Costa Rica Vacation Journals

A stroke of luck! This morning, our last in Tortuguero, I saw the sweetest baby green sea turtle make a dash for the sea. It was 6 a.m. and I was enjoying a cup of coffee and a stroll on the sand when guide Mario waved me over to the far end of the beach to watch this tiny hatchling tackle the treacherous journey.

We assumed the turtle was male due to its long tail and the fact that it was the last to leave the egg chamber.

Temperature plays a critical role in determining the sex of turtle embryos, with cooler temperatures yielding males and warmer sand creating females. The males are usually clustered at the cool bottom of the chamber but are born stronger, enabling them to climb out of the steep nest.

I cheered the little turtle on, clearing any debris out of his path. The smallest crater or hill in the sand proved so tiring for his tiny flippers. At last, he made it to the sea where he was pushed around by the gentle surf before disappearing into the watery depths. The perfect end to an amazing trip!

After breakfast, we boarded the Turtle Beach boat for a scenic two-hour ride to the port of Caño Blanco. It was time to go home. From Caño Blanco, we bused to Guapiles where we stopped for lunch and then continued through the mountains of Braulio Carrillo National Park and into San Jose. During the six-hour journey we chatted with our new friends and said goodbye to guide Nacho. I looked forward to visiting Tortuguero again – perhaps next March to see the giant leatherback turtles come ashore to nest.


Contact Info:
Turtle Beach Lodge
Tel: 506-248-0707
Email: info@turtlebeachlodge.com
www.turtlebeachlodge.com

I was up before the sun, ready for our morning boat excursion with Turtle Beach Lodge. Wandering into the dining area, I was elated to find 24-hour coffee and tea service set up for guests. Our photographer Vincent had already been up for hours, walking the beach in search of baby sea turtles to no avail.

We piled into the lodge’s boat for a two-hour trip through a different section of the park’s canals. Our guide Nacho quietly pointed out several caiman floating in the dark channel waters. The slender Caño Palma (Palm Canal) was lined with bushy royal and yolillo palms. Their sprawling leaves are rich in tannins which made the water look black.

Despite Costa Rica’s small size (comparable to West Virginia), it is one of the most biologically diverse regions on earth. Tortuguero seemed to condense most of the country’s flora and fauna into one small area. We cruised through several lagoons, passing the 120-meter tall Cerro Tortuguero on our left. Vibrant basilisk lizards scampered across the water or lay camouflaged on tree branches.

We were the only boat on the canal, and the air was quiet and still. The heavy scent of sweet grass floated across the water. As our group relaxed, enjoying the peaceful moment, I heard an unfamiliar and disturbing noise. Was it the voice of Celine Dion? I turned around and caught another guest cranking up the volume on his Blackberry. Who brings their cell phone on such a trip? He gave me a great smile and swayed back and forth, clearly enjoying the music he was sharing with us this bright and early morning.

There are few things that annoy me more than the songs of Celine Dion. By the incredulous looks of others, I was not alone. The music continued to blare until our guide deftly called our attention to the wonderful peace of the canals and then distracted the would-be DJ by pointing out a line of furry long-nosed bats. A couple of avid birders spotted a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron and several aningha, and from then on silence reigned.

After a late breakfast of fresh fruit, oatmeal and French toast, we had time to relax a bit before our jungle hike. Nacho instructed us to bathe ourselves in insect repellent and wear long pants for our walk through the private trails.

We put on tall rubber boots provided by the lodge and trekked on damp, springy ground that felt like a giant sponge. The trail was dense with vegetation but well-marked. Nacho listened for the high-pitched chirp of the strawberry poison dart frog. Within minutes, he found the minute amphibian hidden in some leaf litter.

Our group watched troops of both spider and capuchin monkeys frisk in the trees, and howlers were heard in the distance. Each plant and animal had developed some sort of protection against predators, from bright warning colors to malodorous scents. The trail looped back toward the beach and passed spiny alligator trees and the giant webs of golden-orb spiders.

The late afternoon brought clouds and a brief shower, the perfect napping weather. I relaxed in my room before joining Vincent for a pre-dinner cocktail. Our tours with Turtle Beach Lodge were spaced apart so that we never felt rushed or tired. There was always plenty of extra time to walk the beach, take a dip in the pool, or lounge with other guests in the recreation room.

A lively Calypso band played while we ate dinner, and a few inspired guests danced to the Caribbean beats. After feasting on an assortment of pastas, grilled fish and salad, I relaxed on my patio and listened to the surf.









Contact Info:
Turtle Beach Lodge
Tel: 506-248-0707
Email: info@turtlebeachlodge.com
www.turtlebeachlodge.com

This morning we decided to explore the tiny but picturesque village of Tortuguero. Located on a narrow strip of land between river and ocean, the village is surrounded by the humid rainforest of Tortuguero National Park and the palm-fringed Caribbean coastline. The small town is dotted with simple wood houses built up on stilts intermixed with mini-supermarkets, a few restaurants and family-run tour companies.

It reminded me of the southern Caribbean town of Cahuita, with its Afro-Caribbean influence evident in the local cuisine, language and culture.

Many of the town’s inhabitants originated from Jamaica, San Andres or the Miskito Coast of Nicaragua. Along with a bit of English, locals speak a mixture of Patois (a Jamaican Creole with English and African roots) and Spanish.

We had the pleasure of joining Cloied Martinez, a member of one of the first families to settle in Tortuguero. Cloied is the son of Miss Junie, who owns a popular Caribbean-style restaurant/hotel in the village. Under the shade of an almond tree, he gave us some insight into the history of Tortuguero.

Once an untamed frontier, the jungles and beaches of Tortuguero were primarily visited by Miskito Indians (from Nicaragua) and Spanish fleets during the turtle nesting season. The green sea turtles were harvested in alarming quantities and sold for their shells, meat and eggs. In the 1930’s, Cloied’s grandfather, a wealthy captain from San Andres, purchased land in Tortuguero in hopes of exporting lucrative coconut oil.

The village consisted of little more than a few scattered ranchos and a house or two that captain Martinez had built. Over the next 20 years, the village slowly grew, with more immigrants arriving from the Caribbean islands to work coconut and cacao plantations. In the 50’s, U.S. logging companies set up shop in Limon and worked at stripping the interior of precious hardwoods. The companies began constructing artificial canals to help transport the cargo to Limon.

As more workers were brought in, the village continued to expand. It wasn’t until Dr. Archie Carr arrived and began working closely with the Costa Rican government that the seeds of tourism were planted. Dr. Carr formed the non-profit Caribbean Conservation Corporation and helped spearhead the creation of Tortuguero National Park. By the late 80’s, Tortuguero was a small blip on the tourist radar. Today it is one of the country’s top-visited destinations, thanks to the resurgence of the green sea turtle.

I couldn’t leave the village without sampling some fabulous, coconut-infused Caribbean cuisine. Visitors can try everything from spicy jerk chicken to the sweet but rich rice and peas cooked in coconut milk. We dined on chicken stewed in allspice and coconut curried crayfish. Cloied provided a gingery jungle-rum punch that kicked the meal off with a bang.

We hung out on a riverside dock in front of one of the larger souvenir stores and awaited our afternoon boat transfer to Turtle Beach Lodge. One of the area’s newer lodges, Turtle Beach is located a few miles north of Tortuguero, in Caño Palma.

Guides Nacho and Mario greeted us with warm smiles and transported Vincent and I, along with 25 others, upriver to the secluded lodge. I loved the hotel’s thatched-roof buildings, and our rooms were spacious and comfortable, with great breezes. The lodge had many acres of elaborately landscaped grounds and a large, turtle-shaped pool.

Our rooms were a short walk to a beautiful but completely deserted beach. The sand was cocoa-colored and covered with scraps of driftwood. We had been warned that the waters were full of bull sharks, barracudas and strong riptides. With swimming out of the question and my afternoon free, I wandered through the lodge’s medicinal plant garden before settling down with a good book.

The dinner bell rang at 7:30 p.m. and we descended upon the open-air dining area, joining Nacho’s table. The dinner buffet was varied and tasty and served by friendly staff. Guests later retired to the pool or took an evening stroll down the beach. I followed the softly-lit trails back to my room where the hum of cicadas lulled me to sleep.

Contact Info:
Turtle Beach Lodge
Tel: 506-248-0707
Email: info@turtlebeachlodge.com
www.turtlebeachlodge.com

A thunderous chorus of howler monkeys woke me at 5 a.m. It was another stunning day on the Caribbean coast. We joined the rest of our Mawamba Lodge group for a quick cup of coffee before boarding a boat for a two-hour excursion through Tortuguero’s canals. The waterways are both natural and man-made and make up a large part of Tortuguero National Park.

Hosting more than 100,000 visitors each year, Tortuguero National Park is the third-most visited national park in Costa Rica. Created in 1975, it teems with wildlife, both aquatic and land-based, including the highly endangered West Indian manatee and the elusive jaguar. It is also an important nesting site for the green sea turtle and, to a lesser degree, the leatherback and hawksbill.

We began in the wide Rio Tortuguero which connects to smaller lagoons and channels. Our boat motored through the series of narrowing, lush canals. Gallery forests flanked both sides of the water and were thick with waterfowl including the tiger heron, yellow-crowned night heron and aningha. Jorge identified a northern jacana poking around on a bed of water lilies.

With over 800 animal species, Tortuguero National Park is a must for wildlife enthusiasts. The aquatic trails can also be navigated by kayak and canoe, and we spotted several visitors slowly paddling along the peaceful canals. Giant male iguanas sunned themselves in tree branches, and caiman lurked in the murky waters.

We returned to the lodge and raced to the breakfast buffet to fuel up for our trek through the park’s hiking trails. Mawamba thoughtfully provides rubber boots for all guests. They are a necessity when rain drenches the paths, creating muddy bogs. Lucky for us, October is one of the drier months in the northern Caribbean, and the mud was at a minimum.

We walked the Gavilan trail, a two-kilometer loop that rambles through thick and humid rainforest and traverses a small section of beach. The dense canopy layer was alive with troops of howler monkeys, a keel-billed toucan and playful spider monkeys. Our group watched an endless line of leaf-cutter ants haul bits of vegetation up an enormous fig strangler tree.

It seemed that everywhere I looked, some industrious insect or spider was busy constructing a home or ambushing unsuspecting prey. Our guide also pointed out a slaty-tailed trogon, a close relative to the beautiful but rare quetzal. The park attracts over 14 species of herons, as well as kingfishers and ibis.

That afternoon, Vincent and I once again braved intimidating heights for a thrilling zip-line canopy tour. A ten-minute boat ride deposited us at the Evergreen Lodge, where we joined four enthusiastic guides for our Aerial Trails Tortuguero Canopy Tour. This would be my fifth zip-line tour in Costa Rica, and I kind of felt like an expert. No more butterflies or clammy hands; I knew that, despite my buffet-ballooned belly, the cables would support my weight.

I was pleased to discover that Tortuguero Canopy offered a bit more than your usual zip-line cables. The tour included four suspension bridges, a scaling wall and, my favorite, the Tarzan swing. Our personable guides reviewed standard safety procedures and geared Vincent and me up with hats, gloves and harnesses.

After a short practice line, we soared through the sky, high above the treetops. The afternoon was sweltering, so each cool rush of air was a welcome relief. The climbing wall proved more difficult than I had imagined, but I scaled over half of its 40-foot height.

Our guides made safety their number one priority, clipping us in to secure cables between each platform. The company also sends along their own professional photographer who takes phenomenal pictures along the way. Guests have the option of purchasing a custom-made photo CD at the end of the trip.

Somewhere between our fourth and final cable, I hooked into a small but amusing Tarzan swing. Guides positioned themselves on opposite platforms and took turns swinging me back and forth. I squealed loudly and they laughed because, finally, I had shown a little bit of fear. We finished the Tortuguero canopy tour in just over an hour and thanked our friendly crew for the jungle adventure.

We returned to Mawamba Lodge in time for another stellar sunset and refreshing drinks by the pool. After dinner we topped off the day by kicking back on the lodge’s riverside dock and watching a thunderstorm roll in.

Contact Info:
Mawamba Lodge
Tel: 506- 293-8181
Email: info@grupomawamba.com
www.grupomawamba.com

Tortuguero Canopy Tour
Tel: 506-709-8215
Email: traveltortuguero@racsa.co.cr

Over a leisurely breakfast of homemade banana bread, fruit and an omelet, we thanked Dan and his wonderful staff for their warm hospitality. I watched with envy as a few anglers set out for another day of spectacular fishing on the Rio Colorado. As we packed up our things, a handful of new arrivals flew in from Kazakhstan via San Jose. Dan cracked open four large crates of Russian vodka, and I knew that we’d be missing an interesting party.


Vincent and I walked five minutes to the ramshackle but oddly charming village of Barra Sur, the southern half of Barra del Colorado. The community consisted of little more than a few clapboard houses, a tiny airstrip, some scruffy dogs and basic stores. On the other side of the river sits Barra del Norte – mostly houses and cabins connected by dirt paths and offering even fewer amenities.

We chartered a boat with the lodge and traveled an hour and 45 minutes through the canal system to Tortuguero. The day was bright and hot, and we sat back and enjoyed the tranquil ride. The 113 kilometer Tortuguero canal runs parallel to the shore and connects the Caribbean towns of Limon, Moin, Tortuguero, Parismina and Barra del Colorado.

The canal system was completed by logging companies in 1974 to help transport precious hardwoods from the rugged interior. Thankfully, the logging trade has since abated, and tourism is now the region’s top industry.

Along the way we spotted pot-bellied spider monkeys swinging in the trees, a graceful aningha and a lazy crocodile. The fresh waters are also home to large and somewhat aggressive bull sharks which have been known to eat people on occasion. I reminded myself to keep all body parts on board.

We docked our boat at Mawamba Lodge, one of the attractive all-inclusive hotels just north of Tortuguero village. Mawamba is situated between the river and ocean and has beautiful sprawling grounds. A series of trails meander to the beach, as well as to the village and entrance of Tortuguero National Park. Our rooms were large and simple wood affairs with high ceilings, front patios and comfortable beds.

Vincent and I joined a group of 12 travelers from Spain and a nice Californian couple for a filling buffet lunch next to the pool. We were accompanied by naturalist guide Jorge, who would be leading our group’s tours for the next two days. I had a brief flashback of being back at summer camp with the scheduled meals and communal tables, but it was a pleasant way to get to know our fellow travelers.

A five-minute stroll down one of the lodge’s sandy paths led to the Caribbean Conservation Corporation. The CCC was started by field biologist Dr. Archie Carr in 1959 in response to wide-scale turtle poaching. The organization strives to monitor and protect the region’s sea turtle population. In a short video, I learned that Tortuguero’s 22 miles of coastline comprise the largest nesting site of green sea turtles in the Western Hemisphere. Thanks to volunteer and community efforts, turtles are no longer killed for their eggs and meat and are now tagged and carefully monitored when they come ashore to nest.

Each year, from July through October, Tortuguero visitors can join a guided tour to observe some of the thousands of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting on the beach. I signed up for an evening turtle tour at Mawamba Lodge that departed at 8 p.m. with one of the park’s licensed turtle guides.

But first, we toured the lodge’s frog garden where Jorge pointed out several red-eyed tree frogs clinging to bromeliad leaves. A little later, Vincent returned and found a pair of common tent-making bats hanging under a wide banana frond. Also known as umbrella bats, these tiny mammals cleverly create their own tents by chewing along the center of a wide leaf until it collapses, forming the perfect water-tight home. Mawamba Lodge also has an enclosed butterfly garden where visitors can walk through shaded trails and glimpse morpho, tiger and monarch butterflies.

The late afternoon sun was sizzling, and guests lounged in the pool or cooled off with a frosty drink. We dined family-style again and loaded up on grilled tilapia, salads, pasta and a nice dessert of creamy flan.

The lodge staff had informed me that cameras, video or any kind of flash photography were prohibited on night turtle tours. Turtles are extremely sensitive to light, and park rangers and biologists want to keep our impact to a minimum. I dressed in dark clothing and met my assigned turtle group of ten in the hotel lobby. Our licensed guide for the evening was a local named William.

William had the build and swagger of an English bulldog and explained in a gruff voice that we’d boat over to the village and wait for a turtle sighting. There were no guarantees, but he’d had success on all of his previous turtle tours that season. William warned us to stick together, as it was dark and throngs of tourists were joining similar tours in our vicinity.

Of course, I immediately managed to follow a crowd from a different boat, attaching myself to this strange group as if I belonged. About ten minutes and a few curious stares later, I realized that these people were not the folks from my lodge. I listened in the dark for William’s telltale voice and slunk over to my rightful place.

A fellow guide radioed William, directing us to a part of the beach where a sea turtle had been spotted laying her eggs. As this was the tail end of nesting season with fewer females coming ashore, we were joined by several other tour groups. Fifty or more people clustered on the beach, not exactly the intimate experience the sea turtle or I had anticipated. Each group rotated in five-minute intervals so that we could watch this amazing 250-pound creature lay anywhere from 80 to 120 eggs.

She was massive, as large as my giant square coffee table, and breathed heavily as she diligently covered up the nest with her leathery flippers. The guides used special red flashlights so we could watch her exhausted crawl back to the sea. She had dug two giant cavities in the sand, one the real nest and another fake one to deter potential predators.

Female green sea turtles have an inherent nesting instinct that drives them back to their natal beach to lay eggs. They typically return every two or three years and may nest several times in one season. Due to conservation efforts, their numbers are once again on the rise. I felt lucky to have witnessed such a remarkable animal, one that lived during the time when dinosaurs roamed the planet and would, I hope, continue to thrive.

Contact Info:
Mawamba Lodge
Tel: 506- 293-8181
Email: info@grupomawamba.com
www.grupomawamba.com

We ate breakfast on the dock overlooking calm waters and blue skies. Just six weeks earlier, Vincent and I had paid our dues fishing some fierce seas off Quepos. I had prepared for the worst, and was relieved that our fishing karma had finally come through. Actually, anglers in Barra always have the option of fishing farther inland in the ever-calm river system where snook, guapote and tarpon are regularly landed.

Today we were fishing the river mouth of the 600 meter-wide Rio Colorado. Here, fresh water flows into the ocean, creating a giant bowl of tarpon soup. As I climbed aboard our 23-foot boat, Dan shouted a reminder to “bow to the king”. He smiled and explained that tarpon immediately take to the sky when hooked, and in order to give them slack, anglers must keep their rod tips down – bowing to the king. These acrobatic fish are affectionately dubbed “silver rockets” due to their aerial jumps and 360 degree mid-air turns.

Vincent and I were in good hands with captain Speedy, a tall and reedy fellow with 12 years experience running boats in both Costa Rica and Nicaragua. He spoke with a soft Patois lilt and gave us a sly grin. We cruised about 15 minutes into the river mouth, meeting up with boats from our lodge and others. Pods of bottlenose dolphins joined us in the flat waters, doing a little fishing of their own.

I wondered if Speedy would use ultrasound to home in on the fish, but within minutes one and two-hundred pound tarpon were rolling everywhere. They looked like carp but bigger and meaner, like mullet on steroids. Speedy turned off the boat’s engine and cast a few lines; the current was strong enough to keep the jig moving without trolling. I heard a hoot in the distance and saw another angler hook a silver rocket. The giant tarpon took to the sky and twisted its body, trying to throw the hook to no avail.

A few casts later and it was my turn. First I jumped a nice 15-pound jack crevalle, and reeled it in with ease. As we released the jack, a tarpon hit the other rod and rocketed into the air. Now this was fishing. Speedy strapped the fishing belt around my waist as the tarpon nearly dragged me overboard. This was one of the hardest fighting fish I had ever come across.

After three or four good jumps and a half hour of serious sweaty work, I got the tarpon close enough for Speedy to gaff. The monster weighed in at over 100 pounds, and we could barely heft a quarter of its six-foot long body out of the sea for a photo. Tarpon, like other game fish in Costa Rica, are always released alive.

It was 10 a.m., and every angler around us had a tarpon (or two) on the line. It was a surreal experience, almost too good to be true. The fish were practically jumping into our boats. In truth, it takes some skill, patience and a lot of endurance to get the behemoths boated. If you keep the line too tight, the tarpon will snap it in a heartbeat, as many of us experienced that morning.

The action was still hot when we took a break at 11:00 a.m. for lunch and a well-deserved siesta. The staff at Rio Colorado Lodge had created another Southern smorgasbord of barbeque pork sandwiches topped with tangy coleslaw, along with salads and fresh iced tea or beer. We celebrated a fellow angler’s birthday with a coffee-liquor coconut cake, yet another reason to stay at this fabulous place.

Rio Colorado Lodge offers both all-inclusive fishing packages (including everything from airfare to fishing tackle and open bar) as well as standard packages for the budget-minded. The lodge has a recreation room with game tables, and satellite TV is available for those who need their CNN fix.

Anglers can also fly fish the rivers or ocean and hook some beautiful snook ranging upwards of 30 pounds. Tarpon are usually landed in the river mouth but can be fished further up the Rio Colorado when they migrate through the Rio San Juan to Lake Nicaragua.

Other than fishing, most folks associate Barra del Colorado with its wildlife refuge, a wetland area rich in biodiversity but extremely isolated and difficult to navigate. Barra is the largest wildlife refuge in Costa Rica, and includes over 50 kilometers of canals, rivers, lagoons and marshlands that connect with Nicaragua to the north and Tortuguero to the south.

Over a couple of beers, Dan enlightened me on Barra’s other wild side as a maverick frontier.

During the Nicaraguan skirmishes in the 70’s and 80’s, Barra was a known hideout for Contra generals and CIA operatives and hosted its share of covert activity. Pirates once used the river system to sack Granada, and its remote location attracts an eccentric and surreptitious group to this day. As a guest at Rio Colorado Lodge, you’re just as likely to fish alongside a Russian mobster as you are an accountant from Texas. You never know.

We fished again from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., and several anglers boated more tarpon, two barracudas and a fat triple tail. I had already boated several hundred-pound prehistoric beasts that day, so I wasn’t too disappointed with our afternoon luck. We fished through a brief thunderstorm under heavy skies and returned just in time for a Technicolor sunset and cocktails before dinner.

Once again, I found myself the only girl in a sea of male fishermen. But this wasn’t a good old boy’s club – the walls were splashed with photos of beaming female anglers, all proudly posing with record tarpon and snook. And my photo was soon to join their ranks. Dan barbequed some chicken to accompany the batter-fried triple tail that night. Over supper, I promised Tetsuo, a businessman visiting from Japan, that I’d email the photos we took of him fighting a 200-pound tarpon.

Maybe it was the rum or the sun or my battles with gigantic fish, but I could barely keep my eyes open after dinner. This was our last evening in Barra del Colorado, and I was already dreaming of my return. I’d come back for the good company, the tales of pirates and mercenaries and the incredible food. But mostly, I’d return to fish for more monster tarpon and once again bow to the king.

Contact Info:
Archie Fields' Rio Colorado Lodge
Telephone: 506-232-4063 / U.S. 1-800-243-9777
Email: tarpon@riocoloradolodge.com
www.riocoloradolodge.com

While the Central Valley and Pacific Coast were getting more than their fair share of torrential downpours this rainy season, the Caribbean shoreline was bathed in sunshine and seemed the logical choice for our next adventure. We were visiting during the tail end of the green sea turtle’s (Chelonia mydas) nesting season, and would hopefully get a glimpse of these giant, fascinating reptiles along the deserted beaches of Tortuguero.

Before traveling to this tiny village named after the turtles that nest there year after year, Vincent (our photographer) and I would embark on an entirely different journey. We were headed to Barra del Colorado, roughly 40 kilometers north of Tortuguero, to fish for monster tarpon in the mouth of the Rio Colorado. This isn’t your everyday kind of fishing; the waters around Barra del Colorado have been voted one of the top ten places to fish in the world. It is the only place in Costa Rica where 100-plus pound tarpon can be taken year-round.

Due to its isolated location on the northeastern Caribbean coast, Barra is only accessible via plane or boat. We were advised to fly in, as most fishermen do, and take advantage of the stunning mountain views afforded during the 35-minute jaunt. Never a fan of small rattletrap aircraft or even the mildest of turbulence, I was relieved to discover that the flights were already full, ensuring our travel by means of the slower but less panic-inducing bus/boat route.

In a brief but entertaining phone call, Dan Wise, owner of Archie Fields' Rio Colorado Lodge, explained that we’d have to take the local chicken bus on bone-crunching backcountry roads and would likely arrive at his fishing lodge just before dusk. With his deep Southern drawl and hilarious delivery, Dan was a character, and I knew he alone might be worth the trip.

The voyage to Barra del Colorado was indeed long, but surprisingly simple. It is not for folks hauling tons of luggage, the impatient, or those without tolerance for loud noises and extreme heat. We bought tickets at the Caribe terminal in San Jose for the 9 a.m. bus to Cariari de Guapiles.

If you ever find yourself with a few spare moments at the Caribe bus station and would like to squeeze in some blood work or your annual physical exam, rest assured it is all feasible at the onsite doctor’s office. Or, like me, you can use those valuable minutes to gulp down some rice and beans and take your chances on an elusive stuffed giraffe in one of the ubiquitous claw machines.

After two hours on the bus, we arrived in the dusty hamlet of Cariari and had three hours to kill before our next bus departed for Puerto Lindo. Vincent scoured the streets in search of a cool, shaded café where we could rest our sweaty limbs and get some lunch. Our chosen restaurant offered such tantalizing meals as “mashed seafood to the butter” and my personal favorite, “the meat barge”. I’m not exactly sure what a meat barge is, but am positive that, had my carnivorous boyfriend been with us, I would be describing it right now.

We boarded an ancient Bluebird school bus for the two and a half-hour trek to Puerto Lindo. It was the chicken bus minus the live chickens, but was chock full of villagers on their way home to Barra. They toted weary children, groceries and sacks of chicken and cattle feed. The landscape was dominated by banana plantations and coconut palms which later gave way to rolling hills speckled with cattle ranches. We crawled along the jarring gravel road with bicyclists whizzing past us, the bus’s deafening engine on the verge of conking out at any moment.

The bus backed up to the canal of Puerto Lindo, depositing twenty of us on a long, narrow boat for the remaining one-hour trip to Barra del Colorado. We motored through shallow silt-clogged canals, getting stuck every now and again on the river bottom. The captain patiently navigated through a brief rain shower to the broader waters of the Rio Colorado. It was nearly 6 p.m. by the time we arrived at the Rio Colorado Lodge, our home for the next two evenings.

Built in 1972 by tarpon fishing pioneer Archie Fields, Rio Colorado Lodge was the first fishing lodge of its kind in Barra del Colorado. Constructed on raised walkways in a breezy, rustic style, the lodge has a rich history that includes many a clandestine guest as well as Costa Rica’s record tarpon catch at 207 pounds.

Now owned and operated by Mississippi native and raconteur extraordinaire Dan Wise, the lodge continues to attract anglers in search of world-class fishing in one of the most beautiful yet remote regions of Costa Rica.

Dan immediately invited us to join the other anglers in the bar. Happy hour was well under way, and the vodka and rum were flowing freely. We were greeted by a sunburned but jolly group of fishermen on their second and third days at the lodge. They had collectively jumped 17 colossal tarpon and boated eight or nine. The fishing was incredible. It always is in the Rio Colorado.

Dan grilled up beautiful thick pork chops, and we dined family-style around a lazy Susan, eating tasty home-cooked fare. We helped ourselves to roasted potatoes, homemade yeast rolls and eggplant soufflé, and topped it off with a decadent blackberry cobbler. Hailing from South Carolina, I felt right at home with such rich low country cooking. Sated with food and drink and good conversation, I wandered back to my comfortable room, cranked up the air conditioner and marveled at the lack of mosquitoes.

Tomorrow we would rise before the sun, have breakfast and be on the water by 6 a.m. I couldn’t wait! Tarpon fishing is unlike any other, and we were in the best spot to do it, a sort of Disneyworld for big boys, as Dan calls it. This is a place where men (and women) can disappear for a week or two, catch some unbelievable fish, enjoy a cocktail or ten, relax and revel in the entertaining stories of Dan Wise.







Contact Info:
Archie Fields' Rio Colorado Lodge
Telephone: 506-232-4063/ U.S. 1-800-243-9777
Email: tarpon@riocoloradolodge.com
www.riocoloradolodge.com