Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
For much of the night we rested quietly off the northern coast of the Osa Peninsula. Under a bright crescent moon and the brilliant planet Venus, we picked up anchor. The ship traveled only a short distance to a rugged rocky point of the coastline to again anchor. Following a slightly early breakfast we started being shuttled ashore to the San Pedrillo entrance station of Corcovado Conservation Area. The ship’s skillful Zodiac drivers dodged the swells and breakers to land us on a steep beach just as the park officially opened. Corcovado is famous as one of the more remote and wilder of Costa Rica’s protected areas. The forest here has been protected as one of the best sections of lowland tropical rainforest in Central America. We divided into different groups with the naturalists to explore the forest and search for wildlife and plants. All of the hikes, although different in difficulty and length, spent the entire morning taking in this environment and the treasures it holds. The different groups all spotted different things, which emphasized the diversity and unpredictability of nature in the tropics. Many birds were observed such as bare-throated tiger-heron, black-hooded antshrike, scarlet macaws, and plenty of others. A few mammals were also seen swinging in the forest canopy – monkeys of three different species.
After everyone was picked up from shore, the ship again traveled along the coast to a small private reserve at a more protected point of land on the Osa Peninsula. Here the galley and dining room crew had already set up a delicious picnic lunch. While consuming the well-deserved meal having worked up an appetite on the hikes, everyone chatted about their experiences over the morning. In the afternoon we relaxed in hammocks, swam at a surf beaten long sandy beach, and/or walked on a short trail for another chance to see some of the tropical flora and fauna. Late in the afternoon we enjoyed a very thought provoking talk by Harvard professor Douglas Causey titled Environmental Security. Then it was to the top deck for cocktails and a gorgeous sunset ending to another memorable day in the tropics.
For much of the night we rested quietly off the northern coast of the Osa Peninsula. Under a bright crescent moon and the brilliant planet Venus, we picked up anchor. The ship traveled only a short distance to a rugged rocky point of the coastline to again anchor. Following a slightly early breakfast we started being shuttled ashore to the San Pedrillo entrance station of Corcovado Conservation Area. The ship’s skillful Zodiac drivers dodged the swells and breakers to land us on a steep beach just as the park officially opened. Corcovado is famous as one of the more remote and wilder of Costa Rica’s protected areas. The forest here has been protected as one of the best sections of lowland tropical rainforest in Central America. We divided into different groups with the naturalists to explore the forest and search for wildlife and plants. All of the hikes, although different in difficulty and length, spent the entire morning taking in this environment and the treasures it holds. The different groups all spotted different things, which emphasized the diversity and unpredictability of nature in the tropics. Many birds were observed such as bare-throated tiger-heron, black-hooded antshrike, scarlet macaws, and plenty of others. A few mammals were also seen swinging in the forest canopy – monkeys of three different species.
After everyone was picked up from shore, the ship again traveled along the coast to a small private reserve at a more protected point of land on the Osa Peninsula. Here the galley and dining room crew had already set up a delicious picnic lunch. While consuming the well-deserved meal having worked up an appetite on the hikes, everyone chatted about their experiences over the morning. In the afternoon we relaxed in hammocks, swam at a surf beaten long sandy beach, and/or walked on a short trail for another chance to see some of the tropical flora and fauna. Late in the afternoon we enjoyed a very thought provoking talk by Harvard professor Douglas Causey titled Environmental Security. Then it was to the top deck for cocktails and a gorgeous sunset ending to another memorable day in the tropics.
