First Excursion

Where the rivers meet the sea.

Mangroves – the word sounds a little dangerous, like a flesh-eating forest maybe. I looked it up and a mangrove is simply a tree that lives with its roots underwater. Pretty simple. A mangrove swamp is just a lot of those trees.  So we took our first tour in the southern Pacific  part of Costa Rica through the mangroves. I know I thought it would be a lot more interesting than it was. In the mangroves a little goes a long way. But on our way out we stopped by a tiny island inhabited by birds.

Frigate birds

bird island

The sea was choppy and the ride out was rough. I’m sure I was at least three inches shorter by the time we got to the mangroves. Every time the boat rode a wave up I came down hard.  I could feel my vertebrae

compressing. Frigate birds roosted on the island as well as sea eagles and black vultures.  Interesting but let’s get out of this chop!

Enter the mangroves where the ocean meets fresh water. High tide marks are clearly visible on the trees. At first it seems as if the mangroves are simply large rivers lined with trees but further exploration up the rivers reveals a different world altogether.

Hanging roots

The rivers narrow and the exposed tree roots reveal a natural world more fantasy than science. Some roots hang from above while others create a piece of art curving over and over in endless repetition. Birds flit through the swamp and tiny hermit crabs skitter across the dry roots. Caimans hide in plain sight waiting for a chance to slip into the water.

Juvenile caiman

Quiet is the word for a mangrove. The river moves slowly out to the sea and rises and falls with the tide.  Insects do not buzz and there are few animals in the narrowest canals of the mangrove. With the roots exposed and dead looking the silence is eerie.

Artistic roots

Tangled roots in a narrowing canal.