It seems like we just were in Costa Rica not too long ago. Oh yeah, right, that was in January. During that trip we spend time at the Arenal volcano area and the Guanacaste coast. This time we wanted to check out the rainforest on the Osa Peninsula with all that wildlife, especially the scarlet macaws.
We found a perfect location call El Remanso Rainforest Lodge. Not just was it embedded in the heart of Osa Peninsula, but the owners also respect the environment, so it is absolutely eco-friendly. That means electricity is solar generated and therefore hairdryers are not allowed, which is ok because you don't need them. It's a casual atmosphere and each villa is located on each side of the ridge to maximize privacy.
The flight to Houston took a little longer because we were rerouted to go around Houston to evade a thunderstorm. This delay caused us to only have 15 minutes to the closing of the gate for the flight to San José. For those who are familiar with the Houston airport know that it's big, like almost anything else in Texas. We ran to the gate and arrived seconds before closing time, totally out of breath. When we settled into our seats we were glad that we made it. Eventually, we started realizing that yes, we made it, but what about our luggage? Finally, looking out the window, we see our luggage on the conveyor belt making its way on board as well. It turned out that this plane had some mechanical issue and that's why it's departure was delayed. Other people came on board after us and they were very happy.
Anyway, the rest of the flight was very nice and relaxing, preparing us for the adventure to come.
The next day we took a bus to the domestic terminal and checked in with SANSA for a flight to Puerto Jiménez. First we went over mountains then followed the coast line until we landed on a very short landing strip on the edge of town.
Driver Darian from the lodge was waiting and greeted us with a big smile. Welcome to Osa Peninsula!
After an hour's drive in a nice Land Cruiser, we arrived at the reception area of the lodge.
While sipping on a wonderful juice, we listened to all the amenities the lodge provided, from daily tours to night hikes and dinner etc. The only excursion we planned ahead of time was the trip to Corcovado National Park on Tuesday. They gave us a nice overview online so that we were not overwhelmed with all this information. After that we walked down by the restaurant to our villa called La Guinda.
The modern architecture blended in perfectly and was nicely hidden from the main path.
The villa was outstanding and the only thing separating us from nature was a screen. There is obviously no air conditioning, but no worries, with the fan it was no problem at all.
We could hear the waves crashing on the beach way below us. The plunge pool was a very nice way to cool down after coming back from the beach, which was a 25 minute hike up the stairs. The spacing was a little odd (about 1 and 1/2 steps apart) and we both come up with a pattern to switch to the other leg once in a while, without tiring out one side. It was good exercise and it helped us to fight the high calorie intake, even though the food was very light, but they had a dessert that was to die for.
Dinner in the open restaurant was perfect and the staff so nice and friendly. There was no rush and the atmosphere was so relaxing. The menu was comprised of locally grown fresh food.
Their motto: If an ingredient is not available locally and/or sustainably sourced, it's not on our menu.
On our first night we were lucky enough to attend a night hike through the property. If you had thought that was boring, you couldn't have been more wrong. Seeing one of these green tree frogs was a nice surprise. To us, it felt like night diving because your senses are focused on the light and you never know what to expect.
 |
| Red-eyed tree Frog |
Another surprise was a snake called
Fer-de-Lance, which is considered one of the most dangerous snakes, responsible for more human deaths in the Central and South America than any other reptile. This member of the pit viper family was located right next to a pond of water. And it was not alone. There was a second one right next it it. And, believe it or not, on the pool deck right next to the restaurant, there was a young one. That must be the main reason why the pool was "closed" at night.
 |
| Fer-de-Lance |
A big scorpion was trying to hide from our flash lights, but it was not fast enough. It was about 4 inches long.
Now, I understand why it it not recommended to wear flip-flops to go back to the villa after dinner.
After a good night sleep and a wonderful breakfast, we are scheduled to go on the lowland bird watching tour with Edgar, a wonderful and very knowledgeable guide. He drove us back towards Puerto Jiménez and pointed out wildlife on the way to the lodges main gate. He was able to spot wild life immediately, even while driving. And it took us 5 minutes to find it and then recognize that yes, indeed it is a bird or a lizard etc. In our defense, he had a powerful scope where as we "just' had an 28-400mm zoom lens.
 |
| Anole Lizard |
 |
| Two Crested Owls |
 |
| Turkey Vulture |
 |
White-faced Capuchin
|
 |
| Mealy Amazon |
 |
| Cross-banded tree Frog |
 |
| Pale-billed Woodpecker |
 |
| Black-throated Trogon |
 |
Suicide Tree
|
 |
| Howler Monkey |
 |
| Spider Monkey |
 |
| Three-toed Sloth |
 |
| Crested Caracara |
We went to the beach every day, at least once. The top part was very well maintained, almost luxurious. The stairs are built on top of a ridge and it went downhill on both sides, sometimes very steep.
 |
| Stairs to the Beach |
 |
| Da Beach |
The surf wasn't that strong, but swimming is not on the menu due to strong rip currents. At low tide, the rewards are tide pools to the left, and a lagoon to the right. Also, there was a big waterfall, which was hidden, but very accessible when following the creek.
 |
| Tide Pool |
 |
| Big Waterfall |
 |
| Back to the Beach |
 |
| Hermit Crab |
On Tuesday, we got up early, drove to Puerto Jiménez, jumped on a boat that drove us along the coast up north-west to Sirena ranger Station. We did see some whales on the way there. The check-in was somewhat chaotic, when we got there and almost abandoned when we left.
 |
| Check-in Station |
We did see one, so far elusive animal, a tapir. Growing up, I was always intrigued by the strangeness of this animal. It was doing what apparently it likes doing best. relaxing in the mud. Even thought, the grounds of the lodge would provide more variety of birds and and more tranquility, this was one of the highlights of this trip.
 |
| Scarlet Macaws |
 |
| Silk Orb Weaver |
 |
Ringed Kingfisher
|
 |
| Walking Palm Tree |
 |
| Pair of Cross-banded Tree Frogs |
 |
| Fiery-billed Toucan |
 |
| White-nosed Coati |
One afternoon we were invited to the kitchen to make shrimp Ceviche with the chef and it was great watching him and explain how to do it like his grandma would. The secret ingredient is using a little of sparkling ginger ale. We enjoyed the appetizer while taking in the beautiful view from the restaurant.
We enjoyed every minute of this fabulous trip and many thanks to the staff of the
El Remanso Rainforest Lodge. Without them we would not be here. This was also their last week when they hosted guests. The following week, they start upgrading the kitchen and I can't wait until we are back.
 |
| Tamarind Cocktail |
