Today was our last day in Costa Rica, and we spent the full day exploring Golfo Dulce. This is one of the two gulfs of the country and a very interesting one; it looks a bit like a fjord, but in the tropics, and it was not made by a glacier but by local tectonic faults that created a very deep gulf with depths up to 600 feet but with a very shallow entrance of 180 feet. This creates a limited water exchange between the gulf and the Pacific Ocean, making its water less salty than the ocean waters, especially during the rainy season.

This place in not only unique in its morphology but also in its flora and fauna and today we had a chance to experience some of that.

Early in the day we explored a little piece of paradise called Casa Orquidea, “the house of the orchids,” which can be better described as a botanical garden carved in the middle of the tropical rain forest. And let me tell you that with the tropical weather, the plants in the garden are doing very well, so we were able to take our time looking at orchids, heliconias, and palms, and any possible tropical plant that you can think of, plus the extra bonus of all the tropical animals that come to the garden to take advantage of its flowers and fruit, including many birds like toucans, macaws, tanagers, and honey creepers.

After our walks through the garden we enjoyed a nice dip in the waters of the gulf before lunch.

In the afternoon we explored the mangrove forest of Rio Esquinas, in zodiac rides as well as kayaking, where we not only got great looks at this very complex ecosystem but got some more sightings of wildlife including white-throated capuchin monkeys and a few tree boas.

This turned out to be not only a full day but a very fruitful one; tomorrow we will start exploring Panama, slowly making our way to the canal!