Coiba Island, Panama
The melodious sound of the anchor being dropped moved many of us to the upper deck to see where we had anchored. The sun was showing its first rays, assuring us that we were about to have a beautiful last day of the year. Every one was excited to explore Coiba Island, which became a National Park in 1991. This park is made up of 270,000 hectares of which almost 80% is oceanic and includes the second largest coral reef in the eastern Pacific. Snorkeling, birding or hiking: what to do? Well, all of the above of course! The forest was calling us, so while some went to walk around the pristine forest, others went to observe the beautiful birds of Coiba.
At the ranger station, two king vultures gave us a warm welcome by soaring incredibly close and low. Crimson-backed tanagers, red-legged honeycreepers, streaked saltators, and many others birds gave the garden of the station a spectacular beauty. Just before leaving this wonderful Garden of Eden, a hawksbill turtle came ashore to say hello!
We then returned to the Sea Voyager for our snorkeling gear, and by the time we arrived we found that those who had gone for the hike were already back. They shared their experience, and commented that they had the privilege to see the endemic sub-species of Coiba howler monkey. Indeed, the fact that Coiba Island has always been separated from the mainland has allowed species to diverge from the mainland populations and has conserved its forests from being destroyed by cattle farming activities.
Our snorkeling gear in hand, we went back to the Zodiacs. The rest of the day was for snorkeling. Some kayaks were already on the beach of Granito de Oro, a small cartoon-like islet straight from a comic strip. Warm, clear waters, small coral reefs and a lot of fishes were just waiting for us. While some went kayaking, other were exploring the beautiful coral reef or just making sand castles and having hermit crab races. We were just having a lot of fun! What a way to spend the last day of the year 2003! We would have stay here forever but our trip had to continue. Many nautical miles were still to be covered before reaching Bona Island, our next destination.
The melodious sound of the anchor being dropped moved many of us to the upper deck to see where we had anchored. The sun was showing its first rays, assuring us that we were about to have a beautiful last day of the year. Every one was excited to explore Coiba Island, which became a National Park in 1991. This park is made up of 270,000 hectares of which almost 80% is oceanic and includes the second largest coral reef in the eastern Pacific. Snorkeling, birding or hiking: what to do? Well, all of the above of course! The forest was calling us, so while some went to walk around the pristine forest, others went to observe the beautiful birds of Coiba.
At the ranger station, two king vultures gave us a warm welcome by soaring incredibly close and low. Crimson-backed tanagers, red-legged honeycreepers, streaked saltators, and many others birds gave the garden of the station a spectacular beauty. Just before leaving this wonderful Garden of Eden, a hawksbill turtle came ashore to say hello!
We then returned to the Sea Voyager for our snorkeling gear, and by the time we arrived we found that those who had gone for the hike were already back. They shared their experience, and commented that they had the privilege to see the endemic sub-species of Coiba howler monkey. Indeed, the fact that Coiba Island has always been separated from the mainland has allowed species to diverge from the mainland populations and has conserved its forests from being destroyed by cattle farming activities.
Our snorkeling gear in hand, we went back to the Zodiacs. The rest of the day was for snorkeling. Some kayaks were already on the beach of Granito de Oro, a small cartoon-like islet straight from a comic strip. Warm, clear waters, small coral reefs and a lot of fishes were just waiting for us. While some went kayaking, other were exploring the beautiful coral reef or just making sand castles and having hermit crab races. We were just having a lot of fun! What a way to spend the last day of the year 2003! We would have stay here forever but our trip had to continue. Many nautical miles were still to be covered before reaching Bona Island, our next destination.
