Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
It was still dark outside this morning when some of us wiped the sleep from our eyes and set out to explore the Agujitas River by Zodiac, in the rain forest of the Osa Peninsula. It was high tide, so the timing could not have been better. Sightings of Scarlet Macaws, Howler Monkeys, Bare-throated Tiger-Herons, and a few other species were readily seen. Later in the morning National Geographic Sea Lion repositioned to Punta Caletas, a privately-owned forest reserve that protects part of the buffer zone of the Corcovado National Park. Some of our guests opted for the horseback ride along the beach, while others took to the forest for different options of hikes. We were all rewarded by a fantastic picnic lunch prepared by our galley crew.
Later in the afternoon, we sailed a few miles east to visit Corcovado National Park, one of the most pristine protected areas in Central America, and one of the most isolated. Corcovado and the buffer areas around it, protect one of the few tracks of primary rain forests that are still found on the Pacific slope of the region. Groups were divided according to the different interests of the guests. Some hiked through the forest along the beach in search of wildlife, which took some time to be found, but once spotted by our naturalists, they just kept coming. There was a fruiting tree which was visited by three of the four monkey species found in Costa Rica.
The rest of us enjoyed a moderate hike up to a waterfall and a swimming whole hidden in the depth of the rain forest. After a refreshing dip in the gentle water we headed back to the ship. But not without a few bonus sightings of a small troop of Central American Spider Monkeys.
