At the crack of dawn we heard the anchor being dropped. We had arrived to Playa Caletas, a private reserve of the Osa Peninsula. National Geographic Sea Lion had cruised from Golfo Dulce during the night and had arrived to this remote area of Costa Rica.
The wakeup called was heard and our guests gathered up on the sundeck for their stretching class led by our wellness specialist Alexis. As the sun began to rise, it began to reveal the pristine forest of this area. It was unique scenery, where steep rising shorelines are draped with thick blankets of tropical vegetation in subtle hues of greens and blues.
Right after breakfast we went ashore and landed on a fine sandy beach. Our guests had several options for the morning. Some went horseback riding and others went for a long walk. Each of them enjoyed the different ways of seeing a tropical forest. It was a very active morning loaded with a lot of sightings.
Our galley prepared an excellent barbecue lunch at the beach. Once fully energized, we returned to the ship. Our captain weighed anchor and started cruising towards Corcovado National Park. This national park protects a fascinating, biologically complex area of land home to a high diversity of different species, including over 500 species of trees! Here in this park, the options were a long hike that leads to a nice waterfall or the Pargo Trail, which has a little level terrain surrounded with enormous trees.
Our guest on both trails were rewarded with the sighting of troops of spider monkeys, howler monkeys, colorful birds, and a huge crocodile sunbathing over a rock in the beach. Back on board we all gathered in the forward lounge to share our thoughts about the day. The experience we enjoyed by hiking in one of the most diverse forests in the world will remain in our minds for a long time.
National Geographic Sea Lion weighed anchor and cruised toward the sunset. A pod of pantropical spotted dolphins escorted the ship giving us the farewell. There was no better way to end another day in paradise!
