Recently, Stephanie Whitaker of Whitaker & DePrez Travel Partners returned from a Lindblad Panama Canal & Wonders of Costa Rica cruise.

Corcovado National Park & Caletas Beach
The day begins with a shy light at the far distance. Slowly the sun fills the horizon with bright, multicolored tones in the Drake Bay.

During our wake up call, something in the water called our attention, telling us today will be an amazing expedition at one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth: The Osa Peninsula.  A humpback whale with her calf. Besides the beauty, the behavior they showed told us they were on a learning journey – how to float, buoyancy skills, rolling over and spouting.

Breakfast gave us the energy to complete the goal we had for the morning - walking inside Corcovado National Park. This protected area is the main symbol of conservation efforts in Costa Rica due the pristine conditions and the amazing diversity of species that live there, some of them seriously threatened. The chance to enjoy wildlife in their natural habitat is phenomenal; here we found monkeys, coatis, crocodiles, and many other creatures, big and small.

Once out of the park, they repositioned the Sea Voyager in front of a small pristine beach named Caletas. During the trajectory, the humpback whales from the morning re-appeared. To our delight, the galley and crew staff had prepared a BBQ lunch in this tropical paradise by the beach. After lunch, different groups started to discover the trails around the property, looking for more wildlife. Some scarlet macaws, toucans, and many other birds exposing their brilliant colors were perched on the magnificent trees. Also, a group of horseback riders enjoyed the surrounding beaches and beautiful landscapes.

Golfo Dulce
It is so green, all around, green in every kind of hue, from light to turquoise green to fresh to ancient green. This is the Pacific southern coast of Costa Rica, a rich coast. So here we are, at Golfo Dulce which means “sweet gulf”, visiting a botanical garden where, as Fico (one of our naturalists says) plants grow as if they had been fed with steroids. But it is the tropics and the richness of this land.

In the afternoon we rode the Zodiac and kayaked along a river mouth, and into the river. Someone points out a rainbow boa constrictor, while Mauricio, our Panamanian naturalist, paddles through mangroves as he tells about their importance.

When everything was said and done, it was a fantastic week of many contrasts, meeting new friends and doing new things, we can only hope that life will grant us the chance to travel together again. To see a video preview of cruising on Lindblad’s many itineraries Click Here.

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