I had booked a boat back to Sierpe leaving at 7am so had an early start to the day. Once all the luggage was put in the front hold, we waded through the water to climb onto the boat. Then, it was off back up the coast. Our captain had told us we had to pick up more passengers at the main settlement, but we were unprepared for how packed the boat ended up being. It would seem that the early morning boat is the popular choice for people leaving the area as there were many more boats departing apart from ours.
The ocean was more choppy than when I arrived and the swell where the waves were breaking was greater as well. I was expecting a bumpy ride, but our captain expertly coasted through with barely a blimp. Then, we were back in the river, zipping through at a good rate of knots. A crocodile was basking on a mudflat as we sped by and a multitude of birds flittered, soared or waded as we passed.
All too soon we were back in Sierpe, disembarking and awaiting our luggage. I walked the couple of blocks to where the bus was waiting and caught up with Janie who had been transferred to another boat. We travelled the short distance to Palmar Norte and then jumped on a bus to San Isidro. The road closely followed the river and we had spectacular views of its cascading stream. Then it continued on its way northwards. We were now back in the mountains and able to enjoy all the vistas that that entailed; from sweeping views across broad mountain valleys to perilous drops down into seemingly never-ending chasms.
In San Isidro, we went to grab a coffee before deciding our next move. I found a cheap hostel just out of San Gerardo de Rivas from where we could try to get to the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve. Decision made, we then organised an Uber to get us there.
Centro Ecológico Montaña Verde was up a steep, dirt track which passed several rural properties along the way. We ended up walking as we hadn’t realised it was so far up. When we arrived, the only person there was a French traveller who advised that the hombre who ran the hostel wasn’t there and he wasn’t sure when he would be back. I had booked us both in so we decided to just chance it and leave our packs and wander into the little town.
San Gerardo de Rivas is a pretty little town with an ubiquitous quaint church in its centre, framed by the surrounding mountains. We found a little restaurant with views over the countryside to have an early dinner before heading back to the hostel.
When we returned to the hostel, the hombre running it was there so we were able to check in as well as learn a little more about the place. Centro Ecológico Montaña Verde is primarily an educational facility focusing on delivering ecological and sustainability messages. The hostel is just a side venture. There was only the three of us staying the night and we had a pleasant time swapping stories and chatting.
Wild Woman Wandering 