Sarapiquí is one of the richest sites for birds in Middle America with well over 400 species recorded. Nearby, the La Selva Protection Zone and the Braulio Carrillo National Park form the only significant corridor of forest on the Caribbean slope linking the highlands with the lowlands — a corridor crucial to birds and animals that undertake seasonal altitudinal migrations. Our stay at Selva Verde Lodge immersed us in tropical nature. We were greeted by a two-toed sloth as we arrived and took our luggage to our cabins. We hiked through deep green forest and relaxed quietly in a comfortable hammock. We got completely soaked on an exhilarating raft trip, and then enjoyed an exotic drink called ‘The Sloth” back at the lodge. 
Our Road Scholar odyssey began with a visit to the Gold Museum in San Jose before embarking on a wonderful bus trip to the lush Serapiqui region and our lodge. In addition to river rafting, we had a few excellent bird-watching sessions from the restaurant rainforest balcony, discovered the flora and fauna of the old growth forest including beautiful heliconia plants, hummingbirds and poison dart frogs. We were awakened by the haunting sound of howler monkeys in the morning, enjoyed lunch and learned how to make cheeses and pepper at the home of a local resident, and ended the day with much laughter during Latin dance lessons.
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Next stop Arenal Volcano