Today we travelled from San Jose to Guapiles through the national park. We drove through different forest types with views of several volcanoes (all inactive). We paused at a point where two rivers meet.

We stopped for breakfast at Guapiles

From here we turned off the main road to head towards the Tortuguero national park. The roads were more like dirt tracks but we passed a very large del monte banana plantation – what I don’t know about banana production is not worth knowing!! We arrived at the point where we picked up the boat to take us to our lodges. An amazing experience travelling along the river though the rain forest. We saw white faced monkeys and crocodiles as well as many birds.

We arrived at mawamba lodges where we are staying for three nights. After lunch we had a tour of the grounds where we saw howler monkeys, sloths, toucans, bats as well as a host of other species of birds

The lodge is on a strip of land which has the Caribbean coast as well

Tomorrow more excursions but tonight a hibiscus gin and tonic