After navigating during the evening, National Geographic Sea Lion docked, early before dawn, at Golfito. We had finally arrived to Costa Rica. Here in Golfito the United Fruit Company established, in 1938, the main banana shipping port. This ended in 1985 when the company pulled out.
As we waited for our officers to clear customs and migration, we started our morning activities with our usual stretching class led by our wellness specialist, Darcy. Shortly after breakfast, we cast off from the dock and headed towards our morning destination. A cool breeze was felt while cruising inside Golfo Dulce. This was an indicator of the nice weather that we were going to enjoy.
Our morning destination was the Botanical Garden of Casa Orquideas. We approached our anchorage site and from there we could see a lush tropical forest waiting to be explored. We geared up and waited patiently for our staff to setup the station on shore.
Once on shore, our naturalists guided us in different interpretative walks around the premises of the garden. Different species of tropical plants with colorful blossoms welcomed us. The garden had nice samples of pioneer plants like heliconias, gingers, bromeliads, palms and many others. All these blossoms and diversities of fruit trees bring different species of birds and mammals. One of the best sightings was the unmistakable scarlet macaws, who perched on a beach almond tree and ate mindless about our presence. It was a spectacular colorful show they performed for us.
After the walks, many of our guests decided to take a tropical plunge to refresh themselves. The water was inviting us to stay forever here, but we had to continue to our next destination. So, once back on board, National Geographic Sea Lion repositioned close to the mouth of Rio Tigre.
An overcast afternoon allowed us to explore this area by kayak and by cruising in our expedition landing craft. A healthy mangrove ecosystem showed the treasured biodiversity of the area. Least sandpipers, royal terns, green herons, black bellied plovers, and the spectacular roseate spoonbill were some of the many species that make their home in the mangrove forest.
After exploring the area, we returned for social hour. We shared the different encounters with the biodiversity of the area. The sun began to set and in our lounge we all gathered to share our individual experiences of our first day in Costa Rica.
