What do Killarney and Costa Rica have in common? Not much when you consider topography, geology, flora, fauna, weather, etc.
But a work trip to Costa Rica in February 2019 lit a fire under me to launch Quiet Guiding Company’s first trip and to set it in Killarney Provincial Park.
Costa Rica
Our guide for the week shuttled us from EARTH University to (and down) the Pacuare River, along the river’s shores and up its hills, to Cahuita National Park, and finally to San Jose’s central market for coffee and other souvenir purchases before departing for Canada.
Over the course of the week we learned that not only was he a solid raft guide, but a former member of the Costa Rican whitewater team. That he had a wealth of information about the history of the areas we traveled to, their specific flora and fauna too. That he treated birding like a game. The faster he could identify a bird by a snippet of call or a flash of color the happier he made clients on trips. We also discovered that he worked very hard at all of this. Sure, he had trained for years to be a whitewater guide. Whenever he had downtime on our trip he had his nature guidebooks out, studying and preparing for what he wanted to show us the next day.
So What?
I left that trip wanting to be a better guide for you. To bring you that same immersive experience. I’m not averse to studying new locations, but for Quiet Guiding Co.’s first canoe tripping season I wanted to keep it simple. This allows me to start off with my best foot forward with you. So where do I paddle most? Killarney Provincial Park.
Killarney
While the park is popular and nearly fully reserved at all times, many of the canoe routes have a spacious feel to them. The portage trails don’t look like rush hour on the 401. A breeze may carry the odd murmur of a conversation to you from another campsite but rarely is it intrusive. You’ll leave feeling reset and rejuvenated.
I want to paint pictures for you about the people who traveled this land and these lakes before us. I want to share with you pink granite outcrops that serve as campsite docks, white quartzite hills that watch over us as we paddle, wild blueberry and lowbush cranberry bushes, old growth white pine trees, barred owl and loon calls, fresh air. And I hope that you’ll share with me your impressions of this park.
Does Killarney sound like your cup of tea? Book a trip with us. We look forward to slowing down with you.
