Agujitas River, Caletas Reserve & Corcovado National Park

Fun, fun, fun; today the Osa Peninsula was full of adventure. The breathtaking scenery of the Osa region is always inspiring and stimulating, and the versatility of National Geographic Sea Lion to transport us to this remote realm is gratifying. With a high tide on our side we had the unique chance to visit the Agujitas River early in the morning. The peacefulness of this Zodiac cruise overloaded our souls with the greenery of this unique ecosystem.

After the Zodiac cruises we repositioned our ship toward the Caletas Private Reserve. As a buffer zone of the Corcovado National Park, Caletas offered our guests the chance to explore its primary forest and a beach trail in the environs of the property.

In my case, I participated in the short walk; nevertheless, the energy of the participants at the end transformed our walk into a longer than expected discovery. Little by little, in addition to the vegetation, a few interesting species joined us in our exploration: leaf cutter ants, golden orb spiders, yellow- headed caracaras, and scarlet macaws. The scarlet macaws are the most demonstrative symbol of conservation in this area; however, nature timings are not necessarily in our control, and the macaws were not visible until the last minutes of the morning. But what a great show they performed for us!

During a delicious picnic lunch in Caletas a delightful couple of artists performed for us a few songs from their repertoire to put a special Latin American seasoning to our meal.

By mid-afternoon it was time to go to my favorite location: Corcovado National Park. National Geographic Sea Lion dropped anchor right in front of the San Pedrillo Station…this is where the action is! Central American spider monkeys, mantled howler monkeys, American crocodiles, a pristine river with a magnificent waterfall, a muddy trail with towering trees and a sunset overlooking the Cano Island brought to an end an exciting day in the Osa Peninsula.