Friday, February 28
This was one of our favourite days. We spent most of the day hiking along the coast towards Corcovado. We covered 8 kilometers on the way out but that includes all of our stops to explore the beaches and climb over the rocks. The hike back was only 6 kilometers. We packed lots of water and snacks and I wore my SPF shirt and tights so I wouldn’t have to worry about the sun.
We walked down the hill to the beach. Then we headed west: we would have to pass two hotel properties before the real trail started. It was very pretty walking through there. On this well used path we saw many beautiful trees, plants and flowers.
We also saw some odd looking rocks.
After a small amount of climbing we had to go down this very narrow cement path.
Next we had to cross a hanging metal bridge. The Rio Agujitas was very calm and quite pretty.
Just before the first beach there was a small stand of Bamboo. Bamboo is very strong and is sometimes used in Costa Rica as a building material. It is one of the fastest growing plants in the world and can grow up to 90 centimeters in one day.
After passing through here we were finally on the ocean side trail. From this point on we only saw a handful of people. Just the way we like it!
Each time the trail reached a beach we went down towards the ocean to explore. There were many separate beaches each with their own character. One of them had a lot of dark sand and no footprints but our own.
Other beaches had more rock…..
A hike in Costa Rica wouldn’t be complete without a few White Faced Capuchin monkeys having fun!
Some beaches had interesting artifacts……
Two dogs showed up when we were staying at Jaguar’s Jungle that had just wandered in even though it was miles away from any other hotels. We saw this thin dog and assumed it was a stray. We were having a snack at the time and offered some chips to the dog. He wouldn’t eat it, so then we guessed there must be a hotel hidden somewhere nearby.
This beautiful area had a lot of rock. Some of the rocks had tunnels through them.
We saw a few small boats in the water here so we assumed there was a lodge up the hill in the forest.
Some of the rockier beaches also had many tide pools. Some of the bigger ones were fun to hop into to cool off.
Some of the tide pools even contained small fish.
Tourists are warned to be careful entering the ocean where there are no life guards. Rip currents are not uncommon here. If you do get caught in one you are advised to swim parallel to shore until you are out of the current and then make your way back towards shore. It was fun watching these waves breaking on the rocks.
One of the beaches we stopped at had some interesting pink stone.
Before we arrived some horses crossed this beach. We saw some hoof prints in the sand. I love the contrast of the golden sand with the vivid green trees and the turquoise water.
There was a small river here that emptied into the ocean. The flow was very light because it was the dry season. On the other side of the path we found a small pond with lots of tadpoles.
The final beach we stopped at before turning back required a small climb down over the rocks.
On the way back we stuck to the path and kept our eyes out for wildlife. Other than the monkeys, we only saw a few birds and basilisks.
Scarlet Macaws, Basilisk, Pelican
“Costa Rica : a Place of Peace and Love”
Back at our cabin we relaxed on the balcony before heading out for dinner. I spent over an hour in the hammock listening to the waves and watching the birds go by. I spotted this little guy with a bright red back – I think it’s a Tanager.
We had dinner at the Choza Bar. Mike chose ribs again and I had a chicken wrap. We found the containers funny – the yellow one contained mayonnaise and the green one was ketchup.
Fun Fact: Costa Rica’s motto “Pura Vida” translates to “pure life”. It can be used as a greeting, a way of saying “great”, or to say goodbye.
Cindy Southgate's Travels 
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