After an unsettled passage overnight from the Golfo Dulce, National Geographic Sea Lion anchored off the Osa Peninsula at dawn. A slightly overcast sky ensured pleasant temperatures for our morning activities ashore at Caletas Reserve. Our first guests ashore eagerly departed on a horseback riding excursion led by our Panamanian guide Christian Moreno; while riding along the shore to and from the Río Claro estuary they enjoyed watching a family of capuchin monkeys cavorting and feeding in the trees overhead. Others set off to explore the rain forest on the muddy “Long Walk” led by Costa Rican naturalist guides Isabela Salas and Maguil Céspedes, while photo instructor José Calvo led a short “Premises Walk”—participants were rewarded with sightings of, and opportunities to photograph, a violaceous trogon, the endemic black-cheeked ant tanager, and even a great curassow.
While we lunched aboard National Geographic Sea Lion, the vessel repositioned to our next destination: San Pedrillo Ranger Station in Corcovado National Park, protecting the largest tropical lowland rain forest in Central American. We went ashore in mid-afternoon; high surf adding excitement to our “wet landings” by expedition landing craft. We then split into two groups, with some passengers opting for the moderate Pargo Trail, while others eagerly set out for a more challenging and muddy hike to the San Pedrillo Waterfalls. Both trails led participants into the heart of the rain forest, which today delivered thrilling sightings of spider monkeys, a sloth, a tiger heron, and a juvenile crocodile swimming in the river. Everyone returned to the ship “oohing” and “aahing” over a superb day exploring the Osa’s fascinating and biologically complex ecosystem.During the evening Recap, Isabel gave a succinct and excellent explanation of the rain forest’s complex biota, and videographer Steve Ewing then showed a preview of the video chronicle. We capped the day with an entertaining and enriching presentation—“Wallace: The Other Darwin”—by Wenfei Tong, our guest lecturer from the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
