March 1, 2017
We are in flight now and I have our itinerary to consult. Our first destination is a place called Bajos del Toro or Cloud Forest. We get there by driving 1.5 hours up into the hills of the Central Valley. The area is in the heart of Costa Rico where woodworking and cattle ranching traditions embody country living. We will climb above cattle country into the cloud forest, which we are told will be “cool”. Although close to the capital this tropical forest will be full of plant and bird life. El Silencio Lodge, our home for the next three nights, is in the center of this “misted paradise”.
From there we will drive 3.5 to 4 hours to Linda Vista, the put in point for rafting the Pacuare River. After a couple of hours on the river we arrive at Pacuare Lodge, our accommodations for 2 nights. “Nestled” between the river and a wilderness reserve, the lodge has no electricity. However, we will be surrounded by tropical rainforest full of colorful birds and butterflies and at least one waterfall. We will be hiking several hours in the Talamanca Mountains to visit a group of people from the indigenous Cabecar tribe. That should be an interesting experience.
On departure from the lodge, we spend 3.5 hours rafting class III and IV rapids before reaching the take out. Been years since we have rafted. Sure hope we remember what to do as we will each have a paddle and will need to use it. Once off the river and changed into dry clothes, we will fly from a strip near the take out called El Carmen Squirres to San Isidro. That, at least, is a recognizable place on the map.
From there we will be driven to Alta Gracia, a country hacienda near San Isidro. This will be home for the next three nights. Here we will explore Los Cusingos Bird Reserve with a bird expert, something we are not. Hope he shows us some pretty birds we can photograph. In addition to bird watching, we will be able to ride horses, mountain bike, attend cheese and chocolate workshops, or enjoy the “state-of-the-art” spa. You can guess which one Mark will choose. I am undecided.
From Alta Gracia, we will drive back to San Isidro and fly to Golfito, which is also pretty easy to find on the map. A car will take us from there to Puerto Jimenez on the Golfo Dulce (Sweet Gulf), a large bay in southwestern Costa Rica, ringed by beaches and forestland brimming with wildlife. From the dock we will take a “30 minute scenic boat ride” to our last lodge, Playa Cativo, where we will be for 4 nights on the beachfront of an island. Activities while there include exploring the Parque National Piedras Blancas, kayaking along the Rio Esquinas and, at last, a day of nothing.
On March 12 we fly from Golfito to San Jose and then home. We are about to land in Dallas for our lay over before going on to San Jose. Hopefully, I will be able to send this message from there and follow up with other posts along the way. If you don’t hear from me, either we are truly out of touch or I am having too much fun to stop and write. 🙂
Have a happy day, Julia
Mark in Dallas Airport 3/1/17
Adventures with Julia 