November 22-23: Carara National Park Region, and Tarcoles River; (Cerro Lodge)
We took a two-hour ride from Monteverde to Cerro Lodge, and arrived at another very different environment right at sea level, on the Pacific coast. The temperature was much warmer than the mountainous Monteverde cloud-forest.
Just an hour or so after settling into our place, we left for another short ride to Tarcoles River, where we did a river cruise (we were the only clients) and saw more than 40 species of herons, shorebirds, and forest species all from the boat. An excellent driver stopped whenever I needed a different angle for a photo, and the guide was very helpful in finding the birds along the banks and in the trees.
One of the features of this river and shoreline was the Mangrove forest, which is unique to saltwater tide areas. Different species are possibilities in this area. The river trip lasted until sunset, which we were able to see over the Pacific ocean at the mouth of the river.
The following morning, another guide picked us up for a muddy hike in Carara National Park. This was another very different opportunity, and provided numerous species that we hadn’t seen yet. Most memorable was an excellent time interacting with an American Pygmy Kingfisher.
Rita slipped at the side of a muddy pool, and injured her foot or ankle. This pain and swelling was a factor for the balance of our trip, but did not keep her from experiencing most of the hiking.
