Although there has been no real shortage of rain here in the rainforest for the past two weeks, many of us have been longing for water of the particularly enjoyable kind, especially of the swimming variety. The wildlife and vast biodiversity of the rainforest has been overwhelmingly abundant and an indescribable sight to see, but the humidity haves us all really wanting a swimming pool. As I’ve been experiencing thus far here in the tropics, in some sort of fashion: ask and you shall receive.
The second research station we stayed at, the Soltis Center, which is owned by Texas A&M, was incredibly nice and went above and beyond all of our expectations in terms of the quality of our stay. My favorite day at the Soltis Center was on our day hike, when we started from the center and hiked about 3km to a waterfall (!!!). I can’t begin to describe how the looks on everyone’s faces showed how much our spirits had lifted when we arrived at the waterfall. The view was sensational and the mist from the waterfall was exactly what we needed. Everyone soaked up every minute at the waterfall to absorb the mist and to utilize every photo opportunity.
Throughout our course, we’ve been learning about the many positives and negatives of ecotourism exercised in this county, as Costa Rica’s economy and means for development rely on this industry for its positives. When ecotourism is so heavily relied upon like it is here, I think it’s imperative to maintain a healthy balance of allowing visitors to pay money to participate with such diverse and beautiful nature, without compromising any of the priceless biodiversity.
We were able to be an ecotourist for a day, and I have no shame in admitting that it was one of my favorite days in Costa Rica thus far. We visited the La Fortuna Waterfall outside La Fortuna and as I’ve never had the opportunity to swim in a waterfall before, it was truly an amazing experience. The water was so refreshing and all of us were in complete awe of the gift that nature had provided us. I brought my diving mask so I was even able to snorkel in the waterfall’s receiving pool to observe the marine life the area had to offer. The constant sound of the rushing water surrounding the area and the immense beauty of it all rendered us breathless.
We saw first-hand why Costa Rica is able to be such a great destination for ecotourism and why people pay money to experience things like this. Also, while I was thinking about ecotourism during this experience, I even ran into a family from Austin when swimming near the waterfall. Small world, right? I can’t wait to experience more moments like this and bask in Costa Rica’s incredible beauty. Until next time, adios!