Pachira Lodge

We finally arrived at Pachira Lodge, which Julio was at pains to stress was not a hotel but a lodge. To us it seemed like a hotel. We were greeted by a Shirley Temple mocktail, refreshing, gingery and very welcome after the journey. Set in 35 acres it was located 5 minutes by boat from the entrance to the lush Tortuguero National Park. 

We were not allowed to go to our rooms but had to have dinner. That was quite a performance, getting the numbers and dynamics right. On reflection although initially it was a bit of a faff it did mean that for the rest of our stay we had really lovely table companions; a couple from Winnipeg and a mother and daughter from Copenhagen.

The food was delicious, lots of fruit and vegetables, with the staple of rice and beans. It has been a case of beans, bean and more beans. Rice and beans, known as Gallo Pinto is the national dish of Costa Rica, although Nicaragua also claims it as theirs.

Eventually we were allowed to go to our rooms and we were certainly not disappointed.

After a short break we headed off for a boat trip, on a very small boat with a few other people to explore the national park via the network of canals and waterways which criss cross it. The small open boats provided better visibility to be able to navigate the narrower waterways and go deeper into the park.

It was good to know how regulated this is. Every member of the group had to have been authorised prior to the visit by the government. Prior to going into the park we had to go to a building next to the canal for the final go ahead. Numbers are regulated and speed etc.

Julio explained that only 2% of the rainforest is allowed to be accessed and the rest is off limits.

It is an area rich in biodiversity. As of mid-2017 an area in the southern part of the park has been closed indefinitely to protect endangered Jaguar habitat.  

We saw three types of monkeys, but as they are quite fast paced we didn’t get photographs. We have found having a guide has been utterly brilliant as they know all the signs to watch out for. A slight rustling in the trees, being able to pick out creatures so well camouflaged against the verdant hues of green.

The howler monkey with  their loud howls, which can travel more than one mile through dense rain forest, produced with a special bone in their throat which amplifies their calls. Howler monkeys usually do this in the morning and at the end of the day, so as it was mid afternoon we didn’t hear them but luckily we got to see them.

We saw the White Faced Capuchin, Julio was very animated about these, wanting to know what sex they were and a bit deflated I sensed when someone guessed correctly that they were male as have white testicles.

No wonder we couldn’t capture them can move very quickly between the branches of the trees in their habitat. The fastest recorded speed of these monkeys is 34 mph. These are known to be one of the cleverest species of monkey.They are known to use tools in different ways, from getting food to beating snakes to protect themselves or release an infant. They also rub their bodies against certain plants, the purpose of this could be to deter parasites or get the benefit of the anti-inflammatory agent from these plants.

The last species of monkeys we saw were the spider monkeys and my particular favourite.

They just looked so gangly as they moved from tree to tree. Julio pointed out that they don’t have thumbs. Their genus name is Ateles, which means “imperfect.” This refers to the fact that they don’t have thumbs but to me they looked perfect!

Pete was the official photographer for this part of the trip and took some really good ones, especially of iguanas. We saw some huge ones. Julio said that when he was little he would go out with his father, grandfather and uncles hunting and these would be a staple for them. What did it taste like I asked. ‘Like chicken’ replied Julio, the stock answer for all unknown meat, even in the rainforest.

In the small boats we were able .to get into some really smalls places which at first seemed inaccessible. It was amazing and luckily it didn’t rain!

We had a swim later in the lodge pool and there was a downpour but as it’s warm it felt really invigorating.

We knew it was the rainy season with the area having an average 512 mm of precipitation during July. During the night we felt that the whole 512mm had come down.

Had another fantastic, flavoursome meal.

Despite the rain we decided to go to the bar that evening and I was really glad we did. The bartender came over to us to say that there was a porcupine walking behind the bar. It looked so cute toddling down the path. We quietly followed it as it climbed a tree and went to sleep in its branches.

Not the best photo but you can see it’s big yellow teeth. It started to clap vigorously at us so left it alone as thought it was a defence mechanism. Julio said we were really lucky to have seen one.

Only our first full day and this really is just a small amount of what we have seen.