LATIN AMERICA - COSTA RICA : Turu Ba Ri: A Taste of Costa Rica in Six Hours
by Ursula & Eldrid Retief



Edgardo plunges off the trail below the Monkey Tail Trees and emerges with one of the “tails”.

He peels it and nibbles the furry white fruit. He peers into it, dislodges an insect and offers it to us as a delicacy; the fruit, that is. We nibble dutifully. It’s really quite delicious.

We’re in the middle of Turu Ba Ri Tropical Park, Costa Rica’s most complete destination and the most diverse park in Central America. Here, in this eco-adventure oriented theme park, we discover the beauty of butterflies, birds, a tree fossil, unique botanical collections, amazing forest trails, thrilling adventure tours; and for a few hours we are immersed in Costa Rica’s cultural history.

Turu Ba Ri is the vision of Oscar Saborio, a former congressman who was determined to transform this cattle and mango farm into a tourist attraction, starting with a reforestation project of more than 35,000 trees ..... a brave decision in a region as dry as Turrubares. His friends, he tells us, thought he was crazy. They’re not saying that now. Today, there are more than 70,000 trees and ornamental plants where there were once pastures.

The piece de résistance at the magnificent Turu Ba Ri is the Canopy where professional guides are on hand as you zip through the trees like Tarzan from a series of 20 treetop platforms that form a path through the trees. It ends with a 200 feet-long zip line, right at station No.1 of the Aerial Tram.

We were on a Panama Canal cruise on the Radisson Seven Seas Mariner with a day in Puntarenas in Costa Rica, one of our ports-of-call. We have perhaps 8 hours to see Costa Rica .... and Turu Ba Ri beckons as the perfect microcosm of this diverse country.

Maria Liz meets us at the dock for the lovely drive along the coastline. We turn in from Caldera Bay and eventually cross the hanging bridge on the Tarcoles River, tarrying there for a moment in the hope of spotting the crocodiles which call this part of the river their home. No crocodiles, but a vulture at the roadside eyes us. The Turrubares Peaks jut into the sky as a backdrop.

When we arrive at Turu Ba Ri, Maria leads us to the Aerial Tram for a 10-minute Sky Ride to its attractions. From 90 meters up in the air we have an amazing view of the 460 hectares of the park. The ride is noiseless except for the rush of the river and the wind flowing through the trees.

Costa Rica has 16,000 species of butterfly and at the Turu Ba Ri Butterfly Park farm some 40 different species of every color, pattern and shape flutter around us. At the butterfly farm we learn about the butterflies’ life cycle, their natural history and their astonishing survival strategies.

The winding Indian Trail with its paved trails and bridged streams is guarded by many different trees, huge termite nests hanging from the branches like massive, elongated cones; some 150 palm trees, trees from every country imaginable and over a hundred species of birds in their branches. The beautiful Long-Tailed Manakins serenade and entertain us with their songs and courtship dances. Here and there we run into an iguana basiliscus, those fascinating dinosaur-like creatures.

Along the trail Edgardo and Maria pluck some Star fruit off a tree. They taste so much better than those we buy at our local supermarket. Both Edgardo and Maria brim over with knowledge of the flora and fauna as we walk through the dry forest and its treasures. Some of the trees are hundreds of years old and we learn how the ancient cultures used the forest to create everyday items.

In The Orchids and Bromeliads Gardens we meet the Dancing Lady (probably known to you as Oncidium), one of the 1,500 orchid species in Costa Rica. In fact, an orchid – the La Guaria Morada - purple orchid – is Costa Rica’s national flower. Here in Turu Ba Ri there are some 600 orchids.

At the Tarcoles River lookout we again search desperately for a sighting of the huge American Crocodiles which hang out here but see only Jesus Christ lizards which scuttle over the surface of the river as though they are running on water.

Our last stop, the Countryside Farm, provides a glimpse of how the Costa Ricans once lived, their culture and pre-Columbian traditions. Plantations in miniature (coffee, cacao, sugar cane and others), the base of the Costa Rican economy during the last century, surround the palm-roofed palenque huetar open-side farm-house which provides a hands-on experience of life in those days. A herbarium illustrates what plants the Costa Ricans use for curative needs and to spice their food.

We then get lost in the Maze; touch a petrified tree.

At the Garabito Restaurant we enjoy the taste of real home-made Costa Rica cuisine cooked over a wood stove – a lunch of 16 main entrees and 8 different salads, delicious arroz garabito, a stir-fry lookalike, red and white and chili beans, pollo ensalsa (chicken in a rich sauce), spare-ribs and trocitos de cerdo (pork), tortillas, and platanos.

We have the Seven Seas Mariner waiting for us so we have to forgo the offer of two horseback riding tours which take guests to the splendid mountains of the park and to the Tarcoles river.

But we HAVE seen most of Costa Rica in a fascinating few hours.


Photo: courtesy Mary Thorman


SCRIBBLES ETCETERAS

Location: Turu Ba Ri is located at Turrubares in the province of San Jose, just 75 km. from the capital. It is located 8 km. from Orotina, 35 km. from Caldera, 45 km. from Puntarenas and 50 km. from Jaco. It has 496 acres of beautiful scenery, surrounded on the northeast by the Río Grande de Tárcoles, to the southwest by the Turrubares Hillsides and the Carara National Park, to the west by the Gulf of Nicoya, which you can see from the highest elevation areas.

Temperatures: The Park is located in the driest zone of a transitional forest, so the weather is warm and humid. The average temperature all year round reaches 30 degrees Celsius and it rains a few times during the afternoon from May to November.

Opening Times: Turu Ba Ri Tropical Park is open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guided tours start every hour from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (the last entrance to the park is 3 p.m). An English speaking guide is available on request. The tour lasts 4 to 8 hours depending on interest and arrival time.

Rates are US$55 adults/US$40 children and students.

Tours: Turu Ba Ri also offers full one-day tours (US$80 per person/US$65 children and students) which includes pick up around 6 a.m. from downtown San Jose hotels and returns at about 6 p.m. The rates include round-trip transportation from and to San jose, detailed visit with local bilingual guide to the main attractions of the park, breakfast, lunch and Turu Ba Ri Sky Ride (both ways).

Visit the Turu Ba Ri website at www.turubari.com or for reservations email to reserve@turubari.com.
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