The trip took two hours. Our boatman and guide was David, and he has lived in this area all his life. He knows the river like the back of his hand. He has eyes like a hawk and could spot creatures that the rest of us couldn’t see at first. He is very knowledgeable about the ecosystem, the plants, trees, insects, birds and animals and passionate in what he does. We learned so much - saw birds I had never seen before. I could have spent all day on the river.
This area has the largest nesting colony of leatherback sea turtles on the Pacific Coast of the Americas. There are seven species of mangrove trees in Costa Rica and we saw most, if not all, of them. At one point, we got off the boat and walked to where there were howler monkeys up in the trees. Back on the boat, we were given water bottles and fresh cut pineapple slices.
A funny story: you have to wade out to the boats so off came shoes and socks. All of us were boarded - except Lance. He was still on the beach taking off his shoes when our boat started to leave. I had to shout and point at him, “mi esposo!!!”. It was awkward getting off the boat and into the water after the tour, but there was a nice strong man there to help!
The river boats - Lance on the left in blue shirt:
David our guide and mangrove trees:
Giant termite nests. They are everywhere and are an important part of the ecosystem:
I think David said this is the cocobolo tree, aka rosewood, a tropical hardwood. Correct me if I am wrong. It has beautiful colours and patterns in the grain and the wood is used to make fine furniture, wooden bowls, and musical instruments. It is not dead. Many trees here lose their leaves in the dry season.
Howler monkeys - hard to get a really sharp photo:
Lazing away the day:
Short video about the mangrove forests of Costa Rica, this one being on the Rio Tigre, Osa Peninsula, in southwestern Costa Rica.
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