What a great way to end the first half of our trip, and our transit through Costa Rica! Today we got to explore the southernmost gulf on the Pacific side, Golfo Dulce or the “sweet gulf” - it is a complete privilege! No big hotel chains or developers have yet discovered this magnificent place, and the absence of large buildings and very “empty” coasts, give the area the sensation of the pristine untouched forests we all yearn for. With green mountains surrounding the entire gulf, one feels totally in touch with nature. Many of the Costa Ricans who live in the cities of the Central Valley, have never visited this beautiful region, as it is considerably far away from the larger metropolitan area, but for a small ship it is quite easy to reach this exceptional spot.
We began our day with two choices for disembarking into Casa Orquidea Botanical Garden, owned for the past 35 years by Ron and Trudy McAllister, a couple of American ex-pats who decided a long time ago, to sell all of their belongings and drive south. They made it to the Golfito area and fell in love with its lushness, and since then have made of these 75 acres their home. This morning’s number one choice was an early outing, before breakfast, for anyone interested in birding and in photography, as the early morning light is best for photos and the birds prefer the cooler temperatures of the early hours. Our second choice was a post-breakfast disembarkation to enjoy, primarily, the gardens. The grounds are alive with birdlife, including hummingbirds, scarlet macaws and black mandibled toucans; but also divided into “sub-gardens” which depict numerous varieties of plant groups; for example, the orchid displays, and the bromeliad, heliconia, palm, and fruiting tree (cocoa, Malayan apple, Zapote, starfruit, sour sop, mamey, custard apple, pineapple) gardens.
After exploring the gardens, we had the chance to jump in the water for paddle boarding and/or dip in the very warm waters of the Golfo Dulce. During the early afternoon hours, we had a great surprise for all. A local cacao producer, Alex Retana, came on board to describe to us all there is to know about cacao and chocolate production. We got to listen to his story, and got to see and try all of the phases of cacao production- we now know what to notice and how to shop for chocolate.
Lot of activities this day! Later in the afternoon, we had the choice between going kayaking and taking a boat cruise in a beautifully kept mangrove forest that surrounds the area of Rio Tigre (Tiger River). Off we went in the search of adventure and hopefully some unique mangrove dwellers. Our adventurous spirit was indeed rewarded with sightings of many species of water fowl, little blue herons, snowy egrets, green herons, yellow crowned night herons, white ibis, roseate spoonbills, and many more, plus the rare sighting of quite an amazing bird, the common potoo. With an out of this world sunset, we bid goodbye to friendly Costa Rica knowing that tomorrow will open our eyes to a beautiful Panama.
