We awoke on board National Geographic Sea Lion this morning anchored at Drake’s Bay, in the tropical waters of the southwest coast of Costa Rica.
It is said that this bay got its name from the famous Francis Drake (Sir Francis Drake for the British, simply a pirate for the Spanish). Drake himself apparently used this same place for resting and restocking.
Yesterday, after a very busy day at the Manuel Antonio National Park, Sea Lion transported us during the late afternoon and early part of the night to visit today one of the most remote areas of Costa Rica, Corcovado National Park. Corcovado is one of the last remaining untouched and pristine large areas left on the whole Pacific coast of Central America.
So as the sun started to come out, the silhouettes of the mountains and the contour of the thick vegetation started to become more and more visible through the darkness and those of us who were already awake could listen to the engines of our ship as they came back to life.
After repositioning and an energy-replenishing breakfast we eagerly disembarked in the buffer zone of the national park at Caletas Point where we were welcomed by the owner of this beautiful property, a small man wearing a blue bandana and a big smile named Enrique.
In Caletas we went horseback riding, walked the rain forest trails, the garden and the seaside forest’s edge.
After walking and learning about all the intricacies and interactions of many of the life forms that constitute the tropical rain forest, we built an appetite and were ready for a hearty picnic lunch that the galley had brought to the beach for us to enjoy, complemented perfectly with the gorgeous scenery and the ocean breeze.
After lunch we went back to the ship to reposition to the nearby national park of Corcovado, where we would disembark for some more walks into this incredibly pristine tropical rain forest. Most of our guests walked to see the San Pedrillo waterfall and to take a dip in its refreshing waters; others decided on an easier walk on a flatter trail adjacent to the ocean and towards the Claro River. All in all, it was a great day, almost the last day of this year! With beautiful scenery and great views of many of the animals that inhabit the new world tropics such as a lonely crocodile, the skittish and camouflaged agoutis, acrobatic spider monkeys, loud howler monkeys, big turkey-like great curassows, and colorful scarlet macaws, among several other bird species seen today.
