Thursday, July 5, 2018

Day 7- Baru Volcano National Park and Coffee Plantation/Honey

After breakfast we met our local guide, Jason Lara, who specializes in birding. We traveled to the slope of the Baru Volcano to hike part of the Summit Trail. If we had all day we could have hiked to the top where you can see both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. At the base, as we entered the park, we saw the basalt pillars, similar to ones we saw in Iceland and Devil’s Causeway in Ireland.




Jason spotted for us, with his birder scope, several species of birds. He said we had a 50-50 chance of spotting the resplendent quetzal (look for the wild avocado trees) but unfortunately we did not see one. Jason shared some of the beautiful bird photos he has taken, including the quetzal.



                   Beautiful photos taken by Jason Lara and shared with his permission

We hiked for over 3 hours - learning about the high cloud forest vegetation and birds, experiencing the vast biodiversity of this high cloud forest. At times we had to cross over small streams, balancing across metal pipes laid down to cross over and several narrow foot bridges. 





How many steps, Frank?


The width of the tree trunks is astounding!
  Turkey tail fungus



Beautiful beetle



Right before turning around to head back down the mountain, we saw the magnificent Cenizo tree that was over 1000 years old- massive! Just imagine all the carbon sequestered in that tree!



Coming down the mountain we could see how the clouds descended, hence the name cloud forest.

Before and after- at the beginning of our hike in the morning (top), same spot coming down in the afternoon.







We stopped for lunch at another roadside local restaurant and tried the local fare.



Then off to the coffee farm to learn about coffee, butterflies, raising different species of bees, and the production of local honey. Bees, butterflies, honey, coffee- a pollinator farm! The farm was organic and we were met on the verandah by Johnny, and treated to a cup of their specialty coffee. 



The look of bliss as Claudio sips his coffee!


We strolled through their beautiful gardens and butterfly house, learning about bees and coffee plants. 
Butterflies in the butterfly house and garden



Saw many different  types of bees they raise naturally on the farm


Beautiful painted eucalyptus tree

Orchids on the trees

At the end of our visit we were treated to a honey tasting. Their honey is unique as theyproduce over 40 different flavor profiles with no added flavoring ingredients- all due to thebiodiversity of plants and different species of bees around the Baru Volcano. We bought their coffee in their shop but although we really wanted some, hesitated to buy the honey as U.S. customs considers honey an agricultural product that cannot be brought in without USDA certification.    


Before returning back to our hotel, Claudio said he had one more surprise for us. He said we just had to try the strawberries and cream, a specialty in the region. We stopped at a small “strawberry cafe” for a taste of their different strawberry specialties. Delicious! We love it when Claudio has a special surprise for us!



Time for relaxation back at the hotel, time for beer and cocktails at the bar, another swim, and a delicious dinner.



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