On a nine-day small-ship journey with UnCruise, an adventure travel outfit from Seattle, I toodle around the bays and islets off Panama’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts on Safari Voyager with 40 or so other intrepid travellers.

“We are the antithesis of the big ships,” says UnCruise owner Dan Blanchard. “Everything we do is not about the boat, it’s about what’s off the boat—the nature and wildlife. Essentially, the boat is a floating lodge we ‘hub and spoke off’ all day, the tool to get us to the places we can’t get to otherwise.”

Spot the boobies. I rarely get excited about boobies. But then I spot my first blue-footed boobie—and I’m mesmerized. On an inflatable skiff looking through binoculars, we see their cliffside bird colony on Little Pacheca Island in the Gulf of Panama. My boobies aren’t alone: I also see cormorants, pelicans and more, each commanding their own particular real estate around their wee island rookeries.

Find your tribe. Further down the Pacific coast, we spend an afternoon at an Indigenous village in the Darién province, communing with a tribe of welcoming Emberá villagers still living the same traditional jungle life that goes back centuries. After a formal welcome and a bit of ceremonial dancing, we buy crafts—beaded pendants, woven baskets, carved wooden dishware—and taste raw sugar cane.

WHERE TO STAY: IN PANAMA CITY

Kayak the mangroves. Existing before humans, the salt-tolerant coastal vegetation of the sub-tidal zones is its own ecosystem, filtering the salt out of the tree roots. Paddling through the mangroves yields an exquisite sense of peace and an arresting realization that I’m visiting a place few people ever get the chance to visit. We languish in the approaching sunset, drinking in the silence, watching the pelicans dive-bomb for fish in the estuary. No wonder these poor creatures go blind from this daily grind.

Traverse the Panama Canal. Tick.

Find a desert island. On the Atlantic side, we make for the Indigenous province of Guna Yala, a grouping of 360 picture-postcard islands, all white sand, palm trees and thatched roofs. We snorkel, paddleboard, kayak some more, eat, play volleyball and shop for molas, the colourful embroidered tapestries the locals have brought to our island-for-the-day.

THINGS TO DO: CASCO VIEJO

When you go. Uncruise Adventures offers seven- and 10-night trips around Colombia and Panama in October, December and January, and July and August. Pack the linen.

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This variety, coupled with great weather practically year-round leaves visitors to Guanacaste revelling in the spirit of Pura Vida. Literally “pure life,” this iconic and health-oriented philosophy encourages an appreciation of life, body and soul. Costa Rica takes this to heart. The people here are also so completely conservation-conscious, the government has set its sights on the country being carbon-neutral by 2021. And with such a strong bio focus comes a great respect for the land, its preservation and the protection of its wildlife.

Stay at a real ranch. Rancho Humo in the district of Nicoya is a 1,000-acre working cattle ranch along the Tempisque River at the edge of Palo Verde National Park. While cattle remains the going concern, conservation is of equal importance since the area became a protected wetland, home to countless species of birds, including herons, hawks, storks, egrets and ducks (just visiting from Canada). This is one of those places where they actually encourage you to drink the water: It is one of the reasons given to explain why life expectancy in this region is among the highest in the world.

Treat yourself. A little pampering on the Papagayo Peninsula can reveal even more of the Pura Vida philsophy. This is the Gold Coast, the most exclusive part of the country, famous for its posh resorts like the Andaz and Four Seasons, an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course, and the elegant homes of the rich and famous (Madonna had a house here). In fact, the new refurbishment of the Liberia airport was due in part to attract and cater to the influx of celebrities and millionaires—and now yacht-owners: the $15-million Papagayo Marina jutting out into Culebra Bay is the largest in the country.

READ MORE: THE ANDAZ PAPAGAYO

Go green. Despite all the elegance, 80 per cent of Papagoya is protected land. The resorts go to great lengths to ensure a sustainable tourism experience. Driving through the forests, you can spot howler monkeys and white-faced capuchin monkeys, as well as inquisitive coatis who hail from the raccoon family. Distinctive orange-legged caracara birds of prey don’t actually hunt, but instead wander the ditches looking for roadkill—Pura Vida of a different stripe to be sure.

Climb on a horse. Outdoor adventure is also a huge draw in this region, much of it hooked to popular working cattle ranch Hacienda Guachipelin, where visitors can spend a few days connecting with nature and getting some exercise: in the form of ziplining, rock-climbing, rappelling, river tubing and horseback riding.

Take the waters. A visit to Guanacaste wouldn’t be complete without dipping your toe in the healing spa waters and mud baths produced by all the volcanic activity—and there is a lot of it: This area has seven active volcanos, all generating energy. The 9,000-year-old Rincon de la Vieja Volcano is attached to a major power plant, helping to generate steam for electricity for the entire country. At nearby Rio Negro Hot Springs, bathers congregate in six thermal pools heated naturally by Rincon, then paint themselves—and each other—with volcanic mud.

VISITCOSTARICA.COM

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