Our tour started with an hour bus trip to the rain forest preserve for an aerial tram tour through the forest canopy. We had three guides one on the bus, the second on the tram and the third during a walking tour on the forest floor. All were very knowledgeable and informative. During the trip out, our guide gave us a brief history of Costa Rica and some insights on how their system works.

At the rain forest preserve we boarded a tram (eight passengers and a guide for a trip through the forest canopy. Our guide explained the forest ecosystem and pointed out some the wildlife we would not have seen on our own. The forst itself is beautiful with its flowers and waterfalls. We heard but did not see any birds and the multicolored butterflies and moths were darting around to quickly to get pictures of. There was an iguana and one of those brightly colored poisonous frogs. The plantlife is amazing – all those small indoor plants we have at home grow to giant size in their natural habitat.

During our walk on the forest floor we saw a number of poisonous and non-poisonous snakes – all in glass cages along with a giant non-poisonous frog. Our guide pointed out a number of medicinal plants some with brilliant colored flowers and a tree with red bark that is used to make a tea that can help diabetics.

After the tours we went to the park cafeteria for lunch – rice and beans and chicken and plantains and then back to the ship.