Caletas Beach & Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
Tropical Rain Forests have been, for over 30 years, the place everyone wants to save, but do we really know where they are and why they are so important to protect it? Tropical forests are located around the world’s belly, covering 7% of it. The oldest ones are called paleotropics and are located in Southeast Asia and the Congo Basin in Africa. The youngest tropical rain forests extend from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico all the way through Central America to the Amazon Basin, comprising 57% of the rain forest of the world.
If we were about to list the main ingredients of this type of ecosystem, we would start with towering trees, whose height averages 120 feet. They have large extended buttresses to support their height, shallow tap roots due to the unfertile soils, superficial waters and nutrients on the ground. Then we would cover the trunks with hundreds of epiphytes, climbing philodendrons, rosette shape bromeliads and hanging vines as thick and twisted as a sailor’s rope. For coloring we would use all the possible shades of green and every now and then a splash of red, orange, fuchsia or purple for tiny flowers or fruits.
The closer to sea level and the closer to the equator a tropical forest is, the more complex its structure. It will have more species of plants, and therefore it will allow more species of animals to play a different role in it.
Today was the day to completely fulfill our expectations of walking through a real rain forest. During the morning we visited a private preserve called Caletas Beach, there we had three options to explore its gorgeous forest: a horseback ride along the beach and forest edge, a bird walk in the gardens, and a loop trail, long and strenuous but brimming with troops of howler, spider and white-faced capuchin monkeys.
For the afternoon we repositioned the ship to Corcovado National Park, one of the largest protected areas and the main symbol of conservation for Costa Rica. Due to its considerable size it hosts some of the largest mammals within the tropics, like tapirs and jaguars. We had different walks to choose from, one brought us to a refreshing waterfall pool and the other two allowed us to be up close and personal with the tropics.
As the sun was setting low and colorful in the horizon, we all returned to the Sea Voyager with muddy shoes, big smiles and expectations fulfilled.
Tropical Rain Forests have been, for over 30 years, the place everyone wants to save, but do we really know where they are and why they are so important to protect it? Tropical forests are located around the world’s belly, covering 7% of it. The oldest ones are called paleotropics and are located in Southeast Asia and the Congo Basin in Africa. The youngest tropical rain forests extend from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico all the way through Central America to the Amazon Basin, comprising 57% of the rain forest of the world.
If we were about to list the main ingredients of this type of ecosystem, we would start with towering trees, whose height averages 120 feet. They have large extended buttresses to support their height, shallow tap roots due to the unfertile soils, superficial waters and nutrients on the ground. Then we would cover the trunks with hundreds of epiphytes, climbing philodendrons, rosette shape bromeliads and hanging vines as thick and twisted as a sailor’s rope. For coloring we would use all the possible shades of green and every now and then a splash of red, orange, fuchsia or purple for tiny flowers or fruits.
The closer to sea level and the closer to the equator a tropical forest is, the more complex its structure. It will have more species of plants, and therefore it will allow more species of animals to play a different role in it.
Today was the day to completely fulfill our expectations of walking through a real rain forest. During the morning we visited a private preserve called Caletas Beach, there we had three options to explore its gorgeous forest: a horseback ride along the beach and forest edge, a bird walk in the gardens, and a loop trail, long and strenuous but brimming with troops of howler, spider and white-faced capuchin monkeys.
For the afternoon we repositioned the ship to Corcovado National Park, one of the largest protected areas and the main symbol of conservation for Costa Rica. Due to its considerable size it hosts some of the largest mammals within the tropics, like tapirs and jaguars. We had different walks to choose from, one brought us to a refreshing waterfall pool and the other two allowed us to be up close and personal with the tropics.
As the sun was setting low and colorful in the horizon, we all returned to the Sea Voyager with muddy shoes, big smiles and expectations fulfilled.
