Turtles and Caimans

Driving back down from the high mountains into the central valley and the urban sprawl of Cartago, San Jose and Alajuela was fairly quick so back at the hotel we had started from some 3 weeks before we cleared out the car and off hired that before sorting out a small bag for a 5.00am flight the next morning. That bit wasnt quite so good as it meant getting up at 3.00am for a taxi collection at 3.30. The flight though was very different, clear air a small luxury plane with just 5 passengers and a pilot soon was away for a 20 minute trip over the mountains and down to the Caribbean coast at Tortuguero. The plane passed close by Turrialba Volcano with its column of smoke rising into the blue sky on one side and in the distance a smaller amout of smoke rising from Arenal Volcano. The landing strip in Tortuguero was slotted in between the Caribbean sea and the Tortuguero River on a small spit of sand. The area in inaccessible by road so the only transport around the whole area is boats on the main river and many smaller ones branching of into the jungle. The National Park was formed to protect the sea turtles as this is a major area for Green Turtle nesting as well as Leatherback Turtles. The Green Turtle season is July to September so we were right in the middle of it and a walk down the beach on our first day saw a lot of activity from the night before. Many turtle tracks were seen heading across the beach to the green strip near the forest edge where many nests were obvious. The Turtles only come ashore at night and are easily disturbed by people, animals and lights so seeing them is very controlled. You arrange with the park service for a guide then are given either an 8.00pm or 10pm time slot to meet your guide in the village. We went at 8.00pm with instructions of dark clothes no alcohol or smoking and no lights and definitely no cameras. We were then transported by boat the 4 kms back to the airport area where we sat on the runway until our guide was informed exactly where to go. Special spotters are out on the beach and wait until a turtle is settled before calling a small group into the nest. When we arrived a large Green Turtle was finishing excavating a nest before laying approx 100 eggs into and covering it up. The guide illuminated her so we could see with a very dim red light but once your eyes got used to the dark red light it was a lot easier. Once her eggs were laid she covered them up covering the nest and us with sand as she "flipped" it backwards with her flippers before heading back down the beach. This was going on all along the many kms of the beach in this area and occasionally you could see red lights further along but it was very quiet. We both felt very honoured to watch such a spectacle.

The area is not just for turtles though as the jungle meets the sea and many rivers so one day we hired a guide for a trek through part of the park knowing that Eyelash Pit Vipers are fairly common around but very hard to see. These come in several colours with the most photogenic being the Yellow ones and Green Ones but the also come in Grey, Brown and several other duller colours. I was hoping to find a yellow one but the guide, although good could only find a grey one. These small snakes are found on the ground, in trees, on leaves, anywhere really and have a deadly bite but are usually not aggressive so tolerate a certain amount of disturbance. The one we found was on a stick a few inches above the ground hidden under leaves but he did allow me a little clearance of debris so I could see him better and get down to his level. I wanted a picture of his head showing the reason for the "Eyelash" name so with macro lens attached and staring straight down the nose of a deadly snake I got to within a few inches to get the pictures. He just sat there without moving but I was a little nervous as was the Guide. Another first for me as I wanted to see that snake. Another snake to see was the even more deadly Fer-de-Lance. I did get to see one but it had been caught by a worker at our lodge in the undergrowth so it was being held at the time. These are aggressive so I would not have got as near to this one.
We also Kayaked around the rivers and streams finding Caiman and lots of birdlife. The Kayaks allowed you to get seriously close to these animals without worrying them. Tjhe Caiman just sat there and let you get to within inches. A great experience.
After the luxury flight out we came back by boat and bus so travelled with the locals for a change. Not a lot to see as it poured all through the mountains until be arrived back at San Jose so we then took a taxi.
Last day now in Costa Rica which is a bit sad as we have enjoyed it all, a great country to visit with lots of wildlife, jungles and very friendly people