|
Alternativa
Rainforest Lodge -
Tour Information
Great adventuring and exploring is offered
here in Golfito and the Golfo Dulce area of Southern Costa Rica.
Experienced guides can provide you with more information about this
rainforest than you ever dreamed. High impact, low impact, wild and
crazy, or a comfortable stroll...there are many ways to see and experience
the Osa Peninsula, Piedras Blancas National Park and the beauty
surrounding Golfito. Tours are generally private and the guides are
working to please you. Everyone can enjoy the nature, serenity and
adventures offered here, in the pristine Tropical Jungle.
Click to view Golfo Dulce Map
|
Jungle Hiking or Horseback Riding
There is nothing quite like hiking
through a primary forest...with monkeys and big cats, sloths,
anteaters, and birds of all kinds.
There are paths through resort that are unbelievably pristine
and wild. Thinking of
sighting monkeys? We
have four kinds here in this zone: the Cara Blanca (white face
monkey), the Colorado (spider monkey), the comical Tse Tse (squirrel
monkey) and the boisterous Black Howler monkey called the “Congo”.
But we also keep a watchful eye for Toucans, Giant Iguanas,
Parrots, Sloths, Poison Dart Frogs, Cotamundis, Bizarre and
Beautiful Butterflies and Insects, Crocodiles...... all typical
sightings on southern zone hikes. Camera buffs should bring
long lens and fast film as the lighting inside the forest is low.
For experienced hikers, some of the trails do not require a
guide. Tours with
guides vary in price.
|
|
Explore Golfo Dulce by boat and visit Casa Orquideas botanical garden
Located at the beach called “San
Josecito” on the Golfo Dulce a surprising delight awaits you - One of
the areas most popular and enjoyable tours! You can only arrive by
boat across the Golfo Dulce.....so start your morning early with a
tranquil boat trip searching for dolphins, turtles or whales in route.
Go north through the Gulf to the remote palm studded beach.
There is a protected area for anchoring in front. Enjoy a visit
ashore at the fantastic botanical garden and farm of Casa Orquideas.
Ron and Trudy MacAllister
have lived here for over 20 years.
Self taught botanists, Ron and Trudy or their daughter Melanie
will escort you through their magnificent gardens and farm that will
spotlight the incredible diversity of tropical plants.
The two to three hour tour covers an
amazing array of botanicals and topics from the wide variety of
orchids, heliconias, bromeliads, palms, to the practical and useful
plants such as vegetables, fruits, spices, and medicinal plants to the
unusual such as miracle fruit, the gourd tree, and the
cannonball tree. They have a
bounty of information and folklore to share along the trail.
You will experience first hand that Costa Rica isn’t just
adventure and animals, birds and
sportfishing.....But an amazing living Botanical Museum with an
incomprehensible variety of fascinating plant life as well.
This is not just a looking at the
"flowers" tour. Touch, taste and smell the plants and fruits. When you come across
the ‘Ylang-ylang’, instantly recognize the famous scent of Channel #5
and a base for numerous perfumes...... There is nothing like the fresh
smells of vanilla beans
or ginger root. You will get to taste some of the unusual exotic
fruits such as star fruit, the sweet pulp around the chocolate seeds,
and the pulp around the magic seed which transforms the taste
of lemons from sour to sweet.
You will learn about the unique and various ways tropical
plants compete and reproduce.
No one will forget the pelican flower with its labyrinth
passageways that will trap insects for several days and then release
them, all in the pursuit of reproduction.
Many clients head out to the gardens
with a “luke warm” enthusiasm – possibly to merely
indulge a wife or accompany a friend. And most every time, they
return to say “it was one of the best tours of their stay”.
We highly recommend this is a half day tour.
If you are interested in an all day trip we recommend combining
this tour with
exploration up the pristine Rio Esquinas or an afternoon of swimming
and beach combing.
The Casa Orquideas Tour begins
promptly at 8:00 a,m, daily (except Friday). |
|
 Sport
fishing
The Golfito area
provides world class sportfishing for the fishing enthusiast and the
weekend fisherman. The waters are perfect for off-shore and in-shore
fishing. The mighty Blue Marlin, Sailfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Dorado,
Wahoo and Grouper all put up a good fight off-shore. Try your luck at
in-shore fishing for Red Snapper, Roosterfish, Amber Jack and Yellow
Tail. You will be fishing with some of Golfito’s finest English
speaking captains.
Lunch, snacks and cold
beverages are all included. |
|
 Jungle
River Boat Tour.
Your
local Tico guide will take you on a leisurely boat excursion in the
Golfo Dulce cruising close to the coastline to get the feeling of the
rainforest, then through a winding jungle river. Keep an eye
open for crocodiles, monkeys and the magnificent Rosate Spoonbill, as
they all make their homes there. You will travel through mangroves and
jungle and take a short hike looking for oranges and other tropical
fruits that are in harvest. Dolphins are a common sight on the way up
to the river so bring your camera! |
|
 Surf
Pavones!!
Take A Break Point and surf the south! Wax your boards and
bring the sunblock, the waves are waiting! Your taxi boat will be
waiting to take you to the swell. Enjoy the day riding the waves and
return refreshed and relaxed.
The boat holds up to 4 and gear.
-
Pavones has the largest wave in Costa Rica. When the swell goes in
the right direction, you can connect to different sections, for an
800 meters long ride. There are some fast and solid left breaking
waves. When waves reach 4 feet high it becomes fun to ride, but by
10 feet you will have to be very careful. Make sure you are in
good health condition, and that you have the right board for big
waves. (For more info. see http://www.costaricamap.com/ing/avssur.html)
|
|
Zancudo Beach Day!
Depending on
the tides, your day starts out with a boat ride through either the "Trocha"
and across the Rio Coto or around the Island to arrive at the
Municipal Dock of the Lazy Beach town of Zancudo. Enjoy the day
Relaxing on the sandy beach, taking a long walk through town,
bodysurfing, swimming, beachcombing, or people watching. An array of
Restaurants make Breakfast and Lunch a Delight!! Have Fun!
4-5 Hours at the Beach. Includes
Transportation to and From Zancudo Beach. |
|
The Beatham
Family invites you to visit their tropical garden. The
garden was started in 2001 where African Oil Palm Trees
were once planted. The trail through the garden has
wide, clean paths and plant species are well labeled.
You will see may tropical plants and flowers in the garden
such as: heliconias, bromeliads, gingers, orchids,
palms, bananas, bamboos, exotic vegetables, fruits, spices and
medicinal plants. It is a short walk to where there are
African oil palms growing and the workers will show you how
the bunches of fruit are harvested from the tall palms.
We return from our walk to a table set up with an exposition
of tropical fruits and remedies. You will get to see and
try many different tropical fruits; such as, South American
zapote, bread nut, peach palm, cassava, sugar cane, cacao,
etc., and will be shown many remedies made from tropical
plants. Normally we give a short talk covering a little
history of the United Fruit Company in Costa Rica (from Limon
to Quepos and to Golfito), why the palm oil was planted and
why the company closed the banana operation in Costa Rica.
Over an open fire called a "fogon" we cook several local foods
for you to sample: peach palms, cassava and bread nut.
We always have rice, beans, plantains, cooking bananas and
something typical "Tico" on hand to eat. |
|
|
Rio Coto Boat Tour
Your
Costa Rican guide has
many years experience on the Rio Coto, “La Trocha” and the Golfo
Dulce.
He will help you discover the flora and fauna on a leisurely
boat ride.
As the boat leaves Golfito bay and heads south towards
Zancudo keep your eyes open for dolphins, sea turtles, pelicans and
osprey.
La Trocha (short cut) is a water trail through the surreal
beauty of the mangroves which were previously used by the employees
of the Banana Company as a quick way to get to work in Golfito from
their farms and fishing villages on the Rio Coto and Zancudo.
Vegetation along the river is a patchwork of mangroves,
rainforest and velvety pastures.
Depending on the time of day and the tide you are likely to
see alligators, otters, monkeys, many species of herons, ibis,
egrets, godwits, hawks and rosette spoonbills.
Tour takes approximately 4 hours.
|
|
