Hacienda Baru - July 25, 2012

Finally after all these years visiting Costa Rica we decided to try a zip line canopy tour. We have been promising ourselves annually. This year we made good on our promises and in the nick of time too. The tour took us through lowland forest, secondary growth and primary growth forests. Hacienda Baru has been working on reforestation and maintenance of the remaining primary forest for the more than 40 years. We saw 2-toed sloth, 3-toed sloth, toucans and aracari close up. They appeared not to have developed a fear response to humans so we were quite close.

Here we are getting ready to go with David, one of our two guides. Since we were the first group of the morning at 8 am we were a small band, only two other people joined us, a honeymoon couple from Nevada.

The climb up the mountain was moderately strenous. I didn't think so at the time but my thighs told me the next day.

David and Pedro demonstrate how it is done.

Mike really is having a good time, despite the look on his face.

You have got to trust your catcher. At the end of the tour Baru offered us frozen scented towels to cool us down. We didn't expect such fancy treatment and  they were most welcome.

We followed up this fun with a visit to the snake and reptile park. Here are a couple of residents, a Caiman and a Giant Turtle. The turtle is not native to Central America.

This park has an impressive collection of snakes, but they were shy of our photographer.