National Geographic Sea Lion had cruised 200 nautical miles from Pearls Island and approached her anchorage area early in the morning. We settled in front of the ranger station of Panama’s most protected national park: Coiba National Park. This park has an extension of 271,000 hectare, of which only 51,000 are islands and islets, the rest is marine area, an important corridor connecting the Cocos Island to Galapagos Islands.
Right after breakfast we geared up and went ashore where we divided into groups to explore the premises. It was a sunny morning and the birds were out and about – we spotted yellow-face grassquits, crimson backed tanagers, yellow headed caracaras, and black hawks all while majestic king vultures soared above us. A troop of white face capuchin monkeys showed up and foraged along the forest, ignoring our presence.
The white sand of the beach invited us to cool off after the walks. Later on, we went kayaking, snorkeling or just relaxed in the water while we shared our morning experiences with each other.
After boarding for lunch, National Geographic Sea Lion repositioned next to a little islet: Granito de Oro (Little Grain of Gold). This islet looks like taken from a comic book- white sand, a couple of coconut palms, a shady area and many hermit crabs - we couldn’t wait to get to shore.
Our snorkeling adventure was spectacular - parades of various species of fish swimming around us and lovely coral reefs. The water temperature was absolutely perfect. On shore, other guests decided to kayak and try their luck with the paddle boards or read a book in the shade.
We would have stayed here forever but we had to continue our voyage. Once back on board, we all gathered in the lounge to share our excitement and discoveries of the day in the Panama paradise.
