Hacienda Baru Wildlife Park, Costa Rica

Walk in the park

Two highlights of our recent holiday was our walk round the park and our later return to celebrate Harry’s birthday for a superb lunch under a thatched roof in the sun.

Down by the sea bordering three kilometres of pristine beach, this warm wetland habitat is a haven and refuge for tropical wildlife. Not without a little excitement we walked the tracks in the jungle. Two metres from the path we spotted a caiman in a shallow pool! Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, it dived below the surface before we could get a picture.

When opened more than thirty years ago they planted more than a thousand teak trees. Fine saplings now, it will be another seventy years before they are suitable for timber. They are growing very well and are not intended to be chopped down! In contrast a balsa tree had completed its life and had been blown over.

Harry lost his hat in the teak leaves

We found some very  prickly deciduous trees

There were insects everywhere. The din of the cicadas was continuous

The birds were superb

We were charmed by the Gumbo Limbo tree, not least the name

We carefully stepped over the rivers of leaf cutting ants

You had to look very hard to see everything

There was much of interest up in the trees

The bat was trying to sleep

Thank you Harry and Rowena

Birthday picture but who is that strange man?

They organised the holiday. They booked the holiday residence, the hotels at arrival and departure, they came over the Pennines  to supervise our bookings for the flight. Harry did all the driving. He drove us 120 miles back to St Jose airport for our departure. They generally held our hands! Their own holiday was to last another three weeks, they come home today. Harry took most of the pictures. When he gets his pictures sorted, I will give you a link to all of his pictures on flickr. They are wonderful friends.