Might as well do my own trip - for free (or close to it). The main gate to the park (Puerto Vargas) is 12.5km from Puerto Viejo. An easy ride on a road bike or even a mountain bike, but the single speed Rasta cruiser isn't meant for long distance outings. It'll be a slog. The second entrance, in the small town of Cahuita, is another 4.5km further down the road. Easy choice? Not so fast. The main entrance has an admission fee of $10, and the hiking trail starts over 2km (of rough gravel road) from the entrance. The Cahuita entrance is "by donation", and the hiking trail starts immediately. Easy decision.
As you may have guessed from the map above, the start is mostly uphill. It wasn't terribly steep though, so the Rasta cruiser didn't complain too much. The rain didn't help though. About 5 minutes after the start, it began to sprinkle. It rained off & on throughout the ride, but no downpour. The hardest rain came just as I arrived in Cahuita. Ducked under some trees just before the park entrance and waited it out for about 10 minutes. No more rain for the balance of the day. Just under an hour to ride the 17km. Not bad at all.
As stated above, this entrance is by donation. Nobody seemed to know why the difference in fee from the Puerto Vargas entrance. Tourism is the #1 industry in the area, so little surprise that there were personal park guides available at the entrance. I didn't inquire to the cost, but it's typically between $20-$40.
Park map. Note the large reef off the point
The park map above shows swimming areas, beaches, and a lagoon on the North end of the reef. None of this exists right now due to the high water level. A few local surfers were taking advantage of the limited time break, but the waves still didn't compare to anything on the California coast.
Locked up the bike, signed in, gave my donation, and off I go. The path was hard packed sand and built for tourists in sandals. Nothing too taxing here. Started out wide as you traverse Cahuita Beach, and offers plenty of places to access the beach or stop for a snack.
Just as I wondering if the animals are really as accessible as I've read about....
First Capuchin monkey of the day
About 10 people were already there clicking away, so this little guy was an easy spot. This was by far the best picture I got. He was moving around quite a bit, so it was difficult to get a good picture. On we go.
Just a few seconds down the trail I see a couple setting up a tripod. This must be good. Walked up slowly and quietly, but that turned out to be unnecessary. Here's what they were setting up for.
This was the biggest around, but there were plenty of these slightly smaller ones. It's about 3" long. I'd hate to be the first person down this trail in the morning. They are poisonous, but not at a level dangerous to humans.
Golden Silk Orb-Weaver (aka banana spider)
As and aside, any idea how hard it is to take a picture of a spider with a auto-focus camera? I took about 20 pictures and only 3 came out half decent. The camera just did not want to focus on the spider.
Next up was the Rio Suarez, the first river crossing of the day - there would be two, and I'd need to cross in each direction. From my research I thought this was going to be a deep one, so I changed out of my hiking shoes and into my sandals. But it turned out to be just above the soles of my sandals. There was another to come, so I left my socks & hikers in my backpack for the day. The other crossing (Rio Perezoso) was about knee deep. No crocs there either though :(
Too shallow for crocs. In the clear.
Sendero means "Trail". Had to chuckle every time I'd see one of these signs.
It's the "trail trail."
Back on the "trail trail" I started walking a little slower in hopes of spotting something on my own. Wasn't going to happen yet though. I had reached the bridge from yesterday's post. Just before the bridge a family was looking at something small behind a tree. If you read my Jaguar Rescue Center blog post, you may recognize this guy.
Did you guess Eyelash Pit Viper? Hope so. These snakes are ready to strike at any time, but only do so for food or if they feel imminently threatened. You would think these snakes, with their sun-like bright colour would be easy to spot. Not really, since many of the palm leaves turn a similar shade of yellow. I ended up seen one other just off the trail, but assume there were dozens that were just harder to spot.
I waited a few minutes for someone else to come along the trail to share the spotting. A lone hiker came along and I passed along info and then left. I saw her again on my return and she gave me a big thank you for telling her about the snake. A large tourist group had came by just after her, and they were ecstatic about seeing the snake, so she was passing on their thanks.
These ferns were everywhere. Not sure what they're called.
Various sea birds relaxing near the point
There were a couple of picnic tables and hordes of people at the point. Nothing to see really, so I kept moving. I was now encountering far less people, so I was on my own for discovering wildlife. The backside of the trail towards Puerto Vargas mostly followed the sea shore. Whereas the Cahuita side was slighly in-land and more part of the jungle. I wasn't expecting much here, but continued anyway.
Wouldn't you know it, just 3 or 4 minutes past the point I see something out of the corner of my eye.
It was another capuchin. No wanting to seem threatening, I stayed quiet and still while taking a few pictures. He eventually saw me and decided to come for a visit. He came down from the trees and started walking towards me. I was a little unsure of his intentions and turned around to check my exit options. As I looked back I saw a young couple standing only about 20 feet behind me. They saw me standing there for a while and slowly crept up to see what I was seeing.
The monkey came right up to me, but I didn't have anything he was interested in.
He walked among the three of us looking for (I assume) food or gadgets he could play with. The girl was a bit skittish, but thanks to the Jaguar Rescue Center outing, I knew what to do. I asked them to be completely calm and not make any threatening moves. She was quite concerned at one point as she had walked up the trail a little way to be a safe distance away, and the monkey followed her. I quickly walked past her and put myself between her and the monkey. It eventually walked past both of us and onto the boyfriend.
What's so funny?
The monkey just KNEW this guy had a treat for him. So he started looking for it - straight up the leg of his shorts. No harm done, so it was big laugh. Just as I said "watch your water bottle", the monkey went for it. It was tucked away tightly though, so he didn't get any toys from us.
What did I do?
The rest of the hike to Puerto Vargas was uneventful. As I said earlier, the trail here was mostly along the shore. You could see bits of coral from the reef everywhere, so that was the main lure.
Various coral
Not much of a beach due to the high water level
Decent sized waves force the water all the way up the beach
Panoramas of waves don't really work that well
In many places, the water comes over the trail
I arrive at Puerto Vargas, which turns out to be a few buildings away from the road & trail. Nothing to see here, and I was closing in on my must turn back time. Still had the return hike and 17km bike ride back to Puerto Viejo. I walked a little faster on the return to ensure I wasn't pushing daylight on the ride home. But there is always time for more monkeys.
Third capuchin of the day
Hmmm, this one looks a little different...
....and this one
Maybe because they aren't the same.
How many can you see in this picture?
As I stood there silently taking pictures, I saw another, and another, and another. I counted 10 in total, but there could have been more or less. There was definitely at least 8 that I saw at the same time. A few walked through the trees and over me to the trees near the sea. Looked like the good food was just above the water. I watched them for about 15 minutes. Not a single person walked by during all that time. Oh well, their loss.
I stopped near one of the bridges because I saw a couple of geckos in the mud. I'd seen some throughout the day, but never took the time to stop for a picture. They were all so quick anyway, it was unlikely I'd get a good picture. While waiting for one to come around, I started to notice crabs. One, then two, then, five, then.... It was difficult to get a good picture of them but I did manage a couple.
Also found my gecko. This guy was about 8" long (plus tail). He was quickly scurrying around, then stopped right in front of me. I was able to snap-off about 15 pictures - most of them turned out perfectly.
I was almost back, but there was still a few things I hadn't seen. Howler monkeys, sloths, and an iguana. Not likely that I'd see the last two, but howler monkeys should be plentiful. Then I hear one just ahead of me. Please don't make the trail turn. It didn't, and I was able to spot a mother howler with a baby on her back. It was high in the trees and into the sun, so I wasn't able to get a picture :(
Fret not though, just a 50 meters farther I see some leaves falling from a tree. More monkeys. And I had luck on my side today, they were howlers :)) I was only able to get pictures of one though.
Snapped a few random pictures on the way back, and a panoramic shot of Cahuita beach.
Real jungle swamp
Cahuita Beach
I exit the park, walk out into the surf to clean my feet of sand, and put my shoes & socks back on. Finish of the rest of my water, sort out my back pack, and unlock the bike. I then hear a rustling in the leaves behind me. A little unnerving since there are Caiman warning signs all around.
Something odd about that sign. Can you spot it?
My ellusive iguana!!!!!
This guy was huge, but didn't allow me to get too close
That was it for the Cahuita National Park. I pounded the pavement back home in 45 minutes in 30+C 90% humidity. Got back drenched with sweat and hungry enough for three dinners. Definitely lost a few pounds today, but it was all worth it. I may even go back again before I leave. Likely at a slower pace though.
Pura Vida
Very nice, you actually went somewhere!
ReplyDeleteNot everywhere is blog worthy. And if I'm going swimming somewhere, even far away, I don't bring any money, phone, or camera.
ReplyDelete