National Geographic Sea Lion cruised during the night from Golfo Dulce. It was approaching its morning destination when the sky was open and a soft rain felt over us. It was a nice welcome to the rain forest of Caletas Beach.
The rain was never an obstacle for our guest as they gathered up at the sundeck for their morning stretching exercise. From there, they had a spectacular view of the lush forest that was waiting to be explored by them. As they finished their stretching class, the rain gently said goodbye.
Right after breakfast, we all geared up and went ashore. We landed in a private property owned by a kind gentleman known as “Bam Bam.” He allowed us to visit a pristine primary growth forest behind his house. The trail through the forest had all the evidence that it had been raining in the past days. The forest sounds were so attractive to our ears and the naturalist explained the wonders of the forest dynamics of the tropics.
In the meantime, others guest had decided to explore other trails along the coastline. A good way to go through muddy trails without getting dirty is by horseback riding. This group went along the beach and through a secondary growth forest.The gentle ride took them to the mouth of Rio Claro were scarlet macaws, chestnut back antbirds, black -hooded antshrike, and many other species of birds sang at the pass of the horses.
Back on Bam Bam’s property, our galley had prepared a delicious picnic lunch. While eating, we shared our experiences of the different trails taken. Time does passes fast when you are having so much fun.
We all return back on board to reposition National Geographic Sea Lion in front of San Pedrillo Field Station in Corcovado National Park. The weather was overcast and fresh. As soon as we heard the anchor being dropped, we grabbed our gear and went ashore.
There were two options for this visit. One would go straight to a water fall while the other went through a flatter trail known as Rio Pargo Trail. Both group had interesting sightings. Spider monkeys, howler monkeys, boat-billed herons, black throated trogons, and an elusive spectacle owl were some of the sightings.
We all returned back aboard and gathered at the lounge. As we enjoyed the social hour, we weighed anchor and cruised to our anchorage at Drake’s Bay. It had been another great day of our voyage.
