Osa Peninsula: Mud, Monkeys and Macaws
Is a visit to the rain forest without rain complete? Of course not!
Today we finally got to the real jungle at the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. From the ship we could only see tropical rain forest. Along the coast was the park but the other side there was actually a community, the community of Osa. From the little town of Drake a trail goes along the coast through the jungle with a little house now and then, small lodges and even a small school, but you can’t see anything. Although the land could be extremely valuable, the locals just want to keep it as it is. Some things are just more valuable that money…
Our first stop was in Playa Caletas private reserve, a 200 acres reserve that is exclusive for us in the days of our visit. We divided up into groups to explore this reserve. Some guests went on a longer walk through the jungle, while others bird watched and took pictures along the public trail. Then the rain came. Walking in the jungle with the rain was an unforgettable experience for our group. Rain was the perfect complement for a walk in this incredible ecosystem.
In the afternoon after a perfect lunch as usual, we got ready to visit the famous Corcovado National Park. The rain had stopped and we knew that after a good rain there would be more animal activity. True enough we got out of the Zodiacs and Scarlet Macaws were at the tip of our lenses for great pictures. After the Macaws we started down the trails, some went for a long hike along the coast while others went to the waterfall. In both cases monkeys came into the scene. Howler monkeys on the trail to the waterfall and Spider Monkeys on the Pargo Trail.
The only ones that paid the price for our enjoyment in the jungle were our shoes. The trails were full of mud so if you decided to walk in sandals you got a mud treatment and for those in runners they came out in a different color. At the end of the day as we were trying to get the mud off our shoes all we could think of was: Did I get the light right when I took photos of the monkeys and the macaws? I should have tried a different setting! We love what we love.
