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ZEGRAHM & ECO EXPEDITIONS — Giving You The World 1-800-628-8747 or 206-285-4000 |
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Home > Press Release |
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Press Release |
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For Immediate ReleaseCosta Rican Natural Wonders Centerpiece of Winter Sailing AdventureSEATTLE, WA — Two oceans, four masts, six countries, and the Eighth Wonder of the World will add up to adventure times ten in February and March 2001 when Zegrahm Expeditions' chartered sailing vessel, Wind Star, sets sail for the "Rain Forests and Reefs" expedition in Central America. This 16 day-adventure offers a limited number of participants the best of this ecologically diverse region with visits to national parks and monuments, bird sanctuaries, island preserves, and lush tropical rain forests. First stop on this journey will be the sparkling cayes of Belize, a premier location for snorkeling, diving and birding, and home to the spectacular natural wonder, the Blue Hole. This gargantuan circular crater, most likely formed by a meteor thousands of years ago, was studied extensively by Jacques Cousteau in 1984. From Belize, Wind Star will sail on towards Honduras' Bay Islands where virgin reefs teem with a myriad of colorful marine life. Snorkeling opportunities abound in these crystalline waters which blanket a dramatic ocean-floor landscape known for its canyons, tunnels, caves, and ledges. Off the coast of Nicaragua, the ship will visit a host of small islands where the only inhabitants are seabirds and mangrove forests. On the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, a boating excursion on the Tortuguero Canals offers an opportunity for spectacular wildlife sightings: wood storks, great blue herons, crocodiles and caimans. The area, known for its fascinating ecosystem, is also home to what locals refer to as the "Jesus Christ lizard," so named for its ability to walk on water. In Panama, passengers will explore via Zodiacs forest-lined rivers alive with parrots, toucans, monkeys and lush flora. Bocas del Toro offers a glimpse at Caribbean colonial architecture, reminiscent of the Key West of old. A daylight crossing of the Panama Canal, an epic feat of engineering which changed the course of human events when it opened in 1914, is one of the journey's high points. After the transit of the Canal, the Wind Star will wend her way up the Pacific coast of Panama, stopping at the remote island of Isla San Telmo to explore its trails and observe from a distance the thousands of pelicans, frigatebirds and boobies which reside there. Returning to Costa Rica, passengers will trek into untamed Corcovado National Park, a virgin lowland rain forest which boasts 500 species of trees and numerous unusual mammals. Here, scarlet macaws and monkeys are in abundance, blending into verdant jungle scenery. Anchoring off Quepos, the ship will offer as a final stop an exploration of Manuel Antonio National Park, a 1,700-acre tropical forest park with a complex network of trails. Passengers, accompanied by naturalists, will walk through the thick forest in search of two and three-toed sloths, white-face and howler monkeys, scarlet macaws, colorful frogs and dinosaur lizards. Rain Forests and Reefs Expeditions-At-A-Glance
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