Curu Wildlife Refuge and Tortuga Island, 1/14/2023, National Geographic Quest
Aboard the
National Geographic Quest
Costa Rica, Panama & Colombia
This morning, we visited the amazing Curu Wildlife Refuge, where guests had the chance to observe a lot of wildlife, including monkeys, coatis, agoutis, macaws, and much more. Guests also had the chance to participate in different hikes. Naturalists led small groups to increase our chances of spotting wildlife.
After a delicious lunch on board, we headed to nearby Tortuga Island for beach time. The location is beautiful with white sand, palm trees, turquoise waters, and more wildlife.
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After our relaxing morning navigating the Pacific coast of Panama, we arrived at the anchor area of the Panama Canal. This place has vessels from all over the world, each waiting their turn to go through the system of locks. Panama City was also part of the scenery, and many people were surprised to find a city of that size in Central America. While we were waiting for our canal pilot, we took out our spotting scopes and binoculars to identify bird species: we saw Cocos boobies, blue-footed boobies, magnificent frigatebirds, several gulls, and even some dolphins. The bay of Panama is a great observation point — not just for the busy operations of the canal, but also for the incredible number of bird species that can be seen at the beginning of the dry season. At that time this section of the country is directly impacted by trade winds that trigger the upwelling and attract more species. After a great cocktail hour on the sundeck, we received the instructions of the Panama Canal and began our transit: Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks were the first for us to enjoy. We also saw the Bridge of the Americas, Centennial Bridge, the famous Culebra Cut, and finally Gamboa. It was a great day.
At 6:00 am we arrived at Coiba Island, Panama, where we were greeted by fresh air and cloudy skies, which allowed us to enjoy the day without the sun of the Panamanian Pacific site overwhelming our adventures. Once guests had enjoyed their breakfast, we headed to the vicinity of the ranger station where we enjoyed the benefits of this destination, including kayaking, paddleboarding, and hiking to the viewpoint of the island. During the hike, we were able to appreciate the local fauna, such as the Coiba aguti, black vultures, caracara, and a needlefish that was swimming near the shore. We returned to National Geographic Quest for lunch and to prepare for the snorkeling activity in the afternoon. Once ready, we proceeded to Coco Island, which is located next to Coiba Island. Once there, the snorkeling activity began, and we spotted some marine species, the most significant of which was the whitetip reef shark. Once our excursions were completed, we returned to the ship and by 4:30 p.m., we headed to Panama City.
Today’s adventure on National Geographic Quest started at the interior of the Golfo Dulce with a beautiful view of the mountains covered with the vibrant yellow flowers of the Brazilian fire tree (Schizolobium parahyba). After the Zodiac tours, we landed in the magical reserve of Rio Seco (accessible only by boat) where we had the chance of see all kinds of wildlife, including toucans, macaws, monkeys, and peccaries while experiencing a unique opportunity to walk through a primary forest. In the afternoon, after returning to National Geographic Quest , we arrived at Golfito for kayaking and Zodiac adventures. Here, we had the chance to visit a different ecosystem, the mangroves, where we learned all about its importance as a natural barrier and nursing area for a vast number of animals.
