Carara National Park

On the ride along the Costa Rica coast I passed a sign for the Carara National Park which is near Jaco. I had seen it on the map and the dirt road behind the sign was intriguing, so I turned around. I followed the track for many miles through thick jungle. I stopped by a wide river and as I walked towards it, saw brilliant and unfamiliar butterflies eating something off of the ground.

The river reminded me of the Allagash or other wilderness waterways in Maine and I had a sense of longing. This was not Maine, however, and there were alligators in any deep water. I thought that these would be good rivers for trips, except the cost of a tip over might include a wrestle with an alligator. In one spot I crossed the river and continued on a ways.

I met a man who lived in a shack that I had driven by. I asked him about camping and he gave me a funny look. That look said, “Sleep by the river? That is sure a strange thing to want to do. Why would anyone want to do that?”. He gave me a mango and I decided not to camp in an unfamiliar jungle without any training on jungle etiquette. I would like to learn though.
My camera doesn’t work…sorry!