February 8, 2017
The Mariposario Guembe
In September, I went on one of the most
expensive outings since I moved to Santa Cruz, the Mariposario Guembe. I have had several people tell me that I had to go there. When I asked the price,
I was told about 60 Bs. or a little less than $10. Well, that was not quite the case.
The resort is across the River Piraí. There is only one bridge across the river and
it was recently built. In the 80s I
crossed it on foot and in Toyota Land Cruisers.
But Santa Cruz has changed since then.
The bridge that crosses the river leads to a new suburb, growing rapidly,
named Urubo. From what I have seen, it
is an upscale town of gated communities and resorts.
The taxi ride to the resort cost 60 Bs,
about $9. The entrance fee was a
shocking 150 Bs, or $20. I guess that is
cheap compared to the States, but I haven’t paid that much on any outing or
meal my entire time here. Lunch was
going to be 200 Bs. so I decided not to eat there.
The resort has shops, hotel rooms, a
conference center, swimming pools, a fancy restaurant, and lots of greenery. But it was the wildlife that makes it such an
amazing place.
At the Isla de Monos, Monkey Island, I saw
at least a dozen monkeys, not to mention that I saw one running free in the
park and two sloths. I don’t have a
really good picture of the monkeys, but some good ones of the turtles in the
lake surrounding the island.
The resort is famous for the mariposario, or
butterfly garden. And yes, the
butterflies were gorgeous, but the blue ones wouldn’t sit still. They also have a butterfly breeding center
that you can view. No offense, but the
one at the Dallas Fair Grounds is a bit better.
What blew me away was the aviary. I walk in and two macaws were above my head
and one kept saying, “hola!” This place
was huge. I lost count of how many
macaws were there, but I would suspect 35 or 40. At least two gorgeous peacocks were showing
off and half a dozen toucans. They don’t
move when you get inches from them. This
toucan allowed my phone in his face, as did most of the macaws. There are other birds in there, but it is so
big they could hide. This is also where
I saw the sloths; both were on the outside climbing the fence.
And lastly, there is an orquideario, or
orchid garden. Experiencing the smell
was amazing. You can see a few of the
gorgeous flowers.
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