Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica
After a gentle night’s cruising, Sea Voyager entered Golfo Dulce this morning and dropped the hook near the small port city of Golfito to clear immigration and customs into Costa Rica. While Harold, our Second Mate, met with the officials, we enjoyed breakfast.
Our morning outing was to a wonderful spot called Casa Orquideas. This magnificent tropical garden is the decades-long labor of love of Trudy and Ron MacAllister, two expatriates from Tennessee. Much more than an orchid garden, Casa has a huge diversity of tropical ornamental and native plants as well as food plants. Butterflies and birds flock to the gardens, and we enjoyed sightings of blue morpho butterflies, a chestnut-mandibled toucan, red-legged honeycreepers, and, soaring above, king vultures, white hawks and double-toothed kites. Back to the ship in the midday tropical warmth, we stayed at anchor a little longer than planned so that we could enjoy a swim in the calm, inviting gulf waters.
Rio Rincon flows into another corner of Golfo Dulce. This afternoon, we enjoyed this area by foot, Zodiac and kayak, not to mention more swimming. A laughing falcon, yellow-billed cotinga and northern jacanas were sighted. All options stopped at a small cantina for a soda, beer or juice.
National Geographic photographer Steve Winter gave his second slide-illustrated presentation late this afternoon: “Quetzals, Marine Turtles, Rainforest Costa Rica.”
Our day was topped off with a traditional Costa Rican buffet dinner. At midnight we set sail for the Osa Peninsula and more adventures.
After a gentle night’s cruising, Sea Voyager entered Golfo Dulce this morning and dropped the hook near the small port city of Golfito to clear immigration and customs into Costa Rica. While Harold, our Second Mate, met with the officials, we enjoyed breakfast.
Our morning outing was to a wonderful spot called Casa Orquideas. This magnificent tropical garden is the decades-long labor of love of Trudy and Ron MacAllister, two expatriates from Tennessee. Much more than an orchid garden, Casa has a huge diversity of tropical ornamental and native plants as well as food plants. Butterflies and birds flock to the gardens, and we enjoyed sightings of blue morpho butterflies, a chestnut-mandibled toucan, red-legged honeycreepers, and, soaring above, king vultures, white hawks and double-toothed kites. Back to the ship in the midday tropical warmth, we stayed at anchor a little longer than planned so that we could enjoy a swim in the calm, inviting gulf waters.
Rio Rincon flows into another corner of Golfo Dulce. This afternoon, we enjoyed this area by foot, Zodiac and kayak, not to mention more swimming. A laughing falcon, yellow-billed cotinga and northern jacanas were sighted. All options stopped at a small cantina for a soda, beer or juice.
National Geographic photographer Steve Winter gave his second slide-illustrated presentation late this afternoon: “Quetzals, Marine Turtles, Rainforest Costa Rica.”
Our day was topped off with a traditional Costa Rican buffet dinner. At midnight we set sail for the Osa Peninsula and more adventures.
