We are having a super fun time in Costa Rica. Our home base for the week is Tamarindo, a surfer town on the Pacific.  It reminds me of Breckenridge, Colorado, but with surfers instead of skiers.  There is a little downtown lined with shops, lots of beach-side restaurants, and a laid-back vibe.  And lots and lots of surfers!

But today, we decided to be more adventurous and visit a place called Bula Bula (we think means “Happy Happy”). The trick with Bula Bula is that it is located on Playa Grande, which sits across the estuary from Tamarindo – an estuary that is filled with crocodiles!  It actually is possible to walk across at low tide, but they don’t recommend it, and little putt-putt boats line up to ferry people across.

We walked down the beach, past the signs that warned of crocodiles, to the edge of the estuary. We selected a captain, Davide, to take us up the estuary and waded out to our boat.

We wound around and around, heading deeper into the mangroves, where we spotted herons, local birds, and jumping fish.

Finally, we landed at the dock for Bula Bula and arranged with Davide to return in 3 hours.

Bula Bula is a cute and very remote hotel – this whole area is protected because it is a turtle nesting ground so very out of the way. We had a terrific lunch at “The Great Waltini” restaurant and then explored the beach on THIS side of the estuary and lounged around by the pool.

A very relaxing afternoon – and happily (or not) – no cocodrilos in sight.