Entrance
to SamasatiCosta Rica 2004 Trip Diary
2004 took Patty and I to the Samasati Nature Preserve and Retreat near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. This is in the southeast part of the country, not far from Panama. Samasati is primarily a yoga and spiritual retreat, with vegetarian meals served on-site. The private cabins were excellent and very comfortable, and there were a couple of nice trails accessible from the site. The sounds at night are incredible here. The retreat is not particularly wildlife-oriented, so the staff didn't know too much about the fauna in the area, and the trails were not that well- maintained. But we didn't mind and made the most of it.
Entrance
to Samasati
Unfortunately, I caught a bad head cold just prior to arriving in Costa Rica, which limited my ability to hike much until later in the week. In addition, Patty received a nasty bite from some insect that cause her arm to swell. We almost thought we'd have to leave early, given our physical ills. As a result of these setbacks, our explorations were limited and my herp count is low. One of the herp highlights, though, was this beautiful yellow eyelash pit viper we found adjacent to a path right near the complex:
We did see many sloths, a kinkajou, even a margay. This sloth was found crossing the road. We stopped and helped it along.
Samsati also offered several activities, such as a dolphin-watch boat trip and a trip on a "zip-line" through the forest:
Pictures of some of the herp species we found can be accessed via these links:
Thanks!
Shawn