Coiba National Park, Panamá, 2/27/2024, National Geographic Quest
Aboard the
National Geographic Quest
Costa Rica, Panama & Colombia
Today marked our last day in Panamá, and it was a glorious one. We spent the entire day exploring one of the country’s newest national parks, Coiba, a place that offers true immersion in tropical paradise.
Guests enjoyed kayaking, snorkeling, stand-up paddleboarding, swimming, bird watching, hiking, and gazing at the antics of capuchin monkeys, whose comedic behavior never ceases to amuse.
Zoey grew up in Bellingham, Washington, where the Salish Sea and temperate rainforest were powerful catalysts in sparking her love of the coast. Her studies took her to tall ships in the eastern U.S. where she taught kids how to haul sail, sing sea s...
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This morning, National Geographic Quest visited the Rio Seco Rainforest, nestled within the Piedras Blancas National Park in Costa Rica. Accessible only by boat, the area offers an untouched tropical paradise. Guests hiked through the lush rainforest and explored a vibrant tropical garden. The birdwatching was exceptional, with sightings of parrots, toucans, scarlet macaws, tanagers, and more. After returning to the ship for lunch, we repositioned to Golfito. There, we embarked on a kayak tour and Zodiac rides where we observed sloths, monkeys, iguanas, and an abundance of birdlife. It was a fantastic day filled with wildlife encounters and natural beauty!
It was our first day of activities on board National Geographic Quest , and what a way to start our journey! If there was a morning to enjoy nature, it was today, and everybody had the chance to appreciate a little of everything. We went for Zodiac rides on the Agujitas River, with wildlife sightings of trogons, toucans, Jesus Christ lizards, monkeys, herons, great green iguanas, sloths, and more. Everything was right there at the edges of the water, with the rainforest as a backdrop, accompanied by beautiful weather. After repositioning National Geographic Quest, we visited Caletas Beach where we went for a hike in the rainforest, a real experience with mud and lots of sounds from all the creatures every step of the way. We admired the beauty of the rainforest, including spider and white-faced capuchin monkeys. It was a memorable day.
Today guests had the pleasure of being led by our local guides and shipboard naturalists on a plethora of hike and walk options in Caletas. This beach is located just south of Drake’s Bay. Guests were delighted at the chance to see mantled howler monkeys, spider monkeys, several species of birds, and even a tiger rat snake. In the afternoon we cruised into Agujitas River for a cool Zodiac ride to find more wildlife. All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend our last day of the expedition and to cap off an amazing Central American season aboard National Geographic Quest .