Rincon de la Vieja & Hacienda Guachipelin
This morning we sailed to the fishing town of Coco Beach, located in the northern Pacific of Costa Rica, where we left the ship to travel to the Guananacaste Volcanic Mountain Range. This formation is a quaternary geological formation surrounded by amazing formations as the result of eruptive periods at Rincon de la Vieja Volcano. As soon as we got to Hacienda Guachipelin, a working ranch that shows the typical activity of the Guanacaste province, land of cowboys, the group was divided offering two different ways to reach the amazing volcanic activity. Some guests chose horseback riding to get inmersed in the culture of the area, while others went by bus in order to take the longest trail to see more of the forest and the volcanic mud pots and bubbling springs.
No matter how we got there, everybody was able to experience one of the most incredible expressions of Mother Nature. The interaction of water, clay deposited in the area and a strato of rocks heated by the magmatic activity creates some bubbling mud pots in flat areas. Boiling water emerges in steeper slopes where the water filters through faults and is heated to temperatures that reach between 198 ¢ªF to 248 ¢ªF.
While walking through the forest we were welcomed by creatures such as Ctenosaur iguanas, an active troop of howler monkeys which performed for us, as well as an agouti and a group of white nosed coatis came out just at the end of our hike. This is proof of the high biodiversity in a country with a great vocation for conservation.
Once back on the Sea Voyager we had nice weather and got permission to swim off the stern until the sunset, when a couple of sting rays swim around the ship for a farewell at Santa Elena Bay.
This morning we sailed to the fishing town of Coco Beach, located in the northern Pacific of Costa Rica, where we left the ship to travel to the Guananacaste Volcanic Mountain Range. This formation is a quaternary geological formation surrounded by amazing formations as the result of eruptive periods at Rincon de la Vieja Volcano. As soon as we got to Hacienda Guachipelin, a working ranch that shows the typical activity of the Guanacaste province, land of cowboys, the group was divided offering two different ways to reach the amazing volcanic activity. Some guests chose horseback riding to get inmersed in the culture of the area, while others went by bus in order to take the longest trail to see more of the forest and the volcanic mud pots and bubbling springs.
No matter how we got there, everybody was able to experience one of the most incredible expressions of Mother Nature. The interaction of water, clay deposited in the area and a strato of rocks heated by the magmatic activity creates some bubbling mud pots in flat areas. Boiling water emerges in steeper slopes where the water filters through faults and is heated to temperatures that reach between 198 ¢ªF to 248 ¢ªF.
While walking through the forest we were welcomed by creatures such as Ctenosaur iguanas, an active troop of howler monkeys which performed for us, as well as an agouti and a group of white nosed coatis came out just at the end of our hike. This is proof of the high biodiversity in a country with a great vocation for conservation.
Once back on the Sea Voyager we had nice weather and got permission to swim off the stern until the sunset, when a couple of sting rays swim around the ship for a farewell at Santa Elena Bay.
