As we headed north from Quepos we passed a palm oil processing plant. Production of palm oil is mainly along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and has contributed to the economic development since 1970.
Our first stop for the day was Carara National Park – about 93km north of Manuel Antonio. The park’s name comes from the Huetar natives’ language and means “crocodile.” The Tarcoles River (Rio Tarcoles), which forms the northern boundary to the park, is inhabited by crocodiles almost year round. The park is also home to scarlet macaws and ghost bats, so that was our main attraction.
We paid our entrance fee ($10USD each) and hired a guide, Antonio, for $22,000 Colones ($42USD) for the 2-1/2 hour tour.Antonio spotted a scarlet macaw in its nest. We looked at it though his viewing scope and got a few good pictures before it flew off.
We later saw another one that was hanging upside down out of his nest which seemed very odd to us. The picture below is NOT upside down - just the bird is!
We saw a couple pale-billed woodpeckers, but it was very difficult to get their picture!
There were also Jesus Christ lizards, as well as many iguanas in the park. We did spot a couple of agoutis which are mammals related to guinea pigs – but larger – in the brush. They are a brownish color and very hard to get picture of!
After 1-1/2 hours, we headed back to the parking lot and drove to the other trailhead to find the ghost bats.
It didn’t take long to locate them. They hangout on palm leaves! They almost look like they should be a stuffed animal or cuddly pet. Just north of the park we stopped at the bridge of the Rio Tarcoles to see the crocodiles. There were probably 25 or more!
Crocodile video
Just north of the bridge we stopped at the Los Cocodrilos Restaurant for lunch – burgers and fries – before continuing on to Monteverde. Much of the road was paved for which we were thankful! However, it seems we encounter cows on the road wherever we travel!
We continued climbing and had beautiful vistas along the way.
We were surprised after the pavement ended and we were on gravel roads to look to the west and saw water. We need to find out what it is!
When we were almost to Santa Elena we spotted a rainbow over the valley below. Pretty amazing!
We arrived in Santa Elena and stopped at a hotel but they had no vacancy, but they let us use their hotel WIFI to get online and find a hotel. We booked three nights at the Hotel Miramontes. Our room is the one on the left in this little chalet. It is quite large with a king sized bed and a double bed!
It is windy and cool here and we will be sleeping under blankets and a quilt tonight – much different than the sheet and air conditioning! There are so many activities in the area it will be hard for us to decide what to do tomorrow! Stay tuned …
We saw a couple pale-billed woodpeckers, but it was very difficult to get their picture!
There were also Jesus Christ lizards, as well as many iguanas in the park. We did spot a couple of agoutis which are mammals related to guinea pigs – but larger – in the brush. They are a brownish color and very hard to get picture of!
After 1-1/2 hours, we headed back to the parking lot and drove to the other trailhead to find the ghost bats.
It didn’t take long to locate them. They hangout on palm leaves! They almost look like they should be a stuffed animal or cuddly pet. Just north of the park we stopped at the bridge of the Rio Tarcoles to see the crocodiles. There were probably 25 or more!
Crocodile video
Just north of the bridge we stopped at the Los Cocodrilos Restaurant for lunch – burgers and fries – before continuing on to Monteverde. Much of the road was paved for which we were thankful! However, it seems we encounter cows on the road wherever we travel!
We continued climbing and had beautiful vistas along the way.
We were surprised after the pavement ended and we were on gravel roads to look to the west and saw water. We need to find out what it is!
When we were almost to Santa Elena we spotted a rainbow over the valley below. Pretty amazing!
We arrived in Santa Elena and stopped at a hotel but they had no vacancy, but they let us use their hotel WIFI to get online and find a hotel. We booked three nights at the Hotel Miramontes. Our room is the one on the left in this little chalet. It is quite large with a king sized bed and a double bed!
It is windy and cool here and we will be sleeping under blankets and a quilt tonight – much different than the sheet and air conditioning! There are so many activities in the area it will be hard for us to decide what to do tomorrow! Stay tuned …
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