We awoke before sunrise with the National Geographic Sea Lion on approach to the dramatic rocky point of Land's End at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. Our morning continued in the town of San Jose del Cabo with walks along the estero [estuary] for birding, then onward into the arts and crafts area of this historic town. Following a delicious dockside deck lunch, we set off into the Sea of Cortez to look for humpback whales. We were richly rewarded with many sightings and great views of a variety of active behaviors including full breaches, chin breaches, lob-tailing, and towards the end what we would consider a competitive group of males moving at high speed.
3/20/2025
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National Geographic Quest
Caletas Private Reserve and Corcovado National Park
Over five days ago, we began our journey in Panama and now we’re on our last day in Costa Rica. We decided to explore one of the most important areas in terms of biodiversity, the Osa Peninsula. The Osa Peninsula is home to approximately 4% of the biodiversity in the world. For many years, people tried to mine the area because it is very rich in minerals, specifically gold. Over thirty years ago the government of Costa Rica decided to promote the country as a tourist destination and today it is a pioneer of sustainability in Central America. We began our morning activities offering different options for our guests. The first activity was a coastal walk, and some had the opportunity to see a boa, a white-throated capuchin monkey, and a mantled howler monkey. In the afternoon, part of our group chose to go for a waterfall hike led by our naturalists, and they finished at a swimming hole where they took time to relax and enjoy themselves. Other guests took the long Pargo trail where they saw a Central American spider monkey, and a tapir, one of the most difficult animals to see in the tropics. We finished our day with an amazing sunset from the bow of the National Geographic Quest , a great end to a great day.
