ZECO TRAVEL TALK

Our first day in Panama was a true expedition-style day spent on the remote island of Escudo de Varaguas. An intrepid group set off early, landing on a long sandy beach dotted with abandon fishing huts. A walk along the edge of forest yielded sightings of the endemic Escudo hummingbird, the golden-collard manakin, bay wren, and blue-gray tanager. The rest of the group chose to take a Zodiac cruise and were greeted by brown boobies and a pygmy sloth. Later in the afternoon a small group set out for some drift snorkeling along a small passage just off the community of Cotton Bay. The snorkeling yielded too many fish to count but the highlight had to be the family in a dugout canoe that we met. Jack was able to engage them with his Spanish and we learned they were living on the island for a short period of time.

Our next destination was the San Blas Archipelago where we were struck by the beauty of these little gems that number about 360… one for every day of the year. The ship anchored off the island of Acuatupu and we landed at a community that came to be known as the “mola mall.” The line of people selling crafts seemed to go on forever but we did our best to support the local economy. Later in the afternoon, at Holandes Caye, we enjoyed a choice of water sports including diving, snorkeling, nature walks, sea kayaking, and general relaxation. Even the Commandant made it ashore and we all agreed it was one of the most beautiful places we had been.

A daylight transit of the Panama Canal allowed us to experience and appreciate this man-made wonder, often referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” Rich Cahill, Panama native and expert guide, enlightened us with facts, figures, and volumes of information about the canal system.

Enjoy the time lapsed video of our transit aboard Le Levant by clicking on the image above.

We spent our brief time in Colombia on English speaking Isla de Providencia. Zodiacs took us ashore where we were welcomed with the sounds of island music. The birders were off first and had the great fortune to site thick-billed vireo, white crowned pigeons, and green breasted mangos. The rest of us enjoyed an island tour, visiting a small school where we presented school supplies donated by Zegrahm and our passengers. The tour continued to a lookout with stunning views of the island and its many hidden harbors before returning to town for a little “retail therapy.” A group of intrepid hikers set out to hoist the Zegrahm and Stanford flags at the highest point on the island. It wasn’t easy, but after 90 minutes at a steady pace we made it to the top and raised our flags proudly.

Our visit to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, began with large swells and rain but it soon cleared and we were off on a boat tour of the Tortuguero Canals. We were amazed by the density of the rain forest surrounding us, and it wasn’t long before the wildlife sightings began… howler, spider, and capuchin monkeys; a northern Tamandua anteater, two- and three-toed sloths; great kiskadee, northern jacana, black-crowned night-heron, and a semiplumbeous hawk. All of this in less than three hours!!!

Leaving Tortuguero behind, we arrived at Bocas del Toro in the evening. Many of us went ashore to explore the charming town of Bocas and enjoyed the music, food, and local drink of the area. It was another wonderful day!

We awoke to find ourselves approaching Elephant Island in thick fog and swells, but the fog soon lifted to reveal Cape Valentine and the towering cliffs of this island made famous by the 1914-1917 Shackleton Expedition. Captain Lemaire brought us right into view of historic Point Wild where twenty-two crew members from the Endurance spent four and a half months until Shackleton’s welcome return upon the Chilean navy cutter Yelcho. Zodiacs were launched and, although the swells prevented a landing on the narrow spit where the men survived under their overturned boats, we enjoyed a tour of the coastline complete with dramatic metamorphic rocks, chinstrap penguins, and even a lone macaroni penguin on the cliff. Once back on board, our historian, Scott Pearson, revisited the expedition story, taking us from beginning to end and helping fill details “in between the lines” of this dramatic adventure.

In the afternoon, we attempted a visit to Cape Lookout on the island’s south coast, but were thwarted by strong winds and swells. Our disappointment in not making this landing soon faded, however, as we were joined by fin whales, swimming right alongside and lunge feeding. Thanks to JD and the captain for slowing Le Diamant, we had a magnificent “bonus afternoon” of whale watching.

Our next morning was spent at Paulet Island, the site where 21 men from the 1903 Nordenskjöld expedition wintered over after the loss of their vessel, Antarctic, to sea ice. The walls of the stone hut that once provided shelter to Captain Larsen’s party now shelter fuzzy Adelie penguin chicks, part of a colony of more than 100,000 breeding pairs.

Scott recounted the story of the expedition’s field parties while other leaders explained the geology of this volcanic island and guided walks to the penguins and nearby Antarctic shag colony. Before returning to Le Diamant, a Zodiac cruise along the berg-littered coastline revealed Weddell seals hauled out on the beach.

Back on board, we headed for Devil Island and Prince Gustav Channel in search of some serious ice. With snow on its way, a cloudy sky provided the perfect backlighting to crystal blue and white icebergs that filled the channel. Our ice tour in the Zodiacs was made complete by crabeater and Weddell seals, not to mention Adelie penguins that porpoised and leapt from the water onto artistically sculpted bergs as we wove in and out of a fairyland of ice. The late evening found us well fed and on watch as we cruised even further south in the Weddell Sea for the elusive emperor penguin. So far, the majesty of this southern realm is beyond even our grandest expectations.

A cacophony of birds acted as our tropical wake-up call on our first morning and we prepared to set out for the fascinating Maya ruins of Lamanai. First we boarded motor coaches, then embarked speed boats for our river journey to the archaeological site, spotting northern jacana, a boat-billed heron, and a fork-tailed flycatcher along the way. We also passed a Mennonite community who were fishing together on the banks.

After a wonderful picnic lunch our guides took us on an in-depth walking tour of this ancient Mayan site…every step became a history lesson as we explored the Jaguar Temple with its detailed stone markings, and the sports court (where apparently the WINNING team captain was sacrificed to the Gods.) A few energetic passengers climbed to the top of one of the temples for stunning views of the ancient site and surrounding rain forest.

We spent our next Belize day among the cayes dotting the warm Caribbean. Half Moon Cay is a veritable paradise and we set off on hikes with naturalists, spotting hermit crabs and cape may warblers on our way to an observation tower designed to give tree top views of the largest red-footed booby colony in the western Caribbean. The activity was impressive—the beautiful birds with their red feet and blue-ringed eyes alongside frigatebirds in full mating display, their red gular pouch looking as if it would burst.

After lunch divers and snorkelers explored the surrounding underwater wonderland, adrift off a reef wall nicknamed “the aquarium.” Not long after starting out, we had one of those astonishing wildlife encounters truly hard to put into words. Six bottlenose dolphins swam just 20 feet from us. They were so close, so graceful, and completely uninhibited by our presence. And as we made our way into “the aquarium” the number and variety of corals was simply astounding… colorful fan and brain corals that seemed to go on for miles. We saw queen angel fish, squirrelfish, tangs, and a school of squid that seemed to be rehearsing for an Esther Williams production!

Back on board, everyone was buzzing about our Belize adventures and we were sad to be leaving this fascinating little country so soon. But, Honduras lies ahead of us and who knows what awaits us?

Mongolian wild horses—or Przewalski horses—came dangerously close to extinction due to hunting and competition with domestic stock. Had it not been for a number of individuals that were taken to zoos in various parts of the world, they would have been lost forever. Thanks to the dedicated conservation efforts of the Hustai National Park Trust, Przewalski horses were reintroduced to the park in 1992 and recent figures put the population at nearly 200 horses.

Together with Mark Brazil (an expedition leader on past Mongolia trips), Zegrahm & Eco Expeditions is proud to have played a role in the conservation efforts by sponsoring a Przewalski foal for the last few years. In 2006 we adopted Zegrahm; Eco-1 followed in 2007, and Eco-2 in 2008. We recently received this information and photo from a wildlife biologist working in Hustai National Park.

“Female foal ECO-2 was born on the 23rd of May, 2008. Her father’s name is Bernard and he is one of the strongest stallions in Hustai. The mother’s name is Anu, named after the legendary western Mongolian Queen of the 16th century.”

When the Przewalski population reaches beyond 500 horses, conservationists will have deemed the reintroduction a success. Zegrahm & Eco Expeditions plans to continue supporting the efforts of the Hustai National Park Trust, share information about their work, and encourage travelers to go and see for themselves these magnificent creatures roaming free and wild in Mongolia.

For more information on Hustai National Park, visit: http://www.hustai.mn/
For information on Zegrahm & Eco’s upcoming Mongolia expedition, visit: http://www.zeco.com/destinations/mongolia_d.asp?dateid=530
For more information on Mark Brazil visit:
http://www.zeco.com/about/guides_a.asp#2

We began our day of exploration at Carcass Island, named after the Royal Navy ship HMS Carcass which reached the Falklands in 1766. We set out on a pleasant walk, noting Cobb’s wren and Falkland steamer ducks, found only in the Falklands; striated caracaras; snipes; upland and kelp geese; meadowlarks; and finches. We also saw our first penguins of the trip, gentoos and Magellanics. Today Carcass Island is owned by Rob McGill, who treated us to a delightful tea at the end of our morning explorations before the Zodiacs whisked us back to the ship. Some lucky travelers were treated to a Zodiac escort by Commerson’s dolphins.

Back on board and en route to New Island our captain deftly navigated the narrow “Wooly Gut” passage between West Point Island and West Falkland, giving us spectacular views of the 400 million-year-old quartz sandstone cliffs. Our arrival at New Island was celebrated with a Peale’s dolphin Zodiac escort and a short hike past the Captain Barnard Museum ending at a magnificent rookery teeming with rockhopper penguins, imperial shags, and black-browed albatross, all with downy, hungry chicks in the nests.

Adult albatross entertained us with their sometimes graceful, sometimes ungainly launches and landings. Long lines of penguins hopped up and down the cliffs in a never- ending effort to keep their young ones fueled. Cameras didn’t stop clicking until it was time to return for a quick tour of the museum and conversations with the local artists. Then it was on to the ship for a little relaxation at the end of another fabulous day.

We’re Antarctica bound, starting the trip off with a beautiful flight into Ushuaia—bathed in sunshine below us, with spectacular aerial views of the fjords and lakes that mark the southern edge of the South American tectonic plate. Ushuaia itself lies on a picturesque bay on the Beagle Channel surrounded by jagged snow-covered peaks. Above us the trees end in a razor-sharp mountain tree line; at our feet are gorgeous giant poppies and other colorful wildflowers.

Our tour divided into two groups, alternating morning and afternoon trips to Tierra del Fuego National Park, local scenic points, museum exhibits, and relaxed walks about town. We all met at noon for lunch at the Patagonia Mia Restaurant where a traditional Argentinean parrilla, a lunch of grilled meats, was served.

There were highlights for everyone including the rare sighting of a pair of Magellanic woodpeckers, soaring Andean condors, a Patagonian red fox, and, as one traveler described them—“lupines on steroids!” Late in the afternoon we reunited aboard our expedition vessel and home for the next eighteen days, Le Diamant. Our adventure was off to a perfect start as we sailed down the Beagle Channel into the Atlantic Ocean.