mangrove.org - Ecology Travel, Ecotourism, Ecotravel Costa Rica

Playa Palo Seco offers a wide variety of active experiences in the surrounding mangrove and environmentally rich areas of this barrier island. Take an early morning or evening walk on the beach when the surf provides the only background audio. No high-rise condos or traffic jams to be seen here. The sights and sounds are all natural in one of the most beautiful and tranquil places on the planet.

Encounter a rare level of biodiversity in both the range of organisms and the ecological communities that abound in this tropical region. Biodiversity is evident in the numbers and types of different species, as well as the genetic variations within and between species, and among the many ecosystems.

Playa Palo Seco is great for outdoor activities including horseback riding, inland fishing, surf fishing, mangrove monkey tours, kayaking, surfing, swimming, paramotoring, hiking, birding, shelling and bicycling. Sea turtles come ashore to lay eggs on Palo Seco during the last part of the rainy season. Cloud forests, mountains, and rain forests only a half hour away are open to exploration. Zipline canopy tours, suspension bridges through the canopy, waterfalls, hot springs, and butterfly farms are available for visitors.

Manual Antonio National Park, Costa Rica’s most visited park, is nearby with spectacular beaches fringed by forested hills. Best toured with a guide, hike the walking trails and visit the local birds and animals in their habitat. Also available are scuba diving, kayak/snorkeling trips, deep sea fishing trips, whitewater rafting, and four wheeler tours.

A limited number of opportunities are available to participate in local mangrove habitat creation, restoration, and shoreline stabilization projects. These projects are designed for individuals who want to learn through practical experience and “get their hands dirty” to improve the environment.

No matter what your interest, ecology, outdoor sports and recreation, relaxation, or the peaceful natural setting, Playa Palo Seco provides an opportunity of a lifetime to enjoy and learn from the world of nature. Lodging for up to 20 people is provided by Cabinas la Tranquilidad oceanfront rentals. Tours are coordinated by their staff.

For more information on our Ecology Travel program -

Telephone: 321-431-6595

RILEY@MANGROVE.ORG

Click on the following thumbnails for videos and images from Palo Seco.

   Tour Video

     Education

     Training

     Erosion

   Reforestation

Zip Line Video

    Estuary

      Beach

      Lodging

       Map

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mangrove.org is an Citizen Sector Organization (CSO) providing methodology and technology in mangrove afforestation, restoration and habitat creation. The organization contributes to solutions for poverty, hunger, environmental degradation and pollution. Mangroves provide an opportunity to develop a sustainable economic base for indigenous populations where basic natural resources are scarce. From an abundance of sand and salt water, mangroves feed livestock that supply milk and protein vital to native coastal inhabitants. Mangroves planted in non-native environments offset the ongoing deforestation and other anthropogenic factors that result in global ecological degradation.
Research was undertaken to develop and define a methodology for establishing reproductively mature, self-sustaining, mangrove-stabilized shorelines.
Photos and video clips illustrate mangroves planted with Riley Encased Methodology (REM 2010) for shoreline stabilization and erosion control. Articles published in peer review journals include mangrove habitat creation and restoration as-well-as large scale mangrove afforestation with humanitarian goals. Photos include mature mangroves planted with REM showing the various stages of mangrove plant development from isolation through the adaptation process (videos require RealPlayer software). Ecology travel or ecotravel and ecotourism is offered in the environmentally rich mangroves of Playa Palo Seco, Costa Rica. Opportunities to participate in mangrove habitat creation and restoration projects is also offered in Palo Seco, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Information on habitat dynamics and the ecological importance of mangroves is provided with links to mangrove planting projects. Empirical evidence of mangroves and mangrove forests created with REM methodology and technology are described with accompanying photographic evidence. A brief summary of the Mangrove Replenishment Initiative is given in Spanish.