Environment Highlights Archives

Arches National Park

January 31, 2017 roamngrow One comment

Out of a number of national parks around the state that hosts a wide variety of extra-terrestrial looking landscapes, Arches National Park definitely holds the first place in terms of the serenity. Gigantic arches reminiscing different shapes and sizes, red rocks bejeweling the foreground and background with no trace of greenery in the horizon.

Ventana Arch

A park full of arch like structures with the center eroded making it see through! Natural wonders are abundant like McDonalds stores in this area, only that the flavors and taste differ so significantly. We drove through the park first just to scale the area and to prioritize our hikes. This is a popular park and a lot of visitors actually stay overnight camping. We heard that the starry nights are fascinating because of the lack of air and light pollution.

There are tens and thousands of arches of various kinds here. The popular and our favorite ones are – Delicate arch, Double arch, Window/ventana arch, and Turret arch. The

Sand Dune Arch

geology behind the formation of the arches is intriguing. Million years ago, this land was under the sea indicated by the discovery of fossils of oceanic creatures, mollusks, shells. Once the seas receded, the large basin covered with thick salt beds was covered in turn

Sky Arch

with large rocks carried in by the streams and rivers. The salt levels being lighter, pushes up the rock layer to create higher rock formations from the valleys. After groundwater dissolved the salt layer, the top layer collapsed into wall like structures. After 100-150 million years’ of weathering, these tall wall like structures took shape of these arches which are made of soft red sandstone. These arches are not permanent structures; new arches are being formed every day while old ones collapse.

The hike to the Delicate arch is a strenuous one, but extremely rewarding. The other arches have their own charm with various structural intricacies, and variation of grandeur. One can easily spend a week here just soaking in the charm of the delicate natural wonders. Find out more about the park from the National Park Services.

Tortuguero National Park

January 18, 2017 roamngrow Leave a comment

Back to Tortuguero

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This is one of the parks where a small canoe is the best option to roam around and catch wildlife, compared to walking. We spent the entire day in the park and village, yet seemed too less in terms of a wholly immersive time. Our tour guide (Jessica and Francisco), who we found miraculously, were amazing. Starting from their hospitality, timeliness, and care to make sure we got the best experience possible. Read more about them and their reviews in Tripadvisor.

Here are the highlights of our day in the park –

By Canoe

We started our tour around 8-30am, which is by far the best time to spot wildlife after the park opens around 8am. Francisco took the two of us around the canals in his little canoe and on the way pointing towards the numerous herons, iguanas, migratory birds, turtles, snakes, monkeys, and other interesting plants and trees that adapted for survival in these harsh environments. We even went within a foot of a Caiman waiting for its prey. It rained for a little bit and we took shelter under a tree that acted as a natural umbrella. With insects and animals all around us, danger lurking right below our little canoe, snakes hissing from the wood next to us, our voyage through the narrow (sometimes less than 6 feet wide) canals and passage ways was truly a humbling experience.

Walking during the day

In the afternoon, we hiked in the park. With one ticket, you can reenter the park multiple times. In the hike, make sure to get boots. We got them from Tanya next door, and the prices were reasonable. During the hike, Francisco made sure we saw many animals, and unlike other tour guides we had in CR, he was especially keen in giving us a fantastic experience. We saw pit vipers, howler monkeys, beautiful toucans, and several other unique insects. Spotting toucans were by far the most elusive as they hovered in the top most branches of the canopied forest and apart from their sharp voice, it is impossible even to know of their presence. At one point, in our quest for the bird, we stumbled upon a beautiful eyelash pit viper. A tiny golden hued coil camouflaged within yellow-green leaves of a bamboo tree lurked apparent danger. We also spotted some other colorful insects that made the journey through the forest enjoyable.

Night walk

It felt like we could never get enough of the rainforest, be it in the day or in pitch black darkness. A 2-3 hour walk after dark in a small group started from the La Pavona pier area. With flashlights, opulent bugspray and rubber hiking boots, we walked around the park through the bushes and along barely used trails. On our way, we spotted night frogs, spiders, and other scary looking insects. In a quest to spot some sloths and bats, we encountered some raccoons and smaller mammals hidden in the bushes too.

Poas Volcano

January 16, 2017 roamngrow Leave a comment

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The hike to the viewpoint for the principal crater was easy, but the wait for the cloud cover to disappear was not. It was an early January morning and it was windy and misty. From a distance, the Poas mountain top was covered by dense fog. We tried the same visit two weeks back on the first day in Costa Rica, but there was a dense cloud cover too. Even after waiting for 2 hours, we could not see anything.
But today the differentiator was the chilly wind gust. After only a 10 minute wait the majestic crater with the dreamy sulphur fumes showed up. It was a show indeed to see the cloud curtain getting lifted slowly and the intricate details of the panorama unveiling at an leisurely pace. But the clear skies did not last long, and once the principal crater was covered in dense cloud again, we hiked 10-15 minutes to the secondary crater which is now a lagoon.

The last eruption in the principal crater was in the 1950s but that in the secondary crater was way back. Therefore we don’t see any fuming gas in the secondary one. Nevertheless it was a sight not to be missed too. It is definitely worth the hike to the lagoon.

There’s also another trail that goes around the lagoon that does not have much view of the craters but has some wildlife and a lot of plants to spot. It took us about an hour but we took time to take photos, and explore the trail. That trail starts from the viewpoint of the secondary crater and ends near the parking lot.

Tip 1: In a day trip from San Jose, combo tours of Poas, Doka Coffee estate and Sarchi village is really convenient. But for visiting Poas only, try booking a ‘only Poas hike’ tour from San Jose area. Should cost no more than $60 pp. Taxi ride one way is about $60, and uber costs a tad less. Park entrance is $15 pp in high season ($10 in low). Also, for the savvy traveler, there’s a public bus from Alajuela autobusera around 8:30am, and returns from Poas at 2:30pm. Costs ~$2 one way. You can find the details of the bus schedule at visitcostarica.com.

Tip 2: do not go by weather forecasts. There are a few microclimates that change by the minute. On a day when the valley may be dry and bright with sunshine, the mountain top can be densely packed with clouds and rain. Try going there on a day of your choice and stay up there for a while hoping for the cloud cover to go away.

Tip 3: keep your camera ready and eyes wide open once you’re up there. The window of opportunity to view this majestic crater could be extremely short lived.

Florida Mariana Caverns

July 8, 2015 roamngrow Leave a comment

Back to Florida

Trees, stately giants beyond imagination. Rocks, boulders, and majestic mountains, living tapestries of light, shadow, and color. Streams, rivers, lakes, waterfalls; shimmering serenity, purity, and excitement. Endless, flowing plains; pathways to the sky. Flowers, leaves, needles, grasses, mosses; a kaleidoscope carpet. A billion snow diamonds, softer than baby feathers. Heavenly air; purified and sweetened by the birth, life, and death of beauty. What is the best alternative to the National and State parks in USA, to experience all of the above together? It is admirable how the national parks and state parks has stepped up to retain the natural beauty and to maintain the wilderness Mother Nature presents us with. From the Grand Canyons to Niagara falls to the redwood forests, nature is preserved to the extent that human beings can appreciate the beauty without painstaking hikes or treks.

The same holds true for the small state park containing the Florida caverns. Normally, a cave that has stalactites and stalagmites in it, should be inaccessible for a common man. To view those splendid creations, one has to wear scuba gear or have expert hikers limbs generally. Thanks to the US National Park Service, we could watch and admire the formations deep inside the surface of the Earth in the Jackson county, Florida. The park is located in the northern Florida panhandle, near Mariana. Drive from Tallahassee took an hour and a half. It is located in the Central Time Zone of USA. Directions and location of the park can be found here. On a warm weekend in April, 2011, a group of eight ventured out to the Florida Caverns. The time difference between Tallahassee and the park made our drive look incredibly quick. 🙂

Stalactites

The entry fee is $5 per vehicle and $8 per person to enter the guided tour inside the caverns. Caves are generally unusual for the state and moreover, caverns with such formations are strange indeed. Stalactites and Stalagmites are formed inside the caverns with time when water filled with minerals dissolve local bedrock. Now Stalagmites are formed when mineralized water drips from the roof and calcium carbonate is deposited, forming a structure that rises from the floor vertically. Stalactites are the opposite of stalagmites and they hang from the roof vertically and are formed by dripping of mineralized water. When these two formations meet midway, they are called ‘columns’.

A bulky Stalagmite

Generously lit formations

The caves in here were pretty dark (as it should be), but the park authorities had installed lightings in such a way that they make the crowd lure towards specific features inside. Several types of formations, rather various types of combination were available for display. Some were tall and thick, some smaller ones, some combination of stalactites and stalagmites made it look like a bed of arrows or some kind of trap. Floor of the caverns were slippery and we saw water dripping from the roof, making the caverns ‘live’. Formations were still in the process of developing and more and more areas of the caves were yet to be discovered. Bats, rats and other geeky nocturnal animals. The caverns had several rooms and some rooms were much lower than others, making tourists bend down and walk several feet hunched over. The slippery floor and low roof along with pitch black darkness can make people wary. All in all, apart from watching the eye candies, e.g. stalactites, stalagmites and flowstones, inside the caverns were a good break from the scorching Florida sunshine.

Column Structures

Outside the cave, the park is equipped with camping and picnic areas. The scary wilderness can call for big hearted people in the dark. The eerie feeling just before sunset, the silence, the sound of wind flowing through open crevices, the soft light just before complete darkness felt so pure. The feeling of being alone in the middle of everyone was enough for me to be lost with myself. Thanks to my sweet soul mate to select the exotic location so nearby. It may not be a place worth visiting again, but for the open minded traveler who cannot afford to get into large underwater caverns to relinquish the serenity of the limestone monuments, Florida state caverns may prove to be the hidden gem. Back to Home