Dominical - Isla del Cano
10/10/2009 – 10/12/2009
To contrast the busy-ness of the park at Manuel Antonio, we continued south to the sleepy surfer town of Dominical, which has a surprising number of restaurants and lodging options. Popular with Costa Rican national tourists, Dominical possesses the most beautiful beaches we have seen in Costa Rica. That being said, we, for whatever reason, took no pictures of it or the lovely beaches even further south. We found affordable and simple lodging at El Coco -a family run bar, restaurant, hotel and campground. We had requested camping but were not permitted because of all the rain. The lady in charge warned us we would “flotando” if we camped. On this, our first and only rain-free day in Costa Rica, the town (and probably the entire country) was busy cheering on the victorious national soccer time over both the United Arab Emirates (2-1, OT) and Trinidad & Tobego (4-0).
Wanting to explore the marine aspects of Drake Bay and the offshore attractions of the Osa Peninsula, we embarked on a full day tour with Southern Expeditions. We travelled overland from Dominical to Sierpe, stopping the see examples of the mysterious spherical stones, Costa Rica’s most interesting archeological artifacts.
In Sierpe we boarded a small boat and headed down the river through the largest area of mangrove swamp in Central America. Along the river we spotted a three toed sloth and several of Costa Rica’s smallest monkeys, the squirrel monkey.
The docks in Sierpe
Sierpe River
Sierpe River
Central American Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii)
Largest area of mangrove swamp in Central America (and the tallest I’ve ever seen)
At the point where the Sierpe River meets the mighty Pacific, the boat ride took a temporary turn toward the more exciting. Crashing over significant waves, the views of Drake Bay were spectacular. Soon enough the waters calmed to a glassy turquoise and we began our successful quest for marine life. We were graced with sea snakes, dolphins, and three humpback whales.
The mouth of the Sierpe River to the Pacific Ocean at Drake Bay
Yellowbelly sea snake (Pelamis platurus)
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)
The wildlife viewing didn’t end there. Once we arrived at Isla del Cano we snorkeled off shore along the “reef” of volcanic rock. Highlights here included a whitetip shark, a green sea turtle, huge schools of jacks, and an enormous array of tropical fish of which my favorite was the Moorish idol fish (Gil from Finding Nemo). The snorkeling at Cano Island was quite good, with excellent visibility but there was a disappointing amount of trash in the water. In fact our guide was quick to blame the full moon and pollution from everywhere else on the planet which we found questionable on both counts. Isla del Cano was quite busy with small tour boats but we didn’t find this overwhelming or crowded.
Fishing boats in the Bay of Coronado
The tour boats at Isla del Cano
After the lunch on the island we headed back to the Rio Sierpe, detecting a few more whale spouts en route. Along the river, our final encounters were with several American crocodiles, lazily basking in the afternoon sun. This full day tour, rich with wildlife and a diversity of ecosystems was a fitting end to our time in Costa Rica.
American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) on the Rio Sierpe
Delicious snack behind you!
To contrast the busy-ness of the park at Manuel Antonio, we continued south to the sleepy surfer town of Dominical, which has a surprising number of restaurants and lodging options. Popular with Costa Rican national tourists, Dominical possesses the most beautiful beaches we have seen in Costa Rica. That being said, we, for whatever reason, took no pictures of it or the lovely beaches even further south. We found affordable and simple lodging at El Coco -a family run bar, restaurant, hotel and campground. We had requested camping but were not permitted because of all the rain. The lady in charge warned us we would “flotando” if we camped. On this, our first and only rain-free day in Costa Rica, the town (and probably the entire country) was busy cheering on the victorious national soccer time over both the United Arab Emirates (2-1, OT) and Trinidad & Tobego (4-0).
Wanting to explore the marine aspects of Drake Bay and the offshore attractions of the Osa Peninsula, we embarked on a full day tour with Southern Expeditions. We travelled overland from Dominical to Sierpe, stopping the see examples of the mysterious spherical stones, Costa Rica’s most interesting archeological artifacts.
In Sierpe we boarded a small boat and headed down the river through the largest area of mangrove swamp in Central America. Along the river we spotted a three toed sloth and several of Costa Rica’s smallest monkeys, the squirrel monkey.
The docks in Sierpe
Sierpe River
Sierpe River
Central American Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii)
Largest area of mangrove swamp in Central America (and the tallest I’ve ever seen)
At the point where the Sierpe River meets the mighty Pacific, the boat ride took a temporary turn toward the more exciting. Crashing over significant waves, the views of Drake Bay were spectacular. Soon enough the waters calmed to a glassy turquoise and we began our successful quest for marine life. We were graced with sea snakes, dolphins, and three humpback whales.
The mouth of the Sierpe River to the Pacific Ocean at Drake Bay
Yellowbelly sea snake (Pelamis platurus)
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)
The wildlife viewing didn’t end there. Once we arrived at Isla del Cano we snorkeled off shore along the “reef” of volcanic rock. Highlights here included a whitetip shark, a green sea turtle, huge schools of jacks, and an enormous array of tropical fish of which my favorite was the Moorish idol fish (Gil from Finding Nemo). The snorkeling at Cano Island was quite good, with excellent visibility but there was a disappointing amount of trash in the water. In fact our guide was quick to blame the full moon and pollution from everywhere else on the planet which we found questionable on both counts. Isla del Cano was quite busy with small tour boats but we didn’t find this overwhelming or crowded.
Fishing boats in the Bay of Coronado
The tour boats at Isla del Cano
After the lunch on the island we headed back to the Rio Sierpe, detecting a few more whale spouts en route. Along the river, our final encounters were with several American crocodiles, lazily basking in the afternoon sun. This full day tour, rich with wildlife and a diversity of ecosystems was a fitting end to our time in Costa Rica.
American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) on the Rio Sierpe
Delicious snack behind you!
Comments