My gaze wanders over untouched green all the way to the horizon. Densely vegetated hills seem to move like a churning sea. Together with Enrique, our guide and driver, and my wife Annette, I am on my way to Cahuita on the Caribbean coast, slightly dazed, because Enrique chased us out of bed at five in the morning. ‘There is a lot to see today,’ he promised. That was not entirely true. Because there is a lot to see in Costa Rica every single day.
Parque Nacional Cahuita is relatively small, but it has an astonishing variety of flora and fauna, plus white sand beaches and one of the last living coral reefs in Costa Rica. The walking trail leads us over smooth wooden planks through the jungle.
High above us, a strange, deep growl comes from the trees. Howler monkeys! They have spotted us and are trying to scare us away with their fearsome call. ‘Sometimes they pee out of the tree,’ Enrique adds.
Alternating between jungle and beach, beautiful resting places and beach areas open up to us again and again. In a small space we marvel at the diversity of ancient giant trees, mangrove forests, small lagoons and swamps. One tree literally stands out: the sandbox tree. Its smooth, grey bark is covered with one to two centimetres long, conical spines. The white milky sap of the sand bush tree is very poisonous and was used by fishermen as fish poison and by the indigenous population as arrow poison.
Within a short time, we spot the species of yellow-bellied flycatcher, pelican, the striking frigate bird and the beautiful toucan. Did I mention the zebra butterfly, the green moth and the flame? Ah, it is magnificent. But the spectacle is not over yet.
Shortly afterwards we see two coatis busy sniffing through the foliage for something edible. They are not at all disturbed by our presence and come within arm’s length.
Two hours later we get back in the car. Five minutes later Enrique hits the brakes. He points to a tree about twenty metres away. Annette whoops with joy. I realise that it must be a sloth – to catch a glimpse of one was her only wish for this trip.
The three-toed sloth seems to have made itself comfortable in the branches. Both hands rest under its chin, and it calmly stares out into the world. Sloths are known for their very slow movements and long rest periods. Both characteristics are due to their extremely low metabolism, which in turn is based on a leafy diet with few nutrients. Algae grow in their fur, which gives them a greenish colour. This also camouflages them from their predators, such as big cats or birds of prey.
‘Let’s see what nature is willing to show us.’ Anselmo Harriett lifts his telescope on a tripod on his shoulders and signals us to follow him as quietly as possible. Annette and I are guests in the private, 1,750-hectare Selva Bananito nature reserve. Only 350 hectares are cultivated, including fields, stables and lodges – the rest is untouched, primary rainforest.
Anselmo creeps ahead of us over paths, meadows, forests and shows us the awakening animal world in the early morning before sunrise. On branches and in bushes we discover colourful animals with equally exotic names: a boat-billed heron, a sulphur-bellied flycatcher and a common basilisk.
Selva Bananito is an important pioneer of private nature reserves in Costa Rica. Its owner Jürgen Stein is a third-generation German emigrant.
While exploring the property, we enter a 20-metre-wide and about 400-metre-long green strip. Then Jürgen walks to a somewhat oversized garage and pulls out a gigantic red mechanical insect. We can’t believe our eyes: it’s a helicopter. ‘No, it’s a gyrocopter,’ corrects Jürgen. ‘And much safer than a helicopter. Who wants to go first?’
Excited as a six-year-old, I raise my hand. Less than ten minutes later, we take off. In the open gyroplane, I look out over miles of sap-green treetops. Jürgen calls this a broccoli forest. Tears of emotion well up in my eyes. ‘The estate extends to an altitude of at 640 metres. There, it borders the national park La Amistad, which was declared a World Heritage site by Unesco in 1983.’ We turn and fly towards the sea. ‘Do you see that little island up ahead?’ Jürgen asks. ‘That’s Uvita. Columbus stayed there for eighteen days in 1502, went ashore and made contact with the first indigenous people.’
Urbano Chavez cuts a very energetic figure. 47 years old, no wrinkles, not a grey hair in sight. What is the secret of his youthful appearance, I want to know. He smiles modestly, points to our dinner and answers, ‘Organic food.’ We eagerly devour the meal of rice, egg and taro root. After all, we have done three hours of hiking through rain, streams, swamps and steep climbs. Now we are munching away in the wooden hut of Urbano’s family, his little sons Maximiliano and Ketelik eyeing us curiously.
About 36 people live here in the remote village of Jamaikari in the Talamanca region of eastern Costa Rica. Their main source of income is agriculture, especially the cultivation of bananas, yuca and sycamores. Very few earn extra money from visitors, like Urbano.
The Cabécar villages are unique in that the houses are not grouped together around a central place, but are scattered, sometimes kilometres apart.
Many mythical and archaic customs still determine the daily life of the Cabécar, the largest indigenous group in Costa Rica with 17,000 members. Do you want to fish or hunt? Then don’t eat hot sauce beforehand. Do you want to prevent nightmares? Rub charcoal on your face. Do you want to go into the forest? Then thank all the souls of the forest beforehand. Show them respect and ask for permission.
A quick stop in Santa Rosa National Park gives us a chance to marvel at the Rio Celeste Waterfall, which many consider is Costa Rica’s most beautiful waterfall. And that is mainly due to the colour of its intense light blue water. The colour of the Rio Celeste is caused by the scattering of sunlight on the aluminosilicate suspended in the river. Indigenous peoples believed that gods coloured the sky blue and used the Rio Celeste to rinse their brushes in.
We do start our next stage with increased attentiveness: The circular hike Las Pailas in the Guanacaste National Park. We watch an agouti nibbling fruit. They belong to the rodents and are about the size of beavers. Countless orange-coloured nymphalid butterflies cross our path and a strange scent enters our nostrils: sulphur. A few minutes later, an unforgettable image appears before us: the jungle is boiling! Fumaroles emit stinking fumes. Mud pools hiss and bubble.
We take a break near a steam hole in the dry forest. Then we get a visitor. It is a black iguana that has left its tree refuge in search of a place to sunbathe. The lizard is over a metre long. Hunters value its meat; it is said to be more tender than that of chickens.
The lodge is in complete darkness. Showtime for Adolfo Quesada, manager and guide of La Tigra. In the cone of his torch, he presents us with the stars of nature on the grounds: the hourglass treefrog, bullfrog, and mahogany tree frog.
The next morning, we trudge deep into the forest again, sheltered from the sun by more than seventy different species of trees, including fishtail palms, Cedrela trees, walking palms and golden rain trees. We marvel at tireless leafcutter ants, the crested guan and industrious mariola bees. They produce a medicinal honey that is used by many ticos – a term used to describe a native of Costa Rica – for a variety of eye problems. It is also effective in healing infections, pain, respiratory problems and as an antiseptic for wounds.
Adolfo takes us to the reforestation project of La Tigra. The idea is to create a so-called biological corridor through which separated forest areas are reconnected through reforestation. In the past few years, 46 hectares of protected forest have been created and more than 3,000 trees have been planted thanks to donations. This new forest provides essential protection for animals as they cross it. Only native, often endangered tree species are used for reforestation, such as the two specimens of the endemic and rare tostado tree that Annette is planting today.
And then, during dinner, my secret wish for this trip finally comes true. I get the secret star of the country in front of my lens: a red-eyed tree frog. I am standing just two metres away from our plates by a green plant, next to me is Adolfo, who assists with an umbrella and lamp. Nothing seems to escape the bright red eyes of the amphibian. He has looked at me countless times before, from postcards, picture books or as a cuddly toy in the museum shop. Finally, I can return the gaze.
Ready to explore the vibrant beauty of Costa Rica? From lush rainforests to pristine beaches, your adventure awaits. Discover more and start planning your trip today at the official
Visit Costa Rica website.
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