After a long navigation, National Geographic Quest calmly entered Costa Rican waters in the early morning. We docked at Golfito, the port of entry to our new destination, Costa Rica. Boosted by the tourism industry, the town now features small boutique hotels, private marinas and the headquarters for many tours around Golfo Dulce.
Morning activities took place by kayak or by Zodiac. We explored the tropical mangrove ecosystems that protect fish life in addition to helping preserve tropical forests. The scarlet macaws, toucans, parrots, woodpeckers and ibises were amazing, and the highlight of the outing was the Central American squirrel monkey! The smallest species of monkey in the country, the squirrel monkey has very little geographical range. We were lucky to see it again in the afternoon.
After spotting large green iguanas, we headed to our next destination. Golfo Dulce is a majestic site, and we visited a protected preserve. The walk covered a riverbed, mature rain forest and a fruit orchard. We spotted incredible birds, like the great curassow, a species found only in healthy tropical forests. A beautiful sunset preceded a tropical storm. The weather is constantly changing in the tropics.
Affectionately called "Machita" ("Blondie"), Margrit is one of our most cosmopolitan guides with a family that hailed from Switzerland, France, and Germany before settling in Costa Rica's capital city San José where she was born and raised. Hence she...
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Pura vida! Bienvenido a Costa Rica! This morning, National Geographic Quest arrived in the thriving town of Golfito, which stands for “little gulf.” Golfito sits in a bay within a bay, and it is a symbol of rebirth. The city saw a boom with banana plantations, only for its economy to collapse as that industry became too expensive to sustain itself. But today Golfito is a thriving town with new economies built on fishing, tourism, and duty-free shopping that helps many Costa Rican families furnish new homes with appliances. One of the gems of Golfito is the fact that the coastline is a designated RAMSAR site, a globally protected marine and wetland area. Today, the bay around Golfito bustled with wildlife. One group of explorers took to kayaks to paddle around the bay. It was an opportunity to slow down and truly see and hear the surrounding forest. Still others took to the Zodiacs, where they explored deep in the forest to look for wildlife. We barely made it around the first bend when we encountered a severe shaking in the trees, a sure sign of monkeys in the canopy. Sure enough, white-faced capuchins poked out from the leaves, peering worriedly towards the water before resuming their explorations for food. A little farther down the bay, a troop of howler monkeys crawled through the canopy eating leaves. All of a sudden, a young monkey emerged from the top of a tree for a nibble. Larger males leapt from the branches to seize at the draping limbs of a neighboring tree. Before long, our bellies called for lunch, and we returned to National Geographic Quest for our own bit of sustenance as the ship made her way towards Rio Seco at the other end of the bay. Rio Seco is the home of a private reserve that covers roughly 500 acres of forest. Raymond Robert Klochko founded the reserve in 1988, and though he has passed away, the reserve is still run by his two sons. The name Rio Seco means “dry river,” and you can literally hike what appears to be a dry riverbed, though in reality the river disappears underground. Today, this family-run reserve includes a lodge and numerous trails to enjoy the wild scenery of the surrounding coastline. Some of us worked off our lunch with hikes through the forest, while the rest joined in birding and photo hikes around the area. The slow pace gave explorers the chance to find wild treasures hiding in plain sight. A caiman peaked from the surface of a pond, while dragonflies rested on wildflowers. A fallen log hosted an explosion of fungi, and just when we thought the sun would drive us back to the shade of the trees along the coast, a scarlet macaw called from the treetops. It was the perfect end to our trek through Golfito.
Our journey aboard National Geographic Quest began in Panama. We crossed the Panama Canal and explored the canal’s tropical rainforest. After we exited the canal, we moved southwest. On our last day in Panama, we stopped at the most important national park of Panama, Coiba. For many years, Coiba was known as a prison. In 1919, President Belisario Porras created a penitentiary to isolate prisoners from the rest of the population. Prisoners had to work very hard in the fields to produce their own food. In 2000, the government relocated the prisoners and created a national park. Coiba is now considered the most important marine national park due to its diversity of fauna and flora. There is also a high level of biodiversity underwater within the large coral reef. Recently, the government of Panama extended the protected area of Coiba from 20,000 km to 68,000 km due to Coiba’s importance for migratory species. We dropped anchor early in the morning and divided guests into two groups. We offered snorkeling and walks around the ranger station’s garden. During the walk, we had great opportunities to see scarlet macaws, white-throated capuchins, mealy Amazon parrots, agoutis, black hawks, yellow-headed caracaras, and American crocodiles. On the second round of walks, we had the opportunity to see more wildlife. We returned to the ship to enjoy an amazing lunch prepared by the galley. In the afternoon, we returned to the ranger station for paddleboarding, kayaking, and swimming. Around 15:30 we returned to the ship and saw some pantropical spotted dolphins.
After leaving the Gulf of Panama, National Geographic Quest made its way to Iguana Island, a wildlife refuge of pristine green and turquoise waters. Created in 1981, this protected area serves as a nesting site for enormous colonies of magnificent frigatebirds. These beautiful birds (Fregata magnifiscens) are extremely light in proportion to their size and wingspan. One individual weighs around 1400 to 1700 grams. Their sternums are fused, an adaptation that allows them to fly or glide easily by using the wind to take off and land. They are kleptoparasitic, which means they steal fish from other birds. They pick at another bird’s tail or wings, forcing that bird to let go of its catch, which the frigatebird takes while still in the air. Recently, the territory of the refuge was increased due to its ecological importance for coral reefs and the reproduction of humpback whales. During World War II, the United States used the island as a site to test bombs. When visitors walk the trails, it is easy to spot evidence of impact craters from those tests. Many explorers decided to take a walk around the small island. They observed the individuals that give their name to the protected area, the omnivorous spiny-tailed ctenosaurus. The Halloween or Gecarcinus crab is the lizards’ favorite food. Whiptail lizards also caught people’s attention. Nephila orb weaver spiders were building bidimensional nests along the trail. These powerful spider webs act like bulletproof vests. They are six times more resistant than steel with their fibroin protein. Once we reached the other side of the island, we got closer to the frigatebird nests and heard the drum like sounds made during their courtship rituals. The males rub their bills against their inflated gular pouches. These birds are spectacular. There are only five species in this family, and we saw one of them up close and had the chance to appreciate its unique characteristics. The landscape opened up, and we reached a deposit of columnar basalts. These geological, angular formations are carved when lava reaches the surface. When the outer crust of the flow cools off, it breaks into symmetrical figures as the inner flow, still molten, expands. When we arrived back to our starting point, it was time to go for a swim. Guests observed fish species while snorkeling. We spotted pufferfish, a sea turtle, and rainbow wrasses along the reefs. Sunset was followed by a traditional recap and a lecture by Panamanian naturalist Gabe. Today was a wonderful day in Panama.
