Canopy tours are all the rage in Costa Rica and we have avoided them…until today. Much of the life in the rainforest exists only in the canopy. Scientists like Meg Lowman of the Explorers Club continue to discover new species of plants and insects and who knows what else. But the canopy tours we have seen are for thrill seekers, not naturalists. The adrenaline rush from sliding along zip lines is the goal, not observing life in the treetops.
One of Merlyn’s friends just opened La Palma Osa Canopy Tours near Danta Lodge. Eduardo was trained at one of the best facilities in Osa and it shows. He is personable, safety conscious and has a good understanding of the plants and animals of the rainforest. We were one of his first clients and we were happy to help him get started.
It rained during the early morning hours and the road to La Palma Osa was a mess but the views of Golfo Dulce from the top were lovely. Even though we knew the drill Eduardo and his brother Frank helped us into climbing harnesses and helmets and gave us protective gloves with a special leather brake pad for slowing down. Once you clip into a pulley on the cable and sit down you cross your ankles and S-L-I-D-E away.
You can’t see much as you flash over the treetops but the views from the platforms are good. Some are at ground level where you can find insects, amphibians and reptiles. In the high platforms, up to 100 feet above the ground, you can see some of the amazing birds. We weren’t very lucky today but not because Eduardo didn’t try. I did get some good close-ups of a black-throated trogon, some long-nosed bats and a masked pityra in the canopy and a basilisk lizard and a poison dart frog on the ground. The basilisk is also called the ‘Jesus Christ lizard’ for its ability to run across water on its hind legs, and the skin of the dart frog was used by indigenous people to poison their arrowheads.
After the tour we had a huge plate of fruit then we drove to Playa Blanca where we spent the rest of the morning birding along the mangroves. I took some good photos of the fiery-billed apari, a small toucan, and his larger cousin, the chestnut-mandibled toucan before heading back to Danta for lunch. We spent the afternoon relaxing around the lodge. It is almost like being back in Africa. We have the entire place to ourselves and the only sounds are the buzzing of insects, squawking parrots and now the rain on the roof. It is good to know the roof won’t leak like our banda in Uganda.
