Casa Orquideas Garden & Esquinas River, Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica
After our visit in beautiful Panama, the National Geographic Sea Lion arrived at the port of Golfilto at the break of dawn to clear us all for Costa Rica.
The activities of today took place in a unique environment, the Golfo Dulce, located at the southern end of the pacific coast. This gulf is known as a tropical fjord! Different as the temperate ones, this one was formed by the separation of two micro plates creating a very deep central area, around 700ft. The gulf is surrounded by lush tropical rain forest and many rivers.
As we were cruising to our first morning destination, the shoreline looked desolate but in the distance a beautiful hand painted sign said Welcome to Casa Orquideas. It is the work of a lifetime for Ron and Trudy Mac Allister, a couple of expatriates who found their life passion by creating a stunning living collection of plants, there are orchids, bromeliads, heliconias, palm trees, hibiscus etc. But it is not intended just for the plant lovers, this site is an idyllic paradise to birdwatchers as well.
The most impressive welcome committee greeted us with their loud squawking and bright scarlet feathers, the famous scarlet macaws. They are an endangered species because of their beauty, and it is great luck to spot them. After hundreds of pictures taken by our photo enthusiasts, it was time to relocate for our afternoon destination, the Esquinas River.
The Esquinas River at its mouth is cover by a healthy mangrove forest conformed by red, black, tea, white and buttonwood mangroves. Each one growing at a particular part of the river depending on their capability of thriving in more or less brackish waters. In order to explore them, the guests were able to choose from kayaking through the serpentine water ways of this river, or taking a Zodiac ride with one of the naturalist.
Mangrove ecosystems are very important sites for the protection of fish life because of their role as a safe place for small fish, creating natural barriers against the action of strong waves and high tides, as well as land creators for the rain forest that thrives behind them. The Zodiac cruisers were able to spot a Jesus Christ Lizard (known for its ability to run over water for a short distance) and a beautiful Tree Boa at least 3 feet long, who was a little skittish of our presence but stayed for some pictures. Another incredible sighting was a couple of Southern Lapwings, they are South American birds expanding their range north and they have been recently seen in Costa Rica.
