Puntarenas, Costa Rica

by Sharon | May 2, 2024

When we debarked from the ship this morning at 7:30a, the heat coming through the doors into the ship was like a blast furnace. When I say it was hot and humid, believe me. We were on a small group tour and the bus had good A/C, thank goodness. We headed out of the port city of Puntarenas, pop. 500K, down the coast in search of monkeys, macaws and alligators. It wasn’t long before we pulled into a small enclave of small houses and piled out. The families that live here have taught the wild white-faced monkeys to feed from their hands, so we’ve come to see them.

With a whistle and a caw from the homeowner, the monkeys began swinging in from all directions. There were probably 10 -12 at one time, including a mother with her baby hanging on her back. We fed them peanuts and they would just pick them from your hand with their little hands. They were very polite and it was a fun experience.

Next, we visited a fruit stand to sample some of the fruit that is in season; mango, papaya and pineapple. These were picked in the last 24 hours and tasted so good.

We were now headed to the Estero River where we boarded flat bottomed boats, in search of alligators and birds. It was not long before both were seen. This tidal river flows from the mountains, down to the Pacific Ocean, and we were here at low tide. Despite this, we were able to get pretty close to several alligators, including one nest of baby alligators. There must have been twenty 12-inch baby alligators, swimming in this little nook, with mama standing watch. We were told that approx. 50 eggs get hatched, but only 5% survive to adulthood. Not great odds for these little swimmers.

The birds were plentiful and we enjoyed seeing the egrets, storks, spoonbills, vultures and herons. After our boat ride, we enjoyed lunch of rice, beans, fried plantains, salad, and chicken or shrimp. We made a couple stops for souvenirs and coffee on the ride back to Puntarenas.

This is not a rich country, and I was struck by how many people were involved in our tour today. First there was the tour operator, the driver and the guide. Then there was the homeowner who has trained the monkeys to entertain us, the fruit stand owner who had grown and prepared the fruit, the boat operator and guide, the restaurant owner, the cooks and servers, and the shop owners and workers. You definitely get the impression that each one is happy to be part of the tourism industry, in whatever capacity that they are. I know there is a lot of discussion currently about the impact of tourism on big cities (like Venice) and environments (like Antarctica). However, I see no reason that developing countries can’t use tourism to provide work for their people, allowing them to provide for their families. It just has to be done smartly and equitably.

Next stop in 2 days: Huatulco, Mexico

Recommend: Ricky Ricardo Tours
https://rickyricardotours.com//12on1tour.html