The Osa Peninsula — ¨Jungle all around¨
Please, let’s be quiet and listen…these are the sounds of the tropical rain forest. So different, so charming so mysterious. What sounds like a big monster is just a group of happy Howler Monkeys, the loud birds are parrots as expected and so many other sweet sounds — it make you want to hang a hammock and just relax… but wait a minute: isn’t the jungle a dangerous dark place full of bugs and animals that threatened you life? Today all the guests aboard National Geographic Sea Lion discovered that this is not true; the tropical rain forest is beautiful, fun, relaxing and a very interesting ecosystem.
This morning we arrived to the Osa Peninsula, one of the Costa Rica’s most wild and pristine tropical rain forests. The only way to visit these jungles is by boat or hiking for days through road-less rain forest. The area has a small village called Drake and a walking path along the coast with some campgrounds and little homes. Until you arrive at the National Park of Corcovado, the rest of the land is jungle all around.
In the morning we visited Playa Caletas private reserve where some of us did long hikes through the jungle and found many interesting birds including parrots, toucans, trogons, antbirds, and manakings among others. Towards the end of the trail we found a thee-toed sloth, one of the most difficult animals to find in the rain forest because of its slow movements and good camouflage. The horseback riders had not only an incredible ride along the coast but also found a lot of wildlife such as white-faced monkeys, Toucans and Scarlet Macaws.
The afternoon was full of adventures and surprises. We chose between two trails. One went along the beach and through the rain forest. On it we saw spotted howler monkeys, spider monkeys, agoutis, macaws, trogons, tiger herons and more. We walked on a muddy trail over trees and roots and all of it made for a perfect jungle adventure. The other hike was to a waterfall, and it was no less exciting. It included a river crossing, and after looking at this beautiful waterfall in the middle of the rain forest we were entitle to a nice swim in our exclusive “Expedition Swimming Hole” — only for the adventurous!
The only thing left for the evening is an incredible Thanksgiving dinner in Drake Bay with a chorus of Howler Monkeys in the background.
