Golfo Dulce, Rio Esquinas & Casa Orquideas, Costa Rica
For the last couple of decades we have traveled along the Pacific on the southern Central American isthmus. Over the years we have realized that the efforts of preserving vast tracts of land and marine ecosystems have been successful. The wildlife is prosperous and seems triumphant after many years of deforestation, hunting pressure and extraction of different natural resources.
As we left Coiba Island yesterday and entered Costa Rican waters today, we noticed the continuation of this preservation effort. Many have contributed on this endeavor, from different private organizations to government initiatives.
Located inside the Golfo Dulce, we arrived to our first port of call: Golfito. This city was a former essential division of the exports of bananas from the United Fruit Company on the southern region of Costa Rica. The greenery and towering vegetation was illuminated by a resplendent sun, as we waited to clear immigration and customs to later proceed to our next destination: Rio Esquinas.
Located less than a couple of hours away from Golfito, Rio Esquinas is one of the largest rivers in the area within the Piedras Blancas National Park. Created around 1991, Piedras Blancas is part of a complex system of biological corridors and buffer zones that connect to the Osa Peninsula. By late morning, most of our guests explored this system of mangroves on a Zodiac ride or while kayaking. We witnessed the splendor of the vegetation and the birdlife that inhabits this wetland.
In the early afternoon we repositioned the ship to Casa Orquideas Botanical Garden. The presence of some rain did not discourage our enthusiastic group of guests. All of us eagerly walked the trails of this property discovering the substantial flora that make the tropics a providential realm.
