Our weekend started on Friday, but we didn't get to sleep in. We were all in the car by 9:00 AM since we had planned a 3 day vacation in Drake Bay. We drove an hour and a half to Sierpe then took a very small and cramped ferry another hour to Drake Bay.
Drake Bay is on a small peninsula called the the Osa Peninsula which is home to 50% of all species in Costa Rica. We went to Corcovado National Park which is the most biodiverse place on the planet according to National Geographic. Our guide told us the peninsula has almost twice as many species of trees than the whole United States and Canada combined. Dad had found us a cabin in a small lodge that had an amazing view.
As soon as we unpacked we went on a canopy tour that was down the road. The canopy tour was zip lining through the jungle canopy. Sometimes we were closer to the floor and sometimes we were up really high. The longest zip line was 400 meters. You control your own speed by using a leather glove and pressing down on the line to break. Not something you would find in the US! On several of the zip lines Kylie didn't make it all the way across because she is so light. One of the guides had to go get her!
Drake Bay is on a small peninsula called the the Osa Peninsula which is home to 50% of all species in Costa Rica. We went to Corcovado National Park which is the most biodiverse place on the planet according to National Geographic. Our guide told us the peninsula has almost twice as many species of trees than the whole United States and Canada combined. Dad had found us a cabin in a small lodge that had an amazing view.
As soon as we unpacked we went on a canopy tour that was down the road. The canopy tour was zip lining through the jungle canopy. Sometimes we were closer to the floor and sometimes we were up really high. The longest zip line was 400 meters. You control your own speed by using a leather glove and pressing down on the line to break. Not something you would find in the US! On several of the zip lines Kylie didn't make it all the way across because she is so light. One of the guides had to go get her!
Saturday morning we went horseback riding then dismounted and hicked down to Rio Claro which is in the middle of the jungle. Next, we floated down the river in life jackets. Ian was our guide. He pointed out lots of cool things like the walking palm that looks like it has twenty legs. He was extremely knowledgeable with just about anything in the jungle. I brought my snorkel mask along so I could look in the river. There was a plethora of different species of fish big and small. After the hike and a horseback ride back we stopped and had lunch at a local's rustic house in the jungle. Doña Maria prepared the meal for us. It was a full day!
Ian talked us into doing a night tour with him. We decided that we would go even though we had to get up really early the next morning. We walked along in a creek finding different species of frogs, snakes, and insects. We were also lucky enough to see two kinkajous which are small nocturnal animals that look like a cross between a cat and a monkey.
Sunday morning we all got up at 5:15 AM because we were going into Corcovado Park. A thirty minute boat ride took us to the small outpost that is the entrance of the park. We hiked for four hours and were fortunate enough to see a tapir which is really rare in Costa Rica. A tapir looks like a jumbo sized pig and an anteater were combined into one creature. We made our way back home by 4:00 PM because we had Spanish class the next morning.
Sunday morning we all got up at 5:15 AM because we were going into Corcovado Park. A thirty minute boat ride took us to the small outpost that is the entrance of the park. We hiked for four hours and were fortunate enough to see a tapir which is really rare in Costa Rica. A tapir looks like a jumbo sized pig and an anteater were combined into one creature. We made our way back home by 4:00 PM because we had Spanish class the next morning.
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