Las Perlas Archipelago, Panama
Yesterday, we left Garachine Bay at around six p.m. to cruise towards the Pacific northwest part of Panama to reach the “Las Perlas” Archipelago – the Pearl Islands. We visited two of the 220 islands and islets that comprise the archipelago, Pacheca and Pachequilla islands. Rocky walls with draping vegetation lured us towards them to reveal their feathery secrets.
Blue–footed boobies, brown boobies, brown pelicans, Neotropical cormorants, magnificent frigatebirds, ospreys, turkey vultures, American oyster-catchers, and courting bare-throated tiger-herons came to life as we cruised around the islands on our reliable Zodiacs. Some of us, a little braver than the rest, took the earliest ride at 6:30 a.m. and watched our first sunrise on the “other side of the Canal”.
We spent the rest of the morning on San Bernardo beach, Pedro Gonzales’s island, either beach combing, swimming in warm waters, birdwatching along the forest edge, or simply sitting under a beach almond tree. We hopped back on board for a well deserved lunch and began cruising our way around the Azuero Peninsula, heading towards our next destination: Coiba island.
Yesterday, we left Garachine Bay at around six p.m. to cruise towards the Pacific northwest part of Panama to reach the “Las Perlas” Archipelago – the Pearl Islands. We visited two of the 220 islands and islets that comprise the archipelago, Pacheca and Pachequilla islands. Rocky walls with draping vegetation lured us towards them to reveal their feathery secrets.
Blue–footed boobies, brown boobies, brown pelicans, Neotropical cormorants, magnificent frigatebirds, ospreys, turkey vultures, American oyster-catchers, and courting bare-throated tiger-herons came to life as we cruised around the islands on our reliable Zodiacs. Some of us, a little braver than the rest, took the earliest ride at 6:30 a.m. and watched our first sunrise on the “other side of the Canal”.
We spent the rest of the morning on San Bernardo beach, Pedro Gonzales’s island, either beach combing, swimming in warm waters, birdwatching along the forest edge, or simply sitting under a beach almond tree. We hopped back on board for a well deserved lunch and began cruising our way around the Azuero Peninsula, heading towards our next destination: Coiba island.
