Coiba Island, Panama
The sun had started to give its first rays when we approached Coiba Island. What beautiful scenery! Already some of us were with our cameras taking pictures of this landscape. Coiba Island is one of the newest National Parks protected by law in Panama. For many years, it was kept from being developed since it was used as a penal colony since the beginning of the 1900s. Today it gathers around 271,000 hectares in which around 52,000 hectares is land and the rest is marine area. It holds within its limit the second biggest coral reef in the eastern Pacific.
As soon as we anchored, a group of early risers were ready to go to the Park Headquarters for our first activity: birding and something more! We were received kindly by “Sara,” a red brocket deer. While she gave us the welcome, a mixed flock of birds also came to participate in the welcome committee. Red-legged honey creepers, plain-colored tanager, crimson-backed tanager, orange-chinned parakeets, cedar waxwings, streaked flycatchers, turkey vultures, bare-throated tiger herons, masked tityra, and many others.
We would have spent the whole morning, but we wanted to return for breakfast and to prepare ourselves for the next stop. Right next to the mainland, a little islet known as “Granito de Oro,” was waiting for our arrival. Snorkeling gear in hand, we began to go ashore for this activity. White-tipped reef sharks, king angelfish, hawk-billed turtle, sergeant major, guinea fowl puffer fish, jewel moray eel, queen parrot fish, and trigger fish were some of the specialties there for us to see.
Both morning and evening were excellent! What a way to spend our last day in Panama! When the sun began to give its last rays, we lifted anchor and started our way towards our next destination, Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica!
The sun had started to give its first rays when we approached Coiba Island. What beautiful scenery! Already some of us were with our cameras taking pictures of this landscape. Coiba Island is one of the newest National Parks protected by law in Panama. For many years, it was kept from being developed since it was used as a penal colony since the beginning of the 1900s. Today it gathers around 271,000 hectares in which around 52,000 hectares is land and the rest is marine area. It holds within its limit the second biggest coral reef in the eastern Pacific.
As soon as we anchored, a group of early risers were ready to go to the Park Headquarters for our first activity: birding and something more! We were received kindly by “Sara,” a red brocket deer. While she gave us the welcome, a mixed flock of birds also came to participate in the welcome committee. Red-legged honey creepers, plain-colored tanager, crimson-backed tanager, orange-chinned parakeets, cedar waxwings, streaked flycatchers, turkey vultures, bare-throated tiger herons, masked tityra, and many others.
We would have spent the whole morning, but we wanted to return for breakfast and to prepare ourselves for the next stop. Right next to the mainland, a little islet known as “Granito de Oro,” was waiting for our arrival. Snorkeling gear in hand, we began to go ashore for this activity. White-tipped reef sharks, king angelfish, hawk-billed turtle, sergeant major, guinea fowl puffer fish, jewel moray eel, queen parrot fish, and trigger fish were some of the specialties there for us to see.
Both morning and evening were excellent! What a way to spend our last day in Panama! When the sun began to give its last rays, we lifted anchor and started our way towards our next destination, Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica!
