I had been looking forward to visiting this country ever since Val and Chris toured here years ago. We took a 5-hour Tropical Train Ride and Exotic Mangrove Glide tour. We drove through the countryside for close to 1 hour to get to Tarcoles where we boarded a riverboat to tour the Mangroves. It was different and yet similar to the mangrove tour in Puerto Chiapas. We spent about 1 hour in the estuary where we saw macaws, ibis, blue heron, egrets, crocodiles, Jesus lizards (they walk on water), etc. Just loved the smells - fresh and green!
We drank freshly squeezed juices and ate local fruit, then drove to the historic narrow gauge Pacific Railroad for a train ride through small towns, passing incredibly beautiful rural and tropical scenery. There were lots of cattle and lush vegetables and vast orchards, yet houses looked poor.
The salaries are small. Drug problems come from Colombia. The train we rode is the original
one that once transported the country's valuable coffee harvests from the highlands to the coastal ports. We passed watermelon farms, Brahma cattle, horses, "living fences" made of beautiful plants and trees.
It's one thing to see birds in a pet store, but a completely different experience seeing them in the wild - where they belong! They are vivid in colour, noisy, breathtaking when they take flight. The macaws were impressive, the egrets royal in stature.
I had been looking forward to visiting this country ever since Val and Chris toured here years ago. We took a 5-hour Tropical Train Ride and Exotic Mangrove Glide tour. We drove through the countryside for close to 1 hour to get to Tarcoles where we boarded a riverboat to tour the Mangroves. It was different and yet similar to the mangrove tour in Puerto Chiapas. We spent about 1 hour in the estuary where we saw macaws, ibis, blue heron, egrets, crocodiles, Jesus lizards (they walk on water), etc. Just loved the smells - fresh and green!
We drank freshly squeezed juices and ate local fruit, then drove to the historic narrow gauge Pacific Railroad for a train ride through small towns, passing incredibly beautiful rural and tropical scenery. There were lots of cattle and lush vegetables and vast orchards, yet houses looked poor. 
The salaries are small. Drug problems come from Colombia. The train we rode is the original one that once transported the country's valuable coffee harvests from the highlands to the coastal ports. We passed watermelon farms, Brahma cattle, horses, "living fences" made of beautiful plants and trees.
It's one thing to see birds in a pet store, but a completely different experience seeing them in the wild - where they belong! They are vivid in colour, noisy, breathtaking when they take flight. The macaws were impressive, the egrets royal in stature.
