Barra Honda National Park ...

After the weather forecast reported more rain today, we decided to visit Barra Honda National Park, which is 60 km away.

So we got in the car and drove for about an hour. On the way, we were stopped by a herd of cattle. So we had to wait and be patient...

Finally, we arrived and paid the somewhat expensive entrance fee. We climbed the steep 2 km with our all-wheel drive and a lot of equipment, accompanied by our two guides. That was quite a ride... everything before was child's play... we got stuck once and the adrenaline was already rising at that point. Additionally, two iguanas fearlessly approached our vehicle... Once we reached the top, we hiked 1.6 km through dry forests that truly lose their leaves in the dry season. Our guide explained a lot to us. We had the opportunity to observe a howler monkey up close, and Jörg chased after a blue morpho butterfly, what a sight... whenever the butterfly settles and closes its wings, it becomes inconspicuous... so we only took a photo while it was flying... a bit blurry, but you can see the gigantic blue color...

We passed by an observation platform, where we had a beautiful view over the valley to the Golf of Nicoya, between the peninsula and the mainland.

Then we continued to one of the 40 caves in the park. Many of them are closed for research purposes, and many are unexplored. The beginning of these caves dates back 70 million years. Currently, one cave is accessible for children's tours and one is only accessible for adults.

The entrance is from above, via a 17 m long, vertical ladder. With good safety precautions, we began the descent. Once we reached the bottom, there was no light, no handrail... nothing... only incredible stalagmites and stalactites. Formations that resemble lizards, turtles, crocodiles, humans, etc. The formation in the picture is called the "holy family".

After another 5 m on the ladder, we were about 40 m below ground.

An impressive experience... we ended up looking like little pigs... and now we had to walk 1.3 km back and safely descend the mountain.

After a little cleaning up, we left this place totally fascinated and drove back... into a beautiful sunset.

Now let's quickly have a pizza and then we're tired...