Rio Bejucal
The Bejucal River empties into the Caribbean just west of here. Within just a couple miles, it rises several thousand feet into the mountains, which creates some beautiful scenery. Access to the river used to be somewhat limited, but they are now building a hydroelectric plant several miles up the river, so there is a good dirt road within about a half mile of an amazing swimming hole. For the people living along the river, most of whom have a few dairy cows and raise plantains, this is the first time they have had a real road or electricity. We wonder if they see it as an improvement or an intrusion.

The walk into the swimming hole, while short, is very scenic. The white flowers are just one example of the abundant exotic flora. Also of interest were the leaf cutter ants…..the same type you see on the Discovery Channel.! Not sure if they'll show up in the pic, but interesting nonetheless.

The swimming hole, pictured in the background, is deep enough to jump into off the large rocks. The area has lots of thermal activity, and a hot spring runs into one side of the pool. In some spots, the sand on the bottom of the pool is too hot to stand on comfortably. About a quarter mile upstream from the pool is a 40 foot waterfall, but we didn’t go up to it this trip because it requires hardy swimming skills, which Guildy obviously lacks. So we spent our afternoon eating lunch and enjoying the cool water.