Osa Peninsula & Corcovado National Park
The first lights lit the horizon at Osa Peninsula. The fresh smell of overnight rain covered the air with sweet aromas and suggestive natural perfumes. Every corner of our foreseen morning destination was enticing and inviting; a very special experience in strict communion with the spirits of the forest. Obviously, for this unique occasion, our first guests to disembark the National Geographic Sea Lion were those participating in the early beach stretching session!
Once our guests were ready, horseback riders were called to partake in our “one of a kind” activity on tropical horses. These animals are amazing indeed! They can just follow the leader over very strenuous trails without hesitation. Our riders were delighted and fully satisfied with the generosity and strength of the Costarican “criollo” horses.
Incidentally the activities this morning occurred on a private protected area known as “a buffer zone”. These particular areas are unbelievably important for the conservation of wild species such as monkeys, birds or reptiles that “cannot read very well” and will not realize they are off their legally protected areas! All of these species definitely depend on the survival of such areas for their own wellbeing. The national park regions of Costa Rica only protect about 12% of the territory. The rest of our protected areas depend a lot on private efforts such as Playa Caletas, which is owned by a local individual deeply involved with active conservation.
Right after our Costa Rican version of “cowboys” took off; we started with the first long hike of the day. Our guests were really excited about taking a walk in one of the most pristine areas in our country. Corcovado National Park, as well as adjacent areas such as Caletas, represents the very best of our conservation efforts and the reward for our guests was absolutely wonderful. Just as we started our walk, the white-throated capuchin monkeys showed up and simply captivated the audience. Soon after, we had our guests on the trail –cameras in hand- not really willing to move much further since the monkeys did not move either. It was hard to avoid these enchanting animals foraging through the rain forest. The task was hard but everyone tried to obtain the best picture of these absolutely fascinating critters!
As we continued, more birds such as the blue-crowned mot-mot, or the great tinamou showed up to permit a glance in the dimmed forest light. Nevertheless, just when our group came out of the forest and the galley was about to start with our expected picnic lunch, the white-throated capuchins decided to come over without invitation. The marvelous opportunity to see these agile primates performing their best jumps and tricks was widely applauded by our guests. Somehow, the monkeys had learned that our improvised canvas canopy –installed for the occasion- would function like a sort of slide. A group of teenage monkeys couldn’t love the attention and the pictures more!
During the afternoon, more walks and more surprises. The “flat walk” participating guests had the opportunity to enjoy an additional show. This time, the performance was started by the spider monkeys, followed by the Central American mantled howler monkeys. What a magnificent day for our guests! Once back on board the National Geographic Sea Lion, we had a festive celebration where everyone treasured their own special memories while they heard a wonderful session of recaps as well as a “preview” of our trip by the VC on board. It’s going to be hard to find a better day, accompanied by great friends and an outstanding sunset in the Pacific Ocean of Costa Rica!
