Parque and Rio Bartola

About a half hour, by boat, east of el Castillo is a collection of protected lands known as Parque and Rio Bartola is right in the middle of it. A huge hurricane hit the area in the fall of 2017 and leveled many thousands of trees. Nicaragua is allowing limited harvesting of the fallen timber. Thus, one will most likely see river logging operations for the next couple of years in the protected zones.
   Once off the beaten path, in Rio Bartola, I swear you felt like you stepped back in time. The sounds of the wind rustling the leaves in the forest, birds, and bugs create a natural cacophony of sounds which cannot be replicated. I hope everyone can experience the beauty of the wild and experience their own personal connection with nature.
   Shane and Carina prepared a wonderful meal of burritos, quesadillas, and nachos on a fallen tree. All of the food was prepared in a pan over open heat and was truly divine. You see Carina and Shane own two very successful restaurants in Granada, Bocadillos and Nektar and they know a thing or two about food. For the record, we packed out everything that we brought in and left the river as we found it, pristine.

The reflections in the jungle waters were amazing.

Loggers locating fallen timber.

Reed found a fish skeleton within moments of arrival.

The kids were playing with some of the rocks.

Carina prepping the food.

Sierra and Zoe are close sisters.

Cheyenne was showing Levi how to skip rocks.

Our parking spot on the river.

Happy chefs.

Jack liked swimming.

The kids swam onto submerged boulders for higher vantage points.

Deluxe nachos.

Happy times.

Invention of the year: A jalapeno on a lure. 

Joy of youth

The little kids caught little fish.

Levi was a fish catching machine.

Big kids caught the bigger fish and the fish were promptly released back to the wild.

Having fun, jungle style.

The reflections were captivating 

River logging and milling operations

Serene 

Picturesque 

Pulling the fallen timber out of the forest.

Some of the more remote riverside inhabitants.

Bird life was amazing on the river.

Playing in the river.

Cruising the river.