We arrived to the little frequented park entrance at Santa Maria to an overwhelming welcome from… no one. The guards home was unoccupied as was the homestead used as the park office. We waited and waited and decided no one was coming. By this stage it was dark and an almighty lighting display was being strewn across the horizon and rain was thundering on the tin roof of the porch. So we sat and ate dinner and waited some more. We had been waiting to ask if we might sleep on the porch (having no tent) rather than in the car. Eventually we decided to just do it. So we strung up the mosquito net, laid down a sarong and put on our warmest clothes, bedding down in our little bastion from the jungle only metres away.

A few hours later a bright light shone in our faces. The ranger had returned from the nightly horse patrol of the park to find us, two squatters, on his porch. We told him it was drier here (pretending we had tents) and could we stay, it was no problem.

The next morning we were rewarded for our choice in coming here. Only accessible by car this part of the park is less frequented. I finally saw toucans! And another eyelash viper, but up close (above). We walked to the thermal pools (above) but unfortunately they had been flooded in the previous nights storm and were only a little warmer than the river. We made our way home stopping at the other sites including a lovely waterfall and swimming hole.

Tomorrow Nicaragua.