Los Inocentes Ranch, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Our incredible good luck continued with avoiding rain, at least during the morning in the middle of the rainy season. The Tropical Dry Forest of the Guanacaste province was all green thanks to this season. The Northwest part of this country is considered Costa Rica’s “wild west”. A large part of the region’s lowlands are taken up with cattle ranching, and cowboys known as “sabaneros” are a common sight. Right after breakfast we left the coast behind and ventured inland. The captain had anchored just off the small fishing village of Cuajiniquil, where buses were waiting us for a short ride through the beautiful landscape of wide-open spaces ending in spectacular volcanoes, including the beautiful Orosi Volcano.
Our exploration of today was very close to the Costa Rica and Nicaragua border in the hacienda Los Inocentes, a former ranch off the InterAmerican highway. Well-trained horses were waiting for us and the sabaneros were our guides along streambeds, through forests and fields at the base of Orosi Volcano. The guides pointed out iguanas and troops of swinging spider monkeys, along with many colorful birds and lizards. While some of our group was horseback riding, the rest were taking a picturesque tractor ride pull, shaded and open at the sides, or taking a natural history walk, through the borders of the forest. On returning to the ranch house, a barbecue lunch was served, and right after it, our kids took a refreshing dip in the swimming pool.
After we arrived back to the M/V Sea Voyager, the Captain repositioned the ship. Swimming from the stern and snorkeling from the Zodiac filled the rest of the afternoon. A full day of activities kept us all busy, and after a nice sunset everybody was ready to go to bed, to recover energy for our next day in Nicaragua.
Our incredible good luck continued with avoiding rain, at least during the morning in the middle of the rainy season. The Tropical Dry Forest of the Guanacaste province was all green thanks to this season. The Northwest part of this country is considered Costa Rica’s “wild west”. A large part of the region’s lowlands are taken up with cattle ranching, and cowboys known as “sabaneros” are a common sight. Right after breakfast we left the coast behind and ventured inland. The captain had anchored just off the small fishing village of Cuajiniquil, where buses were waiting us for a short ride through the beautiful landscape of wide-open spaces ending in spectacular volcanoes, including the beautiful Orosi Volcano.
Our exploration of today was very close to the Costa Rica and Nicaragua border in the hacienda Los Inocentes, a former ranch off the InterAmerican highway. Well-trained horses were waiting for us and the sabaneros were our guides along streambeds, through forests and fields at the base of Orosi Volcano. The guides pointed out iguanas and troops of swinging spider monkeys, along with many colorful birds and lizards. While some of our group was horseback riding, the rest were taking a picturesque tractor ride pull, shaded and open at the sides, or taking a natural history walk, through the borders of the forest. On returning to the ranch house, a barbecue lunch was served, and right after it, our kids took a refreshing dip in the swimming pool.
After we arrived back to the M/V Sea Voyager, the Captain repositioned the ship. Swimming from the stern and snorkeling from the Zodiac filled the rest of the afternoon. A full day of activities kept us all busy, and after a nice sunset everybody was ready to go to bed, to recover energy for our next day in Nicaragua.
