Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Today we explored the tropical rain forest on the Osa Peninsula, which is not only one of the most pristine forests in Costa Rica but in all of Central America as well. One of the main reasons this forest remains preserved in such good condition is because it is in a remote, difficult to access area. There are just a few dirt roads that take you there, and most of them are not in good condition, leaving the region only accessible by boat and small planes. This isolation makes the Osa Peninsula one of the few areas of tropical forest big enough to provide a home for populations of large tropical animals such a jaguars, tapirs and spider monkeys, which in turn keep the forest in a healthy state.
Now saying that this place is big enough for large animals is one thing, nevertheless finding these animals in the wild is the essence of what an expedition is all about. Over the years you know wildlife may potentially be spotted, but you have no idea what you are going to encounter once you are hiking through it. I personally think this is what it makes the walks thrilling and exciting. With this in mind we spent the morning exploring Caletas wildlife refuge. Our guests chose to either walk with us on long hikes through the forest, short hikes along the beach or horseback ride along a beach trail. At the end it turned out to be a beautiful morning. Beside the vast tropical forest, we saw some of its dwellers, among them three-toed sloths and yellow headed caracaras, but the ones that captured our attention the more were the beautiful scarlet macaws.
During lunch on board National Geographic Sea Lion the Captain repositioned the ship to Corcovado National Park. As we were sailing, a few Pantropical spotted dolphins led the way to San Pedrillo station on the northern end of the national park. Once we arrived in the afternoon, we had a new fresh trail to explore to look for more wildlife, waterfalls and one more glimpse of this magnificent tropical forest.
