A day at sea

After admiring the Corcovado from land, today we head out on the water. We take a boat tour on the Golfo Dulce.

Josh, our guide from Seattle, who has been living in Costa Rica for 20 years, welcomes us on his boat in a good mood and off we go. We start in bright sunshine. Josh explains that Golfo Dulce sees blue skies and sunshine 300 days a year in a region that is one of the wettest on earth.

The reason for this is the adjacent jungle. Here the humidity rises from sunrise and huge clouds form, which then cause heavy rain over the jungle in the afternoon. The entire sea is surrounded by a belt of clouds and in the middle the sun shines from an azure sky.

Our guide also explains to us where the name Golfo Dulce (sweet golf) comes from. The locals called it that because the fresh water, which flows into the sea from 16 rivers, pushes over the salt water and so, the locals say, you could drink from the sea.

We haven't been out for long when our boat captain stops. A turtle floats in the water. She likes to be photographed before she glides away. We enjoy the beautiful landscape and the stories that Josh knows how to tell. For example the one about his friend Stefan from Germany, who plays in the band Böhse Onkelz. He has a house here in Costa Rica not far from our accommodation. Instead of heavy metal sounds, Stefan listens to meditation music and does yoga. He bought a piece of land from a good friend on which she opened a small restaurant.

As we drive past a picture-perfect beach, we see a villa hidden behind palm trees. According to Josh, this villa belongs to Mel Gibson, who is almost never here.

The lush green banks of the Golfo Dulce are home to countless species of birds that we see here.

We stop at a small beach and take a swim in the wonderfully warm Gulf. No waves, 26 degrees water temperature, what more could you want. Only the fact that we had recently seen a stingray in the exact spot where we are now swimming makes me keep looking down uneasily.

A short walk on the beach reveals the beauty of this area.

A hammock is stretched between two palm trees. The perfect kitschy photo motif. Me in the hammock under the palm trees. I lie down in the hammock and immediately find myself lying on my back on the stones. Getting started takes practice. That much is certain.

We continue our tour and see some dolphins who play with us briefly but then turn away. Unfortunately, humpback whales, who give birth here in the warm waters, do not appear in front of our lenses. We are two or three weeks late, the whales are already on their way to Antarctica.

Suddenly the scenery changes. We seem to be gliding across a mirror. The clouds are reflected in the water, not a wave can be seen. On the horizon you think you can see mirages like in the desert. A light blue mirror with a boat on it. I've never seen anything like it and, like my colleagues, I'm speechless.

In the mangroves of Golfo Dulce, our guide spots a crocodile on the right. Like frightened chickens, everyone runs to the right to get a photo. The boat is listing dangerously and only my husband's intervention prevented us from capsizing and me finding myself between a gang of ravenous crocodiles.

Our tour is coming to an end. On the way we see a few dolphins who immediately come into the camera sights of the others, who are excited and have to record every movement of the happy companions on a memory chip. I decide to just enjoy this incredible natural spectacle.

We reach the port of Puerto Jinenez around midday. A beautiful morning comes to an end in one of the most untouched places on earth.

We spend the afternoon packing our bags because it's already tomorrow

Bye bye Costa Rica.