Osa Peninsula

An early departure from Monteverde saw us driving down the mountain on dirt roads, eventually to join the Pan American highway for the drive south to San Jose.

We took a flight in a small plane to Puerto Jiminez on the Osa Peninsula, one of Costa Rica's most unique and remote areas tucked away in the South West.  An interesting airstrip.  The narrow piece of tarmac was lined on each side by houses, with clothes hung out to dry on the perimeter fence.  As we taxied past a small boy was being bathed in a tin tub.  A dog lay on the end of the runway and casually watched us turn around.  We came to a stop with the wing overhanging the boundary wall to the town's cemetery. The "arrivals hall" was the shade provided by a Balsa Tree and you removed your own baggage from the hold.

We were driven 40 minutes in a land rover along bumpy roads to our retreat for our last 3 nights in Costa Rica, deep in the forests of the Osa Peninsula. El Remanso lodge consists of 12 cabins built on a steep hill (about 300 metres above sea level) that runs down to the coast, accessible via a steep 800 metre trail. The property is set in its own private 150 acre reserve, a wonderful location offering brilliant wildlife viewing opportunities.  After the damp of the cloud forests and rain forests this was the perfect place to unwind, enjoy the warmth and sunshine, swim in the pool, and feel pampered by the high standard of service consistently provided.  We awoke every morning to the sound of howler monkeys calling to each other across the treetops,a sort of primeval roar in surroundings straight out of Jurassic Park. 

 

We took advantage of the activities offered by the lodge.  One day we took an early morning bird watching trip and spotted many of the species endemic only to Costa Rica as well as toucans, parakeets, and beautiful macaws. Another morning we enjoyed our first zip wire experience, "flying" between high-rise platforms set in the trees and breakfasting on fresh pineapple whilst watching the forest come to life.  We abseiled down from the last platform to reach the forest floor.  Finally, another first, and an exhilarating experience, we rappelled down a series of waterfalls hidden deep in the forest. The last of these had a vertical drop of more than 70 feet. We rewarded ourselves by bathing in the rock pools whilst listening to the Pacific Ocean crashing onto the beach.

 

This was the perfect end to an amazing holiday, and it was only with great reluctance that we packed our bags and prepared for the return journey to San Jose, and then two more international flights via Miami back to London.

Monteverde - Selvatura Park

We visited Selvatura Park set 1600 metres up in the cloud forest where we hiked the Canopy Walkway, a 3 kilometre trail incorporating a series of suspension bridges set high above the forest canopy. This operation had a much more commercial feel about it, catering to large numbers of tourists.  The paths were largely concreted over, and the presence of nearby zip lines seemed to us to have driven most of the wildlife away.  Compared to St Elena cloud forest and the night walk it was a disappointing experience.  We did, however, enjoy another opportunity to photograph humming birds, and to see some of Costa Rica's resident species of butterflies.

Creatures of the Night

We went on a night hike into the forest. Armed with powerful torches we probed the undergrowth and scoured the tree tops for signs of life.  Some insects are so well camouflaged it is almost impossible to tell them apart from a leaf or twig, although our guide, Christian, was particularly adept at spotting things for us to see.  We saw stick insects, tiny frogs, green pit vipers, toucans, and more tarantulas. Christian picked up the millipede pictured below,  which, as a defence mechanism, squirted a sweet substance that smelled like marzipan.  It was, in fact, cyanide!

Monteverde and St Elena's Cloud Forest

We drove from La Fortuna around Lake Arenal to Monteverde. The scenery was stunning, although the roads, particularly the last 30km, were less impressive.

We visited The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, one of the most unique habitats in the world due to  its location high on the Caribbean side of the continental divide in the Tilaran Mountains. Clouds, born in the Caribbean, traverse across the land in an attempt to pass over the mountains before giving up and falling upon the Reserve.  Here three-hundred-year-old trees twist toward the skies, weighed down with layers of bromeliads. Green moss envelops every tree trunk, and the forest floor is littered with wet, fallen leaves.  A single tree can have as many as 200 different species of plants growing on it; an ecosystem unto itself.  More than 400 bird species dwell inside the forest. Our guide enticed a tarantula from its lair.  He knew that Anni was scared of spiders, and when he told her it could jump 5 metres he completely freaked her out!  (It can't, and they have very poor eyesight!  But, nevertheless, she justifiably felt very brave)?

Humming Birds

White Water Rafting - for adrenaline junkies!

We were last to board the bus.  As I looked around I felt we were the misfits.  Had we made a mistake? Fifteen young American kids, not long out of college....and us!  Oh, well age and experience counts.  Right?

We went white water rafting on Grade II and III Rapids on the Rio Balsa.  The briefing alone was enough to deter the faint hearted.  If you fall out of the raft do this....... If you are in the water and you are in trouble raise your hands above your head......... If the person next to you falls out of the raft it Is your responsibility to pull him in......... If we turn over........ And so on.  We will be rafting for 9 miles.

IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!  An amazing, amazing experience.  And despite all the frenetic activity, we somehow managed to look up and spot a two toed sloth high in the trees above us.

After the rafting we enjoyed a great lunch at an organic farm, tasted sugar cane, and drank 130 percent proof sugar cane liquor - downed in one.  Well, we deserved it!

 

Arenal

After 2 days shrouded in the perpetual mist of the Tenorio rainforest all our clothes had begun to feel damp. Paper no longer crinkled but hung like limp pieces of cloth, and distant trees swam into and out of focus like ghostly apparitions.  We were pleased to be on the road again, this time descending the other side of the volcano on a better track.  Within 20 minutes we had left the cloud behind, the sun was out, and the temperature had risen sharply.

We headed for Arenal and it's volcano, which until recently was considered to be one of the world's ten most active volcanos.  The last major eruption occurred in 1968, blasting the top off the volcano, and sporadic eruptions continued until 2010.  Between December and March the volcano is often covered in cloud but we were fortunate to arrive when only the summit was hidden.  The perfect cone is an incredible sight and we could see why the area has become one of the top tourist destinations in Costa Rica.

We visited the Hanging Bridges of Arenal, set within a reserve of primary forest where a series of suspended bridges from 5 to 100 metres long span deep chasms and seem to float high above the rainforest canopy.  This felt a little manicured after the authentic rainforest experience at Tenorio, but was enjoyable nevertheless.

Back at the hotel, we couldn't believe our luck. We had heard this elusive bird several times, but never seen it.  Then, suddenly, a Toucan flew into the tree beside us and began to gorge itself on the soft fruits hanging from its branches. And to add to our excitement a male and female Great Curassow strode across the grass with a cheeky coati  in pursuit.