For our third day on board National Geographic Quest we had the opportunity to stop in one of the most important National Parks of Panama: Coiba.
For many years Coiba was protected by fear. In 1919 president Belisario Porras decided to open a sustainable prison where all inmates had to work for their own food and perform hard labor; the island became the Alcatraz of Panama. For the last 20 years, the island is no longer a prison but rather the most important National Park of Panama, with loads of biodiversity and marine life.
We had the opportunity to explore this place after breakfast. We provided two different options for our guests: snorkeling around Coco’s Islet, and a nature walk by the ranger station on the main island. After lunch we switched groups and offered the same experiences. We all returned to the ship around 5:00 p.m. and began heading to our next destination, the neighboring country of Costa Rica.
