After two days of holiday cheer and time at sea, we arrived in a new for us destination in Costa Rica’s Puerto Limon port for a delightful rain forest excursion. Anyone who knows me understands that I fear snakes. So we negotiated the best tour that has the least chance of encountering the legless critter kind with a canopy hike.
Our tour started punctually at 930am on an 18 passenger van that took us through the port town of Puerto Limon made famous for its global banana exports. From Chiquita to Del Monte, American entrepreneurs capitalized from the mild climate and peaceful political climate in this Central American country. Even though bananas, coffee and cocoa are grown here, diseases have sharply reduced yields and tourism has catapulted to the number 1 economic driver.
Our first half of the trail netted little discovery and was rather uneventful (95% humidity aside). That all changed rapidly with sightings of red tree frogs that make the most interesting sound. Shortly after that, howler monkeys ripped through the trees in search of delicious fresh leaves. They stopped right above us and hung out.
After everyone in our group of 12 had enough time to watch and observe, we moved on further down the hill and eventually spotted a sloth hanging in relaxed posture from a branch. All in all, this tour and our excellent guides was well worth its time and gave me a new perspective for rain forests. Fortunately no snakes were spotted and I was not attacked by a 14 foot boa falling off a branch. Personal fears allayed for the day!
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