with outstretched wings, and a very well-hidden potoo.
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| We see you, potoo! |
One of the most interesting finds was a yellow-headed caracara that we being attacked by two very territorial social flycatchers – it was fun watching the bold little flycatchers swooping down to divebomb the much larger hawk:
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| The lovely view from the Margarita Bar |
While our original plan was just to relax for the day, we decided to take advantage of a last-minute opportunity to join Jose’s hike through the forest surrounding the lodge. Since it was our last day in Corcovado, we decided jump on the opportunity. The hike was particularly interesting since we crossed thought both primary and secondary forest.
We saw many strange fungi, including ones that looked like fur and another that looked like white veins on the trunk of a tree. These fungi play important roles in the ecosystem, breaking down dead plant matter and recycling nutrients back into the soil.
The Corcovado rainforest is just as lush as the Amazon, but it was interesting that there was a marked difference in the number of bugs. We did see ants, grasshoppers, and moths, but it was nowhere near the quantity that we saw (and heard!!) in Tambopata the year before. While it made for a much more comfortable hike, it also made Costa Rica feel like 'jungle-lite.'
Nonetheless, it's not all fun and games out there! Near the end of the hike, we heard a loud distress call from a spider monkey. Jose explained that at first, he thought the monkey was warning of a nearby predator, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the monkey had likely lost its baby. It was a vivid reminder that nature is metal!
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| The beautiful buttress roots of taller trees help keep them stable in strong winds |
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| Shimmering golden sugar ants. I even love the name! |
My favorite sighting of the day was a group of shimmering golden sugar ants feasting on a grasshopper leg. The ants really did shimmer like metal - they were gorgeous! And I'm curious how big their dinner originally was, since one giant leg seemed like a challenge for the lot...
An early morning departure the next day took us by boat back to Sierpe, where we retrieved our car and drove straight back to San Jose to catch our flight home.
Overall, Costa Rica is a remarkable place where visitors can easily experience amazing biodiversity. Having been to the Amazon the year before, I found it a bit too easy, and having paved walkways and scores of camera-wielding tourists meant a loss of the 'wildness' that I find special about nature. Even so, I think Costa Rica is a great, easy way for people to enjoy and experience the rainforest.
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| Bye, Costa Rica! |
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