Day 4: Quetzals in the morning and Toucans in the afternoon

March 6

What did we do?

The day started earlier than normal. We met our guide, Carlos, at 5 am for our two-hour Resplendent Quetzel search. We were fortunate to get within 20 mt of a pair of Quetzals at the Savegre River Lodge. For almost an hour we watched a male and a female taking turns hollowing out a nest in the nearby tree.

The male Quetzal

We left San Gerardo in the late morning for the 3-hour drive to Uvita following Route 2 and the aptly named Cerro de la Muerte. It is a high mountain road with panoramic views and steep twists and turns. Except for fog at the pass, the weather was good and we didn’t encounter any road hazards. 

We stopped at Walmart and a nearby produce market in Perez Zeledon to stock up on groceries.

Waze and I were in full agreement throughout the trip until about forty minutes past Perez Zeledon when she unexpectedly asked us to turn onto a gravel road toward Nauyaca Falls. We debated, but in the end, we followed the strict instructions from our VRBO host to “go through Dominical and don't let Waze take you through the back roads, it's easy to get lost”. I still wonder if we missed out on a good adventure.

We arrived safely at our accommodation in the hills above Uvita in the early afternoon and spent the rest of the day swimming and relaxing.

Where did we stay?

Casa Namaste, which we booked through VRBO, is a well-equipped 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom house located high in the hills between Uvita and Dominical. It has stunning views out over the jungle valley and the famous Whale’s Tail at Marino Ballena National Park. Toucans, hummingbirds, hawks, Chacalaca’s, Oropendula’s and monkeys were frequent visitors to the trees on the property and we spent a lot of time just enjoying the swimming pool and the views.

The pool at Casa Namaste looking towards the ocean

Where did we eat?

Who wants to go out when you are staying in a place like Casa Namaste and have groceries, tropical fruit, and about forty KIND Bars? We had one restaurant meal during our visit.

A short, but steep walk from Casa Namaste

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Of course, we had to swim

A King Vulture perched in a tree by the pool

One of my favorites because of their call.
The Montezuma Oropendula

Yellow Throated Toucans love the trees at Casa Namaste