“This tree is famous,” declared the University of Costa Rica professor. “There’s not another like it in the entire country”. The tree he was referring to is a chilamate (Ficus tonduzii). Its photo has appeared on the front cover of The Tico Times, the front page of the tourism section of La Nación, and in […]
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Giant Beautiful Kapok at Baru Wildlife Refuge
By Jack Ewing The most noteworthy old tree that has passed on at Hacienda Barú was an enormous old kapok or ceibo tree (Ceiba pentandra). It once dominated the skies near what is today the El Ceibo Service Station. Its familiar form, tall straight trunk and umbrella top, was a well-known landmark for travelers and […]
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Adventures From Above
~ by Jack Ewing In 1996, at Hacienda Barú, we built a platform 32 meters above the ground at the top of an huge rainforest tree, and inaugurated the Canopy Platform tour. Even though it took place in the treetops, far above the rainforest floor, it was really about ecology, not adrenaline. However, the biggest […]
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Adventure in the Cerro Chirripó
~ by Luis Gutiérrez GaleraIt is still not dawn, and the mist is laying on the lush Talamanca mountain range; it is just before sunrise, but the adventurous tourists are ready to begin the walk to conquer the highest summit in Costa Rica. This journey will take about 8 hours, through paths that may prove to […]
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The Fate of the Chonta Palm
By Jack Ewing “Look what I found,” beamed the tractor driver, “a palmito from a chonta palm.It’s the first one I’ve seen in a long time.” The cylindrical palm heart about a meter long rested on his shoulder. He didn’t seem the least bit troubled that the tree he had destroyed to acquire the palm […]
Continue readingFood from the gods (Theobroma cacao)
Cocoa was very significant to Native Americans and now days, it is highly valued by the modern consumer. The cocoa powder is made from the seeds of the plant that grows wild in the forests of the South Pacific of Costa Rica, and it is mainly used to produce chocolate. The fruits can reach up […]
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