After transiting the Panama Canal, the Maasdam turned North for a three-day detour in Costa Rica. Our first port in the country was the small town of Golfito.
Golfito is close to Corcovado National Park, a park that National Geographic called "the most biologically intense place on Earth in terms of biodiversity".
Along with other cruisers from the boat, we spent the first morning in Costa Rica paddling the coast in search of wildlife. We were able to spot some toucans, and heard some howler monkeys in the tree line, but they evaded our cameras :)
After a good workout on the kayaks (and a nice downpour... it is a rain forest after all), we decided to explore the town.
After a pleasant day in Golfito, we returned to the ship and watched the sunset as we made our way to Quepos.
In Quepos, we arranged a horse-back tour of the rainforests and a brief jaunt into the Manuel Antonio National Park. Like Golfito, the rainforests in this area are home to incredible plant and animal life.
Our horses were tried and true, and we spent most of the morning meandering through the rainforest as we kept watch for toucans and sloths.
One of the highlights of the tour was going for a swim in the magnificent Mulguri waterfall! After an adventurous morning, we retired to a local families farm for an incredible home-cooked meal.
As we headed into our final day in Costa Rica we had no idea the adventure that waited for us! Onboard the Maasdam we were informed that the ship had canceled all of their tours due to a labor strike that paralyzed transportation throughout the country.
Luckily, we had arranged our own adventure, but we were not sure if they would be waiting for us when we arrived. Fortunately, when we disembarked, our driver/tour guide/zip-line lead/all-around wild-man was waiting for us. We piled into his truck and raced to the mountains. We hit a blockade of protests, but in time, managed our way past it.
Waiting for us on the other side of the protests was the most fun and beautiful zip-line trail we've ever been on! The wild-man and his crew were top-notch, and we had an incredible day.
Before heading back to the boat we roamed around Puntarenas and ate more incredible chicharrón and bistek!
Costa Rica is amazing, and I cannot wait until our next visit. However, like the mail, the Maasdam does not stop, and we soon began our journey South across the equator and on to Ecuador!
