| Raw and Wild Beauty Additional Photos  ¡Hola, buenos días!
This last weekend was quite eventful, as I was able to go to two very different and very important protected areas in Costa Rica. Not only are they different in their ecological makeup, but they are managed very differently as well. I took lots of great photos at each park/reserve, and had a wonderful time.
Friday I went to Carara National Park, which is located on the westernmost foothills of the Talamancas. Created in 1978, it is managed by the National Park Service of Costa Rica, and is located on the central Pacific coast not far south of Puntarenas. This forest is unique because it lies at the meeting point of the dry and wet climactic zones, marking the shift from predominantly Mesoamerican to Amazonian influences.
Carara—a Huetar Native American name meaning crocodile—protects the last major stand of transitional forest on the isthmus. Representative species from both ecosystems can be found within its 11,613 acres. The northern boundary of the park is the Río Tarcoles, which is where I went for the crocodile tour a couple weeks ago. I decided to go alone, since all my friends had either gone already or had other plans. It turned out to be a good idea, because I was able to see a ton of wildlife. Besides the animals in the photos, I also saw many birds that were too fast for my camera. I managed to spot a pair of the endangered scarlet macaws as the sun went down, returning north to their mangrove roosts at the mouth of the river. Around 40 pairs of macaws are known to breed in Carara, and more than 400 species of birds have been recorded in the estuarine mangroves of the Tarcoles. I also saw several basilisks, or “Jesus Christ lizards,” named for their ability to sprint across open water for short distances. To top it off, I also saw a troop of white-faced capuchin monkeys, and was able to creep in close to snap a photo of one before they retreated to the lofty treetops.
Near the end of my hike, I ran into my biology professor, Ted Dearstyne, who was leading his group of USAC students from Heredia on their field course for conservation biology. Talk about a coincidence! From Carara, they headed over to Tarcoles (the village) to go on the Crocodile Man tour. I can hardly wait for my field course trip to the Caribbean side of the country, which I haven’t visited yet.
The next day, I got up bright and early to go on the group trip arranged by USAC to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. The community surrounding the reserve was founded in 1951 by U.S. Quakers who fled the draft and chose Costa Rica because it was neutral. They brought with them 50 Jersey cattle and after clearing forest for pasture, they established a cheese-making industry that is still the bedrock of the local economy today.
The Quaker settlers have been at the forefront of conservation since the private reserve was created, in 1972, by the community and by scientists who sought to protect the watershed and the unique species for which it provides a habitat. The reserve’s 25,730 acres straddles the Continental Divide, covering eight of Costa Rica’s twelve distinct life zones on both the Caribbean and Pacific slopes. Its upper-elevation forests are cloaked year-round in swirling mists formed by humid Caribbean trade winds condensing as they are forced up and over the ridge crest. Among the incredible diversity of fauna present are more than 100 mammal species, including all five species of cats, plus howler and capuchin monkeys, deer and sloths. There are 400 species of birds, including 30 species of hummingbirds. About 100 breeding pairs of quetzals also nest within the reserve, migrating to lower levels during the spring mating season. The reserve is administered by the Tropical Science Center of Costa Rica, which regulates visitor numbers and maintains the boardwalks that lead to the visitor center. There are several other private reserves that surround Monteverde, and they too depend on ecotourism and individual donations to remain open to the public.
Saturday afternoon we went on the Sky Trek, which is a system of trails, suspension bridges and zip lines. I am slightly scared of heights, and climbing up to the first platform and suspension bridge put me on edge. However, the first zip line was exhilarating, and after I realized how safe and simple it was, I was eager for more. The view was awesome, and I get a feeling for how beautiful the forest really is by looking down on it rather than up through it! The trails in between the platforms were an eye opening experience, and my first impression of the cloud forest was the incredible abundance of plant and animal life. Although I didn’t see many animals up close because of the size of the group I was in, I heard many different bird calls in the distance, and my vision was filled with green from all the trees and their epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants). The eternal mist that shrouds the forest gives it an eerie appearance, and the whole experience was very surreal. The longest and highest cable was intense; at 1,400 feet long and 417 feet high, the view would have been spectacular had it not been for the fact that the line passed right through a cloud (see picture). If you have the time and the resources to make it to Monteverde, I highly recommend that you try out the Sky Trek…it was an experience that I’ll never forget.
Sunday after breakfast at the hotel, we went hiking through the reserve on “the Triangle” trail system. I was truly amazed at the amount of plant life and diversity. It instilled within me a strong desire to preserve the forest and others like it for future generations, so that others may experience such raw and wild beauty. The well kept trail climbed to the Continental Divide, and I noticed upon reaching the top that we had passed into a different ecological zone called the Upper Montane forest, otherwise known as “Elfin Forest” for its similarity to those described in the Lord of the Rings. Due to the strong southwestern winds that come from the Caribbean, the trees are all stunted, rarely reaching a height of over 10 feet. The high amount of rainfall here allows for even more epiphytes, and I was hard pressed to find a square inch of bark on any of the trees through all the mosses, vines and other epiphytes that covered them. Orchids abound, some smaller than your fingernails. I signed my name on the railing of the overlook and silently meditated, in awe of the undulating green blanket below me. My thoughts wandered to my family and friends, and I wished that they could be with me to share the moment. I hated to leave, but we soon had to make our way back to the visitor center. From there we hopped on our buses to make the trip back to Puntarenas.
I know in my heart that I will someday return to Monteverde, if not during my yearlong stay here then sometime in the years to come. It is truly unique, a place where you can easily feel connected with Mother Nature. Although it is one of the most heavily visited reserves in Costa Rica, it brings me great satisfaction knowing that Monteverde is in good hands.
This weekend may finally be the one for Santa Rosa round two, and I am preparing myself for the long and arduous hike. It’s the peak time of year for Olive Ridley sea turtle nesting, and I have high hopes of getting pictures for my article. I hope you learned a lot this week, and I encourage you to visit Monteverde for yourself. Although I tried my best, it is impossible to describe such a place in words; you simply must witness it firsthand.
Until next week, ¡chao!
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