Coiba Marine National Park
We woke up today to find ourselves in a place of great beauty, Coiba Marine National Park. With its great marine and terrestrial diversity, this place is one of the natural relics of the Neotropics.
The Marine National Park is formed by a group of islands about 25 kilometers off the coast of Panama. Coiba Island is the main and largest island, not just of the National Park but also of the Pacific side of Central America. Some of the other parts of the Marine National Park include Jicaron, Jicarita, and the underwater mount of Hannibal Reef.
Coiba MNP is one of the last refuges for the endangered Scarlet Macaw and the Crested Eagle in Panama. It is also home for some mammal species found nowhere else, including the Coiba Agouti (Dasyproctae coibae) and the Coiba Mantled Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata coibensis), which is considered to be almost extinct. The National Park is 270,000 ha, of which about 80 % is underwater. The special zone of marine protection now covers 60% of the continental shelf.
After we arrived, things developed really fast. Before we knew it, we had a Humpback whale, then some pan-tropical spotted dolphins playing off the stern as we anchored. We disembarked on Jicarita Island for a morning of snorkeling, swimming and relaxing on the beach. Snorkelers were rewarded by sights of Black triggerfish, Bicolor parrotfish, King angelfish and even a Hawks billed turtle.
After lunch we pull anchor and make our way toward the Gulf of Panama, leaving Coiba. We were escorted by a parade of more pan-tropical spotted dolphins, rays jumping, and even sea turtles.
What a day! It reminded me why Coiba Marine National Park is one of my favorite places in the world. It also made me think about the many efforts that are being taken by conservation groups like MarViva to preserve the marine corridor that includes Coco’s island in Costa Rica, Coiba MNP in Panama, Malpelo Island in Colombia and Galápagos in Ecuador.
We woke up today to find ourselves in a place of great beauty, Coiba Marine National Park. With its great marine and terrestrial diversity, this place is one of the natural relics of the Neotropics.
The Marine National Park is formed by a group of islands about 25 kilometers off the coast of Panama. Coiba Island is the main and largest island, not just of the National Park but also of the Pacific side of Central America. Some of the other parts of the Marine National Park include Jicaron, Jicarita, and the underwater mount of Hannibal Reef.
Coiba MNP is one of the last refuges for the endangered Scarlet Macaw and the Crested Eagle in Panama. It is also home for some mammal species found nowhere else, including the Coiba Agouti (Dasyproctae coibae) and the Coiba Mantled Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata coibensis), which is considered to be almost extinct. The National Park is 270,000 ha, of which about 80 % is underwater. The special zone of marine protection now covers 60% of the continental shelf.
After we arrived, things developed really fast. Before we knew it, we had a Humpback whale, then some pan-tropical spotted dolphins playing off the stern as we anchored. We disembarked on Jicarita Island for a morning of snorkeling, swimming and relaxing on the beach. Snorkelers were rewarded by sights of Black triggerfish, Bicolor parrotfish, King angelfish and even a Hawks billed turtle.
After lunch we pull anchor and make our way toward the Gulf of Panama, leaving Coiba. We were escorted by a parade of more pan-tropical spotted dolphins, rays jumping, and even sea turtles.
What a day! It reminded me why Coiba Marine National Park is one of my favorite places in the world. It also made me think about the many efforts that are being taken by conservation groups like MarViva to preserve the marine corridor that includes Coco’s island in Costa Rica, Coiba MNP in Panama, Malpelo Island in Colombia and Galápagos in Ecuador.
