Today we had the privilege of exploring the Santa Elena Peninsula in Guanacaste Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage site. National Geographic Quest is the only ship allowed to navigate these pristine waters. We cruised the bay looking for wildlife, hiked the trails, and enjoyed kayaking and tours in the Zodiacs. The weather was beautiful, and our guests got to have the area to themselves. In the afternoon, we repositioned to Junquillal, where we went snorkeling off Muñeco Island and enjoyed some beach time. We saw a lot of wildlife today, and everybody was extremely happy.
11/22/2024
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National Geographic Quest
Curu
Today was a sunny, muddy, wildlife extravaganza. Along our forest walks in Curu we saw greater white-lined bats (Saccopteryx bilineata), Central American agoutis (Dasyprocta punctata), white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus), howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata), white-nosed coatis (Nasua narica), bare-throated tiger herons (Tigrisoma mexicanum), and common black hawks (Buteogallus anthracinus). Curu is a multi-use sustainability development project that prioritizes forest protection, sustainable agriculture, and wildlife conservation. It has been involved in projects featuring scarlet macaws (Ara macao), a gorgeous parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas. We spent the afternoon at Isla Tortuga where guests enjoyed coconuts and then watched charismatic collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu) feed on the leftovers. It was difficult to leave the beach, but we had the world premiere of our guest slideshow to enjoy, prepared by our magnificent Photo Instructor, José Calvo.
