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Apr 01, 2019 - National Geographic Quest
Today’s itinerary offered fascinating exploration on land an sea alike. We had a whole morning to scout for wildlife at Panama’s Coiba National Park, which came in what seemed like countless variations shared between the park’s flora and fauna.
Fantastic sightings continued beneath the sea surface off the coast of Granito de Oro Island. Our guests geared up for snorkeling and wasted no time descending into an underwater world replete with an array of coral reefs, turtles, and fish schools. Guests who opted for adventure above water had the choice between kayaks and paddleboarding in the refreshing Pacific breeze and surrounding scenery.
Repositioning to Rancheria Island that afternoon, National Geographic Quest brought us to a complex trails to observe many more birds species, while others went on honing their paddleboarding and kayaking in the surrounding waters. In all, this was perfect last day in beautiful Panama.
Nicknamed “Indio” (Indian) because of his powers of observation and quiet nature, José has almost two decades of experience working as a naturalist and photography guide; as well as being recognized as an expert birder and nature photographer in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is rich in biodiversity — over 893 bird species have been recorded in the country. Since very young José spent all of his free time in the outdoors in the forest, where he soon fell in love with the birds. He particularly enjoys listening to their calls, and watching their behavior. Oddly enough, another one of Jose’s passions is science and technology, and because of this, he was among the first in Costa Rica to experiment with digital photography. As the technology quickly improved so did his love for it. He truly believes that nature photography is the perfect combination of both of his passions.