Discover Guanacaste, Costa Rica. These stunning photographs of the wildlife, people, beaches, and forests of Guanacaste give you a taste of our new itinerary.
We'll take "things that make you go aww!" for $1000. From sloths to sea lions, these cute baby animal photos will have you packing your bags for Costa Rica, Baja, Antarctica and beyond.
The wildest of Costa Rica’s wild places are also the least accessible—unless you approach by expedition ship. Here are more reasons to explore this region from the sea.
Keep your camera close at hand. In Guanacaste, breathtaking natural beauty waits around every corner—from mist-shrouded volcanoes to remote jungle waterfalls.
One recent guest aboard the National Geographic Quest shares his 10 moments of discoveries from his voyage, including a surprise visit from a family of humpback whales.
The Panama Canal—one of the seven wonders of the modern world—has been a key conduit for international maritime trade since it was completed at the turn of the last century. For Expedition Development Manager Ted Kenefick, crossing the canal for the first time was a surprisingly profound and poignant experience. Here, he answers some frequently questions about this modern marvel which is a highlight of several popular Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic voyages in Central America.
Today we started our first full day of expedition on Seymour Island. We observed an exceptional number of land iguanas along the coastline of the island. Blue-footed boobies danced around looking for mates, and frigatebirds with inflated pouches danced and sang to attract mates. We had an amazing first day today. During the afternoon, we snorkeled with sea lions off Rabida Island. We observed many colorful fish, sea turtles, and sharks. After a quick change, we prepared to land on Rabida Island to explore the inside of a brackish lagoon. We found so many flamingos.
At this time of year in the Galapagos, it is raining, plants are flowering, and endemic insects are everywhere. This is a great time for terrestrial animals to breed. During our visit, we enjoyed listening to chirping Darwin’s finches and mockingbirds. Seabirds are just starting to perform pre-mating rituals. In a few months, they will have chicks. The ocean will cool down a bit and provide plenty of food for marine animals. This is a good time of year to explore the Galapagos. Visitors can observe native and endemic animals take advantage of the good conditions while marine animals prepare to give birth.
Today was a magnificent day. It started just after daybreak with a climb of over 380 steps to the top of a tuff cone, a famous part of Bartholomew Island. We stopped at the beach after breakfast for a refreshing dip that hit the spot. Then we headed off to explore the deeper waters along the coast of the island. After our morning hike, we looked forward to two snorkeling opportunities and an outing in the glass-bottom boat. In the afternoon, we enjoyed deep-water snorkeling in the channel and Zodiac tours. We had three chances to get in the water with water temperatures around 80° F. What a great day.
Today, we started exploring the island with a pre-breakfast hike along Cerro Dragon. We spotted Galapagos land iguanas and many land birds, including Galapagos finches, mockingbirds, and flycatchers. After a delicious meal, we headed for deep-water snorkeling in crystal waters. We were surrounded by different fish, sea turtles, and whitetip reef sharks. Then we explored Bahia Borrero with kayaks, paddleboards, and a Zodiac tour. During sunset, the hotel department invited us to the sky deck to enjoy a wine tasting as we circumnavigated Daphne Mayor.
Today we visited Fogo, the famous, active volcano of the Cape Verde Islands. Fogo (“fire” in Portuguese) has been erupting episodically since at least 1500 and likely for centuries or millennia before that. Pirate William Dampier observed an eruption in 1632. We took our Zodiacs ashore into the small harbor and rode on local vans from the coastal town of São Felipe up into the mountains and into the caldera itself. We drove across lava from the 1951 eruption which breached the caldera rim, and we walked past the sign welcoming us to the National Park and past the blocky lava from the eruption. We then drove along the old road into the caldera. We soon encountered a detour necessitated by the fact that the most recent eruption in 2014 had covered the road with a lava flow that was about seven meters thick. The new road took us around the caldera wall to the little village of Cha das Caldeiras. The village was destroyed by lava in the 1995 eruption, rebuilt, and then destroyed again by the 2014 lava. Fresh lava is everywhere throughout the village, but residents are slowly rebuilding once again and have constructed a number of new houses, a new inn, and a new winery to continue the wine business that was flourishing before the most recent eruption. We were tremendously impressed by the persistence of the citizens of Cha das Caldeiras, who began rebuilding in 2015 while the lava was still glowing. After our inspiring visit to the caldera and the village of Cha, we returned to the harbor and once again took our Zodiacs back to National Geographic Explorer . We weighed anchor and continued our northward voyage to our next landing in the Canary Islands.
