Puntarenas, Costa Rica

 October 22, 2022

 As the eco- and adventure-tourism capital of Central America, Costa Rica has a worthy place in the cubicle daydreams of travelers around the world! ~ Lonely Planet

Today marked our second time in Costa Rica this year! The first time was on the Viking Star on the World Cruise last January and our focus was more on the people of the country. This time, we booked a Mangrove cruise & Macaw Sanctuary excursion through the Eurodam. And we were so glad we did.

A quick bus ride took us to the resort where we boarded the little boat for our mangrove tour. It was interesting to see the way the water changed color from the brilliant blue of the Pacific, to this softer intercoastal section to the muddy brown of the swamp itself. 

Mangroves are interesting flora. They are perfectly at home in brackish, salty water that would kill most other plants. They protect the coastline and provide a home for countless species of birds and small creatures. When we visited Abu Dhabi in 2018, we learned the sultan had ordered more mangroves to be planted along his coastline and at that time, the UAE boasted 150 square kilometers of precious mangroves. 

Lots of birds along the banks but they have nothing to fear from the "logodiles" in the water.

Our guide kept trying to point out caymans, the small crocodiles that haunt those brown waters, but they were always too far away to be distinguished from their lifeless cousins, the "log-o-diles"--bits of drift wood that fool the eye. 

After the short estuary cruise, we reboarded our bus and headed for the Natuwa macaw sanctuary. What an amazing place! Scarlet macaws, which as native to Costa Rica, fly free in the dense canopied rain forest, sharing their home with a loud troop of howler monkeys who've moved in. These animals remain in the area without any restraint or cages because they love the forest there. 

The sanctuary also cares for animals that have been victimized by illegal animal trade. Our guide told us how smugglers would stuff these beautiful birds into PCV pipes and load them into suitcases to sneak them out of the country. 

The center also cares for birds that are not indigenous to CR, other species of macaws and African Grey parrots, which our guide claims have the intelligence of a 5 year old child. There is also a sad cage of hybrids which produce beautiful, but violently unpredictable birds. 

In addition to birds, the center had rescued a wild hog, sloths, spider monkeys and three jaguars. 

One of their spider monkeys had the simian equivalent of Down's syndrome.

I couldn't see a difference between one monkey and the next, but our guide said she'd been genetically tested.

We had a lovely day at the sanctuary and really enjoyed the chance to see these amazing animals. Please join the DH in this photo montage he's put together...