Costa Rica
Tour and Panama Cruise with CruiseWest
Centro Neotropico SarapiquiS Hotel
-Botanical Gardens and Archaeological Site.
Text and Photos byJack
Yeazel
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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.
Magellan GPS Location Map of the Gardens
and Hotel (Heights in feet)
Click on these thumbnails for a larger view
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The main building has a "palapa" type structure.
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Inside construction of the roof.
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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.
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The only humming bird nest in the garden
is nearby.
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Jorge leads us through the gardens, identifying
the plants.
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Jorge holding a passion flower.
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More exotic flowers -most of which we can't
remember their names!
Archeological site
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Petroglyphs are difficult to make out in
this picture.
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The small statue is holding the head of
his vicitim.
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Indigenous burial site.
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A "small" Happy Hour at the Hotel before
dinner.
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Dinner guests, Gullers, Bradleys,
and the Cogans (two frames).
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Henry Hall and Irene always have a big
smile.
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Rita and the Greens
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Ruth and Linda