The day began with morning stretching exercises with Alexis, our wellness coordinator, up on the sundeck. Meanwhile, the sun illuminated Drake’s Bay little by little. Located in the far southwest of Costa Rica, it is part of the Osa Peninsula which is crowned by Corcovado National Park, one of the most outstanding jewels in the country.

After breakfast the outings began and many of us experienced the beauty of Agujitas River from our expedition landing craft. Our exploration followed the coastline, ending up in the river. We saw not only seabirds but also those that live along the river: royal terns, black hawks, black vultures, amazon kingfishers, and yellow-crowned night herons along with spider monkeys and even a crocodile.

Of course there were some others who decided that a horseback ride or walking on a trail would be a more appealing activity. When all the guests got together we were welcomed by almost a dozen scarlet macaws that put on a show not far from Caletas Beach. It was a spectacular display of colors. Later we had a picnic lunch prepared by the galley that allowed everybody to stay longer at the beach and even granted a second walk for those who wanted more exercise.

Once everybody returned to National Geographic Sea Lion, we lifted anchor and repositioned in front of San Pedrillo, one of the official entrances to Corcovado National Park. As soon as we arrived the disembarkation process began; this time most of the guests decided to visit the waterfall located not far from the ranger station. On our way we observed brown basilisks as well as several anole lizards. The impressive forest, along with its monumental caobillas  trees – a member of the mahogany family- made us appreciate of the complexity of this area.

The waterfall walk was perfect and rewarded our effort not only with photos of a great curassow bird, but also with a very refreshing swim. Back on the beach we met the second group of explorers who decided to have up-close contact with the surroundings, following a flat trail named Pargo. They found mantled howler monkeys as well as spider monkeys.

We departed from Corcovado full of joy, with a new set of vivid experiences and came back to Drake Bay. Right after dinner some local musicians played for us on the sundeck, a fun event to finish a very intense day in the Osa Peninsula.