Swamp allure

Why would anyone in their right mind want to spend time in a hot, humid, muddy, bug-infested swamp? This is a question many of my friends and admirers have asked. If you have spent time in mangroves, salt marshes, bogs or other swamp-like environments, it is possible you love them but more likely that you hope to never go back. However, you will be missing out if you never go back.
Allow me to explain.

Mangrove forests are unlike other tropical forests in that they are depauperate of plant diversity. In the Americas, a typical mangrove forest has one to three tree species and a smattering of other types of plants such as vines and epiphytes (plants that live on top of other plants, such as bromeliads that grow on tree trunks). Because there are only a few woody species, there tends to be little or no understory. This means you can walk into a mangrove forest and feel like you are in a cathedral, with the branches of trees reaching high above you and nothing obscuring the view for what feels like miles. This makes it difficult to find a suitable ladies' room sometimes,

If the cathedral view is not enough, these forests are full of wildlife that you would rarely see other places. Because you can see farther than in other types of forest, it is easier to see and hear birds, plus if coatis are running through the forest far away from you there is a better chance of seeing them. Parrots squawk high overhead, announcing themselves as they fly by. Toucans rest in tree branches. Hummingbirds and mangrove warblers flash their bright colors in surrounding trees, but you won't see the snakes until they're close. A couple very cool tree frogs (e.g. hourglass; see previous post) hang out on trunks or leaves.

Then there is the adventure aspect. You never know when you might sink into the mud up to your waist, so stuck that you have to take your boots off to get out. You may come across a nest of africanized honey bees and have to sneak away quickly and quietly. There might be a thunderstorm with lightning crashing above and rain pelting down. Or on a calmer day, there is always the creaking sound of dead trees swaying in the breeze, just waiting to fall down.
If you can ignore the heat, protect yourself against the bugs, and don't mind getting muddy, mangroves are very rewarding places to explore.