Guanacaste, Costa Rica
This morning we awoke in Costa Rica once more, and after a couple of very active days it was time to spend some more relaxing time exploring the unforgettably beautiful coastline of the Pacific Northwest of this small Central American country. We dropped anchor in a small sheltered bay called Bahia Huevos, which literally translates as “Egg Bay”! This was a spot recommended by our captain, who hails from this part of the country, and it proved to be really special. A lovely mangrove-bordered river fed into the bay, and the tide conditions were such that we could explore the area by both Zodiac and kayak, the latter being a particularly special way to immerse oneself into one’s surroundings, listening to the sounds of the forest all around us. Those who wished could take a birding walk with our resident ornithologist, and it was a real treat for all of us to take a great swim of the stern of the Sea Voyager on returning to the ship. It was particularly fun watching our officers don SCUBA gear to dive and do some cleaning of the ship’s hull, especially as we collected some specimens of barnacles and other organisms such a tiny baby octopus to observe under the ship’s video-microscope this evening.
The afternoon was spent in a different site, in a bay belonging to the largest of the “Murcielago” (or “bat”) islands, located just off the peninsula of Santa Elena and part of the Santa Rosa national park system. These islands are arid, but a hike to the top offered truly spectacular views. They were also great for snorkeling, and exploring the Pacific marine life as we drifted amongst the angel, damsel and butterfly fishes.
This morning we awoke in Costa Rica once more, and after a couple of very active days it was time to spend some more relaxing time exploring the unforgettably beautiful coastline of the Pacific Northwest of this small Central American country. We dropped anchor in a small sheltered bay called Bahia Huevos, which literally translates as “Egg Bay”! This was a spot recommended by our captain, who hails from this part of the country, and it proved to be really special. A lovely mangrove-bordered river fed into the bay, and the tide conditions were such that we could explore the area by both Zodiac and kayak, the latter being a particularly special way to immerse oneself into one’s surroundings, listening to the sounds of the forest all around us. Those who wished could take a birding walk with our resident ornithologist, and it was a real treat for all of us to take a great swim of the stern of the Sea Voyager on returning to the ship. It was particularly fun watching our officers don SCUBA gear to dive and do some cleaning of the ship’s hull, especially as we collected some specimens of barnacles and other organisms such a tiny baby octopus to observe under the ship’s video-microscope this evening.
The afternoon was spent in a different site, in a bay belonging to the largest of the “Murcielago” (or “bat”) islands, located just off the peninsula of Santa Elena and part of the Santa Rosa national park system. These islands are arid, but a hike to the top offered truly spectacular views. They were also great for snorkeling, and exploring the Pacific marine life as we drifted amongst the angel, damsel and butterfly fishes.
