Daily Expedition Reports
Coiba National Park

José Calvo, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor, January 2020

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  • Daily Expedition Reports
  • 29 Jan 2020

Coiba National Park

  • Aboard the National Geographic Quest
  • Costa Rica, Panama & Colombia

Our last day in Panama was just wonderful, we had so much to do, there was a hike in the rainforest, the monkey trail in the main island, a birding walk in the range station as well as kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and snorkeling for two different sites. In the morning was Coco Islet and in the afternoon was the famous Granito de Oro; a gorgeous little islet with amazing coral and rocky reef.

Article by

Max Vindas, Expedition Leader

Known for his passion for nature and dedication to conservation and ecotourism, Max Vindas has been guiding natural history trips in Costa Rica since 1993. On his first trip to the rainforest at age eight, Max realized his love for the outdoors and wildlife observation. Since then, he spends as much time as he can in the forest, sharing his knowledge with visitors to his country.

Photography by

José Calvo, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor

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.

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