We had the rare opportunity to cruise the western shores of Costa Rica into the Golfo Dulce, which was discovered by Columbus in 1502 when he landed in the eastern Caribbean port of Limon. The unique landscape gave us a glimpse of a virgin rainforest noted for its biological diversity. The beauty and variety of Costa Rican plant and tree life are astonishing. There are mangrove and raphia swamps, marshes and coral reefs, as well as forests of every type: rain, quercus, holillo, oak, riparian, swamp and deciduous forests. The pristine beaches are rarely seen by tourists have become major nesting sites for three species of turtles. The turtles arrive on these beaches to lay their eggs. These so called "arribadas" take place in periods of three to seven days. The three turtles primarily seen in Costa Rica are the olive ridley, the pacific green and the leatherback, the latter reaching lengths of over two meters or six feet and weighing in excess of 1000 pounds.