Costa Rica & Panama 2018-2019

COSTA RICA + PANAMA WITH AN AMAZING PANAMA CANAL TRANSIT AND AN EXCLUSIVE OFFER & SAVINGS

ABOARD NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC QUEST 2018–2019

DEAR TRAVELER, Costa Rica has been on travelers’ must-see list for decades. We are curious about, and inspired by decisions Costa Rica has made. This nation has defeated deforestation; where only 20% of the forest remained in the 1970s and 80s, it’s now rebounded to 50%. Today, the dense, lush Osa Peninsula, where we can explore easily with National Geographic Quest, has 80% of its area protected, thanks to the actions of everyday people. Our local guides, former miners, loggers, hunters and poachers, have changed their minds and transformed their homeland. We will meet and talk with them about this. And see wonders, too. The Panama Canal is an authentic engineering marvel. But to those who care about the environment, it’s also a miracle—man-made Gatun Lake at its center, and the incredible Panama jungle that flanks the Canal, are living tributes to careful human actions. Thriving natural systems co-exist with the man-made in harmony. We will see much to exhilarate us, including the very special chance to watch newborn sea turtles take their first steps to the ocean. I hope you will choose to join my team and I. We look forward to sharing the adventure.

All the best,

Max Vindas, Expedition Leader

MEET THE PEOPLE OF THE CAMINO DE OSA Juan Cubillo, a former goldminer turned conservationist, will teach you how to extract clean 24-karat gold.

The farmers at Kobo Sustainable Farm will show you how chocolate, pineapples, cashews and vanilla are cultivated and processed. Take a short cooking class at the Heart Of Palm Plantation. Or walk a narrow dirt trail that opens into lush, virgin rainforest with locals turned environmentalists— as macaws and leaping monkeys animate the canopy around you.

Clockwise from upper left: Learn the techniques used to clean 24 karat gold. cacao pod opened to explain the process of making chocolate. Green-crowned brilliant hummingbird.

Front cover: Scarlet Macaw Carate Osa Peninsula Costa Rica Central America. © Frank Scott

GREEN SEA TURTLE EXPERIENCE WITH OSA CONSERVATION JOIN THE MARCH 15, 22 & 29, 2019 DEPARTURES ON NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC QUEST FOR AN EXCITING AND ENRICHING PROGRAM FOCUSED ON GREEN SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION EFFORTS. The southern beaches of the Osa Peninsula are visited primarily by two species of nesting turtles: Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) and Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas). The different varieties visit at varying times. Luckily, our March voyages coincide with visits by the Green Sea Turtles. We’ll make an in-depth visit to Piro Beach, a critical nesting site, and a primary site where Osa Conservation has been collecting data and working in communities to support outreach and protection of sea turtles for over ten years. Their efforts have been paying off, with hatching rates rising significantly, by the thousands, over the past few years.

Join us—to enjoy drinks, dinner and an enriching time on the beach with the OSA Conservation team, with the music of frogs in the surrounding jungle and stars overhead. And Nature may give us the gift of seeing tiny turtles scrambling to the sea.

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COSTA RICA & THE PANAMA CANAL 8 DAYS/7 NIGHTS—ABOARD NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC QUEST PRICING FROM $5,990** Book by Dec. 31, 2018 to guarantee 2018/19 prices for 2020 departures.

EXPEDITION DETAILS DATES: 2018 Dec. 22, 29* 2019 Jan. 5, 12*, 19, 26*; Feb. 2; Mar. 15*, 22, 29*; Dec. 22, 29* 2020 Jan. 5, 12, 19, 26; Feb. 2; Mar. 23 *These departures travel in reverse order, from Panama City to San José, making all the same stops.

Limited availability.

COSTA RICA Puerto Caldera

ITINERARY AT A GLANCE Day 1

San José, Costa Rica/ Puerto Caldera/Embark

Day 2

Corcovado National Park

Day 3

Golfo Dulce/Osa Peninsula

Day 4

Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica

Day 5

Coiba National Park, Panama

Day 6

Gulf of Panama Islets/Panama Canal Transit

Day 7

Gatún Lake/Panama Canal Transit

Day 8

Colón/Panama City, Panama/Disembark

FIND THE COMPLETE DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY, DATES, AND RATES AT EXPEDITIONS.COM/WILD **Per person, double occupancy based on Category 1, valid as of the time of printing, subject to modification and not guaranteed until booking and required deposit is made. See all terms and conditions at www.expeditions.com/terms

EXTEND YOUR STAY Add a pre- or post-voyage extension and explore on an inland adventure.

Pre-Voyage Extension Monteverde + Costa Rica & Panama 11 Days/10 Nights Land Excursion + National Geographic Quest Post-Voyage Extension aboard the National Geographic Quest + Monteverde, Arenal Volcano & Tortuguero 15 Days/ 14 Nights Visit Expeditions.com/wild

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THE ADVENTURE BEGINS Explore Puerto Caldera, a bustling port city known for its rolling Pacific swells, perfect for surfing.

Pacific Ocean

A WALK IN THE FOREST Join naturalists for hikes through Corcovado National Park to spot endemic wildlife such as brightly plumed birds and chattering monkeys.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC QUEST One of our newest expedition ships. Intimate in scale and the perfect platform for discovery.

For more information, go to expeditions.com/quest.

AN ECO-VICTORY The beautifully lush Osa region is a superb example of collaborative conservation —meet the people behind the effort.

ONE WITH NATURE Snorkel, paddleboard, or kayak amid the numerous islands of Coiba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A MAN-MADE MIRACLE Experience a unique, in-depth transit of the Panama Canal, a modern engineering marvel carved from the surrounding Panamanian jungle.

Caribbean Sea

San José

Colón Gatún Lake

Panama Canal

Panama City Playa Blanca Golfo Dulce

BABY STEPS Visit critical green sea turtle-nesting sites on the beaches of the verdant Osa Peninsula for the chance to see hatchings scramble for the sea.

PANAMA

Isla Coiba

Gulf of Panama

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SEE THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC QUEST’S INAUGURAL PASSAGE THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL AT WWW.EXPEDITIONS.COM/QUESTCANAL

Daily Expedition Report, Jan. 31, 2018, National Geographic Quest Today we made it to Coiba National Park one of the jewels of the eastern Pacific Ocean. We started the morning going to the Monkey Trail and 600 feet from the trail head we spotted a troop of Coiba howler monkeys, howling to establish their territory in the rain forest.

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Kayaks allow for water-level exploration.

GOING WHERE AWESOME IS IN COSTA RICA & PANAMA

Naturalist teaching guest about the region.

Head into the lush, virtually inaccessible green heart of the Osa Peninsula. Discover hidden pools and waterfalls in the forest. Experience an extraordinary transit of the Panama Canal, with our ship as your perfect platform for examining the details of the lock systems that make it one of the world’s most fascinating and enduring man-made marvels. Enter the kaleidoscopic flora and fauna of Panama, lying just beyond the industrial Canal Zone. Kayak, paddleboard, swim or snorkel within beautiful Coiba National Park, with its constellation of over 200 islands. Learn about the plate tectonics underlying Golfo Dulce. And visit a private garden lush with orchids created and run for 25 years by two American expats. And continue exploring on your choice of three pre- or post voyage extensions in Costa Rica.

MEET YOUR EXPEDITION TEAM AT EXPEDITIONS.COM/CR-PTEAM

Snorkeling in crystal clear waters of Coiba Island National Park.

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PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS

96 MORTON STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10014

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For Reservations: Contact your travel advisor or Lindblad Expeditions

1.800.EXPEDITION | WWW.EXPEDITIONS.COM Reservation Hours: Monday – Friday 9am – 9pm ET; Saturday & Sunday 10am – 5pm ET (1.800.397.3348) Photo Credits: Ralph Lee Hopkins; Chris Johnson; Fabiola Kano; Jonathan Kingston; Sven Lindblad; Oyvind Martinsen; Michael Melford; Juan Carlos Munoz; Ondrej Prosicky; Anne-Marie Palmer.

C Printed on 10% recycled content paper with soy-based inks. We recommend that you pass this along for others to enjoy or recycle.

FREE AIRFARE

OR A FREE PANAMA STAY FREE AIRFARE between Miami and Costa Rica/Panama City OR Complimentary night at the Panama Marriott Hotel.

Extend your stay with a tour of Panama City. Available on select 2018-2019 departures. Book by December 31, 2018.

VISIT EXPEDITIONS.COM/ PANAMAOFFER FOR DETAILS

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