Coiba Marine National Park
The morning greeted us with a few daunting clouds over the mainland of Panama. However, over the Sea Voyager the sun was clearly breaking through. The promise of a brilliant day for snorkeling and a BBQ within Coiba National Park was eminent. As we approached Granito de Oro it was apparent that we would have a spectacular morning snorkeling, kayaking, and enjoying beach time, which we did.
Coiba National Park, formerly known as Devils Island, was a penal colony for approximately 100 years, from the early 20th century and into the 21st. Today it is a UNESCO world heritage site encompassing 270,000 hectares of which 80 percent is underwater. Among a wide variety of wildlife, it is home to the scarlet macaw, 147 species of birds, a subspecies of howler monkey, and the Central American agouti.
Our morning was spent kayaking and snorkeling where we were able to view a wide variety of sea life, including damsel, trigger, wrasse, parrot, cornet, and angel fishes, white tipped reef shark, and hawks billed turtles. With our appetites growing, we set off for the ANAM ranger station for a fabulous BBQ including ribs, salads, and Erasmo’s latest creation, salmon burgers. Fighting off our food comas, we explored the island of Coiba looking for birds, iguanas, agouti, and monkeys. The crew enjoyed a rowdy match of football (soccer) while others took advantage of yoga/stretching exercises on the beach with Susan, our Wellness Specialist.
As we sit here recalling the pleasure of today’s adventures, the anticipation of tomorrow is building…
The morning greeted us with a few daunting clouds over the mainland of Panama. However, over the Sea Voyager the sun was clearly breaking through. The promise of a brilliant day for snorkeling and a BBQ within Coiba National Park was eminent. As we approached Granito de Oro it was apparent that we would have a spectacular morning snorkeling, kayaking, and enjoying beach time, which we did.
Coiba National Park, formerly known as Devils Island, was a penal colony for approximately 100 years, from the early 20th century and into the 21st. Today it is a UNESCO world heritage site encompassing 270,000 hectares of which 80 percent is underwater. Among a wide variety of wildlife, it is home to the scarlet macaw, 147 species of birds, a subspecies of howler monkey, and the Central American agouti.
Our morning was spent kayaking and snorkeling where we were able to view a wide variety of sea life, including damsel, trigger, wrasse, parrot, cornet, and angel fishes, white tipped reef shark, and hawks billed turtles. With our appetites growing, we set off for the ANAM ranger station for a fabulous BBQ including ribs, salads, and Erasmo’s latest creation, salmon burgers. Fighting off our food comas, we explored the island of Coiba looking for birds, iguanas, agouti, and monkeys. The crew enjoyed a rowdy match of football (soccer) while others took advantage of yoga/stretching exercises on the beach with Susan, our Wellness Specialist.
As we sit here recalling the pleasure of today’s adventures, the anticipation of tomorrow is building…
