Golfo Dulce
This morning we cleared customs early in Golfito, Costa Rica after navigating 12 hours from Panama. Golfito is located in a small bay inside Golfo Dulce, at the south of Costa Rica. The gulf here is one of four tropical fjords in the world, a tectonic formation that reaches almost 700 feet in its deepest parts.
The waters are calm in this area, almost resembling a lake. After a short time we repositioned in front of Casa Orquideas, an outstanding botanical garden surrounded by tropical rain forest. Casa Orquideas is owned by an American couple who moved to Costa Rica many years ago, and established themselves in this remote area.
As we landed in front of the gardens, a pair of scarlet macaws flew by and landed in a palm tree in the gardens, where they spend a while eating the fruit. We all got great photographs of these beautiful birds, with red, yellow and blue feathers.
The time in the gardens was great, warm and humid, perfect for hosting the wild biodiversity of the area. Flowers of all colors, orchids in bloom and many trails around the property take you around this piece of paradise. One of the main highlights was the presence of a non poisonous bird-eating snake, close to 7 feet in length, which was slowly moving on the garden floor searching for insects, lizards or birds. Most of the guests were able to take a nerve-free shot of the snake, some quite close thanks to telephoto lenses. After a while, we discovered the snake had found a nest of spotted-crowned euphonias. Unfortunately for the birds, their two chicks were taken. The event was really amazing, after all is nature’s way.
After lunch, Maguil Cespedes gave an interesting lecture on tropical plants and fruits and later we cruises on Zodiacs around the mangroves of Golfito, were we saw dull-mantled howler monkeys, white-faced cappuccin monkeys, chestnut-mandibled toucans, ospreys and egrets among many other species. The day was closed with recaps during cocktail hour.
