Here is the next installment:

Heading north from Monte Verde, we descended to the plains, where the temperature increase was palpable. In Bagaces we stopped at a local panaderia (bakery) for a lunch break. By means of pointing and grunting and a few common words – dulce (sweet), carne (meat), pollo (chicken) etc, we usually manage to find something yummy. This time Jill discovered huge honey biscuit/pastries.

A little further up the road we find our accommodation for the next 3 nights – the quaint Hobbit Cob Cottage. The view from the patio was rather nice.  We settled in and explored the property, an old farm that the new owners have replanted with trees over the last 15 years. Somewhat exhausted by the heat we decided to take it easy and abandoned plans for further travel that day. Instead we explored the property, finding a frog pond that looked promising for a nocturnal visit.

Next day we headed south to Palo Verde National Park via a local waterfall. Palo Verde protects about 20,000 Ha including the Tempesque valley and its wetlands and the surrounding dry tropical forested hillsides and limestone ridges. We stopped just outside the park where we found a rice farm with a wet field full of egrets, storks, spoonbills and a variety of smaller birds. The park was very interesting. We took a (sweltering) walk along a limestone ridge to a mirador (lookout) over the Tempesque valley and wetlands. Then we headed down the road to a pleasant little walkway into the wetlands, where we enjoyed jacanas dancing for us. Apparently the best way to explore the wetlands is along the river in a boat, so we thought we’d drive to the end of the road where one might catch a boat. But this is wet season. Probably no boats, and we didn’t make it to the “port” as the road was under water. So we did a 20 point turn and headed back to Hobbit cottage.

Next day we explored another local park – the La Pilas section of Rincon de la Veija Volcanic National Park, which boasts fumaroles and boiling mud pots. At the edge of the park here is a huge geothermal power station in the area that generates about 15% of Costa Rica’s power (65% hydro and some wind power… overall about 98-99% renewable energy).

We also found some fascinating “glass butterflies” that have transparent wings. We got back to the car after spending all morning on a 3.5 km loop trail, just as it started raining.

A few km down the road the rain cleared so we headed back into the park at the Santa Maria section where there is a 3 km each way walk to thermal pools. We wandered down the trail through interesting forest, quite different to the forest at Las Pilas. We found a coral snake which headed off the road ahead of us with a great deal of threshing, then lay at the edge of the track with head under cover and body visible. Prudence dictated we take some telephoto shots and then leave it in peace. By the time we reached the thermal spring large drops were falling from the leaden sky. A quick dip, and then we were off, donning our ponchos. The rain became a deluge, and the track, a river. We got back safely to the ranger station where the ranger bade us farewell (in spanish) from under the roof of the ranger station.

The rain eased later in the evening so we checked out the frog pond behind Hobbit Cottage. The sound was deafening – Frog calls at 110 decibels. Gazillions of frogs there, but could we see them? we finally tracked down a few. The rest remained hidden.

 

 

Our next leg took us via Santa Rosa National Park, which was the first national park established in Costa Rica (in 1971). It protects an area of dry tropical forest. We ambled along the trails, enjoying the forest, and commenting on how noisy the primates were – these turned out to be homo sapiens from the university, examining petroglyphs circa 800 AD. The dry forest was fascinating – so different to the wet forests of Monte Verde.

After doing the loop walk near the ranger station, we decided to start on the 12 km each way track to the beach (not intending to go all the way). Within a couple of km we managed to find a troupe of howler monkeys, and a couple of deer. With good fortune we got back to the car before the rain drenched us and headed to our accommodation in the far north-west.

We had a great view from our accommodation across Salinas Bay towards Nicaragua. The island in the photo above is a bird reserve and there was a cloud of frigate birds and others circling above it. Further round the bay are huge resort developments based around tiny beaches. It must be hell in peak season when there are thousands trying to share a beach of coarse sand/gravel that is about 100 metres from side to side by about 20 metres at low tide. Overall we were not impressed by Costa Rican beaches.

Our next destination was Tamarindo, a holiday town on the north west coast. Amazing place. This photo shows the street with our accommodation. Potholed gravel/mud, with a couple of loose horses wandering along to the surprise (?) of the local on the motor bike.

 

Taking ourselves on a morning nature walk we encountered howler monkeys in the trees a couple of hundred metres from our residence. We returned, drenched with sweat and made good use of the pool to cool down. This being the off season, we think we may have been the only residents. We did a beach walk… then the pool… then in the afternoon we took a beach walk and got a mangrove boat tour up the river. This was interesting, and we saw some interesting things, like green kingfishers, but the nature guide was not as good as we have come to expect in Costa Rica (so far they were all fantastically good).

After cooling down in the pool we had a quiet night then headed south via Barra Honda National Park. This park is famous for its limestone caverns, most of which have not yet been explored. These are not the typical tourist caves. If you want to enter, you need a guide, and the entrance involves about 50 metres descent on a vertical ladder. We decided to give the cave a miss other than a photo of the enterance, but the forest walk was very pleasant and we found lots of nice fungi, troupes of monkeys,a Potoo (birds related to tawny frogmouths that try to imitate tree branches when asleep) etc.. Luckily we could avoid the steep climb from the ranger’s station by taking the 4WD track. Fun! Even on the mostly level track circuit we took, we were drenched with sweat for the whole walk. At 100% humidity, the sweat doesn’t dry. We then headed off south to Jaco for our night’s accommodation, which is where we will leave the saga for now.

As usual there is a large gallery of photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/69x87bU9W0r1aGiy1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.