Rancho Los Inocentes and Bahia Santa Elena
The unmistakable sound of the anchor being dropped told us that a new day was just about to start. After breakfast everyone got ready for an expedition away from our ship, and off we went inland to a typical Costa Rican ranch.
After a short bus ride we were welcomed by three scarlet macaws – literally! These semi-domesticated birds welcomed us to Hacienda Los Inocentes with “hellos” and “holas”. Here a variety of activities awaited us, including horseback riding, a tractor pull, swimming and a barbecue lunch!
The horseback riders were set up for the adventure… crossing some rivers, riding through tropical savannahs and under a lush tropical forest. Why not?
But how does a tractor ride through the forest sound? Well at the beginning we were not very sure but definitely after crossing a river and many muddy pools, we knew we had taken the right option.
Little by little our eyes got used to the thick green forest surrounding us, and suddenly someone screamed: “monkeys, over there!” Spider monkeys were spotted! Jumping from one branch to the next, oblivious that they were over 70 feet from the ground, using their tails as an anchor, they disappeared in the dense canopy foliage. But that was just the beginning of the show; the next ones to enter the stage were the white-throated capuchins, followed by the howler monkeys… which we actually got to hear before we really saw them.
Not bad at all for a tractor ride, three different species of monkeys, tons of butterflies, birds… and fun. We left the ranch with great pictures but even better memories.
Back on board, the ship repositioned to a dream bay, almost like a gigantic jade-colored pool, where the activities ranged from snorkeling, kayaking, and swimming from the stern to having the courage to surf the waves with the torpedo blaster.
And after all this… we even had the chance to enjoy a beautiful sunset: pink, blues and purples decorating the end of another great day.
The unmistakable sound of the anchor being dropped told us that a new day was just about to start. After breakfast everyone got ready for an expedition away from our ship, and off we went inland to a typical Costa Rican ranch.
After a short bus ride we were welcomed by three scarlet macaws – literally! These semi-domesticated birds welcomed us to Hacienda Los Inocentes with “hellos” and “holas”. Here a variety of activities awaited us, including horseback riding, a tractor pull, swimming and a barbecue lunch!
The horseback riders were set up for the adventure… crossing some rivers, riding through tropical savannahs and under a lush tropical forest. Why not?
But how does a tractor ride through the forest sound? Well at the beginning we were not very sure but definitely after crossing a river and many muddy pools, we knew we had taken the right option.
Little by little our eyes got used to the thick green forest surrounding us, and suddenly someone screamed: “monkeys, over there!” Spider monkeys were spotted! Jumping from one branch to the next, oblivious that they were over 70 feet from the ground, using their tails as an anchor, they disappeared in the dense canopy foliage. But that was just the beginning of the show; the next ones to enter the stage were the white-throated capuchins, followed by the howler monkeys… which we actually got to hear before we really saw them.
Not bad at all for a tractor ride, three different species of monkeys, tons of butterflies, birds… and fun. We left the ranch with great pictures but even better memories.
Back on board, the ship repositioned to a dream bay, almost like a gigantic jade-colored pool, where the activities ranged from snorkeling, kayaking, and swimming from the stern to having the courage to surf the waves with the torpedo blaster.
And after all this… we even had the chance to enjoy a beautiful sunset: pink, blues and purples decorating the end of another great day.
