March 15, 2007
Costa Rica through the Eye's of a Naturalist
This is the report was of one of our most popular blog entries last year. Originally submitted by Sally Cannata in March of 2006, following her Between Two Seas cruise in Costa Rica aboard the Pacific Explorer. Sally started working for Cruise West back in the early 90's as a Cruise Coordinator and is now one of our Online, Virtual Cruise presenters.
I have to admit the weather was perfect. Sunny & warm. The snorkeling was phenomenal: sea turtles, sharks, even octopus, and loads of colorful fish.
The nature walks were fantastic as well: monkeys, sloths, coatis, and fascinating trees, bromeliads, & orchids. The canal was interesting, particularly the history (the Columbia & Snake River locks are actually more impressive to me!). We passed through at night but could still see the locks well. The visit to the Embera tribe in the Darien Jungle was certainly a highlight of the trip. The men wore loin cloths and the women were barebreasted wearing sarongs, the kids loved getting their pictures taken and looking at the digital cameras - basically it was unspoiled and felt like stepping into the pages of National Geographic, I think it had a great impact on everyone not to mention the competitive soccer game between the crew and the locals in the afternoon.
The food was better than I had remembered with 4 course lunches and dinners, menu's with several choices for all meals, and top notch fresh fish. The ratio of 1 naturalist per 15 guests in Costa Rica was great and all 5 naturalist were knowledgeable and interesting. Most crew members had a good command of the english language. The vessel was spotless and well kept.
Very comfortable lounge & library not to mention the fabulous outdoor areas on the top deck and creative nightly drink specials.
Portobelo has amazing history and the expatriate guest speakers were very interesting. Tons of gold and silver passed through this tiny port in the 1500's and of course there is plenty of pirate lore. It is amazing that a place of such historic importance has not really been developed. The ruins are impressive, but tricky walking for some. The mangroves zodiac tour led by naturalists added to the variety of the day.
Panama Canal - We passed through the Panama Canal at night. It was well lit and we had a great buffet on deck to enjoy the scenery during dinner. There was a wake-up list for the final set of locks and the Bridge of the America's which was beautifully lit at night.
Coiba National Park - the island Granito de Oro is named appropriately. It truly is like a golden nugget. Tiny island with a white sand beach, the perfect distance to kayak or snorkel all the way around. The current was pretty strong and a challenge for some. Alexandro not only a naturalist, but also an olympic hopeful in swimming, led a group around the island. I was impressed with the DIB operators/deck hands who circled the island and kept close watch on the snorkelers and kickers and had a ladder handy incase someone needed to get out. I should also mention that the zodiac operators were very safety conscious and were always there lending a hand every time we enter/exited the zodiacs. I have snorkeled in a lot of places and I really think that Granito de Oro is absolutely world class!
Golfo Dulce - Casa Orquideas was a beautiful lush tropical garden with amazing plants and I think Rudy could have spent all day with us talking about the plants & birds. The afternoon at Cana Blanca was just plain fun. It is a rehabilitation center for tropical wildlife and we saw baby sloths and anteaters up-close as well as magnificent scarlet macaws, but I think the highlight was the mischievous monkeys who were friendly enough to hop into my lap. Everyone who wanted a hands-on experience got it.
Manuel Antonio - this was the most crowded place we visited. I guess we were spoiled going so many places where we were the only ones there. However, it is a popular park for good reason and probably has wide name recognition as well. We saw both three-toed and two-toed sloths, a band of coati's (a tropical version of the racoon), wild howler monkeys, iguanas, and the "Jesus Christ Lizard" (although it was sitting on a stump, not walking on water). So quite worthwhile considering the wildlife. All of the naturalists carried tripods with high quality viewing scopes which made all the difference in our guests ability to spot the wildlife.
Corcovado - less visited, with interesting trails, leaf cutter ants, termite nests, elusive tropical birds, and great nature walks of all levels.
Smooth transfer to the airport with a nice stop along the way with restrooms & tasteful giftshop.
Sally Cannata (formerly Wenning) was a Cruise Coordinator/Naturalist with Cruise West for many years and nows lives in Missoula, Montana. We are thrilled that she continues to be involved with the company as one of our Virtual Cruise presenters. If you'd like to learn more about our cruises, please join us on one of our online presentations. You might even meet Sally!
Posted by Leigh on March 15, 2007 11:07 AM
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