
SEA
TURTLES: 8 days / 7 nights, mid March - mid August Between March and
August the nesting and hatching season
of the Leather Back Turtle takes place at Reserva Pacuare on the Caribbean
coast of Costa Rica and the beaches and islands of Bocas del Toro in Panama.
The SEA TURTLES program is designed as an active sea turtle research and
conservation program in addition to the rain forest adventure activities
at Selva Bananito Lodge & Preserve.
After
spending your first night at a charming B & B in San José, Costa
Rica, early start to meet the rafting challenge of an untamed river, the
world famous Pacuare River, class 3 & 4 ! Discover the mystical Pacuare
Canyon while rafting passed a Cabecar Indian reserve. Waterfalls and wildlife
will be part of the adventure. At the end of the day, and after paddling
through and surviving some very exciting rapids, you will enjoy a dinner
in the light of candles at Reserva Pacuare.
The next two nights you will be hosted at Casa Grande, the main building
of 'Pacuare Preserve'. The romantic setting of this ample house built on
stilts, following Caribbean style, is base for our next two days while taking
an active stand in sea turtle conservation.
SEA TURTLES calls for active participation of our guest by patrolling the
4 mile long volcanic beach at Reserva Pacuare. The presence of our guests, and their participation
in the organized night patrols on the beach together with biologists, volunteers,
and private park rangers is a positive deterrent against sea turtle nest
poachers.
Watching a giant Leather Back turtle emerge from
the waves on to the beach covered by the darkness of the night and
the safety of our presence is an unforgettable sight and a very
special experience.
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You will observe from a safe distance, in order
not to disturb the nesting ritual, until the biologist or
specialized park ranger in charge of your patrol asks you to assist
in the research and conservation practices. You will help relocate
and hide the nests, so poachers do not find the turtle eggs they
intend to sell on the street. The turtle has to be measured and
tagged and escorted back into the safe ocean. You might come back to
sleep at Casa Grande with the break of dawn, exhausted and yet
satisfied to know that you contributed in assuring the future of a
few hundred eggs to survive the first two months until they
hatch.
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By
mid June and until mid August minute Leather Back hatchlings will squirrel
off on their way to the ocean, many times not having the opportunity to
do so because of their natural predators and the strong sun. During this
time you will help to make sure that as many of these hatchlings as possible
find their way into their natural element, the ocean.
During the stay at Reserva Pacuare you will
also have the opportunity to walk the natural trails of the preserve
and to observe great wildlife during the boat tour of the natural
canals and lagoons created by the Pacuare River
when it enters the ocean.
After
our stay at Pacuare Preserve we will continue on to Selva Bananito Lodge
& Preserve, bordering "La Amistad" International Park.
Your
next days at Selva Bananito will be filled with daily activities and physical challenges.
Or, if you prefer, you can 'kick back' and forget about daily city
life stress and observe the harmonious surroundings. Fill your ears with
many different bird songs and even sleep a well deserved 'siesta' in your
hammock on your ample veranda overseeing the beauty of Reserva Selva Bananito
and "La Amistad" International Park.
Now you will understand why Christopher
Columbus, on his fourth and last voyage to the Americas, named our
country Costa Rica, which means rich coast. When he discovered our
rich coast, he did not find material treasures, but countless
natural treasures hidden in what today is "La Amistad" Biosphere
Preserve.
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At
Selva Bananito you can choose from a number of exciting adventure activities
such as hiking through the exuberant tropical rain forest of our preserve.
At Selva Bananito Preserve you will find trees, over 200 feet tall, that
you can climb using our special tree climbing gear and canopy exploration
technique. From our canopy platform you will be overwhelmed by the wild
and rich diversity in-, and absolute serene beauty of- our primary rain
forest.
Selva Bananito Preserve invites you to explore waterfalls and to rappel
down one or several of them. How would you feel about a free descend, rappelling
down a 130 feet high vertical drop on a wall created by tectonic activity
during the last great earthquake of 1991? Learn about the history and the
importance of the Bananito River watershed and our watershed conservation,
a task taken up by- and channeled through "Limon Watershed Foundation",
which we actively support through our services and activities at Selva Bananito
Lodge & Preserve.
While having and enjoying a fantastic time during our horseback tour through
the farm you will learn about the regions history and low impact tropical
agriculture. If you liked our farm tour on horseback, why don't you dare
galloping along open areas of our farm and than venture off into the primary
forest in order to be swallowed up by its secrets and to blend into its
magic!
After your rain forest adventure at Selva Bananito Lodge & Preserve
it is time to return to your B & B in San José, or to extend
your adventure and continue on to Bocas del Toro, Panama.
SEA TURTLES AND "LA AMISTAD" 13 days / 12 nights, provides a unique opportunity to
help in the sea turtle conservation by extending the active sea turtle conservation
program to 'Playa Larga' at the 'Bastimentos Marine National Park'.
A
scenic charter flight will take you in 1/2 an hour to the most
beautiful Caribbean islands and coral keys imaginable. After
immigration procedures at Bocas del Toro airport, we will take a
gorgeous boat transfer to 'Punta Vieja' on Bastimentos
Island.
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Your base for the exploration of Bastimentos
Marine National Park and our beach activities will be 'Al Natural'
Eco Resort. Here you will stay two nights in midst of the most
important protected marine area of Bocas del Toro. 'Al Natural' is
built in a very open and natural Caribbean style and offers a very
personal atmosphere. 'Al Natural' blends in harmoniously with the
tropical forest of its own private preserve, and offers kilometers
of golden beaches to walk on. 'Al Natural' faces directly the two
most beautiful Caribbean coral islands in the Bastimentos Marine
National Park, which we have included in our program. The '
Zapatillas Keys' are located just a short boat ride s away from "Al
Natural". You can snorkel, kayak, windsurf, sunbathe, swim
and relax during your stay at 'Al Natural' and your excursion to
'Cayo Zapatillas' during our first day in this area.
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In
the afternoon of the second day at "Al Natural" you will venture of
on a hike through the jungle of "Old Point". The purpose of this
tour is to visit 'Playa Larga', a unique and pristine magical beach,
in a part of the Marine National Park of Bastimentos, which is
difficult to access. 'Playa Larga' is also a very important nesting
site for the Leather Back and Green Sea Turtles. Our presence on the
beach of 'Playa Larga', with the exclusive agreement and permission
of ANAM, the National Authority of the Environment, Panama, will
have the purpose to further help with the turtle nesting and
hatching activities that you learned at Reserva Pacuare. With strict
surveillance of National Park rangers and biologists, you will one
more time come face to face with the giant Leather Back
Turtles.
After your patrol, you can either return to 'Al
Natural' or stay on 'Playa Grande' camping and enjoying great part
of the day on of the most magic and important sea turtle nesting
beaches in the world.
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After
lunch we depart for Hotel 'Punta Caracol', located on Colon Island. This
is the largest and main island of the Bocas del Toro archipelago. Our last
two nights we will enjoy 'Punta Caracol'. This very romantic and exclusive
lodge, which has been built on top of reefs, with a minimum of impact on
the habitat it sets out to protect, is the perfect romantic Caribbean hide
out for your last days of your SEA TURTLES and "LA AMISTAD" program.
You will fall in love with this very unique hotel built on stilts above
a tranquil ocean lagoon.
Enjoy romantic and delicious dinners in the light of candles, swim in the
calm waters of the 'Almirante Bay', snorkel in crystal clear tides or try
kayaking in a traditional dugout exploring the close by mangroves, a very
diverse and important habitat to many marine, wildlife and bird species.
At last, after all the activity, all the adrenaline and all the magnificent
experiences, you deserve to rest, relax, and to feel satisfied . However,
should you feel the need for more activity, a tour of 'Bird Island' will
take you by boat to this interesting rock-island, with many endemic sea
bird species living, mating and nesting on it.
On
your last day of SEA TURTLES AND "LA AMISTAD" adventure and conservation
program you will return to Limon by plane and take a transfer back
to your B & B in San José. You can book a ½ hour scenic
flight around Bocas del Toro before flying back to Limon, or should you
prefer, you can optionally fly directly back to San José, or even
start an extension into Panama.
For more detailed information, or customized travel itineraries of our packages,
please contact CONSELVATUR.
For a detailed itinerary description, please click here.
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CONSELVATUR Pure Nature - Untamed Adventure Conservation with no Frontiers
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