Osa Peninsula
On the second day of our trip, we woke up near the southernmost peninsula of the Costa Rican Pacific: the Osa Peninsula. National Geographic Sea Lion was anchored inside the secluded and peaceful Drake’s Bay area, where our Zodiac drivers Henry and Eric are from; this is one of the best rain forests in the Mesoamerican region.
We repositioned a little later this morning towards our first stop of the day: Caletas Bay, where Enrique BanBan has a privately-owned 72-hectare preserve. We offered three options for exploration: horseback riding, a long forest walk and a shorter forest walk. We all came back with great reports about sightings: everything from very small leafcutter ants and their incredible story about the fungus they feed the leaves to and the all-female workers inside the colony; to the close sightings of white-throated capuchin monkeys and scarlet macaws re-bonding for the breeding season.
After our morning activities, the hotel staff brought us lunch on the beach: BBQ ribs, burgers, potato salad, coleslaw, watermelon and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. What more can one ask for a New Year´s Eve lunch?!
After lunch, we went back on board Sea Lion and cruised to the east of Caletas, to Corcovado National Park. This is one of Costa Rica´s most pristine parks; practically detached from the mainland by a narrow isthmus, Corcovado has been very isolated from human intervention for a long time. In the 70s and 80s many ¨oreros, ¨ or gold panners, moved into the area to try and find fortune, but the government moved them out and declared the area a national park.
Tapir, jaguar, pumas, macaws, and toucans still make this area their home. Walking through its trails, one gets to enjoy the true meaning of the tropical rainforest, biodiversity, wilderness, greenery, monkeys, birds and plants; but also mud, sweat, humidity and fallen trees. No one said it had to be easy!!! But it is all of these things that make the experience an authentic one. To put the cherry on top, we got to swim in the cool waters of the deep forest.
HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone!!!
