Costa Rica
Tour and Panama Cruise with CruiseWest Centro Neotropico SarapiquiS Hotel
-Botanical Gardens and Archaeological Site. Text and Photos by Jack
Yeazel Return
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General: Centro Neotrópico SarapiquiS, which opened in mid 2000, includes
a hotel designed to resemble a 15th century indigenous village, accommodations
for scientists, an archeological site, a biodiversity museum (under construction),
and botanical and organic vegetable gardens. A Belgium non-profit
conservation association owns the center. The grounds are landscaped
with 500 native and endangered plant species. An archeological park
on the grounds replicates many aspects of pre-Columbian culture and features
ceramics and stonework excavated from an ongoing archeological dig at an
ancient cemetery beside the Sarapiquí river. Located in La Virgen
de Sarapiqui, the center is a two hour drive from San Jose.
Click on these thumbnails for a larger view CenRut map of the drive from the tram
to the gardens and hotel (Contour heights in meters).
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The main building has a "palapa" type structure.
Inside construction of the roof.
Bird watching in "comfort". The bird
feeder is above the table on the right.
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Some of the beautiful birds being watched.
The only humming bird nest in the garden
is nearby.
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Jorge leads us through the gardens, identifying
the plants.
Jorge holding a passion flower.
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More exotic flowers -most of which we can't
remember their names!
Archeological site ..........
Petroglyphs are difficult to make out in
this picture.
The small statue is holding the head of
his victim.