Day 12: I heart mangroves (Jiquilillo)
You know sometimes you're so happy you have to catch your breath and remember to drink it all in? Well I had one of those days kayaking in the Padre Ramos Nature Reserve.
Some things in life are worth waking up at 5am for, and watching the sun come up while you're paddling through the beautiful waters of Central America's largest mangrove forest is one of them.
Padre Ramos is an estuary which is home to not only mangroves, but to all kinds of wildlife. It's protected and, as well as being an area of outstanding natural beauty, it provides an essential source of food and income for the local community.
It was my good fortune to be the only person on the tour that morning, so my lovely guide David and I had the entire estuary and all its little channels to ourselves.
It's hard to describe how stunning the reserve is; part way through the journey we stopped on dry land to climb up for a view, I took photos and they just don't convey the tranquillity and the knowledge that you're in a really special place.
I've had a few kayaking mishaps before (for 'mishaps', read 'capsizing big style') so I was thankful to remain dry throughout this experience!
Lucky for me David's English is great and we had plenty of time to chat about the reserve and also his life as we glided across the water together for three hours.
David is a guide for Ibis Kayaking which was established by US native Jennifer about eight years ago.
At 21, David was given the opportunity to learn English, become a kayak instructor and a guide, and now six years later, he's running the business while Jennifer is away. It's another great example, alongside Rancho Esperanza, of tourism providing a real benefit to the community.
David told me stories of how he and his brothers and cousins would hop through the mangroves (which have their roots in the water) like 'monkeys' to go hand fishing. Hand fishing is where you put your hand into the space between rocks and hope to pull out a red snapper! David told me getting bitten by eels and stung by algae are occupational hazards that can leave you scratched, bleeding or with an arm full of blisters for days.
He also told me that as a youth, he'd climb and shake down coconut trees for cash, he would get about 30p per tree and could get climb 60 trees a day. It beats washing the car and stacking and emptying the dishwasher I think!
Padre Ramos is a great example of conservation done well and in respect of the community - for instance, while selling the mangrove wood is now prohibited, local people are still free to use it in the building of their homes as they always have done. David's grandfather built their home from mangrove wood 60 years ago and it's still going strong!
The locals are also now part of the initiative to save the endangered Hawksbill turtles which make the the reserve their home.
Traditionally, people would take eggs for food and kill the turtles for meat and to sell their uniquely beautiful shells. With the poverty experienced in Jiquillio, no-one could blame them, so when turtle conservation charity ICAPO began working in the area, they provided an alternative source of income by employing local people and buying eggs from them so they could be protected.
David told me that since they started the programme, more than 150,0000 baby turtles have been released into the wild.
Padre Ramos is what brought me to Jiquillio, so if you're headed there for the surf or the beach, don't miss the amazing opportunity to explore the reserve.
It's an experience I'll treasure forever.
Travel tips:
1 Rancho Esperanza arranged my tour but you can go direct at www.ibiskayaking.com.
2 My solo tour was $50 (worth every cent) but if there's two of you or more it's $25 each.
3 You'll be offered the use of a dry bag for your phone etc, and you'll be able to leave bulkier items like your bag at the Ibis base
