31 Jan 2024
A glorious afternoon kayaking adventure! Ariel picked us up from Puerto Viejo and took us through the less-visited countryside, about 40 minutes on beautiful rural roads, to his family home near the lagoon where the tour begins. On the short portage to the water, we got to pick our own cacao fruit for later. We pushed off into tranquil waters bordered by huge raffia palms and mangroves, teeming with wildlife: we saw caimans, all three species of monkeys, iguanas, basilisk lizards, herons, kingfishers, parrots and parakeets, and much more. Ariel is extremely knowledgeable not only about the animals but about the history and ecology of the area. We took a break at the breathtaking black sand beach, where Ariel foraged and prepared coconuts and treated us to mango, banana, sugarcane, and cacao. It was such a pleasure to experience this remote paradise with a guide so connected to the land. Cannot recommend this tour highly enough!