Rancho Los Inocentes & Bahia Santa Helena
The second day of our voyage just ended and it was just another incredibly beautiful day in the Neo-tropics. We started the day with a bus ride through the country landscape of Guanacaste region, one of the seven provinces of Costa Rica and in this case the most northern Pacific one. Our destination was Los Inocentes Ranch, one of the first haciendas to open its doors to tourists, and here our options are many and decisions are hard to make. We sorted ourselves between a nature hike, a tractor ride, or horseback riding. Each option resulted in great sightings, with great views of Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth, mantled howler monkey, Central American spider monkey, long-tailed manakin, and white-throated magpie-jay. Some of us on the hike managed to see a display of the acrobatic abilities of the spider monkey jumping from branch to branch and from tree to tree.
But one of the first creatures welcoming us to the ranch with its call and beauty was the Keel-billed toucan as you can see in the picture is quiet colorful. These are largely frugivorous birds using their large and light bill to reach to fruits at the end of the branches or even to reach fruit from a lower branch by hanging upside down, but they are not picky about their diet, and will take lizards, frogs, and chicks or eggs from other birds.
After our return we had a great afternoon at Bahia Santa Helena were we did our first snorkeling, torpedo blaster rides and enjoyed a beautiful sunset to close our day. This evening we also enjoyed a Costa Rican buffet dinner and after dinner some of us saw our first yellow-bellied sea snake.
The second day of our voyage just ended and it was just another incredibly beautiful day in the Neo-tropics. We started the day with a bus ride through the country landscape of Guanacaste region, one of the seven provinces of Costa Rica and in this case the most northern Pacific one. Our destination was Los Inocentes Ranch, one of the first haciendas to open its doors to tourists, and here our options are many and decisions are hard to make. We sorted ourselves between a nature hike, a tractor ride, or horseback riding. Each option resulted in great sightings, with great views of Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth, mantled howler monkey, Central American spider monkey, long-tailed manakin, and white-throated magpie-jay. Some of us on the hike managed to see a display of the acrobatic abilities of the spider monkey jumping from branch to branch and from tree to tree.
But one of the first creatures welcoming us to the ranch with its call and beauty was the Keel-billed toucan as you can see in the picture is quiet colorful. These are largely frugivorous birds using their large and light bill to reach to fruits at the end of the branches or even to reach fruit from a lower branch by hanging upside down, but they are not picky about their diet, and will take lizards, frogs, and chicks or eggs from other birds.
After our return we had a great afternoon at Bahia Santa Helena were we did our first snorkeling, torpedo blaster rides and enjoyed a beautiful sunset to close our day. This evening we also enjoyed a Costa Rican buffet dinner and after dinner some of us saw our first yellow-bellied sea snake.
