As folks back home were getting ready to gather for Thanksgiving, we left the Arenal lake and volcanoes behind and headed east into the lowland farm country and rainforest of north-eastern Costa Rica. Our next destination was a special rainforest eco-lodge on the Sarapiqui River near the port town of Puerto Viejo (old port). The Selva Verde (means Green Jungle) Lodge is a magical place of elevated bungalows connected by covered walkways surrounded by secondary growth rainforest near the banks of the river. The lodge also owns and manages a protected primary rainforest of over 500 hectares across the river that is connected to the lodge by a suspension bridge. These habitats are home to an incredibly diverse set of species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, butterflies, bats, monkeys and other mammals. Several backwaters of the river pass through the property which means you can sometimes even see Caimans from the windows of the main lodge building.
Selva Verde is very focused on conservation efforts and education and offers guided nature walks and educational talks and activities. We all went for an early morning birding hike our first morning led by expert staff naturalist, Ivan Castillo. Ivan is a herpetologist and bird specialist who sure knows his stuff! This experience really showed us all just how valuable a guided nature excursion can be! Besides knowing his birds and frogs inside out, he was incredibly knowledgeable about the entire forest ecosystem and could relate interesting stories about just about anything we came across. The girls were super fascinated and the time just flew by.
In the afternoon we did a 4-hour hike in the primary rainforest to a 600-year old Almendro (Almond) Tree. This giant of a tree is considered one of the oldest trees in Latin America and is of particular importance to the Scarlet and Great Green Macaws, two endangered species that live in the reserve. We didn’t see the Macaws but saw quite a few other species including: Yellow-throated Toucans, Mealy Parrots, Red-throated Antbirds, Blue-gray Tanagers, Montezuma Oropendolas and more.
Along the way we learned to keep a careful watch out for wandering “Bullet” Ants, a species of very large black ant that can deliver a very painful bite containing a dose of neurotoxin which causes temporary paralysis. Our guide related a story of the time he got bitten on his finger. Within minutes his hand swelled up and within a half an hour he had lost use of his whole arm! He said it took 24 hours for the feeling to return and swelling to go down.
Ivan also introduced us to an acquaintance of his, Maria, who makes her home in a small burrow alongside the trail. Maria (a tarantula) hunts using eyesight and by sensing vibrations in the environment around her. By jiggling a small twig in the entrance of her hole, he coaxed her out into the open long enough for us to say hello and get some photos.
Along the trails of the lodge, we found many species of frogs and toads. While most frog species are nocturnal, the poisonous frogs are generally diurnal because they rely on their bright colours to warn off predators. We learned to recognize the sound of the Blue-Jeans Poison Dart Frog who sings during the daytime. We also found several Black-and-Green Poison Dart Frogs.
On a guided night hike, Ivan showed us a small arboreal snake called a Cat-Eyed Snake and 8 or so more species of amphibians including Cane Toads (yes, the invasive species in Australia) in their native habitat, a cool see-through Glass Frog (you could see its internal organs), Brilliant Rain Frogs, many Red-eyed Tree Frogs (à la Dora the Explorer), Plumed Basilisk Lizards and more.
Another very cool excursion we went on was the Bat Tour from the nearby Tirimbina Ecological Center. Just after dark, we drove about 10kms up the road and met a couple of researchers studying bats. Costa Rica has over 130 bat species, of which 64 are found in the vicinity of Selva Verde. We watched a video in which they talked about the various myths associated with the various types of bats and we learned about their unique adaptations. Using mist nets the researchers had caught 4 different bats of 4 different species and they were keeping them in small cloth bags until we were ready to look at them. One by one, they brought them out to be identified and to give us close up looks including a chance to touch their fur and their smooth, silky wings. Such delicate creatures! Afterwards, we were given the chance to help release them. The researchers would place the cloth bag in one of our open hands and allowed us to hold the bat as the grip on it was released. Each bat sat still for a few seconds on the open palm before taking to the air. A marvelous feeling and opportunity for all of us!
- almendro
- almond tree
- bats
- blue-gray tanager
- blue-jeans poison dart frog
- bullet ants
- cane toad
- cat-eyed snake
- gartered trogon
- glass frog
- great green macaws
- mealy parrot
- montezuma orpendula
- primary rainforest
- pura vida
- red-eyed tree frog
- red-throated antbirds
- sarapiqui
- scarlet macaws
- secondary rainforest
- selva verde
- tarantula
- tirimbina ecological center
- white-water rafting
- yellow-throated toucan
