Safari on the Rio Peñas Blancas and the Rio San Carlos

We finally made it to Costa Rica! We arrived at our hotel at 3 am with only 2 hours to sleep…NOT OKAY! Don’t let the fact that we are college students deceive you, we were literally walking zombies in the morning. After successfully arriving in Costa Rica and having the shortest amount of sleep possible, we woke up before the sun to get a good breakfast, then embarked on our first adventure in Costa Rica. Our first quest consisted of a guided safari on the Rio Peñas Blancas and the Rio San Carlos.  Our group of 23 divided into 4 rafts, each with a tour guide who would help us spot the wildlife. The views, foliage and wildlife we saw were unbelievable; it was evident we were not in Panama anymore.  Not only did our guides show us the nature of Costa Rica, they also shared very interesting facts about the sights.

The river was lined with 100s of different types of foliage. The guide on my boat, Edson, explained that all of the trees along the water have at least 500 different types of plants growing from the trees’ branches. Those that were most interesting were the strong, tall bamboo branches and the “Tourist Tree.” This tree is very tall and its branches are very white and clean. The tree gets its name because a few times a year, the trees’ bark turns a reddish color and then peels off, like a tourist with sunburn.  These trees are in the best position for their roots to receive the most amount of water in the Costa Rican heat. However, it was evident that on some areas of the shore line the root systems were suffering from erosion due to farmers and logging.

Not only do the branches hold over 500 plants, they also were perching areas for most of wildlife we came across like:

-          The “Piano Bird” is a waterfowl that gets its name from its appearance. When the bird opens its wings, the feathers are black and white stripped, like piano keys

-          The Hummingbirds were seen feasting off of bugs along the eroded shore line as opposed to consuming nectar as we usually see

-          Three Howler Monkeys perched high up in the tree eating breakfast

-          Two Spectacle Owls, which are the second largest owls in Costa Rica

-          Twisted tight around the branches was the King Oriel Snake. Although most of us are deathly afraid of snakes, this snake is our friend. It feasts on dangerous snakes as its body is resistant to the other snakes’ poisonous venom. It hangs from the branches when it is ready to attack, leaving its tail dangling and using it as a whip, sharp enough to cut through flesh of attacking predators

-          The Long Nose Bats (about 11) were sleeping soundly upside-down on the trunk of a tree. The bats were so small they literally look like bumps of a log. The bats come out at night and feast on thousands of mosquitos.

Needless to say, this safari was a great welcome to Costa Rica.

 

By: Olivia Rustic