When we agreed to join friends for a 12-day tour of Costa Rica, we knew so little about the country that we had to locate it on a map. The natural Wonders of Costa Rica sounded like a mellow adventure, especially since we were sharing it with others who were “60-plus.” The tour boasted mountains, volcanoes, waterfalls, hot springs, 60 species of mammals, 309 species of birds, thousands of kinds of plants and trees - all between two oceans in a country the size of West Virginia. It sounded like stepping into paradise for a few days. The only part that sounded a little challenging was a two-night, three-day stay in the Central American rain forest.
We entered the rain forest on the third day of the tour, with a bus trip through the Cordillera mountains. Tiny homes with sloped tin roofs dotted the lush landscape. The narrow, sometimes treacherous roads were often bordered by “living fences” - tree limbs planted in the rich soil, then wired to form boundaries.
We boarded a motor launch for a cruise along the Reventazón River to Pachira Lodge, near Tortuguero National Park. The lodge is accessible only by boat or plane, and the vast, intimidating jungle was on all sides during the ride.
In our simple rooms, the only sounds were those of the jungle - insects, birds, monkeys and occasional rain. There were no TVs, computers, radios, hair dryers or air conditioning. No wake-up calls, either, but our guide, Jorge, assured us that the night would bring cooler temperatures, and the howler monkeys would wake us at sunrise. Both predictions proved to be true.
The next day, on a trip along the forest canals, we saw beautiful birds and animals in their home. Cautious and silent, we observed monkeys, crocodiles and the smaller caimans, sloths, iguanas, toucans, macaws, and even a few blue morpho butterflies. We were all in awe of the rain forest’s splendor.
Jorge supplied us with ponchos - we were, after all, in the rain forest, and rain could come at any time. The lodge provided us with rubber boots, and the next day we hiked the forest trails surrounding the lodge. Dense foliage makes the national park inaccessible to most tourists, Jorge said, and these trails proved quite enough exploration for our group.
We then took a boat ride to the tiny village of Tortuguero and walked to the beaches on the Caribbean side. Jorge warned us to step over the paths of the industrious leaf-cutter ants as we trekked to the beach to stand on the very spots where the great sea turtles come to lay their eggs between July and October.
One definition of paradise is “a place of great beauty.” Costa Rica lives up to that definition. But our stay in its jungle proved more meaningful - there is a reverence for life that is inescapable.
As we left Pachira Lodge, the jungle around us felt magnificent - no longer intimidating.
