Author: Carolin Wrede and Daniela León
After some time, we managed to figure it out a bit and got better. The guide makes several stops to inform us about the area and the plants and animals we see. The tour’s highlight was the many monkeys we saw jumping through the forest. However, we also observed a variety of crabs, birds, and bats. Going further along the river, we arrived at a spot where we stopped and got out of the water to take a break. As easy as it may look, kayaking is a real workout for your arms and incredibly exhausting in the hot Costa Rican weather.
Beautiful palm trees and the river surrounded the spot where we took our break. We drank some water and ate delicious, fresh pineapples. After that, our guide got us a coconut from one of the palm trees and opened it for us. The result was fresh coconut water and “copra” (the flesh of the coconut).
When looking for activities in Costa Rica, you should consider doing a kayak tour through the Terraba mangroves. You also participate in some physical activities while seeing the beautiful and peaceful nature. We took a three-hour tour with friends in the small town of Coronado. First, the guide gives some instructions on how to kayak correctly.
When everyone was seated on their kayaks, the tour could begin. At first, navigating the small “water streets” in the mangroves was challenging because the person sitting in the back had to paddle and steer simultaneously, while the person in the front had to do nothing. Getting synchronized with your partner is more complicated than it looks, especially navigating the curves and not hitting the trees was a challenge for us.
After the brief break, we got back on our kayaks and paddled back. On our way back, we saw the monkeys jumping in the bushes and trees on the side of the river. We stopped for a while to look at them. After that, we returned to the starting point. When we were almost back, we saw more monkeys using tree branches to cross the river above our heads.
We were exhausted from the long tour when we returned to the starting point. Kayaking through the river was peaceful and quiet, allowing you to enjoy nature in a completely different way than I have seen before. My only recommendation is sunscreen, a hat, and a shirt, because even though we used them, we were all extremely sunburnt afterward.