We put our bags out in the early morning fog, before breakfast. Our driver (Minor) and a helper loaded all of the luggage to the top of the bus – a feat that was repeated each time we changed hotels.On the way down to breakfast, we stopped to check out some really large elephant ears. And, here's a shot of the breakfast bird feeder – the diners include some Clay-Colored Robins, a Golden-Hooded Tanager, and a couple of Black-Cheeked Woodpeckers.
And off we go again, back down the hill to Lake Arenal, but this time we drove around the north end of the lake, toward the town of Canas, in the province of Gaunacaste (a region of tropical dry forest).
Along the lake shore, we saw lots of farms and a factory that does coffee roasting and makes macadamia nut brittle. Working here is a dangerous proposition, because the Fer de Lance snakes gather to hunt the rodents who come to eat the nuts.
Lake Arenal is a huge hydro-electric lake funded by the government, which has a monopoly on this utility. This lake accounts for 44% of electricity in Costa Rica; another 3% comes from a nearby “farm” of about 500 windmills. The lake is known for tilapia, rainbow bass, and windsurfing. Nearby farms grow lots of sugar cane and rice, thanks to irrigation from the lake.
We drove through the town of Canas and arrived at Rio Corobici for a rafting trip – down the Corobici and into the Rio Tenorio, which runs through the Palo Verde National Park. The guide for our boat was Roy, who rivaled Alex for his skill at spotting birds and animals. Ours was the lead raft, with Alex and the rest of the group in the second boat.
The river was pretty mild – mostly Class I and II rapids – just enough to challenge us in keeping our cameras dry. Near the launch, we passed the remnants of a village that was nearly destroyed by floods.
Along the way, we saw all manner of wildlife:
A nest of killer bees…
A Laughing Falcon, a Peregrine Falcon, and some Boat-Billed Night Herons.
A tree full of Howler Monkeys …
Lots of iguanas ….
A crocodile …
A Wood Ibis …
And best of all, we saw the almost mythical Basilisk or Jesus Christ Lizard – when frightened, it “walks” on water – at least it appears to walk on water as it makes a hasty getaway.
Other critters seen (but no photos) included: Termite nests in trees, Ospreys, Spotted Sandpipers, Black-Crowned Night Herons, Social Flycatchers, Great Kiskadee Flycatcher, Bare-Throated Tiger Heron, Turkey Vultures (aka The Costa Rican Air Force), Little Blue Herons (mature and immature), Orange-Fronted Parakeets, and a Groove-Billed Ani.
After a couple of hours (about 12 kilometers downstream), we headed for shore – the boats were taken out and we found our bus and trusty driver waiting for us.
On the ride out, we saw some American Wood Storks in a rice field.
We also stopped for a close-up look at the fruit of a cashew tree – the fruit looks like an apple, the nut is perched on top.
We made our way overland to our starting point, for a tasty lunch of grilled (local) tilapia. And then … back on the bus for the 3 hour (34 K) ride to Monte Verde, home of one of the best known Cloud Forests in Costa Rica. On the map, the trip looks like a short jaunt, but the road to 4600-foot-high plateau is unpaved and uneven.
We passed several active volcanoes and saw a Crested Caracara on a fencepost.
This is a picture of Arenal Volcano from the “other” side – along the road to Monte Verde. This is an area of many cattle ranches, both dairy and beef. All of Costa Rica was once covered with rainforest, which has been cleared for growing crops, logging, or cattle ranching. Today, to save the rainforests, the government and private environmental groups pay land owners more than they can make at logging or cattle ranching.
The last stretch of the road to Monte Verde can only be described as terrible. It is unpaved and rocky. The story is that the locals refuse to have it paved because they don’t want big tourism. It would be pretty tough for a large bus to get through this area. A bad road is good conservation strategy.
Monte Verde was discovered/first settled by Quakers (7 families) in 1951. This small group came from Fairhope, Alabama, in protest to the US peacetime military draft. They chose Costa Rica as their destination due to the abolition of the Costa Rican army. They first made a living by dairy cattle and cheese-making. The community is still going strong, with about 70-80 residents. (We learned this history partly from Alex and partly from Martha Campbell, daughter of one of the first Quakers to settle here – she did a slide presentation for us at the hotel.)
In late afternoon, we arrived at our hotel for the next few days – El Establo Mountain Hotel. At an elevation of 5000 feet, it was pretty cool!
After checking in, we enjoyed a welcome reception at the restaurant at the top of the mountain – a nice view of sunset over the Nicoya Peninsula and the Pacific Ocean.
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