After a nice little hike to start the day, we were more than ready for breakfast – even the usual pinto gallo (rice and beans) tasted pretty good.
After giving breakfast a little time to settle, we got ready for the canopy ride – 8 zip line (cables) connecting 11 stations. This zip line is different from most others in Costa Rica because the stations are actually built IN the trees, not on metal towers.First we signed our lives away and then it took a while to get geared up.
We got a ride to the top of the hill, where we got safety instructions and practiced for a while on a line about 6 feet off the ground.
And then it was time to take the leap. We flew over the river, over the trees, and through the trees. Not much time for sight-seeing, just hold on for dear life and aim for the next station. Everyone made it safely back in time for lunch.
After lunch, Alex took us back up to the top of the hill to visit Dantica, an interesting art gallery run by a Dutch man and his Colombian wife. They have all sorts of native art, mostly expensive. Clouds were rolling in, filling the valley with mist.
From there, we walked back to the lodge, by way of a trail along the Rio Savegre – under the zip line and its stations. This beautiful mountain stream originates in the Cerro de la Muerde.
We saw more birds on this walk: Flame-Colored Tanager, Sooty-Capped Bush Tanager, Mountain Robin, Tufted Flycatcher, and Black-Billed Nightingale Thrush.
Back at the lodge, we once again settled in to watch the hummingbirds on the porch, this time with a bird book to identify the White Throated Mountain Gem, the Green Violet Ear, and the Scintillant Hummingbird.
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